The morning call., 1892-12-09
PLINY GAYS STORY

Pliny Gay drops in at Miss Beans and
tells the cap sheaf Of ali his stories.
II was while l VAS teaching district school
st High Flats, VI, aud boarding with that
delightful spnster. Miss Huldah Bean,
who owned the largest acreage in the town
and with the aid OF her hired man, "Seth,"
Harmed" it successfully.
We were sitting one winter afternoon In
her comfortable "livlng-room" when a
sandy-eomplexlon rather elderly man
shambled past the house. giving q good
natured look and nod at the spiDster as he
passed.
That's Pliny Cay" said my hostess.
Hes master hand for telin' and talkln'
He may be a well-meanin' man. some O. the
neighbors think he is, and 1 know his worth
In prayer meetin'. What some o. them
PRAYER meetip's would br without Pllny's
ready testimony aud his film up gaps with
bis singin', l am sure / don't know.
Sometimes I've thought his strong mag
inaiiOD is what makes his testimony SO
powerful inteTestin', but that / don't say,
for If there's a place where church mem
bers ought TO have charity for each other
an each others falIin's, think that place
is prayer meetin'.
but Pm more tried with Pliny this win
ter than ever. an so IS nay hired man, Seth.
Seth says he don't want to see him round
the place, an feel good deal so, too.
ny on see, the way Of il was this: Seth
takes great pride in the farm an stock,
especially he OK team, an | suppose there
amt a better yoke Of oxen in LamOile
County. They took the prizes at both State
and county fairs last summer, an Seth says
they are strongest, kindest, best-willed crit
tiers be ever saw in the shape of IA OK team.
Ia fact, Seth couldn't be more Jealous over
his girl, il he had one Out be ha!nD, an
amt likely to have as fur . l know, thar
he is over them oxen. But il seems il
Pliny was possessed to anger Seth about
the team.
.'The first snow we had Seth did power
O work gettin' out logs for firewO0d. Well,
Pliny came In one eYenin' an Seth was
tellin' how DObly the oxen drew, when
Pliny said he had pair o prize critters
back in the ffties that would draw any
thing that Vermont could show now. an he
went on to tell.
HE said it was up in Maine (he never
was IN Maine in his born days an he had a
contract for getting out mber for masts.
He said he had cut down tree which stood
so foot tall an straight as a arrow, an he
trimmed off the limbs an girded round the
butt good deep place to fasten his chain
to an hltched on the oxen. But the timber
was green an heavy an the snow was soft
an deep an the bark was pretty rough an
hindered.
But said Pliny, I knew Buck and
Dti6hS " a. 5DON AOl ~ oil 4 Stl tlI a etDdTt
cut with the CAD and yelled. Git up! an
swan ef the heart Of that timber didn't
come out of the bark an sap wood clean as
whistle. the hull so foot. clear 20 the tip,
as purity mast as ever you see. an the old
oxen never sweat hairp
Seth coiored up an / could see be was
pretty considera bic riIed, but he list looked
at Pliny second an then said:
"'4e cut quite a top tween you an the
oxen. didn't YEP
Yes, sirl Yes, sir-eel 1t beat aui'
said Pliny.
well, guess I'd better hand them nit
tens. Miss Beam said Seth. an | cot him
some shoe thread an the leather-needle
while he cut the shapes out of calfskin. an
said as sat down again that cloth-handed
mittens didn't amount to much for hand
ling logs.
THAT'S so.' said PlIny, we don't ri,
such cloth as we used to when twas home
made. / Teeollect pair o. pants / had
when l was 81; my grandmother made the
cloth. IL was gray linked an twas master
stuff for wearin'. I'll jest tell We a leetle
circumstance to show the stoutness O. that
air cloth.
"Pd jest gotta new pair OF oxen, large.
dark-red, we'll matched. an harnsome as a
picter. but young an kind o cavortin'. |
thought I'd git 'em we'll in hand for sum-
mer's work by plowin' up a big piece O.
fsllow ground l had. 1t was rather rough
an stony an the stumps were tolable thick
1 had on them gray-mixed pants an we sol
10 work.
We'll. the critters pulled splendid. but
the stumps bothered 'em an they got purify
nervous. was hoIdin' plow and driyin'
too, an IL was tryin' work. Along toward
noon thought TO finish the furrow was
on and rest up for dinner, when / yelled
Gee! to the oxen, wentin' TO git round q
mighty great stnmp. Wall, one gee-ed ali
right, but tother one haw-ed jest enough sc
e swan they got the stump plumb a'tween
'em, and i was jerked forward at the same
time an the pillow pint was stuck fast into
the stumpl
avail, there was purity fxl / tried DC
back the plungin' heavy critters, an git the
pillow out, but t want no use, AN l got riled