The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1886-03-12
LOVE AT THE HUSKING.
Tho Mean Trick by Which Jones
Got An the Red Ears.

The corn had all been cut and pilet
away in great stacks in the huge barns
The Canadian landscape had beer
clothed several times in silvery frost
The rye was peeping up through tn,
upturned fields. and the first week of tn,
farmers season of leisure had passed
In that great stretch of level country
about Stratford. where farmers reap al
rich haryests as are garnered anywhere
in the Dominion, q programme of fun
had been prepared BY the young men
and women. There were corn-huskings
where red ears brought kisses, surprise
parties where nobody was surprised,
straw rides, apple-paring parties and
gatherings where the staid cotillon was
danced to the music of violin. The
first event Of the fall of 1882 was an ap-
ple-paring. This whetted the appetites
Of the country folks, and everybody was
eager for the big corn-husking that was
to bring all the beaux and bellies into
the big barn of Farmer Treuette.
Il was known to the young,
hard-fisted farmers. that Sally
Treuette. the only daughter of the
old farmer, was to guide the course of
events during the husking. and that .
great many grains Of red corn had been
mingled with the white grains that had
been dropped in the corn hills in the
Spring. Every red grain Of corn meant
an ear Of the same color, and every ear
meant one kiss to the finder, and per-
haps more il he could smuggle the ear
forward again.
Theresw was another circumstance that
added an unusual excitement to the
husking. Sally Treuette was . rosy
checked. plump, raven-haired lass
whose roguish eyes had made sad havoc
with the hearts Of nearly all the Young
men for miles around. There was hardly
one Of them whom she had not smiled
upon at various times, and whom she
had not snnbbed numerically after
ward. Red-haired Jim Radford, who
owned forty acres Of fine farming land
near St Mary's, and Owen Jones, a
sharp-featured Yankee. who had opened
. country store near the railway station
in Stratford. had each sworn in the most
solemn manner to marry Sally Or pre-
vent her from marrying anybody else.
Radford was tall, broad-shouldered
and strong Of limb, with muscles
hardened by work. Jones was
tall, slim and angular, with
hectic cheek and sharp cough that told
Of weakness and disease, but lied every
time they told it. He was like many Of
the old Stone houses in the neighbor-
hood The more they settled and the
worse they appeared the stronger they
were. Radford was always nervous and
q # ease when he was in the presence
of Sally. but Owen was always able to
talk streak and tell marvellous tales
and interesting stories Of adventure that
were very entertaining to the IN
sophisticated Sally. She liked Radford
Tor his worth and Jones for what he
seemed to be.
The night of the husking, came a&
last The silver crescent Of the new
moon hung in the west. The air was
Just frosty enough to be invigoratinr.
4 string OF twinkling lanterns hung
ocfoes Farmer Treuefte's barn ward.
Lanterns swung from rusty nails Ill
over The interior Of the barn. The NM
huGked ears Of corn had ben torn from
~ sealks and heaped in : great pile IN
~ center Of the harm. Store boxes,
epturned nail-kegs and rough benches
Sofmed = circle about the pile. The old
rambling fArm-houss about : hundred