The Cecil Whig., 1883-01-27
THE OLD RAIL FENCE,

The placing of harbed 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 comfortable,
and the barbed wire fence is forbidding.
cold. repul>ive. Until YOU come to think
of it, there does not seem as though there
Was great deal of solid comfort in Il
rail fence, but there is. Did you ever
zee two old farmers leaning against a rail
fence, whiting. aud talking politics Or
horse trade for hours together? They are
more comfortable. rest more than they
would if they were occupy ing the softest
sofa. or the best stuffed arm chair in the
world. There are SO many shapes man
can get into to rest, about Il rail fence.
First the farmer will told 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 bottom. and stand and whittle for
half an hour, until the top of the rail is
polished as piece of mahogany. Then
he will change feet AMI lean one elbow
on the second rail from the top and sharp
ell 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 10 the fence stand on mis- 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 try ing to trade off cleaned ont all
the teams on the road coming back from
the celebration at town, after the fire
works on the 4th. and how. if he wasn't
fixed Just as he is and wanted the twen-
ty 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 side ways,
put his arm on the fence. and begin to
whittle again. and swear the man that
| runs the cheese fac.ory down at the cor
! ne,s is skinninG us far ners out OF our
eve teeth. Without going into details as
| to ninty nine other combinations by which
Il farmer can rest on. about or against a
rail fence. it may not be out oi place to
speak o. sitting on top of a fence. The
| farmers, after tl>ing several positions,
will irstinctively climb up the fence and
rest on the top rail. their feet resting on
the third rail from the top which il al
W Us laid with pr"i"ct'nn enough TO NAL e
| g'nd fnntirg. and All holr will - a
| the fellows talk o! the tunes when they
settled III the country. aud of the hard
ships they have endured, and how the
children have grown mp and gone away,
| aud the conversation will dIi't intn 4
sleep, channrl. and the sun will hegin to
sink i'll the west and the horny hauded
-"ns of toll will suddenly remember tla
the chores IRE to he done and with a
"go"d night. Ligr.' and D pp around
again to morrow Ike. they y ill separate
aud one will take Il milk pail and a one
! legged stool and gn towards the l,,t W here
| tic cows have come hnnp. while he ot her
will go across the road t., his barn and
! throw down some hay tor he horses. and
they ill both 60 to bed at eight o clock
as tired As though they had been moving.
But they had a splendid easy visit on The
/ Old rail fence.