The Springdale news., 1888-12-28
CHAPTER III.-CoSrfSUEp.

Did you sell any wheat to-day, Nelehbof Brown.9 Hhefeupon Mr. Brown who has his mouth filed with roast lamb, mods as sent
 What did fl feteh'e inquiries Farmer smith. and Farmer Brown. with an omi- nous shake of the head, ,rumbles forth: "SlX- weight" Whereat the entire company Wag their heads and attempt to extend per peHdlcH}arly their extraordinary plump and hI. hly-colorcd faces failing to do so, Of course, their jaws being too firmly imbed= ded in layers of fat and solid flesh.
 :, Bad times. sir, these says Farmer TomplsiHs to a portly, handsome man of forty years who oceHPles the honorable po sjtiou of chairman at the "Saraceus Head market dinner. very bad times, indeed, Mr Wilson!7
 ,Ir. Wilson coincideS with Farmer Tonp- k!us idea of the times,' and then the au- cieat and sage remarks which escaped the lips ot every farmer in the country at each recurring season are passed around, such aS:
 "Thrashcl any oats vet.''
 Barley pretty fuH."
 Wheat terned out Wellt"
 To all of which questions answers are made with much reservation. The oats are rpeuiHg either too fast or too slow. All the hands are doing nothing, or else they cant get through the work fast enough. The weather is loo wet for the gram crops or too dry for the tulmips. Something must of necessity be wrong with these Stagshire farmers, or they would indeed be very eX ccpuonal members of the fraternity. After q deal of grumbling and head-shaking the Whole matter generally resolves itself into the unanimous verdict that times ore bad' Nevertheless the haif-croWus for the dinner are pad with good grace, such as would not be exhibited if the same men were asked for half-a-troWn m and of the starving Lan- cashire or London poor. Great lberality Is displayed ill ordering sundry bottles of old port, and for space, not a word is said Of the bad times As our friends are sitting there, getting all the enjoyment they can out of pipes and glasses, the cquanlmity Is suddenly and slngularly disturbed Two or three cheap and badly-printed hand-bllls came tiuttcring in at the open window.
 EAST sTAGsHrRE ELECTION"
 "A meeting will be hold in the market-place, 5tagborough, on Monday evening next, in favor Of reform and the extension of the franchise. Speakers from London and Birmingham
 This was all the blll announced, and the gentleman previously addressed as Mr. Wilson read one out for the benefit of his AolLl lidhlVlos bdb5 tuC ISAOl III Slit IhS franchIse.n was the simultaneous exclama- tion of two or three farmers.
 "Gentlemcn," sad thatyery thick skulled, shallow-brancd and usually short-sighted yeoman, MT. Smith, of Kirby ,'if these heathcnish iron and cotton men of Lanca- shlre and Yorkshire obtain the franchise, and Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, Brming- ham and other such smoky, crowded holes send members to Parliament we can't tell where the mischief will end. There's no knowing what they WilIdo. Why, read in the Stagborough Gazette last week that they have these dang'd steam iugines In the North and intend to do with out the horses winch Providence gave us, amt which have been good enough for us aud our forefalhcrs. Take my word for it. gentlemen, pass d reform bill such as Lord John Russell talks of and inside of twenty-five years wheat will rarely fetch seventy shi!lings quarter Then what agIu become of u8fn And in his veAemeuee