St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1896-06-20
stacking Up .rhe Cost. =


Stacking Up "The Costa
Now, what would it cost the old man
to spile out and swap places With tho
boys? You would then have home
with the old folks, but you wouldn't
have . foot of land, nor a horse, nor
a cow, nor a pig-nothin which you
could call your own in your full and
proper name. You could play little
around the edges, as it were, but you
would have to work a whole tremen-
dius big lot. You would have to take
holt and turn off all the various and
sundry odds and ends and jobs that
mought naturally fall to a reart and
handy boy. And that wouldn't be SO
very internal nice and pleasant, would
it? Blamed If the very thoughts don't
make me tired and hungry and sleepy.
But that amt all, by whole lot. II
We was to take and spile out for n new
deal you wouldn't have mother and ths
babies. How in the round created world
could you put up with that, you blasted
old idiot? You mought maybe come.
over the old trail and fall in love with
the same girl and git married to the
| same. But there aint no teilin. Men
amt quite altogether as skeerce around
Rocky Creek as they use to he. Some
other youngster mought pull in ahead
and turn up Jack and block your game
next time. Then you mought have to
wiggle and worry through without
mother and the babies. Nobody 10
smooth down the wrinkles. and pull out
the silver threads. and let in the sun-
shine, and brush away the tears, and
sew on the buttons, and darn the socks,
and patch your Sunday breeches. No
body to pout and cry for dolls, and pic-
ture books, and new shoes, and besr
stories, and swings and playhouses and
rocky horses, and the good Lord knows
what not.
No more of that, Rufe. says to my
self. The spile out don't 60. It would
cost too outrageous much.
You are a bloomin, beautiful Old
rooster to be raisin a rumpus with fate
anyhow. went on with myself. This
world has been monstrous kind and
good with you, Rufus Sanders. Ycn
have been young oncst, and now you are
righteous man around at the kitchen
window beggin cold grub. You raley
ought to spend half of your time readin
the Scriptures and sayin Amazin Grace.
We have been wild and wayward in ouI
generation, and in spite of all that could
be said or done our wanderin feet have
sometimes struggled ont of the good and
narrow way. But SO far as the record
runs we have never run up the white
feather In a fight or took up with any
thing that didn't belong to us. We
have met the enemy at the dead line,
and no man ever come around by our
house spilin for fight but what he got
accommodations. We have helt up the
good name and standin of the Sanders
generation, and we have never yet got
called when we couldn't show down.
We have got n pleasant place to live.
with clothes to wear and plenty to eat.
The time has now come, Rufus, when
about the last thing we can do is to let
the checkrein down and take good.
safe, steady gait. The faster man goes
and the higher up he climbs the worse
It will be for everybody IL somethin
happens to slip and break his holt.
Sometimes, II you notice, the good Lord
lifts man way up yonder in orderment
the harder when the grand smashup
comes. 1t won't do to git too alfred
reart and proud and prosperous in your
old age. Set the back band right. Take
your time.
Ne and the Government.
There is another thing, Rufe. for me
and you to shake hands over and be glad
about, says to myself. We are movin
along smooth and easy without kickin
up any big dust to speak of with the
general government. If the shebaHg
amt agin us we are not agin the shcbang.
All we want is an open field and fair
fight-then let the best man win.
Blessed be God, we are sprung from the
aristocracy of simple homes and honest
hearts and hard knuckles. and il we
can't swim without full set of govern
ment gourds around us, by jings we car
stay out of the water.
No doubts you have heard tell of the
big scheme some of the candidates are
fixin up so . man can borrow all the
money ne wants by putin his farm
|producements In soak with the general
government. We will be agin that move
on general principles. They say Dunk
Strickland has got little one-eyed.
siab-sided, wobbledy legged, razor-bacl
steer, which he wants to put in soak
for $50. He maintains il other people
can soak their lands and their crops he
can soak his steer, cause he aint go.
nothin else. and every man is free and
equal in this great country. That would
he big thing for Dunk. you under
stand, but If we start the soakin busi-
ness with the government nobody knows
for certain where II would stop. As for
us, We couldn't soak our corn and cot
ton and seed potatoes il we had done
leen and run heels over appetite in
debt, and 50 long as we don't owe moth
IN we can keep the stuff here at home,
or sell II and put the money away in the
family chist.
Consequentially, says I TO myself. il
Il ever comes to that pass where we can't
make tongue and buckle meet without
soakin eomethin with the government,
then will move that we 90 and put our
blame fool head in soak.
RuFUs SAxDIRs.
Rn1lia0oataTy Compliments.
Talking OF parliamentary- success
there IL . story that Mr.. Disraeli once
said to Sir William Harcourt: .He has
the three essential qualifications for
success in politics. fne person. . loud
voice. and NO principles" This saying
was repeated to. Sir william Hareours
who observed that, leaving out the
first two qualifications, it might almost
be applied to Dizzy hinself. r-London
Saturday Review.
Texas raised last year 0,O0o, ,ooo
bushels OF corn. which Is an increase os
= 1ss eest. ovss auy pseosdlre ~ |