New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1888-08-08
The Good Old Times.

up, irascible man, and he used to
wear a red comforter around his
neck and red flannel ear lappers on
his plug hat when he went to meet
ing in the winter. He was always
ready to argue that these modern
times were aWfully bad, and that the
good old times of hundred years
ago were just right. He would decry
invention and Improvement and say
that the world would be better with
out them. He took a newspaper on
purpose to count the murders re-
corded in it and tell how bad the
world had grown He would stand
for hours on a corner in the village
and retail his deductions on the pres
ent and his regrets for the past.
One day he had whipped the minis
ter in argument, and as he had had
his dinner and the minister had gone
away mad and the women were at
work in the Kitchen, he tipped back
in his chair, drew red silk handker-
chief over his head to keep off the
flies and went to sleep. He had not
slept over five minutes before his son
John came in and said:
Come, father, we must get at that
piece of wheat and cut it,
BleWitt got up and yawned and fol-
lowed his son to the barnyard, where
his two sons sat on log fling a
couple of sickles.
"What in the nation are you doing
with those old sickles?" said Blewitt.
One Of the boys looked astonished
and said. sDoin'? Why, weare get
ting ready to cut the wheat
Blewitt stared a moment and then.
said, "Why in thunder don't you
hitch on to that reaper and stop fool
in with them sickles?o
The boys looked at each other in
surprise, but said nothing. Blewitt
ran to the shed, but there was no
reaper there. He came back. The
boys had got over the fence and were
on their kness reaping the wheat and
carrying it in gavels.
Boys, said Blewitt, what do YOU
mean bygthis foolishness? Where is
that reaper?'
Charley, the second boy, looked at
his father pityingly, and then tapped
his forhead and looked over to John.
who nodded and looked sad.
"Why, darn it, said Blewitt, ssyou
can never run them bundles through
threshin' machine y
sThreshin' machine" said Charley:
0why, you know as well as do that.
| shall have to fail this wheat out
mornings and nights while going to
school this winter, What ails you,
father?"
h Blewitt, as we said, got mad easily,
and now he just hoped up and
down and said.
'sFrail it out! 1t must be threshed
rsadz ), to ship on the cars next
Gears, cars said John, ssdon't
know what ails you, father, or what
you mean. Iknow Ishallhave to team
this wheat down to Albany and sell
it for what it will bring. Here you
come out talkin' about reapers and
cars and threshin' machines. and
darned if [ don't believe you are
crazy, so now
BleWitt pinched himself to see if he
was awake and strobe angrily to the
house. AS he approached 1.-THE heard
a r1mbling and roaring like wind,
and he looked into the kitchen and
there was his wife spinning. Who-o-o
went the big wheel and Blewitt sank
into chair and yelled.
'sNow, Maria, what under the can
opy are you doin'?''
''Doin'?" said his wife; sswhy, spin
MIN, of course. / must get out forty
yards Of full cloth for you and the
boys, and twenty yards of pressed
flannel for me and the gals
Blewitt looked down this legs and
saw them incased in full cloth OF
coarse texture, and the seat of his
trousers he felt reached clear up to
his shoulder blades, and the legs were
as wide as two bushel sacks.
"Well, I'll bedarned," was all he
said.
Dreamily he sauntered out again
to the wheat field, and John hailed
him.
'Father, if you amt goin' to help
cut the wheat, suppose you yoke the
oxen and go up to the woods and
draw draft or two of logs for
Wood?"
BleWitt was composed, but he said:
II had intended to burn coal in the
sitting room and parlor, and not
cut much wood"
Coal, coal!'' said John, angrily;
"now see here, father, I don't want
any more of this foolish talk. ] am
goin' to git a Doctor
Blewitt began to think he needed
one himself. Here his bows had never