St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1895-12-28

|sLAv.sy" TIME DOWN SOUTH
~ aaeek People Rsss a.A - WAlss osss
vlsle Their CoaslaA
u the cotton planting districts and
On the rice plantations the interval b.
tween the last working Of the crops
and the beginning Of the harvest IL
called ''lay-by" time. It occurs IN the
month Of August and Is looked forward
to with pleasure by white and black
alike.
'Lay-by" time means rest for the
hoe hands, women and children, who
have chopped away endless hours be.
meath the burning sun of May, June
and July; rest for the men who have
followed the burrows up and down the
messureless rows since the last Of
February; rest for the mules and oxen
which have tu9ged 1t the plow each
day through all those months and now
are free to Craze and doze in turn in
the green spaces of the pasture. The
last work has been done to the cotton;
It Is now too strong and vigorous for
the grass to interfere with its growth,
and the wide acreage is studded with
hollis and gemmed with gay.colored
blossoms The rice Is heading In Its
fretted sheath. tho corn swelling in
the green-swathed err and the peanut,
the sorghum and tho sugar cane arc
al maturing in rank and luxuriance.
''Pease-ripe?'' the quail calls across
the fields. surveying the promising out
look, and his mate pipes her three
sweet notes in precise approval. think
ing Of provender for the brown covey
later on.
Uncle Ned lies in the shade Of his
cabin. idly smoking his corncob pipe,
and the breeze that skins tho corn
field fans his temples - it hurries by
and rufaes the quilt patch which his
wife il placing in squares and dia-
monds in order TO get the best effect
The circuit preacher looks upon
s1ay-by" time Is his peculiar harvest,
and the politician likewise avails him
self Of this season Of leisure and sunny
weather to get certain arguments and
schemes Of his own before the public.
Picnics and barbecues. are held osten-
sibly for pleasure. but in reality for .
sterner purpose.
The south is noted for its large fam
lilies, and equally noted for the strong
attachment which binds those families
together. In the rural districts and
smaller towns whole communities arc
related, and many boast that for many
generations no single member has mar
ried outside the pale Of consanguinity.
It is in ''lsy.by" time this bond Of
brotherhood, or sisterhood, or cousin
hood finds opportunity for expression.
Black Billy. Boston or the gray mule
is not needed on the farm In this
halcyon season, and can be hitched up
to take the master and his family to
visit cousin Jake" or Aunt Merlina,"
way up in Lexington or down on Sandy
Run, as tho case may be, the time be.
ing more suspicious for this pilgrimage
than even the Christmas season owing
to the midsummer condition Of the
roads land the roads in the country in
tho south are Of all sorts and condi.
tionsl
It is not merely human freight that
Black Billy and Boston transport TO
Cousin Jake'A Pink home-cured hams
that were sewed into their coarse COW
erings by painstaking feminine fingers
are slowed away in tho bottom Of tho
carryall, along with loaves Of famous
light bread made with GRANDMOTHER
yeast, and catsup and sweet pickles
prepared especially for this occasion.
It will take the visitors . day and .
half to 60 and the same to return; but
they will spend ut least two days 1t
Cousin Jake's, and hear tho news Of
himself and his vicinity that has oc-
CURED since their last visit
II likes for lay-by' time to come.
cause people keep stirrin' bout So"
comments Maum Dilcie, whose cabin
commands . view of the neighborhood
road. II done see i've buRgies pass
here to-day. Dem chillun makes right
smart, too, . opening de gate" she
continues, a. . neet-footed grandson,
who contrives to run, even though
hampered with trousers three sizes too
big for him, dings wide the broad
barred gate to admit waiting team.
"Dem's Betsy Spriggins chillun
gwine to spend time wild her" adds
the old woman, shading her eyes with
her hand in order to scrutini1e the
strangers, and Is the heavy rockaway,
with its budgets and parcels and trunk
tied on behind. numbers slowly ont Of
sight, she INDUCES in "reminiscences
concerning tho Spriggins family and
characteristics
Although fond Of notion and excite
ment, the negroes. - . race, take their
pleasure sadly, and having funeral ser
mons preached Is conspicuous diver.
sion among them in ''lay-by" time.
.De buryin' was corn-plantin' season
In March, but do funeral gwine DO
preach next Sunday" they explain to
one who does mot understand this Gus
tom, and the relatives Of tho dead
brother or sister hunt up appropriate
badges Of mourning and prepare to
take conspicuous part In the pur.
posely delayed ceremonies
A burying and . funeral arc two dis
tinct occurrences In plantation eth
quette, and not 1t al Synonymous. al
though the functions Of the burial arc
not in the least abbreviated because
the funeral 1t . later date II TO sup
nlement Il. The dead arc inferred Pre-.
cisely 1T tho same hour Of day or
night At which they expired, but the
funeral takes place on = Sunday morn
ing months later, when the virtues OF
tho dead man are extolled or his sins
expatiated upon, with moro or less
eloquence, the preacher never hesitate
inR to indicate plainly his convictions
a to the destination Of the departed