The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-05-20
THE GOOD OLD TIMES.

Farmer Blewitt was little. dried up,
lrascible man. and he used to wear red
comforter around his neck and red flannel
ear lappers on his plug hat when he went
to meeting In 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 i'm
provement and say that the world would
be better without them. He took news.
paper on purpose 70 count the murders re-
corded in it and tell how bad the world
had grown He would stand for hours on
. corner in the village and retail his de.
auctions on the present and his regrets
for the past.
One day he had whipped the minister 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 O red
silk handkerchief over his head to keep
OF the flies and went 10 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 filing couple of
sickles.
What in the nation are you doing with
those old sicklesy' said Blewitt
One of the boys looked astonishcd and
said: "Doin2 Why. we are getting ready
to cut the wheat"
Bewitt stared moment and then said:
"Why in thunder don't you hitch on to
that reaper and stop foolin' with them
sicklesf'
The boys looked at each other in sur
prise, 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 knees reaping the
wheat and carrying it in gavels.
Boys" said Blewitt, what do you
mean by this foolishnesss Where is that
reaperf'
Charley, the second boy. looked at his
father pityingly, and then tapped his fore
head and looked over to John, who nodded
and looked sad
"Why. darn it, said Hlewitt, you can
never run them bundles through thresh.
In machine"
"Threshin machine" said Charley;
"why, you know as well as | do that |
shall have to fail this wheat out mornings
and nights while going to school this
winter. What ais you. father"
Blewitt. as We said, got mad easily,
and now he just hoped up and down and
said:
"Flail it Quit 1t must DO threshed
ready to ship on the cars next month"
Cars, cars" said John, don't know
what ais you. father. or what You mean.
know shall havo to team this wheat
down to Albany sad sell it for what it
will bring Here you come out talkin'
about reapers and cars and threshin' ma
chimes, 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 it he heard a
rumbling 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
Nov. Maria. what under the canopy
are you doinT'
''Doin'S" said mis- wife; "why, spinnin',
Of course. must get out forty yards of
full cloth for you and the boys, and
twenty yards Of pressed flannel for mo
and the gals"
Blewitt looked down at his legs and saw
them incased in full cloth of coarse tex
ture. 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
60 up to the woods and draw draft or
two of logs for woOdY'
Bewitt was composed, but no said: Il
had intended to burn coal in the sitting
room and parlor, and not cut much
wood"
Coal, coall" said John. angrily; now
Aee here. f2tIs,.A I.dopt- want any .Suore Of