The Portland daily press., 1892-04-02
SIGNS OF SPRING.
J. II. Beadle Furnishes a Very Seasea-
able Letter.
iSpecial Correspondeace.l

Especial Correspondeace.l
NEW YORK, March 31.-It is the fash
ion to say that in the sweet springtlme
the advantage is all on the side of the
countryman. / merely rise to remark
that it is the city man who generally
says it.
In the spring, says the most artificial
Of all English poets, the young mans
fancy lightly turns to thoughts Of love.
I will bet you it doesn't if he is a
young countryman. It turns heavily
to thoughts of g-ubbing cut fence cor
ners, and cleaning up the wood lot, and
hauling out manure, and tending to"
the lately born lambs, calves, pigs and
colts, and opening drains and rushing
things generally to get ready for plow-
ing
But on Sundays? Oh, yes, If the day
is fine, and he isn't too tired, he does take
a sort of animal comfort in stretching
out and doing nothing. No, the verdict
of the working farmer was made up
when Horace Greeley was 'kid," and
he puts it thus: Late in the fall and win
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 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
boy.
When was 8 farmer boy in the Wa
bash valley there was local idea that I
had it easier than the average. From
April 1 to Nov. only had to work
from sunrise till II a. m. and from p.
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 neighbors
met the old fellows always told us how
much harder they worked when they
were boys-a diaphanous statement old
men have been repeating ever since
Ham made fun Of Noah. My father
"joined drives" with an old Virginia
neighbor, as together they had boys
enough to run machine" After I
got old enough to think would listen
to their daily plant that lone boy then
done as much as three DO now." and
after they got out of earshot l would re-
mark, There go two Of the grandest
old liars in the state of Indiana"
When walk the streets of Brooklyn
now and feel laundering for rural
scenes, / think Of those boyhood days
and am Immediately reconciled. The
city is indeed beautiful as the foliage
comes out, and as i ride along the ele-
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 few days more it
will be just like riding through con-
tinuous park, am even more reconciied.
Nevertheless, if had plenty of money
and nothing at all to do, should pass
the spring and summer in the old Indi-
ana neighborhood. For & perfectly idle
man it is indeed delightful, and it adds
NIGHTLY to the pleasure to walk about
and see other people hard at work. Even
now I can shut my eyes and recall the
daily panorama on one of the old farms.
The past rises before me like dream,
DIS IltS dill 1oOD DAYS. AZ 10 ~ pOlAOI1 uttt
in June, and as the rosy light of dawn
steals through the eastern woods the
rich corn bread contralto voice Of the
old farmer goes up the stairway with,
''Sa-ay, now, you young rascals. are you
going to sleep all da-ay!"
They rise. They feed, curry, gear up,
eat hastily and are Off to toll. The glo-
rious sun mounts high in the heavens,
the birds sing, the lambs gambol and
the biggest boy swears under his breath
as his pillow strikes a root. The poetic
tourist from the city. sits in the pasture
leaning against a stump, the pastoral
sheep Craze around him, and the ant of
Holy Writ considers the ways of the
sluggard and crawls up under his trou-
sers. Ha! he starts up. He leans for
ward and slaps his leg. The patriarchal
ram accepts the apparent challenge and
splants him one" where it will do the
most good. Oh, give me the country
for poeIical scenes. j.. FL. BEADLE.
Joker, Then Pfli1anthropist.