The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1922-03-30

! lived in the Panhandle country.
There wasn't rain enough to wet q
handkerchief We wouldn't have
minded the dry weather so much, but
when it is dry, that is when the wind
blows the hardest, and there is the
most dust The fact is that it got so
during that dry spell that the wind
blew all the time; the only difference
WIS that it blew harder sometimes
than it did at other times. Some
times everything loose was floating
around in the air, such as hen coops,
frame shanties, lean cows, as we'll as
men and women who were light
weight, and the like. That wouldn't
have been so bad If II hadn't been for
the cussed dust. The air WAS full Of
it. People breathed it into their
lungs and swallowed it with their
food. Sometimes it resulted seriously
because the dust would gradually set
tie in the stomach and form sedi-
ment that didn't pass out through the
intestines. There was Ike Blivins,
generally known as Alkali Ike on ac-
count Of his ability to assimilate al
kali water along with his whisky. Ike
was in the habit Of keeping his mouth
open great deal Of the time which
may have accounted for his taking
rather more dust into his stomach
than he otherwise would. Ike was
fond Of fruit. He used to say that he
got awful tired Of salt pork and sour
dough bread and whenever he got
chance to go to town he would in adj
dition to supply Of red eye load up
on any or ali kinds Of fruit he could
find for sale, such as apples, oranges,
pears, plums, grapes, apricots, peach
Is, in fact, anything and everything
n the fruit line. Originally IKE hail
ID from Missouri and always hankered
'or pawpaws and persimmons during
he season when they were ripe One
lay when he was in Fort Worth he
ound fruit stand where there were
ipe pawpaws and persimmons and he
ought couple of boxes and loaded
hem on the chuck wagon and headed
ack for camp. AS the rest of the
owboys didn't seem to banker much
fter pawpaws and persimmons, Ike
to most Of them himself. He had
abit Of swallowing the seeds of near
: all the fruit he ate. Well, you see
ke had been swallowing that dust
Or months and months and had ac-
lmulated about two inches of rich
.diment in his stomach and when
he seeds got imbedded there they
erminated and began to grow. Ike
great deal about having
hat he called growing pains in his
omach, but the rest of the fellers
bout the camp just thought he was
atty on the subject and paid no
lrticular attention to him until by
libby he began to look peaked and
lie day came into camp and said that
just had to go to Fort Worth to
e doctor. Well, he went to town
d saw Doc Boone, who was rough
IS, but a mighty fine doctor and
rgeon. Doe looked Ike over for -
II an hour and finally said that -
ere was something mighty peculiar
out the case. Ike complained
eat deal Of being sick at the stom- q
b and frequently spit up leaves and \
8 of twigs, and said that at times
felt like green persimmon looked.
c said that he didn't see any hope
Ike except through an operation
he said that might kill him. Ike
d that he was satisfied If he didn't
, relief soon he would be dead any
" and therefore to go to it and find
what was inside Of him. Well, they
Ike open and discovered that his
mach was about half full Of rich
d, the dust he had swallowed and
ich Of course was irrigated by the
ali water and other liquor he drank
therefore changed to mud. In this =
.alhnvial snil' as the professor
m the state agricultural college
0 happened to be present at the
. Of the operation. called the mud
y scraped out Of Ike's stomach,
70 growing one persimmon tree,
e pawpaw bushes, two Jonathan
lie sprouts, . grape vine and q cou-
Of Eooseberry bushes. It was the
simmon tree growing up into his
bat that caused the tickling sensa-
i he complained about and which
ie him cough 4 great deal. The
lessor from the college was great
Interested in the case and asked for
privilege Of transplanting the
nbbery that was removed from
5 interior. This was granted and
err the careful supervision of the
fessor, the plants grew luxuriantly.