The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1885-04-03
THE i TOWN TRAMP.

Well, it's on me again. The tramp
ing spell, mean. 1t comes on me
every spring. AS general thing I
can work pretty steady during the
winter but as soon as the days begin
to get longer and warmer, and the
leaves begin to come out on the trees,
1 get lazy somehow, and restless too.
l don't want to work and 1 don't want
to sit still. want to tramp. 1 don't
see how anybody can work in the
spring. I can't do it. laid off three
days last week and just stood around
summing myself and walking out into
the country little ways.
IT.
l admire a man that can work
though, and envy him too. In my lit
tie walks into the country I just stand
and wonder at the farmers. They act
ually seem glad that spring has come
so that they can go to work again.
They seem to have more vigor than
they had ia the winter. The warm
days seem to tone them up instead of
making .hem lazy, and they go about
their planting and blowing as though
they enjoyed it. I'd give half of
what's left of my life if 1 could do the
same thing. OF course that wouldn't be
much to give, but then it's worth more
than anything else I've got-except
all my life.
x*x
got to wondering the other day,
what would happen if all the farmers
in the United States would conclude
to lay off for year. Suppose they
should go off on strike against the
rest Of the people and say, "you
haven't been paying us decent price
for corn or wheat for two years. We
won't raise any this year and see how
you'd like that" Wouldn't there be
a fine old racket? I'd like to see the
experiment tried once just for the fun
of the thing. And it wouldn't be in
this country alone that the fun would
come. 1t would reach over into Eu-
rope and reduce their standing armies,
and it would chase the English out of
Egypt good deal quicker than the
Mahdi will do it. Take American
corn, and wheat, and potatoes, and
meat away from the British soldier,
and he would have mighty light ra-
tons left. '""
AS general thing people don't re-
alize how much they depend on farm
ers. When spring comes around, no.
body seems to notice or care whether
the farmers are going to work or not,
although if they didn't go to work
probably half the people would starve
to death within six months. 1t is a
good deal like light and air. We
couldn't get along without them, and
still nobody worries about the supply.
l wonder though that so many men
stick to farms. They work harder
and longer and earn less money, as
rule, than any other class of men. And
then they have to do their work in the
very worst time of the year. AS 1
said at first, I can't understand how
any man can work in the spring and
summer.
OF course there are some pleasant
things about farming. There is no per-
fume in the world so sweet as that
which comes from new plowed field, or
from new mown hay. And farmers
as a rule, have better things to eat
than most other people, and they have
less worry and sounder sleep. But for
all that it has always seemed to me
that the reason a man farmed was be-
cause he loved his neighbor better
than he did himself. Your farmer is
your true philanthropist, to my think
ing. I may be all wrong, and 1 sus-
pect 1 am. The reason men follow
farming, most likely, is because they
like it, or because they can't. do any,
thing else, or because they can make
more money at it than at anything
else. But / admire them just the
same. They may not know it or think
about it, but nevertheless they are fill
ing bigger place and harder place
in the worlds mechanism than any
other class of men,
AS said along in the winter, I'm
going to try to settle down and stay
here this summer. But old habits are
hard to break and 1 don't know wheth-
er l can make it or not. Pm getting
restless and lazy already and am liza
bic to take to the road again almost
any day. So you mustn't be surprised
if you don't hear from me regular after
this. Even if 1 stay here 1 may not
write to you every week like I've been
doing, for as the nights get shorter
anil warmer don't feel so much like
staying in the house and writing.
THE Town TRAMP.
NOTES FROM OBSERVER.