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About The Medford mail. (Medford, Or.) 1893-1909 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 21, 1896)
FROM SINNEMAHONE. BY ED MOTT. . ' VI, wish, to goodness, said the man ' said from - over Sinnemahonin? way, "that I could Temember half what my father used totell about snakes. I really dol I 3o indeed. I 'suppose that if my father had been telling- about snakes that lived anywhere else except on the Sinnemahone spread I could have re membered .everything But, Lord! It would take a man with nine memories, every one Of 'em phenomenal, to re member even a little bit of what them Sinnemahoning snakes did, because they did so much. .They were always doing something, and doing it well. I wish somebody would simply give me an inkling of what there is in that Sin nemahone atmosphere that makes things have so much more snap in them- than things have . anywhere else on top of earth. Even grasshop pers!, Now, I know heaps of places where- there is twenty times more grass than is ori -the Sinnemahonc. As for that, Sinnemahone doesn't run particu larly to grass. We slash out a good many hoop poles, and we peel consider able of bark. . Ye do a little in the maple sugar way, and our 'taters ain't few ,to the hilL- But, we -don't brag on. onr -. grass. . Then- why should . grass hoppers- seem -to like to$settle down withTis so much;- and get to be so over powering smart.' among us? I give if up.; Jl -don't Know '' Hut to prove to . you that they" do, I'll" tell . you sorae thingl 'I'don't pretend to explain these things,' mind you. I simply 'give yoii' the facts. "You know, of course, that there ain't any "better bait "for 'Trout along late in the season than grasshoppers. Our Sinnemahone grasshoppers" know that wellj and I want to tell you that it's a hard matter to run one down and catch him' when you . want ta'go '. fish ing. . But I used to manage, by various slick bits of strategy, to get enough to fish with, but it was hard work, and so I was delighted one day, .being over to the county seat, to see in a store an artificial - grasshopper, with a hook concealed about it. The grasshopper was as natural as life, and I saw at. once that there wasn't any use of my pitting myself any longer gainst our smart Sinnemahone grasshoppers to get bait, when I could nse the artificial grasshopper to fool the trout with", and 1 bought it. '.It worked to a charm. ' I think the trout went for it better than they did for the real, thing, for I have an idea that they knew now' smart our Sinnemahone grasshoppers were, and were kind o' f raid of 'em. I used that imitation grasshopper with great suc cess. , -, .-. ' - . .- "I had f tame trout in a spring near my house. It had been in the spring a year. It was a big one. I had caught it one day on a sinnemahone grass hopper, and as the hook hadn't hurt it much I put it in a pail of water and got it some alive and active. 1 put it' in the spring and it lived and thrived. , A funnv thing . was that the cxasshoDDer I caught the trout with wasn't killed by the trout nor by the hook. Being through fishing, I took the grasshopper off the hook and tossed ; it , 'on -.the ground. It moved -away But .was minus one lego Its eye were just as bright as ever, though, and as I re member it now, it 'kind o' shook its head' and looked volumes as it limped away,-headed straight for my place. I don't know where that crippled grass hopper wintered, but . when, warm weather came next year! give you my word that grasshopper was the first I saw on my place. It was perched on a saw horse in my back yard. I recog nized it at. once, and it seemed to rec ognize me; for it shook' its head and had a queer look in its eye as it limped on one leg along the sa-v horse, tum bled off and stumped away. - " As long as I've got a place,' said I, 'that grasshopper has a claim on it, and anyone that hurts that grasshopper must settle with me!' "Well, sir, that grasshopper hung around the place, and hobbled about in a melancholy sort of way. but al ways with that queer look in its eyes. Every time it met me it settled down and shook its head, spit tobacco juice, as grasshoppers will, and stumped on its way. I know now that that grass- hopper had vengeance on its mind, and was only biding its time. "This was the season I got the artificial grass pop per. I frequently aw the crippled real one sitting on the fiat stone over the spring where my pet trout was, glaring down at the trout and shaking its head in a start ling way. ;: The . grasshopper remem bered that this was the trout that - had crippled it, and it went to the spring to glare at the trout and show its hate. I used to tremble for" it, for my trout just doted on grasshoppers, and .1 was fearful .lest this .poor, crippled . one might tumble in the "spring and thus give up the rest of itself to the foe that had bereft it of its leg.1 "One day I had been fishing with my artificial grasJshopper. I came in, took the leader off my . line, with the imita tion' grasshopper on it, and laid it on the back stoop, being called away -for something or other. When I went to get the.leader ten or fifteen minutes later it w.as gone.,' I looked around, but couldn't 2nd it. sSome time after ward I started for the spring to get a pail of water, and as I drew near I saw. the crippled .. grasshopper dragging itself up on the flat stone that covered, or half covered, the spring. I stopped, and then saw that the grasshopper was dragging something up along with it. I started when I saw that it was my missing leader. My first im pulse was to go and recover my prop-1 erty, but on second thought I didn't. "'This unfortunate grasshopper,' I reasoned, 'has some purpose in view. Let us see what it may be.' "I soon saw. Growing near the flat stone over the spring was a currant bush. With great deliberation the rippled grasshopper took one end of my leader in its mouth and hobbled round and round the bush, winding, as I eould see, the leader about it. The ' artificial grasshopper had been hauled up on the stone and" lay" there in full view. Having taken a firm hitch witl the leader about , the stem of the cur rant bush, the vengeful crippled grass hopper pushed its counterpart present ment along toward the edge of the stone, and when it reached there, shoved it over. " The artificial grass hopper fell, and there was leader enough left to let it just touch the water lightly. There was a flash and a splash in the water, and the next in stant my pet trout was dashing wildly about in the spring, hooked on the deadly lure and played by the limber currant bush. Oh! but it was a stroke of genius! The crippled grasshopper stood on the edge of a stone, looking over at the vengeance it had wrought, glaring savagely and gloating, i could easily have saved the trout. " 'But no!' I said. lt is but retribu tive justice! Let it stand!' "In a short time the trout was dead. .The crippled grasshopper hobbled off of the stone and disappeared. I never saw it again. Will somebody give me an inkling of what there is in that Sinnemahone atmosphere that makes things have so much more snap in them there than things have anywhere else on top of earth? Even grasshoppers. Will some one simply, give me an ink ling?" Not eVen the man in the red, blue, pink, yellow, green and purple mack inaw jacket seemed capable of utter ance, and the man from Sinnemahon ing way had to go without' his inkling. "Oh, yes! Snakes!" said he, sud denly brought to himself. ''Lord! 1 " wish my father was here? But he isn't! lie couldn'tjbe, very well. He left the banks of the Shinneuiahone for the same of Jordan, some years since. My father, was a fiddler, and if he is play ing the harp half as well as he-played the. fiddle, he isnU taking a back-seat for anybody on the other shore, and I'll bet kn it! And how he could tell about snakes! It's a shame the way I've forgot most of- the things . he used to tell me about 'em, but I remember one that may strike you as a tolerable fair showing as to what Sinnemahone snakes were able to do in the days 6f my father, sinnemahone snakes are at the head of. the serpent race yet. of course, but in those days they had the benefit of my father, 'and they simply shone. y j , "The blowing adder was, always a .big favorite with my father-The blow ing adder,, you know,, is that interest ing snake that has the faculty of flat tening out its head to about four times its natural size, then puffing it up, and then blowing a small gale from its mouth for a few seconds. I never knew just what they gained by doing all this, but they do it, and that's enough. The Macksnake was another snake my father ; liked, but somehow ,they never liked him,' but they feared ' him, and when he wanted to use 'em they knuckled right down and were used. "Once my father had a pet blowing adder and a'blacksnake that he wanted to be a pet, but which had a feeling against being one, and just wouldn't. It didn't dare to rebel altoeether. though, and' learned the tricks my father taught it,, and did them, but kicked, like a steer all the , time. . The blowing adder, ,on the other hand, was fonder of the old man than a. cal of her kittens, and never lost a chance to i show It. One of the tricks my father taught the rebellious blacksnake was to take a match in its' "mouth. reach back and scratch the match on its scaly side, and then rise up on its tail and light father's pipe as he held it in his mouth itVas a.rieat-trick, and used to please father-next to' knowing that the little jug with the corncob stopper in it wasn't empty. 'Whenever father went to his . cabin inthe woods for a huutjie always took - Jehosaphat and Prudence with him for company. Jehosaphat was the black snake and. Prudence was the blowing .adder. Once, while out on one of these trips, father was taken sick with rheu matism in his cabin, and lay on his bed of straw, unable to move hand or foot. Jehosaphat cheered up and got chipper at once. He tumbled all over, himself, father used to say, he felt so good. And he felt more than that. He had murder in his heart. While father lay there helpless the wicked snake took a match in his mouth, glared like a fiend in father's face for a moment, struck the match on his side, just the way the old man had taught him. and then deliberately set fire to the straw on which my father lay helpless. With one more fiendish glare at my father Jehosaphat fled from the cabin. - "Imagine my father's feelings lying there unable to move, and that fire creeping, s'owly toward him! - Htf saw" no escape from a horrible death. But he didn't know Prudence, the blowing adder..,, That.loying snake woke . from a nap in her corner, andj soon . saw the awful danger my. father was in.. She dashed over to the burning straw, flat tened out her head, and with one tre mendous puff bleAv out the blaze." "Sinnemahone!" exclaimed the man in the red. blue, pink, yellow, green and purple mackinaw jacket, "let me tell ye sumpin'! That blowin' adder mowt a blowcd out that blaze, - but there-'ain'.t no blowin' adder, nor sweep in' gale, nor howlin' cyclone that kin ever blow out the blaze you'll git into one o' these days, an' when ye git there, jist remember that I told ye so!" N. Y. Sun. , ' An Unwashed Model. - . "This is one of ray t models," Mr. Brown said one day to the writer, pointing to a ragged urchin, who looked as if . he had walked out of the frame of one of the artist's pictures to take a rest in the arm chair in which he was so comfortably curled up. "This is 'Pete.' The little rascal never took a bath in his life. When his hands and feet show in a picture he has to be washed up a little, as they are even too dirty to be picturesque." Pete grinned, as if he was pleased with the distinc tion of being an absolute stranger to the bath. But he probably does wash his face and hands occasionally. His face was bright enough to deserve not to be hidden by dirt John J. ' Becket, in St. Nicholas. THE MASHERS. The Hotel Sleuth Who Proteots the Telephone Girl. When Chappie Gott n Ilttlo Too Promis cuous the Huwk-Fycil Mun Interferes A Sample C.iflo or tho Ilotli vrsom'Vi Dutle. A pale-faced youn.-y woman with deli cate features and auburn hair snt along side of the telephone closet in the reading-room of an up-town hotel the other day rending a book, says the New York Sun. "Will you please ring up 329 Spring for me?"' asked a young man who had just come in from the lobby. The tone of his voice was familiar and patronizing, and ho looked down at her with a very friendly smile. She, however, did not smile in return, but looked extremely bored. Without mak ing any reply to his question, she went into the closet and rang tho telephone. The young man stood just outside the door and leaned against it. "This is a lovely " ho began, but was interrupted by the girl's reaching out her hand, apparently in a mechan ical way, and pulling to the door. He got out of the way just in time, and stood biting the ends of his mustache. Ircsently she pushed open the door again. "329 is at the telephone," she said. ' ' .V'Kindly ask if Mr.- Joe Jones is there," ho said very sweetly. She shut the floor again and addressed the person at the other end of the tele phono. " Iresently she wheeled around in her chair, opened the door, and said: "They say they don't know any such person." ' There was a frown on her fuce, but it not in any way disconcert the young man. "Oh. pshaw," he said, "I must, have made a mistake in the number. Never mind: how much is it?" "Fifteen'cents." He pulled out a roll of bills, which he displayed ostentatiously, and then thrust .back into his - pocket again. From, another pocket. he then drew out the exact change, which he handed to her. At the same time he beamed on her in a languishing manner, but. as her faue was averted, all this effort to impress her was lost. As soon as she received the money she resumed her seat, recorded the transaction on a slip of paper, picked up her book and re turned to her reading. The'young man dd not leave, however, but tried to en gage her in conversation. "I am awfully sorry to have put yoc tosoiuueh trouble needlessly," he be gan, "but" At this moment he was interrupted by a sharp-eyed, strongly built man who had been watching him for some time from a corner of the room. He had stepped ud unnoticed and sudden ly run against the young man as if by accident, .. "Bog pardon." he said, as if in a great hnrrv. "but I want 1041 Court- landt r!;rht away, miss." .. The girl's face brightened as she jumped up and entered thecloset again, 'while the young mnn looked savagely at the intruder, and then walked off disgusted. As soon as he had gone the stout man tapped" on the window of the closet andwmked significantly, and the telephone girl called into the trans mitter: "Never mind, central, it was'only an other one of those dudes; He has gone low. thank goodness." The stout man walked back to his corner, and the girl resumed her read ing. Every day similar scenes are en acted, although sometimes there Is de lay leftire the rescuer arrives, owing to his bemir busy elsewhere. "You see," he said in explanation of one snch occurrence, "there is a lot of well-dressed fellows who come in here and patronize the bar more or less, who would like to flirt with the girl, and it wouldn't do to have any rumpus about it. So whenever -1 see an v of them around I steer in here and watch them. When they get too fresh Ijrive them this sort of a song and dunce. It always works, too." A GREAT TIMEPIECE. A Watch That Has Run Sines 1754 and It BUU a Good T Unapt ec. Judge Frederick W. Moore, of the superior court, is the possessor of an heirloom in the shape of a watch that no amount of money would buy, says the St. Louis Republic And, besides its value as an heirloom, it has a hisj tone interest. The timepiece is of the -open-face bull's-eye pattern. As with all old style watches of the pattern men tioned, the outer case must be removed before it can " be ' wound. The' outer case, of -this watch is of (hammered gold, and all the work on it . was. done by band. -While this is apparent from the' workmanship, it is further proved. by the date on the inside, which is 1754. There is an inscription on the inside as follows: "Daniel De SU Len, Servant to Her Majesty. London." Her majesty then was the queen of George II., the then reigning king of England: ' The authentic history of this, valu able timepiece is this: In the years pre ceding 1754 William Augustus, duke of Cumberland, the second son of George II., was the commander of the British armies. In the Scottish campaigns and in the campaigns against the Prussians and the Russians, and whe.ii he was at the head of the British. Hanoverian and Danish forces of fifty thousand men. Dr. Frederick William Sehwartze, a Hanoverian, was on his staff as sur geon. At the close of the campaign against the Prussians and the Russians the duke had three watches made like the one Judge Moore has, and of which it is one. The watches were presented to three officers of the duke's staff by him as a mark of his esteem. One went to Dr. Sehwartze, as a Hano verian, one to a British officer and one to a Dunish officer. The presentations were made in 1-755. After the doctor's services had ended in 1757, and the duke had returned to London, it was expected he would succeed to the throne, but the birth of a mon to bis elder brother cut him out. MARKS MONEY IN PEANUTS. Ten Million Dollars Spent Annually In America for This "Fruit." A man incidentally asked ' a street vender if his peanuts were first-class, and .the response to the inquiry was surprising, says the Chicago Tribune. ' ' "No," said the vender. "You do not get first-cluss peanuts in this country in this way. The best peanuts ure used for other purposes. They are made into meal and grits by scientific men, and in Germany they are prepared for sick people in the hospitals. The pea nuts you get in candy are the very poorest grade. And Bonu of the 'burnt almonds' which you get are nothing more than fourth-rate peanuts." "Where did the peanut come from?" "From Central and South America. They grow there in long pods, and tho pods contain, from four to five kernels. They were carried to the old world in the early days, and in the seventeenth century they constituted the chief staple of Africa. You will find if you look it up that the slave dealers of Africa in those days used to load their ships with peanuts to be used as food for their human cargoes. The negroes who were imported from Africa to this country brought over the peanut and they were scattered and first grew in Virginia. And now this country U rais ing the crop, and, owing to American shrewdness, the nut is ground and used for various purposes and shipped all over the world. "I reckon you know," the vender con tinued, "that peanuts in a certain condi tion are more nutritious than be'f. When specially prepared they .rank with beans and peas. The peanut is said to contain 29 per cent, of protein ant? 49 per cent, of fat. What is known as peanut meal contains 53 per cent, of protein and S per cent, of fat. It is the cheapest of all food materials." In 1S01 and 1865 peanut oil was man ufactured largely in four southern states, and was employed as a substi tute for olive oil. In fact, one drug gist admitted, some of the ''olive oil" sold now in this country is nothing more than peanut oil. Nearly all of the olive oil sold in the United States is mixed with part of tho peanut. Pea nuts furnish from 30 to 50 per cent, of the weight of their kernels in oil. Sometimes peanut o'A is used for light ing, and again it is utilized to advan tage in the making of soap and as a lubricant in machine shops. The American peanut is larger and better flavored than any other, but it does not contain so much oil as the Af-t rican nut? The "cake" which is left after extracting the oil makes excellent feed fortfattle, and is used very largely for that purpose in Germany, where it sells for t-10 to 33 a ton. This country owes to Germany the suggestion it has received in relation to the edible quali ties of peanuts, and the department of agriculture is now investigating the method of Germany 'in the way in which that country has handled the nut, and the result is to be published by the deportment for the benefit of the farmers. ' The United . States now produces 4.000.000 bushels of peanuts annually, or S3.000.000 pounds. The total world's supply amounts to about 600,000.000 pounds. The exportation from Africa and India to Europe during the Inst year amounted to nearly 400.000.009 pounds. Of this quantity 222.000.000 pounds were delivered at the port of Marseilles, France. the-buXc of it being pressed for oiL It is estimated that $10,000,000 worth of peanuts are eaten every year in the United States, and most of the quanti ty, it is said, is consumed between meals and at odd times. A strange sight wr.s seen in Lon don at the great fire in the grain ware houses near lilac'. friar's bridge. As the buildings, which were on the water's edge, were burning, a black mass was seen in the river floating from the Surrey to the Middlesex side. It was composed of thousands of rats, cut off from escape on tho land side. About ten thousaud of them succeeded in crossing the river, but were then nnable to get up the smooth side of the Thames embankment and were carried down stream and drowned. ' To Regulate, Tone Up, Invigorate STOnACH, LIVER ; ' :)AND(. . .' " bowels, 7 thereby curing constipation, dyspepsia, biliousness, dispo sition - to sick : headache and kindred ailments, take . ' Dr. Pierce's Pleasant Pellets. X v ONCB USED, ALWAYS IS FAVOR. All JaaaMas A FARM GIVEN AWAY -'. Consisting of one sheet of FARM BUILDINGS and one sheet of 78 Subjects, DOMESTIC ANIMALS,' etc. These are to please the children. The Farm House and Animals can be cut out and made to stand, thus making a complete Miniature Farm Yard.- 3 Ways to Get This Farm : Cn J 6 Coupons ; or OCriu 1 Coupon acd 6 Cents ; or 10 Gents without any Coupon, to BLACKW ELL'S DURHAM TOBACCO CO.. DURHAM. N. C. and the Farm will be sent you POSTPAID. You will find one Coupon inside each 2 ounce bag, and two Coupons Inside each 4 ounce bag of BiacU's GenuiDB Dntyo Totocco. Buy a bag of this Celebrated Smoking Tobacco, and read the coupon, which gives a list oi ,2 CENT STAMPS ACCEPTED. ............ 0 A. . for Infants and Children. THIRTY y jb ohrratlon of Cmatorie, with the psvtrog of millions of peraoma, permit as to ap Jc of It wtthomt pwfaf. It ia MHawtfamiMy the heat rgmady for Imfajta naA Ckflfcem the world hoe erer howa, It la hermloea. ChUdrem Uho it. It Klroa them health. It will opto their Urae. Ia It If other, here othlny which is ehaoletely ehiM'e medletae. Ceaterie. deatreye Worms. Caatorie- elleya rereriseeaaa. CeaterU preremte Tomitfn Soar Cord. Ceatorie erea PUrrhae end "Wind Colio. Ceaterie TeUoree Teething Troahlee. . Ceaterie enree Constipation and Fletnleney. CeaterU BaatreHeae the effecta of eerhenie nerd goa or pojeonens air. Caatorin deea not contain morphine, opium, or other nnrootlo piopei If. Cjtoyla ....n.tes the food, regnletea the stomach end howele, Erring healthy end natural aleep. Ceaterie ia pnt p in one-fae hottlea only. It is not sold in hnlh. Pont ellow any one to soil yon anything elae on the plee or promiae that it la "jnat ea good" end "will answer erery pnrpeae." See that you get C-A-S-T-O-R-I-A. The fao-aimile aignatnre of . Children Cry for QONTRAOTOR and gUILDEIL JOBBING OF JSJLT. KINDS. All work guaranteed first-class. Plans and estimates furnished of. all kind of work either brick or wood. Uills of Ll'MHEK ol all kinds nllrd on short notice- Sash. Doors and Mill work or i Kinds any thtnr in the shape of wood work can be had on short notice. jVTedford, Union Livery Stables, C. Jl ING US & SON, Proprietors, Successor to ED.. WORM AN. ... Having lately purchased this popular stable and stocked it with new rigs, safe and fast teams I am now prepared to meet the want of the traveling public in a satisfactory manner. ' .! CORNER SEVENTH AND B, MEDFORD,- OREGON.- THE VERY BEST OF BRICK AND MASON S. CHILDERS, ;I manufacture a splendid article ol Brick see samples everywhere about the city. Yard "one black north" 'of Brewery. Residence north C street,' Medford, Oregon. MEDFORD BRICK O. W. PEIDDY, Prop'r. MEDFORD, - - - OREGON. First-class quality of Brick always promptly filled. BRICK WORK OF All KINDS PROMPTLY EXECUTED. Give me a call when in need of anything in my line Legal' Blanks at omer premiums ana now to get them. 1 F 1 aoie J practically perfect ee Pitcher's Castorla. Oregon . WORK; YARD, on hand. 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