The Democratic advocate., 1881-08-27
A Farmers Boy.

A Farmers Boy.
1t is very common thing for a man
who owns bank account and gold
headed cane to look back over the dim vista
of departed years and murmur with appar-
ent pride IL was once farmers boy T.
1t is, probably, very nice thing, this, for
a man to be able to say, after he gets old,
and rich, and bald headed, and corpulent,
and has couple of sons trying the best
they know how to get away with the in-
terest on the paternal bonds, aud who
don't know hoe from patent COW milk
er. Many of these old fellows who lay
claim to the honorable distinction Of bav-
ing been farmers boys are frauds, but there
are some who make the boast with a gen
uine ring about it, aud when they begin to
tell you how they used to 20 after the COWS
and 6ud every one Of them in the back
field with their tails hanging through the
line fence to the adjoiEing farm, you know
right away they are telling the whole truth
aud nothing but the truth, and that here
is another ex-farmer's boy who is proud
Of his youthful calling. He feels that it
was an honorable calling, however trying
a one, aud he is even proud to tell his
friends, now be is rich aud successful
man, how many stone-brnises he used to
have on his feet, ia seasons when stone
bruises were ripe. Then he remembers
about the old family grindstone that stood
under Summer Queer" apple tree, hard
by the woOdpile, the handle Of which he
has turned in harvest time until every joint
in his back. bone seemed TO ereak like the
rusty hinges on the smoke-house door.
Yes, he can remember, that after turning
the crank Of that dear old family grind
stone for six consecutive hours his back
bone would feel like piece Of bath-towel
at \ seaside resort on excursion day but
now, after be has rested for forty-fve
years, he can eousciehtiously look back to
childhood sunny hour, aud tell his friends
that griudstoao is a..good thing to tougen
a boys backbone for the wear and tear aud
hard knocks Of the future. Every boy
has n future before him, you have noticed,
though, as Ar,emus Ward used to say, a
great many act as though they seemed TO
think il was "bchind them.
And this cid ex-farmer's boy loves to
tell about how potatoes are planted on q
farm. He well remembers how he started
down q furrow with bucket Of cut pota-
toes in one hand, while with the other be
stuck the pieces along at regular distances.
marked, perhaps, BY the end Of his big
toe. He was bent up in the shape Of an
OK bow, Of course, aud his one suspender
was 50 short that il drew the bottoms Of
his pantalOons up to his knees. He
thinks il very funny now, and he laughs
about il heartily, but then he used to won
der why in the mischief potatoes couldn' {
grow on trees so that the farmer could sec
what kind Of a crop he was going to have
without digging il up to look at it He
knows now that be was wrong to find
fault with Natures ways, and be acknowl-
edges IT, Then he goes on to tell about
how be used TO climb out the garrett at 3
a. N, feed the stock and cut of quarter
Of cord Of fre-wood before breakfast,
just to give him an appetite, after which
be would drive the cows home from the
back field aud help milk to rest himself.
Oh, it is ever so refreshing to hear the
solid citizen tell about what he used to do
when he was farmers boy. We never
tire listening to him, for it brings up ten
der memories of what we, ourself, went
through rs farmers boy. Many a long,
sultry summers forenoon have We lain up
in the cOzy front bedroom with mild
mustard plaster across our epigastric ter
ritory, while another boy turned the grind
stone under the apple tree. And then
when the seythes were all ground, and the
picturesque haryesters had eaten hasty
dinner and gone merrily to the field with
Tom Tom was the "other boy J following
after with two gallon jug Of water, how
we have creeped sadly down stairs and
eaten seven apple dumplings, and then
felt that we we're able to sit up for the re
mainder of the day. We were sickly
farmers boy, aud the more work there
was on hand the sieker we got. The at
tacks were very sudden, too Tom was a
much healthier farmers boy, but he wa
not near so lucky. He used to get kieket
by a mule, run over by an ox-cart, chop hi
foot open with an axe and cut a finger of
with strawcutter, two or three times
year, Just for change. We missed al
these misfortunes because we were no
there when the mule kicked, We stayeC
away from the OK cart and We never fooled
with the axe or straw cutter. Generally
VIC were sick. But few farmers boys arr
so lucky as we were, and to this day w
look with suspicion upon rich old bald,
headed men who claim to have been farm
er's BOYS unless they can show their ere
deutials in the way of a missing finger oil
toe. or the strawberry mark Of mule-shoe
about their person.
Farmers boys, your calling is an hon.
orable one, though we cant say that it is
a very lasy one. Men who have attained
vast wealth and honor, who have built
great mansions with cast-iron dog on the
front porch, are proud to claim that they
have been one of you. This is a great
thing for the farmers boy, and ought to
sustain him when he feels like breaking
down and going into village store to learn
how to measure forty-two yards of calico
off forty yard piece.
All farmers boys can't be President;
neither can all farmers boys be baldhead,
ed editors, but there are great possibilities
before every one of them. As farmer S
BOYS let them be industrious, patient,
courageous, and studious, and they will not