Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1889-07-04

| the gram StralSnt; cOulO just Wai
right away from the rest of the crf
diers. For some cause part of the boy
had to stop cutting wheat, SO we hire
a fellow who said no living man coul
cut past him. We were cutting on
sixteen acre piece of wheat, and, as b
was such "a good GRADER, we let hin
take the lead, which is always consld
cred the post of honor-and the wa,
he did let in! Father had always mad
it rule to take it as you can hold ii
no ruling in his field. took the sec
ond swath, and my oldest brother the
third. My brother was not very
| strong man, nor did be understand era
ding az we'll as some men. He die
not try to keep up. This hired mar
just let in to show us fellows what he
could do, After a few rounds, he got to
| looking back over his shoulder and
| hollering, Come on! whip on the hairy
sideW Father told him time or two
he had not better put on too much
style, for he might find there were as
good Graders as he was. He snorted,
and said, '"Tbere is nothing in this field
that can pass me.n / had been taking
it very easy. AT last this fellow look
ed back and hollered again, "Whip on
the hairy side!" That made father
very angry. He said to me, "Theo-
dore, if you feel like it you may show
him what you can do. / don't want
you to hurt yourself, but I want to stop
that brag's mouth.n When he said
that, I just bent myself forward and
threw my cradle in point first, and
took little quicker stroke. The way
walked on to him was not slow, he
saw / was coming, and he just, as they
say, spread himself AT every stroke
l gained foot on him, and was soon
up even with him. You ought to haye
seen how he did lay into it and just
puffed and snorted. AT every stroke 1
gained on him, and slowly but surely
cut right past him aud cut clear out
ahead of him, and left him just mar
row strip and took the lead. Oh, how
mad he was. After / had cut clean past
him, hollored back at him, "Whip
on the hairy siden [ don't think |
ever saw father when he felt SO good
as he did then. From that time [ al
ways cut the first swath. No matter
who was in the harvest, father always
gave me the lead.
/ well remember one year we had
about seventy or eighty acres of wheat,
rye, aud oats, to harvest. Hands were
scarce. Father said to me, II don't
know how we are going to get all of
Dur grain cut this year; hands are not
to 5e had, and l want the two oldest
boys to work on the house. There are
only you and the two other boys" L
told him if he would let me do the cra-
Hing, and the two other boys the
binding, thought we could get along |
first rate. He said, II am afraid you |
;an't do it." "Well, we will try and |
see what we Can do" I ground up my |
;radIe scythe good, and one pleasant
as soon as could see, I took |
ny cradle and went to the field. The
wheat was good and stood up nicely.
[ commenced with good, steady
stroke, such as knew l could hold all
through the harvest. My cradle work
I'd so easy and laid the grain so nice, 1t
vas just fun to cut with it. About
eight o'clock my brbthers came and
my breakfast, which | was
'eady for. Now you, my readers, may
hink that was not very enjoyable. If
you had hunted and laid out and eaten
rs many times all alone in the woods,
you would have thought it was first
ate. My brothers went to binding,
While cut on It'll about eleven o CLOCK.
then went home, washed up, changed
ny clothes, lay around the house, and
cad until two O'Clock, when l. went to
he field again, and cut as long l could
ee, while the boys worked the usual
ime, for they had the chores to do
light and morning. So the harvest
vent on day after day,it until was f1n-
shed, and we had never had the har-
'esting done better. / must relate a
title circumstance that occurred DUR
ng that harvest, which one of my
rothers will never forget. In taking
ID the grain with your hands out of
he swath, you can't always see what
J in the sheaf if it is very heavy. One
ay after dinner they commenced TAX s
lg up the wheat that had been cut,
nd as my brother lifted his armful of !
'heat up before his face to put the
and around the bundle, a monster
attlesnake stuck his head up out of
be straw almost in my brothers face.
tell you it did not take him long to
,ss that bundle and snake as far as he {
,uld throw them and he jumped back,
nd cried "rheo! Theo!" Now, there q
not much fun in picking up big
Id beli-tail in your arms, or to pnt
our foot down on one while coiled q
sleep. AS you feel the soft, springy g
lshion under your moccasined foot, /
lere is feeling of "please get off, )" 8
nd it don't take fellow long to do it;
t least, that is my experience. never
-aited for a second invitation. And +
ow. spe aking of rattlesnakes, | was q
I'D while down among the hills few r
avs ago, the log men in the woods had d
illed an uncommonly large number r
F rattlesnakes this season; and SO they t