Oxford Democrat., 1893-08-22
TOM roMkiN's TALK.
IN WHICH HE RELAIEs HOW JOHN srEB-
BINS BUILT MS BARN.

Speaking OF John Stebblns' barn puts
me In mind Of the time when that old cd
ifice Was planned. John insisted, John
did, Of erecting lt upon . side hill and
that side hlll was clay; and clay is con.
siderable more or less like March wind
continually on the shlft.
Why, clay, there ain't no more con-
fldencs to be placed In clay than there ID
In q kicking horse, not mite.
When its wet It'll cling to you like the
canker rash, or else take you right In for
all you're worth. When It's dry It'll
crackle and slough or and do everything
else that Il mean aud lnhuman and when
It's frozen it'll hump up like camel's
back, and twist everything askew that's
on top Of lt.
always climb a clay hill by going
around it-especlally In the spring.
Before John Stebblns planted his barn
he had . consultation rs to how the
foundation should be built. John had
his own opinion, John did, but before he
expressed Il he wanted the opinion OF
others.
One sorter thought that trench, four
foot wide. ten foot deep, filed with
stones. and the sills laid on top, would
knock the stuffing all out OF the clay
and the barn would stand.
John didn't.
Another thought that In addition to
the stones there should be two feet OF
sand on each side Of the wall. The sand
would sorter hold the stones; the stones
would sorter hold the sills; the sills
would sorter hold the barn, and the barn
would remain as firm a. the rock OF ages.
John didn't think any such thing.
Another said drive piles Into the
ground and place the barn on top.
John wouldn't.
Johns oldest boy, Sim, said: "Ef
they'd build fire round tn barn,
an Keep tn clay thawed out, tn pesky
thing ud' never hist I" and they awarded
him leather medal on the spot.
Johns theory, though speculative,
was right to the point.
"FrOst," said he, 'never shows any
partisiity. IL II nippith one ear, IL nip
pith the other also-unless It's kivered up.
It's going to freeze that are clay just as
Il would q pond Of water; and when u
heayes, It's agoln to heave all the way
alike. Just lay them are sllls upon MOTH
ing but clay; and when the clay eleyates
Just let the barn elevate with u. ltli 20
up In the fall, aud down In the spring,
aud always he on dead level"
So the barn was built and the founda-
tion Was placed upon nothing but pure
undefiled clay.
Well, you should have seen that barn
travel the first season.
The west side went up and the east
aide went down. The south east corner
chassezed to the left, and the north end
bumped itself up like a man troubled
with the rheumstics. Squirting along
the ridgepole was like squirting along
range OF mountains. There was valleys,
and decliyities, and deep gorges, and
CANYONS at irregular intervals along the
whole line. Why, Il seemed the delight
of that are clay to see how Internally u
could twist that barn up and still leave u
standing.
And stand II did until John had to
prop Il up with seven by nine joice.
The worst feature Of the barn, though,
WAS the way Il affected the cattle. In II
were some twenty head which John was
A wintering the first season. There were
JERSEYS aud Shorthorns and SuffOlks and
Ayrshlres and some as wasn't neither,
hut a little OF all. They was rs straight,
plump and well proportioned cattle when
they entered that barn In the fall as q
man would wish to see; but you should
have seen them In the spring. so ALL
fired did that barn warp up and double
about during the winter months, that,
when them are cattle was let out to past.
ure In the month of May, I'll be 6lest u
every one of them wasn't twisted COM
pietely out OF shape. -
Now that's fact. DAVID hiLL'