Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1883-07-07
Bill Apps Adventures On the Farm.

DO it. Farming ls an ever changing EN-
ployment There is something Lew turns
bp near. 5 every day. something unex pected
aud out OF The general run 1t amt so with
ltoreke. pars, nor carpenteriDg. nor any
II ech anical business, tor with those pursuits
one cay is pretty much alike another, and
that is why like farming There Is more !
rlay for man s ingenuity and conrivance
and more grailfcaton in his success. Ifa |
iarmer cOntrives good gate, or good STALL !
Tor he stable, or makes a good wagon tongue,
que, or sirgetree, plow stock, be is proud |
ot his labors and thinks more OF himself
| have been mighty busy OF late fixing up
fences. Fences are big thing in these
about half he makes on his farm to keep en-
mule high and bull strong and pig tight. |
had about a mile 10 build this spring, and
timber vas TOO scarce to make it all CT rails,
40 went to work and cut down a lot OF
pines for stock, and borrowed carryicg
and began to haul em t. the saw mill. The
pines were on the side Of rocky ridge, AID
the steers were sorter bu.l-headed and took
al sorts OF roads 10 ct down, and run over
,oplings, and agar, st stumps, and my old
darkey couidn, do much with en-, and the
ron dogs would come out OF the logs when
| the hind end rolled over a rock. and the log
Won d stop and the steers 90 on, AID II took
| all hands to head I'm with sticks and thrash
| pol, and make EN- turn around and go
/ back and siradile the log again: we hat to
sw,rg one big log five times before We got
DOWN 10 tie road-and 1t was gee Dick,
and "haw Tom, and come back here and
~ har you gwine" hun }red times and the
KEY come OUT OF the bow, and the bow drop
ped down, and old om Il ought be was loose
ard started for home and we had a time Of
# all around. After q while motto, ed that
tie dogs were too straight and Cldnt swell
EN- to the shop and bent EN-, and after that
we could drive EN- in deeper, and we had
no more trouble on that hEe-when we got
all the stocks down 10 the big road, we be-
a right su.art hill % % rp, which was the
orlv hill on the way. Old Tom IS q mean
cid seer. He is just like some folks, he
has fits Of pulling and fits of not pulling and
when he does pull he wants to pull as hard
he can. He took notion that the hill
was too much for him, so he wouldn't go
wcrth cent we hawd him, and geed him
and whipped him, and hollered at him and
down on his kuees and played of, and We
: iooled away half day without moving a
stock Then / St mt a ter the mules and 8
double tree, and filth chain, and hltched thf
mules in front aud all hands hollered get
up there and | cracked the long whip anc
Cd Tom come down to his work, Tor he saw
; lie han help, and the way We jerked thoss
logs up the Hill was corton. We had nc
more trouble after that, until the time to g
; home and concluded ride on the carry
og tongue would SUIT me pretty well, to-
! Ralph, my fourteen year old boy said II wa
/" good riding, and so mounted on the httl'
plank seat, and took the lines and the Will
and give the words of command, and sui
denly old Tom took notion to run ava,
tol amusement. 1t was dc wn gentle grad
TOR a quarter of mile, and there were dee]
httle ru,s in the road, and pine roots cross
w ny it ever and anon and SOM
:, turnouts around the bad places. an'
| .b bnl 10
0 .wo, wo, wo, tell you, wo Tom. wo Dick
{ out they paid noemore attention to me THAI
( Il was big hog in the road. Tney Jus
went q hiting, and didnsi miss big STUN
L halt an inch, and the ruts aud the root
i, bumped me up and down like q ohurn dash
rs er. | never was scared SO bad in my life
e be Carkey and kalph come running a
~ tast As they could TO get ahead OF the brute:
r. Al q that made EN- worse | didn, dare t
ID lump of for fear the big wheels would ge
II me, aud then there was those confouude
AZ ircn dogs with their big hooks hanging dow
= and expected every minute to De jolte
4, and have en- catch me in the slack {
nv pants, or somewhere else, and drag N
home -maucled and lifelsss carcass.
+, Grouped the long whip and let the lines &,
when suddenly turn IN the road orouGl
+. the Internal beasts right square up assin
a wage n that was ming. and they stoppe'
! LETT that tongue before You could say JAG
:, Robinson, and sat Gown on 8 log to
thar htul Driving steers Is not my fort
and | shall hereafter let all such toolshne
alone The folks have not got done faug
/, ing about i, yet Carl drew q picture t
!, his slate OF corryloI ard steers and two b
hook a harging down, and man hugssr
the tongue. and when came into the roo
Jessie was cacklirg and the girs g:
ginG. and Mrs Arp laughing Ike she Ii
ID found circus, but can't see any mol
iun IN II than in las. years hlrd 'snes