The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1885-12-01
Miss Ella on the Farm.
Burdette. the humorist, has tie fol,
lowing In the Brooklyn Eagle:

hdttof W the Eagle:
Noticin' in your columns quite recent
a paragraph TO tie followi 4
"Miss Ella Witchasel. q charming
Young school.,eacher OF v.llisca, lows.
finding the close confinement andardu-
ou duties OF the school-room injuring
her health, tried the outdoor cure lD-
stead of spending her winters salary
and summers vacation In crowded ho-
tel at the seashore, she went on farm.
cut 25 acres Of prairie hay, harvested,
40 acres of wheat, gained 20 pounds ina
weight, coat of tan on Der hands and
face. and a rugged health that cannot be
eqnaled any where off farm, There's
the girl you are looking for, young
man."
Now, what I want to say: / am well
acquainted with this young school
marm. Fact is, 1t vas my farm she
spent the summer on. Nice girl. Ella
is, as ever run wild in the sun. We was
glad, wife and me, to have her come an
she did bout as she pleased on the farm
I'd often read in the papers bout these
Young women that taught school In the
winter an farmed in the summer, but
never had any experience of 'em before
Well, sir, she farmed. First day,
uothin'd do bu, she must drive the boss
rake. Well, every man an woman that
comes from town wants TO drive the
boss rake, an they call that getiin' in
the hav. My little Janey, eleven years
old next May, usually drives the rake
for Us. bat she amt feelin' overly peart
this summer an kinder Kept her out
of the sun. So Miss Ella gifts herself
boosted up on the boss rake, an then
she screamed an fell off. Then she got
on again, bit the boss crack an away
she went on the dead jump ont o. the
field into the road, hoss a-goin', dust
nyin' an Miss Ella screechin'. Some
OF the men headed her of an stopped
The boss. Then she triedil ag'in. This
time she struck right straight through
the standin' grass. where it was tsllest,
tbickest sn1 tangledest; boss a-balkin'
and tnggin' away by turns, and grass
hoI,iin' on or comm up by she roots,
rake teeth snappin'. We got her out
of that. and we lost whole day on the
rake, gettin. it mended.
Then she tried drivin' a load into the
big barn. Had to send to the house for
ladder. an then she climbed up on the
load. Drivin' in she got the wagon
caugbt In hedge gap as vide IS the
Missouri river, run over two stands of
bees, upset the load, and buried herself
under 800 pounds of hav. 1t was the
safes. place for her under the exciting
circu Instances so We jest left her ther'
ontil the bees got CANNED down an we
got some work done. Next load she
went in on, and climbed up into the
NOW, an then she wandered around on.
til she stepped into q chute and shot
down about % feet into the COW barn
an lit right on the back of a Jersey calf
that was worth $3.50 Of sny mans mon
ey an hour before. Miss Ella want
killed, but she was that jsmmed up tha,
she lay in bed two days. an but for that
providence we'd hev been workin' at
that hay vet. An anybody that wants
broken back calf can have one at his
own 6ggers.
Well, when harvest come, she must
drive the self-binder. That was little
too risky, but she had her own way
But she couldn't be trusted up above the
knives, 40 somebody hal to set on there
and hold her on. My boy Joe, be held
her on-I told Joe she was maxim q
fool of him-an' if she didn', make him
drive around every poppy an every bloc
sOmin' weed she see in that field to save
it. Never mind the wheat, but save the
blamed weeds. There was only one
stump on the 800 acres Of prairie land,
just one stump, an hope may go to
seed before thanksgivin' if that girl
didn't run into it an break the reaper
Lost all the rsst of tha. day a meudin'
of 1t.
Next day she was proud an conf lent
she could drive alone Well, we tied
her into the seat so'st she couldn't fall
of. an she started Two rods from the
start big black snake stuck up his head
an you know how slick them knives
amputa;e snake2 Miss Ella. she gives
a faint little squeak, an fainls dead away.
My hoy Joe--he 8 always hangin' around
-he jumped for the horses, took Miss
Ella down and carried her to the house.
Money, nor healthy tan, nor rugged ap.
petite, nor nothin' couldn't coax Miss
Witchsz ! into that field ag'in, an we
got through harvestin' all right. Land, 4
how the men laffed. And yet We all
liked the girl. But the idea of her far
min'-why do you know sir, one day in
hayin' she went to town-touk one Of
nv best work horses an was gone all
isy-sn' came back With 'bout twent,
Yards of blue and white ribbon an tied
EN- on the mems hats and the rake han
dies, and wanted US all to wear billed
shirts. with the sleeves looped up with
he blue ribbins, 60 marchin' out to the
1av field, me at the head with the most
and longest ribbins. singin', 1--WE mer-
y lawmakers. ira, Ia, Ia. Ia, la!" She
'aw 1t done once that way in q concert
,r theavter, an thought that was the
vav hayin' was always done. An she
vas so vexed tnat she cried when we
wouldn't wear 'em. Law, when l put
~ that hat, ma laid back and laughed
ill the tears ran down her dear cheeks
Job Tbistlepod," she said, s'if you 90
'ut an work in that rig, You'll scare
way the grasshoppers." My boy Joe,
le did wear his hat out. but he hid it
lnder the hedge when he got out of sight
II the house. | told Joe be was the
biggest fool ever see.
Well, Miss Ella got along fairly well
'fter wheat harvest. Gathered. some
graceful sprays, she called 'em. of poison
w one dav, and couldn't see out of one
We for nigh week. Oae dav she took
tin pail 10 60 out after berries, and
vhen she went through the COW pasture
be cows thought there was salt in the
,ail and chased her till she was nigh
eady to drop. And she went to the
,arn once an tried to harness q young
ruckahoe colt that had never bad hal
er on him, an how she got out of that
stable alive's more'n can tell But
Vhat l wanted to say is, that that's about
he Wav the yOunU women who farm eo