The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1885-03-27
The Old Time Harvest.

Nowadays, when the farmer
wheat Is ripe, he takes his self-binde
and two shockers and goes out to hal
vest 1t without the ostentation of form
years. The harvest of the present is
tame and formal affair, compared witt
the harvest of thirty years since.
In the old days, the husbandmal
snapped work. John Smiths whea
happened to ripen a little earlier thai
that of his neighbors, and they brought
their cradles on fine summer morn.
ing. and their boys came with rakes
and strong arms, and all aided John
Smith in getting in his wheat and
emptying his jug of old rye. John
Smith, in his turn, helped each of
those who assisted him, to harvest his
grain and drink his whisky. Every
body had hand in the old time har-
vest. The women got up feast; the
small boys carried drinking water to
the men, walking across the field with
a jug and a tin cup and providing
each sturdy laborer with one drink
from the whisky jug to three from the
jug of water. The boys occasionally
rested from their further duty of
gathering the sheaves for shocking,
and sal in the shade and mixed water
and whisky with great freedom, drink
ing it until there was nobody left with
nerves steady enough to carry the
drinks around the field.
l remember on one occasion being
employed to ''tote' water for one of
my fathers neighbours harvesters.
There were three of us about the same
age, and we passed the jugs in a very |
able-bodied and satisfactory manner
until about eleven o'clock in the fore
noon, when we sat down in the shade
of wheat shock and made some half
and-half. We drank several rounds,
when observed that my companions
looked little indisposed. One of
them tried to drink from the handle of
the jug, and the other gazed pensively
into the vacant depths of the tin cup
and remarked that he was the best
man on that prairie. A little later l
felt that the world was very unstable.
The trees about us began to dance,
and the COWS that roamed ovel the adj
seemed to rise up and ,
doat about in the air like huge, I'M
calmly bats. AS time wore on, l
noticed that the men were swinging
heir cradles over their heads, and
The wheat shocks were playing tag
With each other all around me- My
elbow drawers of water and hewers f
# whisky were trying to settle the Ii
'exed question as to which was the Il
of the universe, while l, O
ontent with being left alone with the p
ROWING jugs, gradually saw more Il
nd more of the instability of worldly ii
Kings, and began to wonder whether b
was merely myself or the president al
t the United States travelling incog-
ito. [ have q faint recollection of Of
caring the proprietor of the close call FL
n water, and making reply to the SC
1ect that was above serving in such OK
mental sphere as that of bearing he
eat and drink to common laborers. of
y companions had ceased to wranglc
'out their title to all creation and
ere sleeping peacefully, each ap- Al
.rently satisfied to be regarded as W,
gner of an undivided half interest in
was trying to induce the water he
g to resume friendly relations with th
e whisky jug and to restore order an
hong the belligerent sheaves, each pr
which seemed bent on usurping the su
ace of the other, when the proprie- i'll
: of the harvest came toward me, an
d [ arose to receive him as became wi
} dignity of one so high up in the thi
lncils of the nation. ha
Welcome, sir; thrice welcome to of
, presence of the king" 1 exclaim- an
waving my hand imperiously, and w;
idenly sitting down on my head to
d shoulders. his
why in blazes don't you boys bring thu
water around P" he inquired. mo
'Ho there, guard! 1 exclaimed, hold sin
on the jug for support. take
saucy wretch hence and chop off Il
offending head" The guards re- sha
ID with significant shores, and | Lift
in rose to my feet and commanded ma
employer to hence. He seemed re- ed
tant to obey, and noticing that he ing
not hence, roared the command INA
in, falling over the whisky jug and ina
king my head heavily on the water maj
The man extended his hand to surf
n me, and just then my father, who al
working some distance away, wa
led up and saw me fall-saw my mos
'loyer pick me up-saw the blood qua
my cheek. He came toward me viii
| the speed of the wind, and first the
cling the blood, he asked my en- men
er why he struck me. He replied
he had not struck me, but my LII
er said he saw him do it, and then very
" them dancing around and having nev'
ost hilarious time of it. and nv prof.
er's neighbor fell across my stom- ing
and | became so deathly sick / MIN
d not for q moment make the mis- OF a
of supposing myself anything bet doul
han badly assassnated president, van1
was carried home and put to edlt!
and my wound was dressed, and tors
ather made certain inquiries of ca
he next morning, which induced ne
to call on his neighbor and apollo rros
and felt weary and Inundated l" d'
'veral days, and in due time, we gf'
ested, but the whisky jug was kept Ia d
, with the men and 1 carried only nc IA
r. Oh, yes The vile clatter of or &C
lodern self-binder hath no charms havll
he melodious gurgle of the jugs and
hirty years ago. = Bloomington iald
Ugh Mail. subll
cupa