The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1892-05-13
HUSKlNG FOR a BRIDE
One OF the Ways They Have of Making
Life Interesting In Indiana.

perlorlty or the "old boys" over the
rising generation led to a most interest
ing match in this county last week.
The scene was laid ten miles north of
Crawfordsville, Ind, on the farm of DR..
Wilkes, where it had been announced
there would occur a grand husking
match, not exactly an old-fashioned one,
for the corn was still on the stalk The
good tldings had been spread far and
wide, and the people for miles around
packed their lunch baskets and went
over prepared to spend the day.
Ire young men of that section were
out IN force to participate or back a
fav lte; but when the spot was reached
1t vas 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
whereabouts, were raised on adjoining
farms, and for years bitter rivalry has
existed between them. Grant leads the
choirand the singingschool, 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 a
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
proud possessors of very swell outfits in
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
laundering for the same piece of dry
goods" bright, black-eyed little
charmer, the reigning belle of the neigh
borhood, and still in her teens. Here
tofore it has been nip and tuck between
them, but there seemed to be an
understanding between the three that
marked preference would be shown to
the winner of the husking match, so the
boys We're only the more anxious to
meet on the sands of DR.. Wilkes forty
acre cornfield. After some wrangling
it was decided that Dan Evans, pillar
in the church of the hardshen persua-
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 Z o'clock the contestants, each ac-
companled by wagon, two horses and
a driver, entered the arena, and few
minutes later time was called. Grant,
with as much composure as his great
namesake ever exhibi ted during the
heat of battle, sailed off down the long
rows of that big cornfi ED, husking the
golden ears with as great avidity as
Sampson slew the Philistines with the
jawbone of an ass. Charley, the cham
picn, was fairly wild and husked as he
had never husxed before. One restric-
ton placed upon the crowd was that no
one should enter the field, so they sat
perched upon a stake-andrider fence,
ever and anon seeking a convenient log
fire to thaw out. AS the morning wore
away the crowd gradually became
larger and larger, and the swarm on the
fence increased proportionally.
The sight of those several hundred
onloolzers, roosting upon that high
fence like so many crows, was, indeed,
a rare spectacle. There were men, wo-
men and children-in fact, everybody
was there, from the crying infant to the
venerable grand-dad, whose failing Wis
ion would not allow him to distinguish
between field of corn and suit of
parlor furniture. The opposing fac
lions were ranged on opposite sides of
the field, and while they howled and
yelled for their favorite the rivals toiled
on. Occasionally one would find red
ear, but they had no time for kissing,
and with sigh which rent their very
souls it was pitched into the wagon.
Dinner was called, and the specta-
tors, somewhat 10th, struggled off to
snatch bite, but the huskers worked
on, for each, confident in his own
prowess. felt that the others endurance
must give way before nightfall; SO no
dinner or rest went.
At one end of the field the boys al
ways cast their eyes toward a certain
spot where stood the little cnarmer, be-
tween father and big brother, but a
smile or a nod would send them back to
the next row with renewed energy.
During the afternoon there was no per-
parlance is termed ''horse and horse"
and money was going up all the while.
But at length the declining sun de-
elincd to shed more light, and all hands,
bowling and cheering like mad, gath
cred to hear the official count. The SUI
preme moment arrived, and the Layton
faction fairly split the blue canopy of
heaven when the official counter, from
the bottom of an inverted sorghum bar
rel, announced that Grant Layton was
the winner, having husked ISL bushels
and s. pounds to Charlie Parker's I49
bushels and 4S pounds. To add to the
discomfort of the Parker faction, Layton
also broke the short-time record by
husking thirty-one ears in one minute
and throwing thirty of them in the
wagon.
81, LII l.. Ia