The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1891-06-18
NAUTICAL OXEN.

Among his neighbors Job Haines |
was considered pretty fair sort of a
man. He had settled in the southern |
part of Kansas where he lived as an !
immigrant from New Hampshire, and
he brought his Yankee sharpness with |
him, but as he dealt fair and attended
to his own business he passed. The |
only member of the family beside job
and his wife was Ike, a nephew whom
Job had taken to bring up. as he had
no children OF his own. Ike was a
typical New England boy about fifteen
years old. He had been brought up in
one Of the coast villages of Maine,
and had great love for the sea-
| job like the majority of Yankee
farmers. was firm believer in cattle.
and did most of his work with oxen,
One day he said to Ike: like, if
you'll take that pair of yearling steers
and break them to work you can have
them"
In his Western homo Ike never for
got the far-off ocean. 1t had been the
one hope of his life to be sailor but
his being sent West had destroyed it.
When his uncle gave him the steers
to break, the idea came to him that
though he could never expect to tread
the deck of his own ship he could use
ship phrases in the education of his
oxen, and thus always be reminded of
his old home beside the sea. Thus it
was that Jack and Silly were educated
to work, ''broken" totally ignorant of
the usual commands by which oxen are
managed. Gee and ''haw," git
up" and whoa" had no meaning for
them whatever. 1t was haul away"
and port" add 'starboard" and ''be-
lay" stern all'' was back. The oxen
grew and waXed strong. and his uncle
often remarked that he never saw a
team that could do more work than
those oxen and Ike. No one but Ike
ever thought of handling them.
The nearest neighbor to the Haines'
was Deacon Merwiu. a good man and
pillar of the church. The good deacon
saw that likes yoke of oxen were good
workers, and desire came over him
to possess them. He offered to buy
them several times, but Job always
said that they belonged to Ike and
were not for sale. The deacon asked
Ike il he would sell them, but met with
such an indignant refusal that he felt
angered, but did not give up the idea
of possessing the cattle. Finally he
we%t to Job and said:
''Neighbor Haines if them cattle
IL work good every way, I'll give you
two hundred dollars for 'em. They're
too much property for boy like Ike
to have, and it is apt to create in him
q bad sperrit and makes him fee
above his elders"
We'll ! don't know, deacon. The
boy sets a deal by them cattle, and ;
promise is promise. l gave them tC
| him If hn would hr.aalx fan1 and n.
has, so I'm bound to keep my part
That's all true enough, Neighbol
Haines but Ike's only boy; and ther
remember, two hundred dollars ain
offered evey day for yoke of cattle
Why not sell me these and give hin
another pair to break; that 'ud d.
n list as we'll"
!. The deacon's two hundred dollar
h and persuasions finally weakened job
d scruples and he gave in. The deacon
q was to try them. and if they worke'
Il all right was to have them. How t.
|. tell Ike what he had done was a pose
n to his uncle. His aunt declared it
ID downright mean piece of business, an
a told Job plainly what she thought c
X him. 1t was finally decided not TO sa
sr anything to Ike until after the sale ha
,s been made and the cattle gone. /
70 order that Ike might not be on hand t
y sec his pets sold, he was given a hol
iS day and sent to spend the day at
er neighbours couple of miles away
Y where there Ha.s boy of his age VIII
was a sort Of chum of his.
= Tho next morning Ike was off brigl
4. astd early. and the deacon was on han
he shortly after. 1t would not be fair
IS job to say that he did not have an
- misgivings. He would have backe
out OF the bargain at the least chanc
3 and he really hoped that the deacc
ar. would not be satisfied with them. II
y oxen were brought out and yoked I
n. the cart without difficulty, though tn
md deacon remarked that they did see
9ld kinder stoopid." JOB and the deaco
~ climbed up into the cart.
wa ''Gee up"
. The oxen turned their eyes aroul
n inquiringly. Gee up, there!" repeat'
bal job; but they did not move hoof
al That don't appear like good brea
III ing" remarked the deacon.
~ They're both all right repli
fai Job. Come. gee up, theren at t
Sl,, same time he gave each prod wi
ire, the goad. In response to the proddi
= of cattle walked of toward the OPP
gate, in which direction their hea
. happened to be turned. Job did 4
want them to go in the road, so
nd shouted out, Hoy hoy!" to turn the
,in around; but the oxen had no idea WI
no. ''hoy'' meant, and so kept goi
fo,. straight ahead. Job shouted loud
,rv and struck Billy with the goad. tn
ca auickened their gait into a trot a
~ turned out into the road. Then j
ide shout. whoa! whoa!' but they did I
,rd mind that, either.
are They don't appear to be as W
~ broken as / reckoned on" remark
o,v the deacon, as he stood in the cart a
10 viewed the proceedings.
,r- They're broke well enough.
:, plied Job. rather nettled, "but
.ers strange to them; nobody but Ike e'
est drove them"
6er well. turn them about" said
DIV deacon. But they paid no heed on a
sea command, and finally, exasperat
IL