Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1891-07-23
NUMBER 3.
Old Times.

stable, Just thought now | might j ust as
| well hitch those horses to the Osborne
mower and commence cutting the mead
ow. Why not? AS | rode on the mower
and watched the keen sickle play bach
and forward, so swift, and saw the grass
fall back SO smooth, my Thoughts went
rowing back to the days before a 1nower
was thought Of. How MANY scenes CT
early days came up and passed through
my mind in rapid succession, and such
pleasant thoughts.
| remember one year we had large
harvest of wheat and oats and hay to
gather in. While we boys that were at
home We're stacking the wheat, father,
with about half dozen young men he
had hired from the country around, COM
menced haying. Our farm at that time
was in large fields. They had not been
divided up into little fields as at the pres
ent time. We had that year about one
hundred acres of meadow to cut, and all
to be cut with the scythe. Oh, don't it
make your back ache to think of it. 1t
does mine now, but it did not at that day,
for [ wasn't so old by some years as |
am now. Father and the hired men had
been cutting and hauling in hay for two
or three days. One pleasant afternoon
brother Will and l had just finished the
stack ing of wheat and went down to the
meadow to see how the haying was pro-
crossing and get orders. Father said,
''you had better get your scythes ground
up and be ready to commence In the
meadow with us in the morning" Faith
er had been to st. Louis and had bought
dozen scythes and snathes, forks and
rakes, tor you could not get these things
at the country stores at that early day.
After selecting each of us good scythe
and snathe, as we were grinding our
scythes ard talking of the long job before
us, and wishing few more good hands
would come. we saw fine looking young
man come through the gate. His shirt
sleeves were rolled up, his collar open, MS
coat and vest were on his arm, and small
bundle tied in his handkerchief. which
he carried in his hand. | said to Will,
There is hand.! bet you picayune. J"
The young man came to us and said, "ls
this the Russell farm?'' | said S1 es.
sir ''W ell | have been directed to this
farm for the last forty miles, and | want
to work few days, for l am dead broke
strapped; have got money enough
in my pocket but it is all Kentucky mon
ey, and it amt worth a straw in this stale
So | must earn some that i can use in this
state for | am Oh my way to Spring river
in the western part of the state, where l
own piece of land; am on my way to
make me and my little wife home, be-
fore | can take her to it," At that time
we had no National banks, everybody
could have bank at that time and make
all the paper money he was mind to by
getting charter, and the country was
flooded i'll all the states but old Missouri.
She did not believe in the banking sys-
tenn, yet lots of the other states shin-
plasters found their way into this state
| .old the young man he had come to the
right place. for we wanted few hands
bad. | asked him what he wanted day
for his wages. eff [ do as good work
and as much of it a. the rest Of the men,
[ want just what you pay them." 'All
right, we are giving one dollar and fifty
cents per day for good hands: if that
and we will grind it and be ready to 60 to
work in the morning.
After choosing scytbe, he said, ''If
you will hold it to the grind-stone | viii.
turn Before we had that scythe fairly
ground, | had learned his whole history.
That he was born and reared in Ohio;
had been teaching school in kentucky for
the last three years, that he had just
married and was on his way to make a
home, and as they say, ''we just took to
each other"
After we had got our scythes ready for
to-morrows' work, we walked down TO the
meadow where the hands were getting
the hay in. One team was hauling 20 the
barn, the rest raking and shocking. As
we came to the men with the team, Ad
ans, for that was his name. said to the
man that was pitching, ''Let me take that
fork - 1t would have done you good to
see how he set his fork in the hay and
put it on, The load turned over as it went
up, as nicely as a pretty girl could turn
a batter cake. | saw father stand leaning
on his rake. watching him as he pitched
up fork after fork-full.
AS it was most night. and the last load
for the day, father came slowly to us,
and when the last fork full was cn Ad
ans gave back the fork to the other man,
and said, CHOW, you can go.''
As he did so, father SAID, II guess you
have worked in the hay field before"
.sYes, sir, was raised on farm, and
know something about farm work.
told father | had hired him. There
was one young man who had said to faith
er, Il should not be surprised if you and
are not the best mowers in the whole
lot''
Pa said. ave will wait and see.'' Next
morning we all took our scythes to the
meadow. Pa said to me you may turn
the double swath.' which is considered the
post of honor. Adams said, Il will fol-
low you.'' This other fellow did not
like it very much; he had expected to
take the lead.
Adams said, 81 don't know how well |
can mold out; if | give out you can have
my place.
| startad i'm with steady eaey sfroka