The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1878-03-14
for the fartlfr.
HOW no RuRN aARN.

1t is the easiest thing in the world, il few
simple directions airs followed Use an old fash
Toned tin lantern at night, through whose rough
iy punched sides only the minimam of light can
penetrate, aud whose door must necessarily lie
open, to enable you to see anything. Set it down
in the bedding while You go up in the hay-loft
to throw down feed, and the chances are good
that your hungry horse frisky COW viii kick
il over, as Mrs O'Leary's did in Chicago, and set
the barn on fire. If you have not a tin lantern, ,
carry candle. or open lamp, and use 1t in the
same way. If the night is windy, feel your way
out TO the barn the best you can, and light your
candle inside with matches, and let the match
ends take care Of themselves-they are small
affairs anyhow.
On rainy days make the barn your rendezvous
for smoking and whiting. and talking politics
with intelligent neighbors who have leisure
hours on their hands you have. Do not be
stingy with your pipes and tobacco, and keep
plenty of matches lying around loose, so they
may he handy to fire up with. A few social
afternoons spent in this way will, not unlikely,
enable You to get your barn burned.
Never lock barn door. Pad-locks are ex-
pensive, and a wooden peg will keep the thing
shut Just as well as forty, padlo Besides
that, there are poor people constantly on the
road ("tramps," they are called by unfeeiing,
well-tO-lo people, who have nice, comfortable
homes Of their Own,) who need nights lodging
as well as other folks, aud who will be attracted
| by the hosptable appearance of an unlocked
| erage thing, of literary turn Of mind, but they
do sometimes carry short pieces Of candles in
their pockets, with which to look over scraps of
| newspapers and other things in the interior of
| barns where they spend their nights, and they
almost invariably have supply of matches with
which to light their pipes as they take might
cap" smoke on the hay-mOw before closing their
| eyes in slumber.
Never clean up your barn. ItinvOlves great
| deal of labor to be particular about barn-in
| sweeping the floor and cleaning Vp the stalls,
and fastidiously dispOsiug of the rakings and
drOppings, and odds and ends, which accumulate
and make pleasant carpet for the feet, if left
alone. All this refuse, when it becomes dry, is
easily ignited and offers handy food for incipient
| fires, which may be kindled by any ambitions
MATCH dropped during the day, and stepped oil
as you pass through at night
Do not pay attention to those hyper scientific
| people who are everlastingly talking about spon
| taneous combustion in hay -mows. Never mind
| if your hay is wet you do net want to be all the
| year round waiting for it to dry. Nov it away;
tramp it down let it dry at ito leisure scout at
| the idea of moisture setting hay fire. ridic.
ulous newspaper reporter the other day actually
printed an item about an extra high tide setting
| a warehouse on fire, because the water reached
some lime stored in the cellar! Just as if water
could set anything on fire!
| As with your hay, SO with your grain. Sup
| pose it is damp, what harm will it dot DOM
fool away your time in drying it put it in thu
bin, shut it ur-tight and go to bed like wis,
| man, without firing yourself with over-particu
| larity.
| These directions, all of them, or part of them
faithfully adhered to, will, beyond doubt, enabl,
| yOu to get your barn burned.-Fdrm and Fire
! side.