, 1878-01-18
The Farm Boy.

Charles Dudley Warner, IN his mimi
table book, Being Boy" just published
by Osgood g. Co., says:
Going after the cows was serious
thing in my day. | had to climb abill
which was covered with wild strawber.
ries in the season. Could any boy pass
by those ripe berries9 And then, in the
fragrant hill pasture there were beds Of
wintergreen with red berries, tufts of
colum6ine, roots of sassafras to be dug,
and dozens of things good to eat or to
smell, that l could not resist. 1t some
times even lay in my way to climb tree
to look for a crows nest, or to swing in
the top, or to try if l could see the stee-
pie of the village church. 1t became
very important sometimes for me to see
that steeple, and in the midst of my in
vestigations the tin horn would blow
great blast from the farmhouse, which
would send cold chill down my back
in the hottest days. knew what it
meant. 1t had frightfully impatient
culver in it, not at all like the sweet note
that called US to dinner from tho hay
field 1t said, "Why on earth doesn't
that boy come home; it is almost dark,
and the cows amt milked" And that
was the time the cows had to start into
brisk pace and make up for lost time. l
wonder if any boy ever drove the cows
home late who did not say that the cows
were at the farther end Of the pasture,
and that "Old Brindle" was hidden in
the woods and he couldn't find her for
ever so long! The brindle COW is the
boys scapegoat many time.
No other boy knows how to appreciate
holiday as the farm boy does, and his
best ones are of peculiar kind. Going
fishing,is, of course, one sort. The ex-
citement of rigging up the tackle. dig
ging the bait and the anticipation of
great luck-these are pure pleasures, en-
joyed because they are rare. Boys who
can go a-tishing any time care but little
for it, Tramping ali day through brush
and brier, fighting flies and mosquitoes
and branches that tangle the lines and
snsgs that break the hook, and returning
home late and hungry with wet feet, and
astring of speckled trout on willow
twig, and having the family crowd out at
the Kitchen door to look at em and say,
"Pretty well done for you, bub; did you
catch that big one yourself2'-this is
also pure happiness, the lack of which the
boy will never have again, not if he
comes to be selectman and deacon and
10 "keep store"
But lhe holidays / recall with delight
were the two days in spring and fall,
when we went to the distant pasture land,
in neighboring town, maybe, to drive
thither the young cattle and colts and to
bring them back again. 1t was wild
and rocky upland where our great pas.
ture was, many miles from home, the
road to it running by brawling river
and up dashing brookside among great
hills. What days adventure it was 1t
was like a journey to Europe. The night
before could scarcely sleep for think
ing OF it, and there was no trouble about
getting me up at sunrise that morning.
The breakfast was eaten, the luncheon
was packed in large basket, with bottles
of root beer and a Jug of switched, which
packing lsuperintended with the great.
est OF interest; and then the cattle were
TO be collected for the march, and the
horses hitched up. Did shirk any
dutyI Was | slowl | think not. | was
willing to run my legs off after the flisky
steers, who seemed to have an idea they
were going on lark and frolicked
about, dashing into all gates and all bars
except the right ones, and how cheer
fully l did yell at them; it was a glori-
GUS chance to "holler," and | have never
since heard any public speaker on the
stump or at camp-meeting who could
make more noise. have often thought
1t fortunate that the amount of noise in
boy does not increase in proportion to
his size; if it did, the world could not
contain it.
The whole day was full of excitement
and freedom. We we're away from the
farm, which to boy is one of the best
parts of farming. We saw other farms
and other people at work. had the
pleasure OF marching along and swing.
ing my whip past boys whom | knew,
who were picking up stones. Every turn