Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1886-11-11
VISITING JONES' FARM.
THE VACATION OF A NEW YORK
SCRlBBlER.
The Different Varieties of Bug That En-
tertaincd Him-A Council of Mosquitoes.
Their Opinion of City Chaps Freely
LXpressed-Nei SIborhood Surmises.
Especial correspondence. J

Especial CorresDonGencc.l
| New YORK, Occ. 2j.-It was one Of the
hottest days last summer that Jones blew
into my otiice-the hottest Office on Nassau
street, by the way. say "blew in" because
Jones is one of those men who is ALWAYS in an
eXasperating state of good health, and always
| seems to carry Il breeze with him: salty
Whit from his own Long Island meadows,
which tantaliZes the weary and pclspiring
city man who is tied to his desk, q slave TO
his pen and the printer "Iou look tired,
old fellow" was his first exclamation as lie
entered Come down to the farm for a
couple of weeks and recoup. Come down
and fill yourself with ozone and health and
fresh vegetables and soft crabs and things, {"
he added heartily. | smiled wcarily. The
programme was attractive. Ozone and health
| needed bad enough, and soft crabs and fresh
vegetables were pleasing concOmitants, and
as for things" which, from a subsequent ex-
periencc, infer must have meant wood ticks,
L was even prepared to stand the things"
But1 did not really see how L could manage
it. had pile Of work to do, and | said as
much.
But if Jones carried n breeze under ordi-
nary circumstances, he let loose a cyclone
when opposed
Let the work wait. You will be able to
do it all the better when you come back. You
are killing yourself. Why, you don't weigh
over $50, while here / am as sound as knot
and tip the scales at 245." He neglected to
add that he stood six feet two in his stocking
feet while [ am barely five feet seven, but in
Jones system Of Logic little thing Ike that
did not matter. He kept at Ec until with
sore misgivings l consented TO leave my
urgent work in the hands Of friend and 60
down with him for ten days
"Now, don't take any good clothes; Just an
old flannel shirt and q pair OF rough boots"
he urged, rs we went up to my room to pack
my modest grip. l mildly suggested that 1
should like TO wear something TO cover the in
terim, as it were, between the topOf the boots
and the shirt. lie consented.
We reached the little country village at
about that evening, and Jones team met
us at the cars. The air was delightful, there
was no denying that. Fresh and clear, with
mingled Odor Of the salt of the sound and
the balsamic perfume Of the pines. Later, as
we passed a field which the prudent farmer
had been preparing for the reception of cauli-
flowers or some other plant which requires a
rich soil, tho odors which the breeze waited
to our noStrils were still moro varied. But
no matter. | find that all over the cast end
of Long Island the worthy husbandman has
a fashion of covering his land several inches
deep with the refuse of the factories whcro
the menhaden or '.Inossbunker" is converted
into pure linsecd oil. He also uses several
other ill-1avored substances TO stimulate the
soil, the rule seeming to be: "The worse the
smell the sweeter the crop"
Jones has q pleasant country house, and
after a good supper I was tired and glad to
get to my room. I lit my lamp and sat by
the open window with the evening breeze
heavy with the scent of flowers, tanning my
cheek, and began TO look through the batch
of unopened letters l had gathered up from
my desk as I left. 1t was not until | had put
out my light and retired that | began to
realize that something besides perfumes had
come in on the breeze Seventeen distinct
varieties Of bugs buzzed and hummed about
the room. Every insect noise, from the
booming diapason Of the great night moth to
the angry treble of the musquito, combined to
make my room melodious Occasionally some
flying thing would suddenly drop upon the
bed and crawl placidly over my features. |
covered my head with the sheet, and lulled
by the insect concert, fell into an uneasy
slumber. The mosquitoes bit right through
the sheet, and after they had filed themselves
with my blue blood they sat On the foot of the
bed and made remarks about me. | am posi-
tive of this, though when l told Jones Of it
the next morning he only smiled pityingly
and remarked: "Poor fellow; l knew you
needed rest. You are nervous"