The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1893-03-24
NAUTICAL OXEN.


southern part Of Kansas where he lived
as an immigrant from New Hampshire,
and he brought his Yankee sharpness
with him, but as he dealt fair and at.
tended to his own business he passed.
The only member OF the family besides
JOB and his wife was Ike, q nephew
whom Job had taken to bring up, as he
had no children Of his own. Ike was n
typical New England boy about fifteen
years old, He had been brought up in
one OF the coast villages Of Maine, and
had u great love for the sea.
Job, like the majority Of Yankee farm
ers, was firm believer in cattle, and
did most Of his work with oxen. One
day he said to Ike. like, il you'll take
that pair OF yearling steers and break
them to work you Gun have them" Ike
was exceedingly well pleased at that,
and at once assumed charge Of his new
possessions. II ever pair Of young
oxen were well taken care OF they were.
He groomed them as carefully as the
horses, 30 that their sleek coats shone as
glossy as silk, and he was so kind with
them that they were as gentle as sheep.
He named them Jack and Billy.
In his western home Ike never forgot
the far off ocean. II had been the one
hope OF his life to be a sailor, but his
being sent west had destroyed it. When
his uncle gave him the steers to break,
the idea came to him that though he
could never expect to tread the deck of
his own ship, he could use ship phrases
In the education OF his oxen, and thus
always be reminded Of his own home be-
side the sea, Thus 1t was that Jack and
Billy were educated to work, broken"
totally ignorant OF the usual commands
by which oxen are managed. Gee"
and 'shaw," 'git up and whoa" had
no meaning for them whatever. II was
"haul away and port and ''star-
board and "belay." "Stern ALL was
back. The oxen grew and waxed strong,
and his uncle often remarked that he
never saw u team that could do more
work than those oxen and Ike. No one
but Ike ever thought Of handling them
The nearest neighbor to the Haines'
was Deacon Merwin, good man and
pillar Of the church The good deacon
saw that Ike's yoke Of oxen were work
ers, and desire came over him TO DOS
sess them, He offered to buy them sew
eral times, but job always said that they
belonged to Ike and were not for sale.
The deacon asked Ike II he would sell
them, but met with such an indignant
refusal that he felt angered, but did not
give up the idea of possessing the cattle.
Finally he went to Job and said.
'Neighbor Haines, il them cattlell
work good every way III give you $4OO
for 'em. They're too much property for
a boy like Ike to have, and it is apt to
create in him bud sperrit and make
him feel above his elders"
"Well, | don't know, deacon The
boy sets deal by them cattle, and
promise is u promise. gave them to
him II he would break 'em, and he has
80 I'm bound to keep my part"
"That's all true enough, neighbor
Haines, but Ikes only a boy, and then,
remember, 800 ain't offered every day
for a yoke Of cattle, Why not sell me
these and give him another pair to
break; that 'ui do him jist as we'll"
The deacon's $i00 and persuasions
finally weakened Jobs scruples, and he
gave IN. The deacon was TO try them,
and II they worked all right was to have
them for $d0O How to tell Ike what he
had done was u poser to his uncle His
aunt declared it downright mean piece
Of business, and told job plainly what
she thought of him.
II was finally decided not 10 say any,
thing to Ike until after the sale had been
made and the cattle gone, In order that
Ike might not be on hand to see his pets
sold he was given u holiday, and sent to
spend the day at a nelghbors, a couple
miles away, where there was a boy of
his age who was sort Of Il chun Of his.
The next morning Ike was off bright
and early, and the deacon was on hand
shortly after II would not be fair to
Jobto say that he did not have any mis-
givings. He would have backed out Of
the bargain at the least chance, and be
really hoped that the deacon would not
be satisfied with them, The oxen were
and yokGd to the cart with |
out difficulty, though the deacon re-
marked that they did seem .'lrinder
dob and the deacon climbed
up into the cart
"Gee upl"
The oxen turned their big eyes round !
"(fee up, there" repeated
Job; but they did not move a hoof. /
''That don't appear like good break
ng, remarked the deacon.
They're broke all right" replied Job. !
Come, gee up, therelN ut the same time