The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1892-05-14
HusKlNe EoR A BRIDE.
One OF the Ways They Have OF Making
Lifo Interesting In Indiana.

periority of the "old boys over the
rising generation led TO most interest
ing match in this county last week.
The scene was laid ten miles north Of
Charlottesville, Ind, on the farm Of DR..
Wilkes, where IL had been announced
there would occur q grand huslsing
match, not exactly an old.-fashioned one,
for the corn was still on the stalk. The
good tidings had been spread far and
wide, and the people for miles around
packed their lunch baskets and went
over prepared to spend the day.
The young men of that section were
out in force to participate or back IL
favorite; but when the spot was reached
IL was found that Grant Layton and
Charles Parker were the favorites and
all declared that one of them must
surely win. AS the others did not care
to suffer defeat, it was mutually agreed
to withdraw, and the race was between
the favorites The young men, who are
leaders in the social Four Hundred
thereabouts, were raised on adjoining
farms, and for years bitter rivalry has
existed between them. Grant leads the
choir and the singing-school, but Charley
is generally the last man down at a
spelling match. Grant dances divinely
and Charley is not to be sneezed at in
that line. Besides no dance could be u
success without the latter acting as
prompter. Grant can break any colt in
Indiana, and Charley is beyond the
range of ordinary vision at "a shooting
match Both are athletes and both are
tN1.nt11 # cNx,n11 n,
the horse and buggy line. In word
their accomplishments are about equal
and their leadership in social circles is
undisputed.
But, strange to relate. both have a
hanllering for the same piece of dry
goods" bright, blacll-eyed little
charmcr, the reigning belle of the neigh
borhood, and still in her teens. Here
toforc it has been nip and tuck between
them, but there seemed to be an
understanding between the three that
a marked preference would be shown to
the winner of the husking match, so the
boys were only the more anxious to
meet on the sands of DR.. Wilkes forty
acre cornfeld. After some wrangling
il was decided that Dan Evans, pillar
III Iilt ClluICl Vi Illc llttIuSlltll ItTpud'
sion, should act as referee. Now Mr.
Evans has some IDEAS of his own. and
would have fled in horror had he been
asked to catch time on horse race.
He would scorn the idea of umpiring a
ball game on which the ice cream was at
issue. but the Office of referee on this
match on which several hundred dollars
were already up, he accepted with
alacrity, thanked the multitude and felt
himself highly honOred.
At o'clock the contestants, each ac.
companed by wagon, two horses and
driver. entered the arena. and few
minutes later time was called. Grant
with as much composure as his great
namesalie ever eXhibi ted during the
heat of battle, sailed off down the LONG
rows of that big cornf eld, husliing tht
golden ears with as great avidity a,
Sampson slew the Philistines with the
jawbone of an ass. Charley. the cham
pion, was fairly wild and huslled as h,
had never huslied before. One restric
tion placed upon the crowd was that nc
one should enter the field, SO they sat
perched upon stalle-and-rider fence
ever and anon seeking q convenient los
fire to thaw out. AS the morning wor,
away the crowd gradually becam,
larger and larger, and the swarm on tn,
fence increased proportionally.
The sight of those several hundred
, onlookers, roosting upon that higl
\ fence like so many crows, was, indeed
u rare spectacle. There were men, wo
men aad children-in fact everybod,
was there, from the crying infant to th,
venerable grand-dad, whose failing Wis
ion would not allow him to distinguish
between field of corn and Il suit o
parlor furniture. The opposing fac
tions were ranged on opposite sides o
the field, and while they howled anC
yelled for their fayorite the rivals toilet
on. Occasionally one would find ret
ear, but they had no time for kissing
and with a sigh which rent their yer,
souls it was pitched into the wagon.
Dinner was called, and the specta
tors, somewhat 10th, traggled off t.
snatch bite, but the husliers WORKED
on, for each, confident in his owl
prowess, felt that the others endurance
, must give way before nightfall; SO n,
dinner or rest went.
At one end of the field the boys al
ways cast their eyes toward certain
spot where stood the little cnarmer, be
tween a father and big brother, but
smile or IA nod would send them back t.
the next row with renewed energy
During the afternoon there was no per
ccptible vantage II was what in dice
parlance is termed ''horse and horse, >
: and money was going up all the while
/ But at length the declining sun de
t clined to shed more light, and all hands
, bowling and cheering like mad, gath
cred to hear the official count. The su
, preme moment arrived, and the Layton
faction fairly split the blue canopy O
heaven when the official counter, fror
T the bottom of an inverted sorghum ban
rel, announced that Grant Layton wa
the winner, having husl1cd l5l bushel
and IS pounds to Charlie Parller's ii
bushels and IS pounds. TO add 20 tn
, discontent of the Parker faction, Layto
9 also broke the short-timc record b
huslling thirty-one ears in one minut
, and throwing thirty of them in tn
. wagon.
When the cheering had subsidized an
the Stockholders had distributed tn
cash the conquering hero was hoisted b
4 some half-dozen of his enthusiast
S hackers and carried to the supper tablC
the head OF which, as a seat of homo
I had been reserved for the winner. Th
o tired but happy husl1er bore the tr,
: mendous horors very modestly, Will
5 the pair of black eyes that had acted q
4 | +hn oraat incentive and Iyarn now St,o ri