The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-01-24

"Don't you know you can't pull
docksP" said he. "Why, them things
has iron bars for roots, and they 90
through to the other side of the yarth,
and then they're clinched inn
"Pohr' we said, "no such thing"
s'Factr says Jim, looking back at
us soberly as he walked away; that's
where the on comes from; that's they
way they raise it."
Father was making fun of u.s." SAIL
1. "He knew we couldn't do it."
Dick was looking at the insides o.
his hands and rubbing them against his
trousers legs. Lets 90 to Tony's
and see the puppies" said he.
Tony's white teeth g1inned as he saw
us. He was polishing a set of harness;
and in an empty stall near by, in the
corner. on pile of straw and old
horse blankets lay three little buff roly-
polys Struggled together in warm, pant
ing slumber. They lifted their sleepy
heads as we smoothed them, and looked
at us drowsily out of their dark-blue
clouded eyes, and then down they
heavily dropped again into slumber.
We told Tony our experience of the
morning. But what was our surprise
before we had proceeded far to see him
suddenly pause in his work and listen
to us with attention, and when we had
finished throw his head back and burst
out laughing, and then keep slapping
his knees and laugh on, rolling his head
from side to side! We couldn't help
laughing heartily in sympathy, though
what in the world it meant we didn't
see. oh hop he chuckled at last.
Now dat airs Gurus. Ha! ha! Mas'r
King he do mo- no great bout farmin'!
Now Mas Dick, yo' got yo' dog, sho'.
Yo' tell yo' fader he kin fotch long his
ten t'ousan' out O. de bank, eos yo'
go'n' to git it now, no mistake bout
dat ar" And then he proceeded to tell
US in his own fashion, which 1 will
translate for brevity's sake, that if we
possessed our souls in patience till
there came good drenching rain to
wet the soil down to a great depth, the
dock roots would pull nearly as easily
as turnips, and we could pile them, so
to speak, Pelion upon Ossa.
There is no need to say how often,
after this, our gaze was directed toward
the heavens, nor how suddenly we be-
came interested in the weather article
in fathers paper. Father would
sometimes ask, swell, boys, how about
those weeds? When shall | bring out
the five dollars?" And we would merely
look at each other with smile which
we understo cd well enough. but which
to him meant our enlightenment as to
the staying power of the common dock.
At last there appeared ominous lines
in Prof. Probabilities diagram. Came
a day whe II winds and gusts and gath
ering gloom darkened and deepened;
and then storm broke over the earth
such as people tremble to see. We were
not selfish enough to be glad, either,
when we he ard of all the ruin and death
the tempest was bringing on sea and
land. The rain fell in sheets; the streets
ran torrents; the winds roared and
ragged. When at last the storm ceased
and the sun appeared once more nature
scarcely seemed rejoicing. but exhaust
ed, dropping, broken, as if its strength
were gone and it had no heart left.
But although we mad been half fright
ened at the fury of the tempest. and
wholly sorry at its violence, there had
been space enough for us to remember
our own especial enterprise. We had
gone out the first few hours after the
rain set in, and essayed sturdy dock.
1t seemed just as firm as the first one
which had defied all our efforts. We
went to Tony to ask an explanation.
He answered us by letting hose pipe
discharge itself for ten minutes or so
on stalwart root growing near, and
then showing us how easily our united
strength could dislodge it. "Groun'
got to be soakin'-jes like SPONGE" he
said; Z" den yo' do ties 81 tell yo'."
The morning of the day it cleared we
went to him. He grinned when he
saw us afar off, and began a panto-
mime of STOPPING and pulling which we
well understood. Ebbery ting reddy
now" he said, "yo' kin Git yo' ten
t'ousan', if yo' wan to. Tell ye, chill
EN-" he continued, keep UNI all in a
heap, out O. sight, SOM 'er, till yo' git
all yo' want. N 'en pile um up, de
white roots inside, nice-so yo' fader
can count 'um easy"
We pulled docks two hours, and by
that time we had emptied four hand
cart loads under the woodshed, and
piled them neatly, one hundred and
fifty strong. But we could do no more
at least that day. Our backs ached;
our fingers were blistered-to say moth
ing of boots and clothes stiffened with
the mud of the soaked soil, and
drenc he'd from the dripping weeds.
When father came home on the third
aftern DON, we took each one of his
hands, and led him out silently, in re-
ply to his questions, but with giggles
and capers he was at loss to under
stand-till we walked him in front of
the white bristling piles in the wood
she'd
There they are," said one of us.
rive piles-a hundred in EACH"
added the other.
A penny a piece, father"
I'M going to start a library"
m going to have the best puppy"
Father looked from one to the other
as we spoke. "How did you get them9"
owe pulled 'em.''
Pulled 'em! You pulled 'emP''
" We pulled EN-"
When we had sufficiently enioved our