Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1878-01-02
Beans VIII Out,


This wa. the occasion of the gathering
of all the militia, or companies of SOL
diers. or trainers, as we used to call
them. from nearly all the towns in the
country. And it was grand gala-day
Won NAV be sure-especially for all the
boys and girls who lived in the country,
and who for three hundred and sixty
four DAYS in the year seldom saw any
thing but the same old horses and wag-
ops oven and COWS, scenes and people,
with whom they were brought up. On
training day the whole town was astir
and full of people from all the country
round about. There was first OF all,
s.the trainers" with their tall hats and
high waving plumes, and blue coats,
and yellow vests, and large gilt but
tons. and muskets, and swords, and
high top boots, with the more grandly
dressed officers, many of whom rode on
fiery chargers, and flourished around
all over the Green seeming to me
never to be long enough In any one
spot to have the soldiers know what
they wanted. And the whole air was
full of music-and the boom of cannon
and the rattle of musketry: and the
shrill cries of auctioneers on the tops Of
peddler's wagons; and the sellers of
oysters-'here's you're nice, fine, hot
austeers'-and venders of peanuts and
candies and-everything, as i then
thought-and the buzz of hundreds of
voices, and the laughter of men and wo-
men, boys and girls, all in one grand
medley Of uproarious confusion worse
confounded.'
'.On the morning of such a wonder
full day / awoke two hours earlier than
usual, without being called, as common
ly, two or three times before | made my
appearance, to milk our old black-faced
COW. Even while / was milking, some
early wagons, and stages, and OK carts,
loaded down with country people, be-
gan to come into town. Then | un-
easily waited for breakfast, and kept as
still a. my feverish excitement would
allow, while father had family prayers,
which seemed TO me at least ten times
~ long a ever before, and after this
was over | was ready for bound out
on 10 the public green" which was
just in front of our house and | should
have leaped the fence at 4 single Jump,
without waiting TO open the gate, if
had not been stopped by the voice of
my father. VINO called me and gave me
orders to 20 to work. He wanted me
to COUP into the cornfield, take with
me nv hoe and bag of beans-six in a
hill-between every eorn-hill in half
acre lot. Oh. how my heart sank with
in me, and, if must now tell the whole
truth, how mad / was,
was terribly disappointed. l felt
bad enough to cry. Ny father knew
best what must be done, and he was
kind father, and he had already-the
day bsfore-given me a silver quarter
of dollar to spend just as | pleased.
But ny head and ears, and eyes, and
soul, and body, were all full of strain
ing-day," and | could not bear the
thought of planting beans at such
time. And yet | must do it. just as /
got into the lot, the drums began to roll
and the fife to send its piercing martial
strains. half-mile of, into my ears,
and fairly beat the air with my hoe
in determination 10 run away and go
down where all the boys were and hide
myself in the crowd. But then what
should tell father at night about those
beans: I wished that there was not a
bean IN the world. just then a though
came into my mind; | don't know how
it got there, but it was there, and took
possession of my will; and under its
power | took my bag of beans, went
down to the edge of the swamp, found
a large fat stone, which l lifted up,
dug great hole where the stone had
lain. and dumped all my beans into
that hole, put the stone back as it had
been and started off as fast as my
feet would carry me over the fences,
through the corn-fields, across the
plowed ground and the grass plains,
bound at all hazards to have my train
ing-day.'
''And l did have it, though was not
as happy as thought l should be. l
knew that there must be sequel to my
planting beans, though what that Sc
quel should be | could not imagine.
One thing had determined upon-and
that was not to tell lie, whatever oc-
CURED. Just then / met my father,
and he asked me if planted the beans.
l told him, Yes, SIR and that l had
planted them all. That was lie, be-
cause ] intended to deceive him. But
| then thought it was not real lie, be-
cause had planted them, as you know
under that large fiat stone.
"Well, training-day passed by, very
much like all other training-days ofmy
childhood, they don't have any such
days now, and the summer wore away,
and nv father and | hoed the corn,
where the beans should have been,
Father asked me again if | planted the
beans and | told him that did.
Then he said that the beans must have
been too old, and that he would be sure
of better seed next year. supposed
that this would end the whole subject
forever, and that / should never be
found out. But God had me in His
loving care, and would not allow me to
succeed in my disobedience and false
hood. Some time after, when we were
hoeinc that corn for the third time, my
father, while walking near the bound
ary OF lot, discovered a large circle of
beans. springing up and growing
around the edge of that large fiat stone.
He said nothing about it at the time.
He wantel to deliberate in regard To
the best method of handling the sub
ject, and see what | would do, as he af-
terwards told me. He did not think
that would tell a square falsehood.
IrI sbo,ld do n no had latarmipa1 fo