Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1883-09-14

shall never forget the halcyon spring day
that grandfather told me TO scour the old
plough and get ready to learn the mysteries
Of the rhapsody. took brick and cleaned
that old mouldboard with the same eager de-
light and thorough faithfuluess that Ben But
Ter bestowed on the furnishing up of the
Massachusetts nlmshouse. What a thrill Of
ecstacy this frocked within me as l slipped
the loop Of the single line about my wrist,
reachedupto the handlesand yauped ''glang."
Grandfather followed in silence. felt as
glorious rs Private Dalzell when he gets into
tho newspapers, and with unutterable feeling
l chirped Dear grandpa, you needn't never
work any more I'll run tho farm and you
and grandma can spend the money and"
We were going down an incline, so when my
pride quickly Strengthened the old plough
shot of the ground and jerked me clear over
a.stradde of the beam The horses stopped
and grandpa kindly remarked "Ye mustn't
set down to rest 80 airly in thelmornin', Lem
my, if you're goin to run the farm felt
as bad as the star reuter- who pleaded guilty
to conspiracy, and had to take it back, plead
not guilty and be discharged Grandpa fond
ly sat down on a stump and watched me pull
and tug to drag the old plough and two
horses backward to plough up the skip. After
pulled my arms out of socket wrenched
my back and was ready to start, grandpa
wiped the moisture from his eyes and oooed
softly "Ye kin save n good deal of time an
gruntn' by turnin the horses an maxim
them drag the plough roun' for skips like
that un" l felt so grateful wanted to let
him 20 to the house for a jug of buttermilk.
We came to a little swell in the ground and
the old plough started down deeper like an
artesan well augur. Bar down on tn han.
dies" yelled Old Business The horses
thought he meantthem, and they just straight
ened out till their bellies kissed tho ground ;
the plough started for China, struck a root,
the plough clovis busted, the horses shot for
ward and l rose over the plough at the end
of the plough line, like Gilroy's kite. Grand
pa picked me up tenderly, busted me off
with sprout, then sent me to the house for
clevis and Il mattock to dig the old plough
out.
started next time with humiliation and an
angry ancestor The old plough seemed pos
sessed. 1t tried as hard to evade the land AZ
st. Louis wet grocers do the Downing law
Push tn handles from the land shriuked
my hot instructor, the plough shot out
again The horses knew the misery wrapped
up in that shrek and surprising it referred to
them started on trot with yours truly
a-skipping, and apuiling and believing
"whoo.o-o-o,' like a fog horn. The plough
found its affinity, an old stump, a crash fol
lOWtu, anu WAS thrown nearly out OF inc
township. 1t busted the old stump and dear
grandpa arrived Just in timo TO greet the bees
that swarmed out. 1t was awful the way the
horses plunged and kicked and dear grand
pa battling bees and trying to unlock the
traces Lem, Lem, ye young rascal, come
hyar!" But | concluded to faint dead away
first He got the team loose and they tore
for the house, kicking like the whiskey ele-
ment in the Iowa Republican party Mt the
third resolution. Darling old grandfather
started for me just clawng bees from h.
| shirt and pants, jumping, yelling murder aud
! splitting white, with enough prodding insects
around him to sting "the rascals out" Much
as loved dear old grandpa's society," con
| cluded not to wait. | came out of that faint
and started down the home stretch like a
modern office seeker. Grandpa was after me,
slapping his old hat wildly and whooping,
"Holy Moses" etc, etc. For the first half
mile we gained on the horses, but as we
neared the house our wind began to fail.
! Grandma and the FED headed hired girl ran
to meet us, and the hired girl outran grand
ma lodged her, but grandpa ran right
into her arms. When got stopped grandpa
was hugging the hired girl grandma was
demonstrating them both and the trio was
screaming and lodging and squashing bees
When the round dance broke up dear grand
I
stings to return to his professorship in oui
agricultural college out in the field He sent
me out alone, full of approximations and fresh
buttermilk
Fascinating Old plough Memory run,
through a clothes ringer as thy skeleton
outlines come ripping down the burrows Of
time. Thou vert ever a creature of impulse
and idiosyncrasy. Still | followed thee car
olling the symphony Gee, gee there Haw
now haw. Consort your old hides, I'll mau
the hay out of you" Then grandpa woulC
spring from his ambush in the fence corner
and fill me full of animation and pain. Alb
as the ploughshare of time encroached on tn,
land of to morrows, turning the today into
yesterdays, as the furrow falls back into the
broken past, my spirit is tired and wearieC
with the task of being and longs to sink into
the invisible arms of rest. Fascinating ole
anatomy wrecker Thou art superseded BY
the invention of the steam plough, just as
have been by the superior tactics of modern
politicians Let us lie down in the furrow to
gether, old playmate and let the noiseles
share of Time cover us over with the fallow
ing Of the years. - Missouri Republican.