The Penn's Grove record., 1896-07-03
THE GOOD OLD TIMES.

Farmer Blew!tt was a little, dried-up'
irascible man, and he used to wear q
red comforter around his neck and red
flannel ear-lappers on his plug hat
when he went to meeting in winter.
He was always ready to argue that
these modern times were awfnlly bad,
and that the good old times of a hun
dred years ago we're just right. He
would decry invention and improve
ment and say that the world would be
better off without them. He took a
newspaper on purpose to count the
murders recorded In 1t and to tell how
bad the world had grown. He would
stand for hours In a corner In the VII
lage and retail his deductions on the
present and his regrets for the past.
One day he had whipped the minister
In argument, and as he had had his
dinner and the minister had gone away
mad and the women were at work in
the kitchen, he tipped back in his chair,
drew a red silk handkerchief over his
head to keep off the flies and went to
sleep. He had not slept over Ave min,
utes before his son John came in and
said:
"Come, father, we must get at that
piece of wheat and cut IT,"
Blewitt got up and yawned and fol
lowed his son to the barnyard, where
his two sons sat on a log filing a couple
of sickles.
what In the nation are you doing
with those old sickles?" said Blewitt.
One of the boys looked astonishet
and said: "Doin'? Why, we are get.
ting ready TO cut the wheat"
Blewitt stared a moment and then
said: why in thunder don't you hitch
on to the reaper and stop foolin' with
them slckles?'
The boys looked at each other in sur
prise. but said nothing. Blewitt ran to
the shed, but there was no reaper there.
He came back. The boys had got over
the fence and were on their knees
reaping the wheat and carrying in
<avels.
Boys" said Blewitt. what do you
mean by this foolishness? Where is
the reaperf"
Charley, the second boy, looked ut his
father pityingly, and then tapped his
forehead and looked owe TO John, who
nodded and looked sad.
"Why, darn it," said Blewitt. you
car never run those bundles through a
threshin' machine"
''Threshin' machinef' said Charley.
"why you know as well as l do that |
shall have TO fail this wheat out morn
ings and nights while going TO school
this winter. What ais you. father"
Blewltt, as we said, got mad easily.
and now be just hoped up and down
and said:
"Flail 1t out! 1t must be thrashel
ready to ship on the cars next month
Gears, cars" said John. Don't know
what ails you, father, or what you
mean. I know | shall have to team
this wheat down to Albany and sell it
FOR what 1t will bring. Here you come
out talking about reapers and cars and
thrashin' machines, and darnSd If
don't believe you are crazy, so now"
Blewitt pinched himself to see II he
was asleep and strobe angrily to the
house. As he approached it he heard
a roaring and rumbling like the wind,
and he looked into the kitchen and
there was his wife spinning. Who-o-o
went the big machine, and Blewitt sank
unto a Chair and yelled:
"Now, Maria, what under the canopy
are you doin'T"
"Doln'?" said his wife, why spinnin',
OF course. | must get out forty yards
Of full cloth for you and the boys and
twenty yards of pressed flannel for HE
and the gals"
Blewltt looked down at his legs ana
saw them encased in full cloth of coarse
texture, and the seat of his trousers he
felt reached clear up to his shoulder
blades, and the legs were as wide as
two-bushel sacks.
"Well, I'll be darned," was all he said
Dreamily he sauntered o. again
TO the wheat field and John halted him.
"Father, If you amt going to help
cut the wheat suppose you yoke the
oxen and go up to the woods and draw
a raft or two of logs for wood?"
Blewitt was composed, but he said:
81 had intended to burn coal in the
sittlng-room and parlor and not cut
much wood"
Goal, coal!" said John, angrily,
"Now see here, father; l don't want
any more of this foolish talk. I'm go.
ing to git a doctor"
Blewitt began to think he needed one
himself. Here his boys had never heard
or d reaper or a thrashlng machine or
cars. On the lounge at the house he
lay himself down and tried to calmly
think things over. When the doctor
came he called for a pail and barred
Blewitt's arm. He took out his lance,
and then Blewltt groaned again.
II must take a gallon of blood" said
the Doctor, "and then he will calm down
and be all right"
Don't you know bleedin' was played
out fifty years ago." said Blewitt.
''IIow he wanders." said the Doctor,
V-.