Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1884-10-30

has got bad cough, but he can take
it out in wheeling. Tn not going to
pay stable-hire out of my own pock-
et."
Coz circulating library in your
township"
NAV! Who's got time to fool
with books?"
'Don't you ever get together and
talk over farm matters!'
"Nawp'
"How many papers do you take? ?"
81 guess the old man takes one,
but never see it,
They say there's debating soci-
ETY. in the town.
"Let'em debate!''
"But don't you try to keep post
ed?"
''Ycu bet! If there's a chap in
this county who kin skin me on boss
trade I'd like to meet him!"
''How much change will you boys
use up to-day?'
"None O. yer bizness, but 1 reckon
most Of us will git away with couple
Of dollars. I had five, and it's half
gone now."
There was no end of disputing and
swearing, and before noon there had
been three fights and one arrest.
Several watches and horses had
changed owners, and there was dog
fight with stakes at IS a side.
In the afternoon 1 called at the
postoffice and several stores. The
young farmers were to be found at
each place. Such as were not chew
ing plug tobacco were smoking clay
pipes Or strong cigars, and the smell
of beer and whisky was simply dis
gusting. Money was freely squan-
dered,, and all the talk was rough in
thought and language. Who was
responsible for all this? Just that
class of farmers about whom we have
talked in previous articles. In each
case in which I made inquiry of citi-
zens the answer was:
"Well, [ don't blame him so much.
His father is a stingy, driving old
fellow. That boy has been worked
like q slave and allowed no privileges,
and, now that he has grown too big
to be thrashed, he seems bent or
making things hum."
That will be the result nine times
out of ten. A boy can be driven ur
to a certain limit, and then he vii
either quietly leave home between
two Gays Or remain to be a thorn il
the side of his parents. How easy
it would have been to bring up any
one Of those boys to be respectable
courteous, temperate and industrious
and how thoroughly they had beer
fitted to become law-breakers ant
desperadoes. Frank James, tn
bandit, told me in the County Jail a
Huntsville, Ala. that the farmer
with whom he passed his youth ha'
more to do with making his futur
than anything born in him. The.
worked him as if he were an OF
They never had word of praise, an
grated no privileges. He was cuffe
and whipped and found fault wit
until, at the age Of Is, he hated th
whole world.
Hooked over that crowd that rain
day and speculated on what migi
have been. Had the farmer been tt
= right sort of man the boy woul
been at home. 1t would have been I
| good as a holiday for both. All Il
items in the day-book would ha,
been posted up after breakfast, an
: we'd have looked over the diary
= see what day we sowed wheat in Il
E No. 4-what time last spring we s
). out those apple trees-just what df
Is we sold the wool and bought tn
new wagon, and We might even RI
10 back year to see when the equine
tial set in and how long it lasted.
Then there would be something
. do down cellar-old vegetables
carry out-a pane of glass to put
the window-hoards to be nailed I
the bins-shelves to put up for t
canned fruit-perhaps some whit
m washing to sweeten the place for t
winter.
, By 10 O'Clock We would be in t
10 barn. The harness should be oil
= = on damp day. We'd first take th'
ss' ass apart and give each piece a thorou
is e. wssh in soap-suds, and if straps
1a buckles were loose the servings