The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1882-11-18
The old Rail- Fence.
Snn.l

ees around farms, usaFping the
place of the old rail fence destroys
half of the pleasure Of farming.
There Is something shout the old
Pail fence that is real comfortable,
aud the barbed wire fence IA for
bidding, cold, repulsive. Until you
come to think of it, there does not
seem as though there was great
deal of solid comfort in rail
fence, but there is. Did you ever
see two old farmers leaning against
a rail fence, whiting and talking
politics or a horse trade for hours
togethers They are more com
Portable, and rest more than they
would if they were occupying the
softest sofa, or the best stuffed
armchair in the world. There are
so many shapes a 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 whitt!e for half
an hour until the top of the rail is
as polished as piece of mahoga-
ny. 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 about how he is going to pay
the mortgage on his farm next
year. After that 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
how the old mare that he il trying
to trade off cleaned out all the
teams on the road coming back
from the celebration at town, after
the fireworks on the Fourth, and
how, if 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
up on the fence, aud begin to whit
Tie again, and swear the man that
runs the cheese factory down at
the corners is skinning us farmers
out Of our eye teeth. Without go.
ing into details as to ninety.nine
other combinations by which q
farmer can rest on, about or against
q fence, it may not be out of place
to speak of sitting on top Of 0
fence. The farmers, after trying
several positions, will instinctively
climb up the fence and rest on the
top rail, their feet resting on the
third rail from the top, which il
always laid with projection enough
to make good footing, and an houl
will pass as the fellows talk of the
times when they settled in th,
country, and of the hardships they
have endured, and how the ehil
dren have grown up aud gone
away, and the conversation vii
drift into sleepy channel, ant
the sun will begin to sink in tho
West, and the horny-handed sons
Of toll will suddenly remember
that the chores are to be done
and with a "Good night, Lige y
and a "Drop around agin to.mor
row, Ike" they will separate, ant
one will take a milk.pail and a one
legged stool and go towards the
lot where the cows havo come
home, while the other will &c
across the road to his barn ant
throw down some hay for the
horses. and they will go to bed al
eight o'clock as tired as thougl
they had been moving. But they
had splendid, easy visit on The
old rail fence.