Ninnescah Stories

Growing up a few meters north of the North Fork of the Ninnescah, in central Kansas, was a wonderful experience. A few small stories about the place can cause one to wonder if such a place ever existed.

GEESE CAN COUNT

Dad and his brothers--Dave, Hugh, Oscar, Charles, Irving, and Frank were hunters. There was a hunter’s blind down by the lake, and they frequently wanted geese to eat.
When one, two, or three brothers went into the blind, and then one or two left, the geese knew that hunters were still present. But if four hunters went into the blind, and three left, the geese thought the blind was empty. This simplified the hunt by a significant degree. Conclusion: at least along the Ninnescah, geese could only count to three.

THINGS ONE CAN LEARN WHEN PUTTING UP HAY

Putting up hay was vitally important. One’s prosperity could easily depend upon it.
The best days for this activity were the worst for hay makers. The hay needed to be absolutely dry, and very hot, very dry days were the ones chosen for the hard work at hand.
We had the hay wagon nearly full. The last bit required each one to extend the pitch fork to full arms length, and to try to pitch what hay he could to the very top of the stack.
One of our hired men, Merle Stinson I believe was his name, performed this action, and with the thrust upward, a very long snake fell out of the hay, and down the back of Merle’s shirt. It then wrapped itself around his waist.
We still had lots of rattlesnakes is those days, and Merle’s reaction was a blur of action in tearing his shirt in shreds, dancing up and down and around in circles and hollering like crazy.
The snake was six feet long, and was a bull snake. All was well.
I was always a good observer, so I still remember this event. Afterward I always inspected the hay on my pitch fork before I put it over my head.

UNCLE FRANK’S ADVENTURE AT HOME

As a young lad, Uncle Frank was going to bed. He walked from the kitchen area of the house across the dark room at the west end, but returned quickly saying that he had been stung by a wasp.
Examination revealed that he had been bitten by a rattlesnake; it was discovered and dispatched. A tourniquet was immediately applied, the wound was cut, and there was a hurried trip in the buggy to see Doctor Bauer in Sylvia.
I only knew Doctor Bauer as Doc Bauer. So it was Doc Bauer who gave Uncle Frank drinks of whisky, then he loosened the tourniquet by a small amount, repeating this procedure for some time. Uncle Frank was very ill, and became terribly afraid of snakes from this moment onward.
A few years later the boys were going across the creek, but Uncle Frank refused to cross. The older boys ran back and forth across the creek, over and over, to demonstrate that all was well, and there was no need to be afraid.
Uncle Frank finally became convinced, started across, froze in place. A water moccasin was wrapped tightly around his leg. It was not a poison one, so he lived, but just barely.
In the Brownlee home, everyone learned to carry a lamp when they were on the way to bed.

MEASURING DEVICES

This happened before my time and I heard the story only a few times.
After Dad bought the farm from Ansell Hopper, a decision was made to put a full size scale just north of the cow shed. One could then weigh truck loads of grain and other farm products, including cattle.
The Brownlee brothers participated in this endeavor. While the work was in progress, there was one very long piece of lumber that was yet to be used.
How long was it?
Each man weighed in. Uncle Hugh’s number was 22 feet, and that was the highest number. The others disputed his estimate, but then he announced that it was no estimate. He had measured it.
Time passed. Finally Uncle Oscar decided that it could not possibly be 22 feet long, and he was inspired to ask the critical question.
“What did you measure it with?” he asked.
“My eye”, Uncle Hugh replied.

Sometimes the brain can trump observations.

BOB AND GINGER
BY CAROL

Bob Saved Ginger!
When she was very small, Ginger fell into one of Grandma McComb's ponds. Grandma had several little ponds of water around the yard. Most were shallow and made of cement, with little sea-shells embedded in the edges. For years she kept goldfish in those ponds. One pond, designed to be a fountain and made of iron, had been welded. The rim was made from a big iron tractor wheel from which the cleats had been removed. The first tractors in use after the steam engines were huge; they had large iron wheels with big triangular cleats.
The bottom, which was cone-shaped, was made of iron. A pipe rose from the center to a height of about five feet above ground level. It was so constructed that a garden hose could be connected to the pipe . When the water was turned on, it flowed to the top of the pipe and out over a round metal piece welded near the top. In the old days, this was used on rare occasions, such as, for instance, the Fourth of July. Daddy had put a fence around the pond with a view to keeping the children out. However, it proved to be no real barrier to a child who really wanted to get in; a child could climb the fence.
Once, when we were very young, Ginger toddled out to that pond, threw her doll over the fence, then crawled over the fence to retrieve the doll -and fell into the pond.
Ginger must have been about a year and a half or two years old; she was able to walk and climb.
The conical bottom of the pond was covered with algae and was very slick, and Ginger slipped to the bottom.
I have no memory of the event. Mother always said that I reached my hand through the fence, grabbed Ginger's hand, and held on, and yelled.
Bob heard me yelling and came to the rescue. He scaled the fence and got Ginger-and the doll out of the pond.
Bob says he doesn't remember whether Ginger's head was above or under the water when he got there.
Bob saved the day. And aren't we thankful for Bob!

Note: God created McCombs able to yell; I'm just thankful that this time it served a good purpose.