The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-06-05
THE GOOD OLD TIMES.
A DREAM.

Farmer BleTltt was lIIe, uTleu-ups
fraseible man, and he used to wear a red
comforter around his neck and red flannel
earlappeTs on his plug hat when lie went to
meeting in winter. He was always ready
to argue that these modern times we're
awfully bad, and that the good old times Of
hundred years ago were just right. He
would dtcry invention and improvement
aud say that the world would be better
witnsut them. He took a newspal er on
puTpose to count the murd IS in ii and tell
how bad the world had grown. He would
stand fer hours on corner In the village
and retail his deductions on the present and
his regrets for the past.
One day he had whipped the minister In
argument, and as he 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
handkerchief over his head To keep OF the
flies and went tn sleep. lie had not slept
over five minutes before his son John came
in and said:
Gone, father, we must get at that piece
Of wheat and cut it.
Blewitt got no and yawned and followed
his son To the barn-yard, where his two sons
sat on a log filing a couple of pickles.
"What in the nation are you doing with
those Old Rles ?" asked Blewitt.
One of the boys looked astonished and
Esd: "D0in'? Why, we are getting ready
70 cut the wheat"
Blewitt stared moment and then said:
''Nhy in thunder don't you hitch on the
reaper and stop foOlin' with them sickleSY
The boys looked at each other in surprise,
but said nothing. BleWItt ran to the shed,
but there was 10 reaper there. lie came
back. The boys had got over the fence and
were on their knees Teaplng the wheat and
carrying it in gavelS.
Boys" said B.ewitt, what do YOU mean
BY this fOolishneSs? Where is that Teaper?"
Charley. the second boy, looked at his
father pityingly and then tapped his fore
head and looked over TO John, who nodded
and oOked sad.
" Why, darn it." said Blewitt, "you can
never run those bundles through a threshin'
machine"
ThreshIn' machine" said Charley;
'Wnv YOU know as we'll as l DO that / viii
have to fail this wheat out morning and
night while going to school this winter.
What ais You, father?"
eNitt, as we said, got mad easily, and
now he Just hoped up and down and said:
" Fail it out! 1t must be thre5hed ready
to ship on the cars next month"
Cars. cars" said John. Don't know
what ails you, father or what you mean. l
know that | shall have to team this wheat
down 10 Albany and sell It for what 1t will
bring. Here YOU come out talkIn' about
reapeTs and cars and threshin' machines and
6arnsd if don't believe you are crazy, so
nowW
Blewitt pinched himself to see If he was
asleep, and strobe angrily to the house. AS
he approached 10 he heard a roaring and
Tumbling like the wind, and he looked into
the kitchen and there was his wife spinning.
NhO-c-o went the big wheel, and Dewitt
sank into a chair and yelled:
Now, Maria, what under the canopy are
YOU dom ."
"Don'?" said his wife, why spinnin', Of
course. I must get out forty yards of full
cloth for sou an the boys and twenty yards
Of pressed flannel for me and the gals"
Biewltt looked down at his legs and saw
them lacased in full-cloth Of coarse texture,
and the seat Of his trousers he felt reached
clear up to his sE ylIeT-blades, and the legs
were ss vide As twC-bushel sacks.
We'll, I'll be daTned!" was all he said.
DTeamily he Ssuntered out again to the
wheatGeld, and John matted him.
Father, If you amt going TO help cut the
wheat suppose you yoke the oxen and 20
up to the woods and draw draft or two Of
logs for wCOd!'
Blewitt was composed, but he said: 81
mad intended to burn coal in the sitting
room and parlnr and not cut much wood"
Goal. coalI' said john, angriiy; "nOW,
see here, father, l don't want any more Of
this foolish talk. l am going 10 get
doctor"
Blewitt began to think he needed one him.
self. Here his boys had never heard Of a
reaper or a thresGinE machine or cars. He
felt Of his full-cioIh pants and groaned. On
the lounge at the house he laid himself
down and tried 10 calmly think things over.
When the doctor came he called for pail
and barred Blewitt's arm. He took out his
lance, aud then Blewitt grOaued again.
must take a gallon Of blood" said the
doctor, and then he will calm down and
be all right"
Don't you know bepdin' was played out
fifty years aEO~ said Blewitt.
How he wanders," said the doctor. and
plunged in his lance. Blewitt tainted.
When he came to himself he heard one of
the girls talking about an artist down in the
village who took profile pictures with a
spindle as natural as life
W hat do you want of such blamed pic
lures as that" said Blewitt from the lounge.
why don't you 60 down TO Takem's at
Albany and git photographs"
Photographs" said the whole family.
What funny names he gets of in his crazy
fancy"
Blewitt was too weak to argue, and he
seemed to be somewhat out of sympathy or
knowledge with all mankind, so lie Just lay
still and watched the girls get supper. He
noticed the firebOard was down and a fire
VS. ballt IN the fireplace a kettle was on
the hearth and was covered with live Goals.
Soon he saw the girls take out OF the kettle
some nice biscuits and he said weakly:
''WPy don't you use the cookst0ve?'
''Poor papa" said Angelina, chow he
Wanders. CookstoYel Wonder what he
means?"
Blewitt closed his eyes and thought. Bay
ley, his new neighbor, was man ne could
tTust-that is, in anything but money mat
ters. He knew Bayley was badly in debt.
bat he was good fellow. He could send
for him; so be called his wife and told her
to send over for him.
ITO be concludedI