The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1878-04-27
The Floating Farm.

one, but this story-tellin' business isn't
what it's cracked up to be, and / would
be pleased if / could have little rest
once in while"
He was told that the children had all
been in bed for an hour, and no one had
said anything about story. You
must have been dreaming, dear grand
father" said mother kindly
who said anything about the chill
dren ?" demanded grandfather. "The
story Pm about to tell is for older
heads"
There seemed to be no escape, and
the family took easy positions, and tried
to sleep.
During the flood of 1719," began
grandfather, &" / was residin' in little
town in Indiana. The town is still in
existence, and is known to steamboat
men and others as Aurora, Indiana. 1t
is located on the Ohio River, in Dear
born County"
Coulter short" interrupted an inter-
ested auditor.
All these details are necessary to
clear appreciation of the story" said
grandfather, angrily, and if I'm inter
rupted again, I'll burn the house over
your cussed heads.
One day lot of us young fellows
were standin' on the bank of the river
watchin' the high water. 1t was fearful
The river was the highest it ever was in
its life, and was just full of foatin'
logs, fence rails, corn cribs, bake ovens
AMP
Not bake ovens, grandfather"
Grandfather began to tumble in his
vest-pocket for match, to carry out his
threat, as he said, to set fire to the dog
goned premises" He was persuaded to
go on with the story.
We were standin' on the bank
watchin' the river boomin' along like
horse kickin', and all at once here come
somethin' around the point that looked
like garden-patch."
But, of course, it was not garden
patch"
Nav, it wasn't garden-patch," put
in grandfather; it was farm"
Not farm floating in the river?''
said father, who was beginning to take
an interest in the story.
1t was nothin' short of it," replied
grandfather. at was a farm of two
hundred acres of the finest bottom land
on the Ohio, an it came sailin' along
there like chip. l tell you it was
startlin' sight. There was the farm,
with all the appurtenances, just as
natural as life; there was the farmhouse,
with the smoke rollin' out of the chin
ney like as if dinner was being cooked.
And there was the barn, the cow-house,
the pig-pen, the chicken coop, and
cattle and horses grain in the field.
One of the cows got little excited an
jumped over the fence into the river,
an was swept under the farm by the
current an drowned.
"The news of the foatin' farm spread
over town like wildfire, and the excite
ment was intense The old men shook
their heads gravely and talked together
in a low an solemn manner. Most of
them said it was witchcraft, or some
other diabolical power, an they hoped
to be essentially blest if they'd live in
country where the bad men mad such
complete control of things as a farm
f1oatin' down the river would seem to
indicate. Many of them sacrificed their
property and lit out for a locality where
the rain belt did not extend. Business
was suspended, and everybody who
could not get out of town devoted them
selves to prayer, even your humble SER
want"
The story was growing so improbable
started for the door.
No, you DON'T" said grandfather,
raising his cane in threatening man.
ner; come back-take your seats-sit
down-rest easy. Tll finish this story
in satisfactory manner, or money re-
funded at the door.
I" 1t was all simple enough when you
understood it," he resumed, "and it
wasn't long after we sighted the farm
comm around the point until the phe-
nomeon was as clear an simple as it had
been awful an mysterious before. You
see l was frightened as bad as any of
'em, an had just led in prayer, comm in
an easy winner by morn three lengths.
All at once rugged old man came tear
ing down through the willows with a
cable on his back, and yellin':
4" Hi, there any Teller that stops that
farm afore it gets out of the county, kin
draw on me for two dollars an halfp
He was the tax collector, and he was
after the place for back taxes When
he got down to where we were offerin' up
our applications, the farm was crossin'
into the next county, an he give up
the chase. From the faithful tax
gatherer, we learned all the particulars,
which were about as follows:
AT Lawrenceburg, town few
miles up the river, vast quantities of
shavin's, sawdust, blocks of wood, etc.,
had been carted away from the many
pianin' mills, sawmills, furniture
factories and coffin factories located at
that point, and dropped on piece of
low land. The shavin's had accumulated
there through many years an the pile
was of vast dimensions. Several goats
were at that time owned in Lawrence
burg, and in lookin' through the shavins'
for broken files, auger bits, plane irons,
ETC., for food, these animals had sue
ceeded in spreadin' the rubbish over a
large extent of territory. This wooden
foundation was about six feet deep, &C
cordin' to the tax collectors story. Upon
it earth was afterwards dumped from a
railroad excavation. When this was
done an idea presented itself to Yam
kee who possessed no real estate of his
own. He spread the earth over the sha-
wins, fortified it, fenced it in, and was
as big landowner as there was in the
county. At plantin' time he rented the
farm to German who had lately moved
there, and who knew nothin' of its pc
culiar formation. The German planted
1T in such things as Germans delight to
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