Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1891-11-02
HUNTS BARN RAISING.

plebee, as he sat on the porch In the moon
! light
Never did, Wal, In them days twas
the custom 70 have plenty Of rum at all the
raisin's And sometimes the boys took
more'n was good for 'em, an got reckless,
an come mighty nigh hayin some purity bad
accidents.
80 when father was ready to raise his
new barn, he says to all the folks, says he;
shan't have rum, boys. Ye needn't ex-
pect IL; but ye shall have as good a supper
as Melindy an the gals can git up
THAT'S all right, Applebee,' they says,
an every one on EN- come an worked with
a will
Mother an the gals had done their best
There was two long tables, the whole
length of the kitchen, twenty-five or thirty
foot an in the front room, so Z all the men
could set down to once. There was cold
pork, brown bread an beans, pum'kin an
mince pies, ginger cakes an lection cake,
an do know what else.
CAN the gals in the deestrict was there
TO help wait on 'em an see the fun, an the
women too. There was enough for all.
Father want bit stingy In pervidin, an
mother knew her reputation was at stake.
After the tables were cleared the men
an boys went to wrastlin. They always
did arter raisin, an a good time they had.
That was the time yer Uncle Dan throwed
Salma Chase three times runnin, but I've
/ told sc bout that afore
Wal, everybody said this was the best
time they'd ever had at a raisin.
"Eliakim Hunt was goin to raise his
barn the very next week Twas a mon.
st'ous one. No such mis'abe little Iice
4 a. r1aa a hne
nough TO hold up the ruff. Eliakim's
barn he'd blowed down the winter before
an killed dozen head o. cattle for him,
an he meant to have one this time strong
'nough for any wind that might come.
The timbers was more'n foot thick each
way, an all mortised in together.
"Ie know how buildin's was raised in
them daysS They i'ined a whole side to-
gether on the ground; then they'd take
long poles with iron spikes at the end and
pry it up an raise it till the ends Of the tim
bers would slip into the sockets an it would
stand firm
"'Twas hard work an resky II one LOST
| their head fur II il give way IA fell back
twould crush pretty much all on EN- to
death
How many men did it takeg Wal, sew
enty-iive or hunderd was none too many.
Everybody went 60 a raisin ia them days,
as they do to a vandoo now
"ElialNim always was as mean as pusley.
Still, we all thought he'd be too proud to
make fool of himself.
THE barn bein so big an the timbers so
heavy, they like to "a had an accident
Twas the last side, an the men was
\ tuckered out. Twas master hot day
The side was half way up, when it began
to tip
clay to, boysi Lay to for your lives
called father, for if it fell 'twould be the
death Of the most Of 'em. Lay tofor your
lives
1.-THE women screamed, an there was
nigh about a panic, but they rallied an
made a mighty lunge, an the beams slipped
into their sockets.
"Then such a shout as went upl Some
on 'em was SO beat out that they Jest laid
down on the grass an painted.
"They expected then that seein as he
hadn't passed any rum, Eliakim d invite
em down 70 the house for supper, as fa-
Their had. Iknowed better, for sister Jane
had been stayin in the house with Polly
Ann, who was kind O. sckly, an she had
come out awhile afore, an says she.
"'Don't you think Mr.. Hunt is too mean
to liver He wouldn't Lex Mrs Hunt git
supper for 'em. Polly Ann says her ma
cried about it, but he wonldn't give in an
there's nothin cooked in the house but a
loaf Of bread an plate Of nutcakes
~ was only lad and not a-workin, so
hadn't thought how mean it was Of Ella
kim till see how beat ont the men was.
Some on 'em had come afoot four or five
miles, an Of course seein as Eliakim had
said nothin, they expected supper.
"'You amt goin home touightr father
asked one who was clean tuokered out.
~ must. Mary "a be afeard to stay
alone with the young uns. I'll all right
arter supper, says he.
"'There amt to be any supper tonight.
Polly Ann told Jane so. Her father
wouldn't let 'em git any / said, kind o
thOughtless.
1T spread like wildhre, but most on 'em
wouldn't believe it,
"As soon as the barn was raised, Eiakim
he dis'peared. Some Thought he'd jest
gone down to the house to see if supper
was ready, but be didn't come back. Then
half dozen O. the men went down to the
house. Through the winder they could see
Eliakim eatin supper with his wife an Pol
liz Ann.
He'd gone OF for good, an not 50 much
as said much obleeged to the men
"They pounded on the door awhile, and
then they stalked into the kitchen.
, "'What dye wantg asked Eliakim.
t "'We want some supper afore we e
homen
"'Ali we've got in the house is ON tn,
} table; help yourselves says Miss Hunt
? quick, afore Eliakim could speak
, ''rhey took a slice OF bread an nut calI,
apiece an went back to the barn. Their
, there was reg lar indignation meetin.
ears burnt when folks talk about EN-, Ella
kims would "a sot his head ON fire tina
. | night.
oval, father he asked some on iem dowI
70 our house to supper an some o. TIL
+ neighbors asked them that lived furthe
0 of, and so all had supper; but no thank
/ | TO the Hunts.
; 'There was mischief brewin, though
What do you s'pose some scamps that hal
been there that day donep
II "Why, they was so mad at Eliakim tina
j. they went 70 that barn in the moonlight
). with iron bars an pried out the underpin
u min an sent the whole pile Of timbers dow
In heapi
Father an I went up there the mex
day Twas a pitiful sight, sure enough
Some o. the timbers was split, an the
was all ia a heap.
d ssIt was a bad an unlawful thing 70 ds