The Baltimore County union., 1882-12-09
TIE OLD RAIL FENCE.


fFoat f'eeks chh.
The placing of barbed wire fences
around farms, usurping the place Of the
rail fence, destroys half Of the pleasure
Of farming. There is something about
the old rail fence that is real comforta-
bic, and the barbed wire fence is forbid
ding, cold, repulsive. Until yeu come
to think Of it, there does not seem as
though there was great deal Of solid
comfort in a rail fence, but there is. Did
you ever see two old farmers leaning
against a rail fence, whiting, and talk
ing politics or horse trade for hours
together 2 They are more comfortable,
rest more than they would il they were
occupying the softest sofa, or the best
stuffed arm chair in the world. There
are so many shapes man can get into,
to rest, about a rail fence. First the
farmer will fold his arms and rest them
on the top rail, and lean his breast on
the fence, and talk for half an hour, until
his legs are tired, then he will step one
foot up on the second rail from the bot
tom, and stand and whittle for half an
hour, until the top Of the rail is as pol
ished as a piece of mahogany. Then he
will change feet and lean one elbow on
the second rail from the top and sharpen
his knife on his boot and talk for half
an hour how he is going to pay the mort
gage on his farm next year. After the
position becomes irksome he will turn
his back to the fence, stand on his heels,
and place his two elbows on the top rail
and lean against the fence, and for half
an hour he will tell about the old mare
that he is trying totrade off cleaned out
all the teams on the road coming back
from the celebration at town, after the
fireworks on the 4th, and how, il he
wasn't fixed just as he is, and wanted
the twenty dollars boot money TO send
Nathan off to the select school, there is
no man on earth could buy that mare.
Then he will get tired and stand around
sideways, put his left arm on the fence,
and begin to whittle again, and swear
the man that runs the cheese factory
down 1t the corners is skinning us farm
ers out OF our eye teeth. Without going
into details rs to ninty-nine other COM
binations by which farmer can rest on,
about or against rail fence, it may not
be out of place to speak of sitting on top
of fence. The farmers, after trying
several positions, will ins,inctively climb
up the fence and rest on the top rail,
their feet resting on the third rail from
the top, which if always lain with pro-
lection enough TO make good footing,
and an hour will pass Is the fellows talk
OF the times when they settled in the
country. and of the hardships they have
endured, and how the children have
grown up and gone away. and the con-
versation will drift into 1 sleepy chan.
mel, and the sun will begin 20 sink in the
west, and the horny-handed sons OF toi
will suddenly remember that the chcre.
are to be done, and with good night
Lige," and a, "Drop around again TO
morrow, Ike" they will separate ans
one will take milk pail and one.leg
ged stool and go towards the lot wher'
the cows have come home. while ihs
other will 60 across the road 20 his barr
and throw down some hay iorihe horses
and they will both go TO bed At eight
o'clock As tired IS though they had beer
moving. But they had splendid eas,
visit on the old rail fence.