Year: 1871

Is better known, Little Reddlington,


procured a horse and rode over to the


Livermore Valley, where / stayed all


night with rancher, who was known in


the valley as Champs" They all call


him that because he got rich by holding


on to his money with a degree offortitude


not universal in the country. Well, as


supper time approached, CLAMPS" asked


nae if would like some egg, and how l
preferred it, hard or soft, boiled or fried.


l told him would, and that it would suit


me best to have them soft boiled.


In few moments there came Clamps


and his wife, rolling an egg the, size of a


-four barrel, which they boiled in short


time in a large cauldren, and than set it


upon end alongside of madman's, chair


at the table. A hole was made in the


top of the shell, and the egg was dipped


out with long-handled ladle. l was as


tonished at the size of the egg, and obser-


we'd that his hens must be enormously


large. "By no MEANS" he replied
ou will not be so much surprised when
tell you that one hen did not lay this
egg alone: it took seven or eight hens al
most week to lay it. 1t was joint
stock production of the chickens, but still
it is better than the Individual response
bility plan.'


At breakfast the next morning we had
more eggs, and then went on the road
to Stockton. 1 reached the San Joaquin
River at noon, and was, with my horse,
ferried over in very unique-looking craft.
While the ferryman was tugging silently
at his big oars, / started a conversation
with him by inquiring whether his ferry
was profitable. mos


"Dosen't scarcely pay for raisin' the
boat" he replied.


Raising the boat? p repeated, "what
do you mean by raising the boat p


Mister said he, resting for awhile on
his oar, ''you be stranger in these parts,
bean't your ,-.r.5. ~.


Ireplied that had not been long in
the country.


"Then,'' said he, pointing away to the
field. "this ere boat growed in that pump
kin patch over yonder."


"Growed in that pumpkin patch y L
exclaimed.


"Growed in pumpkin-patch, on a
pumpkin-vine. Mister, this boat is a
pumpkin-shell, cut in two. and the innards
taken out. That patch is where it grow
ed"


"Where-over by that barn p en-
quired


"That amt no barn." he answered,
"unless you choose to call it so. That's a
pumpkin too. But | started a hole in
the end ont and let the stock inside it,
aad when the wet season set in, why, you
see, just plug up the hole and lot 'em win
ter there. They came out awful fat in
the spring. That big green-looking
squash over yonder Pm hollerln out to
live in"


..AYe these the growth of the season.
[ asked.


1--WE don't have no such difference here
on the San Joaquin as growing seasons and
them Others: things keep on CROWN all
the time till we pull 'em or they die"


AS l was about taking leave of the fer
ryman be gave me pumpkin Seed with
the remark that might sometime aston
ish the folks in the East with it; and be-
fore twenty -four hours had elapsed came
near having calamity by reason of the
same seed.


LII was III tulS WlSe


After riding several hours in the sun
was SO overcome by drowsiness as to find
it impossible to keep in the saddle, so
dismounted and lay down on the groahd,
to take short nap. L had put
the pumpkin seed in my vest pocket
During my sIumbers it fell on the ground,
and l rolled over on the top of it. My
great fatigue caused me to quite oversleep
myself, and / was awoke in the morning
by being roughly hurried along over the
ground in my PROSTATE position, and it
seemed as if q rope was around my body.
I howled Justly for help, and my cries at
were on their way to the harvest. field.


On being relieved from my perilous po-
sition, the mystery became clear to me.
The warmth of my body caused the pump
kin seed to spring into vigorous life, and
one of the tendrils Of the new vine had
coiled itself around my body, dragging
me along in its rapid growth a distance Of
more than half mile before L was awak-
ened. My deliverers had hard run to
keep pace with me in the clutches of the
vine, and finally arrested my
progress by cutting off the head of it with
their scythe blades. 1 gave them tho
vine for their reward, and we counted up
on it no less than three hundred young
ranging from the size of hens
egg up to -four barrel. --t '-s-
On returning to my horse, j found him
filling himself with green pumpkin, and
as consequence, during the after part of
the day, while we were proceeding on our
journey, he was seized with violent fit
of collie of which he died, notwithstanding
I gave him several bottles of California
soothing syrup. 1 did not feel able to
pay for the pony, which l knew would be
required of me on my return to Little
Peddlington, and begin to think very bad
over the unlucky turn in things. While
sitting on the ground near my dead pony.
a jackass came browsing along. l took
out my hunting knife and in a jiffy whip
ped off the pony's hide and threw it over
the jackass. 1t fitted to a charm, and 'af-
ter visiting Yosemite Valley, / ret,rned
the disguised jsckass to the man from
whom hired the pony IN Little Pcddling-
ton. To this day be does not know but
that he has got the some animal he lent
me l.5 81 - .esI8lv.rg y.Ifh h1a


There is but one more thing i will no
tice in my letter. Six years ago a gen
tleman residing near Stockston planted
grape vine close by his house. In cou-
pie of years the building was completely
embodied in the strong branches Of the
vine, and the gentleman was surprised at
seeing his dwelling starting from its foun-
dations.s The vine grew with wonderful
vigor, and carried the house bodily and
unharmod up to the hight of sixty feet in
the air, where it remained az a stand