Richland beacon., 1880-08-21
NUMBER 81.
FARM WORK.
BY BILL ARP,


work for the day, and when night comes
haven't done it. I've got behind, and
can't catch up. That's bad. Ben Frank
lin said q man ought to drive his work
and not let his work drive him. The
wet weather has got us farmers all in
stew. There hasn't been hut two days
in two weeks that we could plow. My
corn is not all planted; my garden is in
the grass potato slips are waiting for
the patch the clover is nearly ready for
the scythe. If it was only the big things
that were pressing could soon catch
up, but there's 80 many little ones to
mix in it takes about half the time to
tend to 'em. Ireceived orders the other
day from headquarters to have all the
palings whitewashed. Then again the
flowers have all to be taken out Of the
pit, and benches fixed up for 'em, and SO
had to go to the saw-mill ior few
planks. The grape arbor had to he lat
ticed and the vines tied up, SO had to
20 to the creek for canes. 1t was gently
suggested that large watermelon patch
was a great necessity, and it took q
whole day to prepare the ground and
dig the holes and haul the fertile, as
Cobe calls it. Mr.. Theodore Smith re-
lated to Mrs. Arp as how he pulled
twenty-five melons from one vine, and
the smallest one weighed eighteen
pounds, and SO I've planted 100 hills,
which will make 200 vines. and 1920
melons, weighing about 120, 900 pounds.
That's the hopeful way 1 figured it all
up for her, but We seen women who had
more faith in her husbands work than
she had. She was working button
hole, and remarked that if raised fifty
she would be agreeably disappointed.
In laying out work, these sort of jobs are
never counted. Then again. there's
many an hour lost in waiting on the
children, the little chaps. They are al
ways hanging around for something.
Everything I do they want to do. They
have got little gardens, and everything
1 plant they must plant. have to tie
up their big toes most every day
and get splinters ont of their
fingers and pick 'em up when
they fall down, and he sorry a
great deal and comfort 'em. They've
got to wading in the spring branch, and
the maternal ancestor thinks a snake has
bit 'em every time they holler. When
they get out Of sight she imagines some
baby thief has come along and stci
'em like they did Charley Ross. and
have to drop everything and hunt EN-
up. But they are world of pleasure, and
it does look like the more do for 'em
the more / love 'em. They tag around
after me most all the time, and drive
away the blues with their hope and
trust and childish philosophy-their in
nocent unconcem about the future,
about trouble and want and suffering,
about politics and pestilence and mira
cles and suicides. l reckon that good
little child il about the best of all
created things, and don't wonder that
the scriptures tell MS we must be like
'em before we get to heaven. I'm a
right good family barber, and was
shingling one Of their little heads to-
day, when somebody came running in
and hollered, "The bees are swarming-
the bees are swarming; come quick;
ring the bell they arc going off" l
had been looking out for this every day
for a week. Last fall bought five
stands and came home and told my wife
1 had bought $4,000 head of live stock,
which would have made a sensation, but
she didn't believe me, as usual, and went
on with her sewing. Well, had the
hive all ready. but the trouble was
abont getting them down from the tree,
for they were about thirty feet up and
hanging down from a swinging limb. I
used to be a regular squirrel to climb
trees. but somehow I've lost the lick,
and 30 my 12-year-old boy undertook
the perilous job. He tied net over his
head and went up like cat, then tied
the rope to the limb IA threw the
other end higher up over another limb
and dropped it down TO us, and then We
sent him up the saw and he cut off the
limb and it came down easy and slow on
the table and we sprinkled 'em with
sweeteDed water and brushed them on
to the mouth of the hive, and just had
nc trouble at all hardly in getting them
housed. Well, did get popped on the
upper rim Of my left ear, and in few
minutes il looked like the end Of cows
tongue and hurt like the mischief, bnt
made no sign. am always brave about
q thing like that.