The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1875-09-02
How I Became a Farmer

TO buy a farm, for such were not my
intentions. No, not by any means.
Why, / had never joined the Patrons
of Husbandry was because | had been
.black-balledby Reorganization some
thing less than a half a dozen times.
And why I was not going to buy a
farm the reader can easily guess-1
hadn't the required amount of funds.
But Fam wandering away from my
fine summer afternoon. To return, l
was going to become farmer.
Ny bank account was no more, and
my landlady would not wait on me
for another weeks board, hence my
departure from the city and my arri-
val among the farmers. The time
was spring when l wandered among
the rural districts.
The grass was Just starting from its
mother earthand looking inviting in
the extreme; to a lazy young man
with the world before him, and no
one to take care of but himself
When l say inviting, don't mean
inviting to eat, but to lie down and
take comfort thereon. / threw my
self on the green sward meath the
shade of a friendly bush growing by
the road side. l was thus lying,
dropping into delightful snoOze,
when voice from the highway dis
turbed my calm rcpose.
"sav, young Teller, what's the mat
ter?"
remained perfectly quiet turning
the matter carefully over in my
mind. was lying on my back, and,
with very little bodily cxertion, /
raised my left leg to perpendicular
position and gently moved my foot
up and down, and waited to see the
effect. And to this day | solcmnly
believe, though l know | am liable to
be killed for saying it, this motion
was the sign of distress among the
Patrons, for in an instant the man
in the wagon was at my side. Bend
ing over my side, he asked:
What ais you, young mani"
said nothing for = moment, wond-
ering if what ails you" was the test
word, and, if so, what would be the
proper response. Finally | groaned
out-with a mysterious andunknown
working of my fngers-the words
corn bread" With a bounding
heart | saw had beyond doubt hit
the nail on the head. Without 4
word my fraternal brother assisted
me to rise, and led me limping tothe
wagon, and after had imbibed some
thing from little brown jug, | was
able to tell my rescuer the story of
my wrongs. This I will not repeat
for reasons best known 70 myself
Suffice it to say, that the farmer was
deeply touched by my tale. Iwound
up by telling him l wanted to get
work on q farm.
"Well, now" said my rescurer, I'm
looking for cheap chap to work on
my farm. Did you evershear Sheep"
"Oh, yes" 1 said, II have done as
much of that as any other kind of
work about the farm"
This was the truth, for l had never
been on a homestead in my life. l
was Just going to tell him what a jol-
" time l had experiencedlast Christ
mas, when the idea struck me l
might be treading on dangerous
ground, 50 I determined to remain
silent on the subject until l learned
something more about it.
"How much you pay a month for a
good shearer?" l ventured, determ-
ined not to air my Ignorance.
"How much a month"; said he,
with unmistakale astonishment.-
"Why, man, won't have shearing
enough to last a week"
20, yes" l replied, shearing on a
a small scale"
"Small scale!!" he repeated with en-
phasis. GLOW many sheep are you
used to shearing in the spring.
ooh, that's all right" I replied
coolly. "Of course you will not shea.
as many shcepin the spring as ii
the fall" And here l commenced
whistling an unknown melody.
:"Young mani" said my companion
savagely, "did YOU ever hear Of shear
ing sheep.in the fall?"