The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1892-04-09
SIGNS OF SPRING.
!. H.. Beadls Furnishes a Very Season.
able Letter.
Especial Correspondence

Especial Correspondence
NEW York. March 3l.--It is the fash
ion to say that in the sweet springtime
the advantage is all on the side of the
countryman. | merely rise to remark
that it is the city man who generally |
says il.
In the spring. says the most artificial
of all English poets, the young mans
fancy lightly turns to thoughts Of love.
| will bet you it doesn't if he is IA
young countryman. 1t turns heavily
! to Thoughts of grubbinS out fence cor.
ners, and cleaning up the wood lot, and
hauling out manure, and 'tcnding to
the lately born lambs, calves. pigs and
colts, and opening drains and rushing
things generally to get ready for plow-
lng.
But on SUNDAYS: Oh, yes, if the day
is fine. and he isn't too tired. he docs take
a sort If animal comfort in stretching
out and doing nothing. No, the verdict
of the working farmer was made up
when Horace Greeley was "A "kid," and
he puts it thus: Late in the fall and VII
ter the farmer has his fun. Spring and
summer are for hard work. The coun
try boy would enjoy the beautiful spring
If they would let him. But they won't.
In one hour on this city's streets will
find you a hundred business men who
dream Of going back TO the lovely coun-
try to live. but not one who dreams OF
going back to the work he did there when
a boy.
When | was n farmer boy in the Wa
bash valley there was Il local idea that l
had it easier than the average. From
April l to Nov. | | only had to work
from sunrise till II Il. III. and from ! r.
m. till dark. and even in May and June
this rarely exceeded thirteen hours a
day. The average was perhaps eleven.
And whenever two or three ncishhors
met the old fellows always told us how
much harder they worked when they
were boys-a diapiIalous statement old
mon have been repeating ever since
Ham made fun Of Noah. My father
''ioined drives" with an old Virginia
neighbor, as together they had boys
enough to run IL machine" After ]
rot old enough to think | would listen
to their daily plant that 'one boy then
done as much as three do now,' and
after they got out of earshot | would re-
mark. There go two of the grandesl
old liars in the state of Indiana"
When | walk the streets of Brooklyn
now and feel u laundering for ruraI
scenes, | think of those boyhood days
and am Immediately rcconciled. The
city is indeed beautiful rs the foliage
comes ont, and as | ride along the elc
waited road and note from day to day
how rapidly the magnificent trees which
line the streets are hiding the houses
and know that in Il few days more i
will he Just like riding through Il con
t%inuous park. | am even more %reconciled
Nevertheless. if | had plcntyof money
and nothing at all to do, | should pas
the spring and summ"r in the Old Indi
ana nri9hhorhood. Fora perfectly idl,
man it is indeed delightful, and it add
nightly to the pleasure to walk abou
and see other people hard at work. Ever
U now | can shut my eyes and recall Tn,
q daily panorama on one of the old farms
The past rises before me like u dream
as Pagan Bob SAYS. 1t is a perfect da.
n in June. and as the rosy light of dawl
4 steals through the eastern woods tn
n rich corn bread contralto voice of tn
old farmer goes up the stairway with
a ''Sa-ay, now, you young rascals. are yo1
G going to sleep all da-ay:!"
They rise. They feed. curry, gear W
eat hastily and are off to toll. The gle
< rious sun mounts high in the heavens
d the birds sing. the lambs gambol an
the biggest boy swcars under his breat
as his plow strikes II root. The poeti
tourist from the city sits in the pastur
leaning against a stump, the pastors
sheep Craze around him, and the ant
/, Holy Writ considers the ways of I'll
!. sluggard and crawls up under his tror
d scrs. Ila! he starts up. He leans fo'
ward and slals his leg. The patriarchi
ram accepts the apparent challenge an
:. plants him one" where it will do IL
most good. Oh, give me the countr
: for p|ortical scenes. j. II. BEADLE.