The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1894-10-04
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IN playing children found In ii ravinc
something Of the six. os a hens egg.
with little hollow running along the.
middle of it, and looking like grain.
This was noticed by trayelcr. who
boagiat it from tie children for Ave
cepec3ss.
lie teos II OYER to the capital and
sold ito the car. y q c;fr:sSisy
The czif sr4lH 81 the wt;i,, men
md gave orders 10 81, ont what the
thing is---an egg or s. graz.
The wise men thoaght and thought
over it and were unable to give an an
swer
The object was lying on the window
sill, when q hen few into the room and
began to peck at il, and pecssed through
it hole that proved to everybody that
it twas a grain.
The wise men came then to the car
and told him that TIE thing was q grain
Of rye.
The ear was astounded all he or
dercd the wise Iacn to find cut where
and when this grain was thriving The
wise men thought and thought over it,
looked over the books, and could not
find any elucidation.
They returned to the ear and said:
"We cannot give any answer. In our
books we cannot find anything about it.
We must ask the mouzhiks peasants.
Perhaps somebody has heard rom their
forefathcrs where and when such grain
was thriving
The car sent Tor and ordered to be
brought before him every OH man OF
the mouzhil1s.
An elderly mouzhils was found and
brought before the czar.
There came an old mouzhik, shriveled
and toothless. stepping in with diff
Guilty on two crutchcs.
The car showed him the grain, but
the old man IS already without sight,
and only somehow could he examine IL
by the touch of his fingers.
The car questioned him: "Dost thou
not know, little grandfather, where
was such grain thriving? East thou
not soyved myself sach grain on the
fields? Or hast thou not bought dur
ing thy lifetime somewhere such
grain?''
The old man is deaf. and with ex-
trene difficulty he could'hcar the ques-
ton, and also with extreme difficulty
comprehend it.
Then he answers No! on my
fields / have never sowcd such grain,
never moved and never bought it.
When we bought our rye it was al
ways small grained. But | must ASK
my father, perhaps ne has heard where
such grain was thriving"
So the car sent for the old man:
fa.her to be brought before him.
The father OF the old man was found
ard brought before the ear. He was
an elderly man, walking with one
crutch
The car showed him the grain. The
old man saw with his own eyes and
~ examined it thoroughly.
flse,athe car asked him: "Dost not
thor know aittle old MN. where such
GRAIN sEas thriving? Hast not thou
so5red Myself such grain. or. perhaps,
hast shon bought somewhere such
grain?"
Though theuld man was a little hard
of hearing, he heard bet@efchan his son.
s'No." said he. 'on.1iny fields | have
neither sown nor moved such grain, and
also have never bought it, because in
my time money was not established.
Everybody subsistcd on his own bread,
and jn need we shared it each with an
/ l0tt11er. / do not know where sHch gram
& was thriving, though our rye was OF
larger grain and better yielding than
this of the present time. | have never
seen one of this size. l heard from my
futher that in his time crops were large
grained, better and setter yielding in
thrashing. He must be questioned.
The car sent for the father of this
old man, and the grandfather OF the
FIRST old man has been found and
brought before the car.
This old man appeared before the
car without crutchcs. walking easily.
his ewes serene. hearing well, and
speaking distinctly and intelligibly.
The ear showed the grain to the
grandfather.
The old ALLOW looi1cd ut it, turned 1t
over, and said:
st is long time since | have seen
this olden-time grain" He bit small
piece Off it. chewed it a little. and said:
s.Itself it is.
Tell me, little grandfather, where
and when this grain was thriving:
Hast thou not sowed on thy field such
graino or hast not thou bought in thine
age such grain from the people?' And
the old man answered:
'.Such grain was thriving everywhere
In my time With this grain was fed
aii ,ny life, and have fed others with
it. This is the grain that have sowed,
moved and thrcshed.
Tell me, them said the car, 'little
grandfather, hast thou bought some
where this grain. or hast thou sowed it
ON thine own field?"
The old man smiled. In my time, :"
said he, ''none could ever think of such
sin as to sell and buy bread. and of
money there was no idea; everybody had
plenty of bread"
Then said the car: Tell me, little
grandfather, where hast thou sowed
this grain and where was thy feld?'
And tho grandfather answered: my
field was Gods earth. Wherever we
plcwed there is field. The earth was
free. Nobody called it mine earth.
Nine was called only the La6or"
..Tell me, them said the car, two
more things-frstly why was then thriv-
ing such grain, and it is not thriving
nowadays?and, secondly, anotherthing,
why thy grandson walked with two
crutches, thy son walked with one
crutch, and thou camest here walking