Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1883-10-03
The Bad Boy on a Farm.
HE TELLS THE GROCERY MAN HIS
DoLEFUL EXPERIENCE.

Want to buy any cabbages p said the
bad boy to The grocery man, as be STOP
ped at the door Of the grocery, dressed
in blue wamus, bis breeches tucked
in bis boots, and an old bat on bis
head, with a hole that let out his hair
through the top. He had got out of ii
democrat wagon, and was holding the
lines hitched to horse about forty
years old, that leaned against the bitch
lug.post 10 rest. Only shilling
apiece
'Oh, 90 way said The grocery man.
Il only pay three cents apiece And
then he looked at the boy and said !:
Hello, HenuerY, ls that you? l have
missed you all the week, and now you
come on TO me sudden, disguised as a
granger. What does this all mean"
'Itmeans that l have been the vic
tim Of as vile a conspiracy as ever was
known since Cesar was stabbed and
Mark Antony Grated over bis PROSTATE
corpse in the Roman forum 10 an audi
ence of supes and scene-shifters,' and
the boy dropped the lines on the side
walk, and said: Whoa, gol blame
you,' TO the horse that was asleep,
wiped his boots on the grass in front OF
the store and came in and seated him
self on the old half-bushel.
There, this seems like home again.
What's the row p Who has been
playing it on you?' and the grocery
man smeled a sharp trade in cabbages,
as well as other smells peculiar to the
farm.
Well, III tell you. Lately our folks
have been constantly talking Of the in-
dependent life of the farmer, and how
easy it Is, and how they would like it if
l would learn 10 be farmer. They
SAID there was nothing like it, and
several of The neighbors joined in and
SAID 1 had the natural ability to be one
of the most successful farmers in the
State. They all drew pictures of the
fun 1t was 10 work on a farm, where
you could get your work done and take
your fish-polc and 90 off and catch fish,
or a gun and 90 out and kill game, and
how you could ride horses, and pitch
hay, and smell the sweet perfume, and
90 to huskng bees and dances, and
everything, and they got me all worked
up so 1 wanted TO go to work on q
farm. Then an old deacon that be-
longs to our church, who runs a farm
about eight miles out of town, he came
on the scene and said be wanted boy
and if 1 would 60 out and work for him
he would be easy on me because he
knew my folks, and we belonged to the
same church. can see 1t now. 1t
was all put up job on me, just like
they play three card monte on fresh
stranger. was took in. By gosh, l
have been out there week, and here's
what there is left Of ne. The only
way I got a chance to come TO town
was to tell the farmer could sell cab
bages to you at a shilling apiece. l
knew you sold them for fifteen cents
and thought you would pay shilling.
So the farmer said he would pay me my
wages in cabbages at shilling apiece.
and only charge me dollar for horse
and wagon to bring them in. So you
only pay three cents. Here are thirty
cabbages, which will come 10 ninety
cents. 1 pay dollar for the horse,
and when l get back 10 the farm l owe
the farmer ten cents, besides working
a week for nothing. Oh, it is all right
l don't kick. but this ends farming for
Hennery. l know when l have got
enough OF an easy life on a farm. l
prefer a hard life, breaking stones on
the streets, 10 an easy, dreamy life on
q iarm.'
They did play it on you, didn't
they said the grocery man. But
wasn't the old deacon a good man 10
work for?'
Good man nothin', said the boy,
as be took up piece oil horse radish
and began to CRATE it on the inslde OF
his rough hand. i tell you there's
heap Of difference IN a deacon in Sun
day-school, telling about sowing wheat
and tares, and a deacon out on farm
In a burrying season, when there is hay
To get 10 and wheat 10 harvest all at
the same Time. vent out 10 the
farm sunday evening with the deacon
and bis wife, aud they couldn't talk
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