Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-11-21
4 BARN THAT GREW,
Ii Was still Growing When the Man
Who Was Listening Disappeared.

From the New York Tribune
Say, stranger: how high mought that
building be-" asked a COMMUNICATING
individual, he stood at Broadway and
Ann street, gazing up at the towering
structure being erected there.
The man of whom he asked the question
evidently thought he would have some fun
with the farmer. He looked at the latter a
moment. and then said: ''Oh, that little
house there Oh, that's about 800 feet high
But that's nothing to several buildings
that are going to be put up further up the
street"
''Shu. you don't say So" exclaimed the
farmer How high mought some of them
buildings going 10 be-
six to eight hundred feet. not counting
the towers" replied the smart man.
''Shu. you don't say So calculated the
farmer.
But. say. stranger. how's the people 10
get up to the top of them?"
''Oh. that's easy enough" said the smart
man, thinking # the fun he was having:
they're going to have pneumatic tubes in
them. You get into a box and they shoot
you up 10 the roof in TWO seconds.
.'Shu, you don't say So once more re-
marked the farmer. Your houses don't
cover much ground. stranger. do they?
Now out in my part of the country We go
in for more land than high buildings. My
brother started in 10 build a barn once. and
all the buildings in your town put toSeth-
err
''Oh, say, old fellow" replied the funny
person. you're talking through. your hat.
No man could build as big barn that"
That's all right said the farmer: but
my brothers barn wasn't no ordinary barn,
bgosh. 1t wasn't so big al the start. but
you see il took a-Growin, and before it
stopped il covered his whole farm-a whole
section, sir, about one square mile
1T took a-Srowing, did it?" remarked the
puzzled person, who had been having the
fun. say. mister what are you driving at
anyhow. Who ever heard of a barn grow
ing"
We'll. there's not many people I'll admit.
stranger. proceeded the farmer. III was
the first time that ever heard OF one: but
as l said before. my brothers barn wasn't
no ordinary barn. You see he built il of
green hemock. and as he was in q hurry
10 get il built before harvest, he couldn't
wait for the wood to dry out Now that
wood was full of sap when my brother
slapped that barn up, and when the wealth
er began to get warm, the sap began TO
run, and that set the wood to growing
Well, sir. You never saw anything grow
like ii before in your life. Talk about YOUR
big houses In this town, why they can't
compare with the way my brothers harm
growed. He would go to bed AT uirlt
thinking he had located the door of his
barn all right; but when he got up i'm The
nornin' he would have to walk a quarter
OF mile further TO get into the barn 10
feed the horses. Ii got TO be fnonotonous
Sir, but he stood il all right. until the barn
began TO run off his farm and go over Rill
Johns1ns wheat field You see Bill sci great
store on that wheat field. He had a big
MORTGAGE on his farm, and he intended 10
sell the wheat and paw Off
BUT the farmer stopped. and found that
he had been talking TO himself The man
TO whom he had been telling the Story was
a block away, and he was walking as ~ he
mad letter to post for his Wife or an ex-
tremely important engagement to keen.