The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1858-07-03
From the American AyricultLfist.
Getting kld OF Rocks.
AN AMI-SING EXAMPLE.

cumbrance to the cultivation of the land,
and, If 10 be got out Of the way, are great
expense in their removal. Many Of them
are worked into stone fences, but as better
stones for such purposes usually abound on
the same premises, these huge rocks are lit.
tie less than nuisance, to be got rid Of in
some way, and that usually by blasting.
picking up and carrying away altogether,
when they can be devoted to no useful pur-
pose.
There is another way Of getting rid Of
them, which we can best illustrate by a case
in point. Some years ago wealthy towns
man bought country place-a rldc farm,
rather, having good capabilities for fine
res!dence-a few miles out of town, and
went 10 work to improve it. In laying out
his building grounds, a huge granite rock,
of several feet in circumference, lay deeply
Undecided in the light yellow loan where
he proposed to have his lawn. That rock
! he must have out of the way, and as he had
no tools to blast it with, he sci to work with
his half-dozen laborers, and two or three
yoke OF oxen, to remove il. The owner
| bossed" the work himself; but as he knew
much more about merchandise than moving
rocks, the work went on bat bsGy. He
ordered levers and handspikes; the laborers
shovelled hole on one side. 10 get the lever
under the rock; they dug holes on the other
side; and they dug holes on all sides; the
chains were wrapt around il, and hooked,
ana the cattle whipped up and bawled at by
the teamster-all To no purpose. The chains
broke, the workmen gabb!ed, the tesmster
sco'ded, aud the . boss" iulned and fretted
Il was no GO, decidedly, after toiing a. the
rock half a day. There it lay-heavy, sui
len, inrnovable.
-. =
lank, lounging Yankee came travelling
along, with a stick over his shoulder, and a
bundle tied in cotton pocket handh erchief
hanging on the end of it. Hearing the
"mnss" over in the field, lie turned from
the highway TO the fence near wher. the
men were at work, and took look to see
what they were about. The men hal now
scattered, leaving The owner ot the premises
still! al the rock, where he quietly stood ap-
parcntly musing on the i'll success ot his
morning labor. Singing out to him, our
lanGec exclaimed: say, neiE'.yog, what
ye dewin' on"
Feeling exceedingly nett'c1, yet willing
TO receive comfort from almost any quarter,
he muttered, half angriy, yet SO .ewhat
coaXinsly, I've been working here all day
with 10. Of stupid fellows, and 4 couple OF
teams, to get out this rock, and here It lies
just fast ever, ard believe shall
Lavc 10 abandon it after all
Dew tell, never!" said the Yankee,
climbing over the fence, and approaching
the prcprietor-where ne carefully laid
down his bundle containing probably tn.
most Of his spare wearing ecar-"and what
GeJc We want 10 do with it?'
Nothing iii the world but TO get i: out
Of sight, some way or other, so that shall
never see it again
Sartin: Never wan: to see the rock
asin yo:"
YES, o9t Of sight; that's all care for"
and heow indch'u ye give to put the
pesky thing where We wo t see it agin-
ncver,'
why, I've fooled away FIVE dollars on it
already; and I'll give i've more to any one
who'Il Go the job
" >art.n:"
"Ycs; sartiH"
"Weli, throw in my dinner, for I'm
piaugey hungry, and keep them pesky fel-
lows out Of the lot, and give Inc good sho-
vel and III dew II for We this afternoon"
The bargain was struck, the Yankee
given his dinner, aid about one O'Clock, p
NJ, he was seen, coat off and sleeves rolled
up, Of a pleasant day in the month Of April,
shovel! ng away like "all-possessed," in
sinking a huge hole on one side, and partly
under the rock aforesaid. The owner, of
course, was not far away. directing his men !
about ether labor, which they prosecuted
with more apparent success than at their I
mornings work. Long before sunset cur /
Yankee sung ont To his employer, and bee /
koncd with his Land to come to the spot
He was there in a moment, and found a |
huge hole which soud furnish cellar for ,
a moderate-sized building.
Say. mister; you jest take hold o tina,
eend Of this ere pry, and bring il round |
here, while | throw round t'other e'end, SO IS |
to give the rock jintle tdrve, and guess |
well fetch it.
So the boss now playing the workman, |,
did as be was hidden, and the lever was laid |
so that when the Yankee had thrown out |
few shovcls-ful of earth the stone was nice |
" balanced upon it, and a stout tilt would |
throw il directly into the pit.
"But don't We want some help? Stay |
minute, and Ill call my msn to help you"
Not a single head on 'em 'thout yew
want EN- buried in that pit-the best pcssi-
be use such an idolatrous Sc. O critters can
be put tew, Wen DO it ourselves"
So saying. our Yankee just eased the fur
ther end of his lever, while b. his direction
his employer, with hand spike on the
other side of the rocf, gave it gentle lift,
and over went the enormous boulder into |
the pit, with its upper side laying full two |
feet below the surface of the adjoining |
ground Selling again the shovel, before
the sun was fairly Set. the stone was covered
in, and the surface levelled. Our Yankee |,
rolled down his shirt sleeves, put on his |
coat, and gravely turning to his employer,
remarked:
Now, Squire, that ere five dollars. If
you're will'n. Fair bargain aint its You'll
never see that ere stone again, 'nless you
dig for it,
Certainly, here's your money; and If I
had TO pay twenty 1t would be knowledge
cheaply gained l shall know what to do
with the rocks on this place hereafter.
:" Not with them pesky bog-trottels about
We! | guess this afternoons workll set me
on abcout another hundred mile t'rd the
West, and I'll be jogsin'. So, good night,
Squire"
And away went our hero toward the far
West, and to competence; leaving our
newly instructed farmer 10 ycX and fret
himself with his workmcn as occasion
might offer.
NoS-CoMMIrAI~--Some years ago, there
was good deal Of excitement among the
people in a certain town in c. county,
Vermont, on the subject of religion, and al
most every man in the place was more or
less awakened to a sense Of his siniulnesS,
and made public declaration of his intention
to lead new life. Among the rest were
three of the principal men of the village,
whom We will call NJ, Is. and g., who be-
ing all present at one Of the meetings, took
part in the proceedings, to the great Joy OF
the faithful, and much to the astonishment
of &" the rest of mankind" then ana 'he.e
assembled. NJ. rose first, and having made
!. General confession of his unworthiness,
said in conclusion, that he had always in
tended to be au honest man, but if he had
wrorced any one he was willing to make all