Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1893-09-23
HUNTS BARN RAISING.

HUNTS rstiSingf inquired | nCle Silas APP
piebee, rs he sat on the porch in the moon.
light.
Never did, Wal. In them days TWAS
the custom TO have plenty of rum at all the
rasn's. And sometimes the boys took
more'n WINS good for 'em, AN got reckless
an come mighty nigh hayin some purity bad
accidents.
$50 when father was ready To raise his
new barn. he says TO all the folks, says he.
i sha'n't have rum, boys. Ye needn't ex-
pect 1t; but ye shall have as good supper
rs Melndy mn the gals can git up
That's all right, Aprkebee they says,
an every one on 'em come an worked with
will
another nm the gals had done their best
There was two long tables, the whole
length of the Kitchen, twenty Ave or thirty
foot. nh In the front room, 81 Z all the men
could set down to once. There wis cold
pork, brown bread an beans. pun kin nm
mince pies, ginger cakes AN lection cake,
an do know what else.
"All the gals in the deestrct was there
TO help wait on EN- au zee the fun, an the
women too. There was enough for nll
Father WANT n biz stingy in pervitin, nm
mother knew her reputation was at stake.
''Arter the tables were cleared, the men
did arter n raisin, an "A good time they had
That was the time yer Uncle Dan throwed
Saima Chase three times runuin. but I've
told ye bout that aforc.
wal everybody said this was the best
time they'd ever had mt n rHiSin
"Eliakim Hunt was goin TO raise his
barn the very next week. Twas mon
st'ous one. No such Unstable little lice
used as they use nowadays-hnrdly strong
'nough to hold up the ruff Eliakim's
barn he'd blowed down the winter before
an killed Il dozen head o. cattle for him.
mn he meant 10 have one this time strong
'nongh for any wind that might come
The timbers was more'n foot thick each
way, an all mortised in together.
aye know how buildin's was raised in
them days. They j'ined IA whole side to-
gether on the ground then they'd tako
long poles with iron spikes at the end and
pry 1t up nm raise 1t till the ends Of the tim.
beers would slip into the sockets an IL would
stand firm.
"'Twas hard work an resky II one lost
their head. fur If IL give way an fell back
'twould crush pretty much all on EN- TO
death.
slow many men did IL take' Wal. sew.
euty-nye or n hunderd was none too many.
Everybody went to rHsiu In them days.
Us they do To n vandoo now.
"Eliukim always wnS as mean ns pusley.
Still, we all thought he'd be too proud To
make n fool OF himself.
THE barn bcin 80 big an the timbers so
heavy, they like to IA had an accident
twas the last side, an the men was
tuckcred out Twas IA master hot day
The side WAS half way up. when II began
to tip.
"'Lny 10, boys Lay to for your lives,
called father, for il II fell 'twoud he the
death Of the most of EN-. lay to for your
lives
"rhe women screamed. an there was
nigh about panic. hnt they rallied an
made n mighty lunge, an the beams slipped
into their sockets.
Then sueh shout as went upl Some
on EN- was 30 beat out that they Jest laid
down on the grass an painted
'rhey expected then that seein a. he
hadn't passed any rum. Eliakim II invite
'em down 10 The house for supper. a. ia.
tber had. lknowed better, for sister Jane
bad been stayin la the house with Polly
Ann, who was kind o. sickiy, an she had
come out awhile afore. an slys she.
Don't YOU think Mr. Hunt Is too mean
to liver lie wouldn't let Mrs. Hunt Kit
supper for EN-. Polly Aun says her ma
cried about l., but he wouldn't give in. an
there's uothin cooked in the house blt a
loaf Of bread an plate of natcakes'
Il WAS uuly.a lal aud not u.workin, so
hadn't Thought how mean 1t WAS of Ella,
kim Till see how beat out the men was.
Some IN 'em had come aio0t four or 1--WE
miles, AN Of course seein Eliakim had
said nn,hn, they expected supper.
"'lou amt goiu home tonightr father
asked one who was clean tuckereil ont.
~ must Mary II be afeard TO stay
alone with the young uns I'll be all right
after supper, Says he
There amt To be any supper tonight
Polly Ann told Jane SO Her father
wouldn't let 'em git any. ! said. kind o
lhoughtless
sit spread like wildiire. but most on ZEN
wouldn't beheve 1t.
AS soon rs the barn was raised. Eiiakiu
he dis'peared. Some thought he'd les
gone down 10 the house 10 see II snppe
was ready, hut lie didn't come back Thcl
half dozen o. tue men went down TO III
house Through the winder they could 80
Eliakin, ea,in supper with his wife an pO
~ Ann.
He'd gone OFT for good, an not so muc
rs said much obleeged TO the meni
''rhey pounded on the door aw lille. an
then they stalSel into the kitchen.
"'What dye WANT asked Eiiakim.
"'We want some supper nfore we {
homen
"'All we've got in the house is on Il
table. help yourselves, says Miss HUI
quick. afare Eliakim could speak.
"'They took slice OF bread an a nut cal
apiece nn went back tu the harn. Tin,
there was a rrg'lar Indignation meetin.
ears burnt " Ten folks TUX about 'esn. Eli
kim's would "a sot mis- head on iire tn
night.
"Wnl, father he asked some on 'em dow
10 our huase 10 supper an some o. q
neighbors asked them that lived furth
OIL, and so all had supper, but no than
10 the Hunts,
There was mischief brewin. thong
What do yon s'pose some seaiups that b;
been there that day donei
"Why, they wits 40 mad NJ Eliakim tn
they went to that barn 10 the moonlig
with iron bars AN nried out the underpi
min an ~ mt the whole pile Of timbers dow
in heapi
Father an I went up there the ne,
day. Twas pitiful sight. sure enoug
Some o. the thinkers was split. an tn,
was all In heap.
'It was a bad an unlawful thing 20
but for all that there want many th
was sorry for Eliakim. An no was pur
nigh crazy
I do know why they done e.. he he
sayin, pitiful like. 'You dldu't give
rum, Applehee. an they never fetched yo
barn