Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1853-03-03
MISCELLANY Y.
Rural Life.


embalm in imperishable cOlors. And here
it is, and its source will be discovered before
the reader finishes the artcle:-
What are the country people at, this wealth
er! We mean The people who live so far into
the country that they cannot take daily paper
and have the news of the whole worlds morn
ing poured into their ears after breakfast
Well, the SIN rises when about an hour high,
in snch places, generally. And before the far
mer has finished his breakfast of buckwheat
cakes and fried ham, it is time for Henry and
little Sarah to be wrapped in their warm CON-
iorters, their nice wooen mittens warmed, and
they to be off TO school. Here is Uncle Ben,
just passing with his sled load of hogs, on the
way to market. The little ones can climb up
to his seat in front, and burying themselves in
the buffdlo-skin till nothing but their crimson
noses and sparkling eyes show outside, ride to
the very door of the old school-house. The
smoke curls up laziIy from the chimney, but it
is very copious smoke, and if there is not
heater inside, little Sally has missed her guess.
The boys have built fort outside which is al
most as high as their heads, behind which, safe
from the missiles of the enemy, they can fire
their snow-balIs into the foe. The downtown
ers have got possession this morning, and even
now the sturdy up-towners are preparing to as
sault it. The word is given, and the attacking
force is in motion. The snow-balIs fly into
their faces, filling their coats and bosoms, but
they only infame the ardor of the up-towners
the more for victory. They have mounted the
slippery wall Of the fort, and are just about TO
leap without, when the rat-tat-tat of the mas
ter's ferule upon the door-sl brings the battle
to asudden conclusion. The ass1iiaats and the
assailed brush off the snow Lurriedly, and with
glowing faces and hands rush into the studious
contemplation of dogs-eared grammars, and
arithmetics, biographies, spelling-books, and
running-hand copies in penmanship.
The farmer lays larger fore-Iog on the
and-irons, and goes out to fodder. He chops
up few pumpkins for the mich-cows, deals
out measure of corn for old brinde,' which
must die week to-day TO fill the beefbarrel,
throws few nnbbins TO the working-oxen that
they may be in condition for the spring work,
and then mounts the hay-mow. The farmer
knows what he's about. There is warm sta
bic for each of the cattle, and even the calves
have, for every two stable of their own. The
sun Genes out so bright to-day, he opens the
doors, lets down the bars, and permits them to
stroll for few hours in the common yard
The rack is filled with timothy, and the far
mer pumps trough full of water for their use.
Hurry, old gentleman, or before you have CIV
en- the hens their corn and replenished their
cup of lime-water, curried down the horses and
fed them their oats, given the pigs-alas
their fathers and mothers were made pork of
month ago, and though they are of tender
age and little able to support the dignities and
responsibilities of porkers, they must do it, for
they have no betters now ,-greased the wagon
and put new straw into the sleigh bottom, the
bell will ring for dinner. After dinner, some
stalks must be given the cattle, and then must
come down basket of eggs 10 gel some sugar
with, and pound Of that beautiful yellow but
ter-which the boarding house keeper, whose
invention of yellow spectacles, TO pass aff lard
upon his boarders for butter, never dreams of
buying, it comes so high in the market-to
barter for a calico dress. Get in with them,
and ride down to the store. The post Office is
there, and there are all the hangers-about who
have no cattle to fodder, and the slack farmers
who stack their corn stalks in their barn-yard,
that the cattle may help themselves, and leave
the bars down, that they may 60 TO the spring
to drink, when they choose. There the idlers
and the lazy all do congregate. They champ
peanuts and craunch apples over the red-hot
stove, and at odd spells they play game of
backgammon. They talk over village gossip
and local politics, and one, more wise than the
rest. who has borrowed the farmers n Y.
Weekly Times from the newspaper box in the
post Office, reads occasionally paragraph from
it, perhaps, about the caoric ship, and then
they laugh about the Arabia that did not beat
the Baltic, and bet that we will have Cuban
members in Congress before the new meeting
house is paid for
Bot tlIe good woman has made her purchases
and the farmer has got his paper and the news,
so the gray mare is headed for home. We
must stop at the shoe-shop though, and leave
Dicks shoes to be Gsended. Whey, how hot
these shoemakers keep it 4 And the lazy peo-
pie who belong outside-they worked hard
enough last summer-slt smoking their pipes,
telling stale stories, and yawning all the day.
Out, you vagabonds, into the fresh air, and give
the honest cobblers the room you occupy have
a game at snowballing, and wake yourselves
up. True, You can't get wages for your work
at this season, but why not be cyphering at
home, or knitting on the seine Your good
old father has been at it every leisure hour, and
will sit up till nine o'clock tonight, to hurry
it along. Heigho! it is almost sunset now
We must back again to our fodderlng, and
night will overtake us before we are through.
And now supper-the simple stories OF the
little folks, the apples and nuts, the stocking
knitting in one corner, and the seine-knttlng
in the other, the piece read from the paper and
the comments on it, and the big ha' Bible
brought out, and glorious psalm read before
evening prayers, and thus ends the seasonabIe
day in the country. BY nine O'Clock the fire is
all buried up on the hearth, the lights are nut
out, and pleasant dreams, if any. hannt The