St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1897-09-11

~ 31S t0eu. Every tuInS
1 %ES which goes up
N must come down.
al =" The weather may
IN ~ be fine, and the
horse fresh and
&~ ~ track light when
the race is called,
but there most in
generally always comes time and place
somewheres down the line when the
man and the ceilin must meet. 1t is q
blame lonesome road that never had a
washout nor q smashup.
On slippery Grounds.
Hit was somewheres late olong in the
sixties and times were monstrous hard.
Prices had run way up. money was hid
out, and a man had to hump and hum
and hustle soon and late to make tongue
and buckle meet. But my doctrine is
that poor folks must have poor ways or
mean ones, and was fightin it out on
that line tolerable clost. when blame
fool notion worked through my hair
and consequentially landed me in a
tight place. All of q student like took
up with the notion that must have
more land. had q gracious plenty of
land right then to do my farmin on,
and with one more good crop could
lift the mortgage higher than kite.
But l watched woods paster to head
of the stock law deestrict with. and SO
nothin would do but must pitch in and
buy another eighty down there on the
creek from John Henry Ashcraft.
Mother was agin the move. and she put
her little foot down on it so:
"You are plantin your feet ON slip
perry grounds, Rufus" says she. "You
won't rest now till you wade up to your
eyes in debt oncst more and then you
will bust loose and fret and fuss and
fume like as if somebody else way Off
yonder was to blame for the contortion-
ment. Better let we'll enough alone.
Folks have got to crawl some and then
walk little before they so to flyin."
But in the mainline my head was
sot on the trade, and trade l would. l
bought the whole tract for $iOO-$10O
spot cash and give John Henry q waver-
ly note for the balance. That was in
the summer, when the corn was in full
silk and tossel. and the cotton fields
were bloomin like a nest of roses. 1
didn't know anything about the wash
out ahead, but it was there. In less time
than a month after made that trade
and signed up the papers the game was
runnin agin me like shot. The dry
drouth and the rust and the boil
worms and the caterpillars all rounded
up and closed in and swooped down on
the farm. Crops fell way short and
prices went of on grand tumble down
to rock bottom. took the blues all
over in spots as big as bed quilt.
But mother went OH singin and hummin
and bustlin around as busy as bee in
q tar bucket. She didn't talk about my
big land trade. nor the sorry crops, nor
the store account, but went on tendin
TO her own business rs gentle and ten
der like and happy as ever.
Sing Il Soft aDd Sweet.
Well, after thinkin and smokin and
dreamin over the general circumfer-
ence Of the surroundins. lowed it
mought be better to lift the mortgage
and then take my chances with John
Henry and the wavcrly note. II /
could oncst more read my papers and
clear to the old farm my
fight would be half whipped. settled
up at the store and had 500 in the
clear. Two hundred more would lift
the mortgage. Bill Simpkins. one of
the settlements favorite boys. had took
and moved of to town and got rich
runnin of a bank, and. made up my
mind to 60 and hit him for the neces-
sary two hundred. The best way to
reach . mans heart and pocket is
through his good wife, and the best way
to touch the wife is through the chill
dren, and the way to hit the whole
family at one lick is to shoot with
mo.asses. Sing your song soft and
sweet.
So consequentially hooked the old
bay horse to the spring wagon. loaded
her down with fresh butter and red
apples and plumgranates and other
farm producements, and throwed in q
turkey for good measure.
Then I put on my Sunday ay-go-to-meetin
clothes and my calf skin boots and
collar-which stood so high
till blamed If I didn't have to clam up
on the. fence to spit-and sailed out to
town. The trappins and fixments set
ruther awkward and unpleasant with
RE. but the stakes was worth the game.
] reasoned with myself that Bin was at
the bank. so driv by his house to un-
load the spring wagon on his good lady.
up and told her how I had como to
town to see Bill in regards to . little
business matter. and thought whilst
I was comm I mought as we'll to fetch
along some Of the good things that
growed ON . first-class farm. She
me over and over. It had been
two months since they had any fruit
At their house and che was jest thinkin
about advertisin IN the paper for a
turkey. Then the children
como in-which I loaded them down
with red apples and pleasant words.
and told them If they would only como
down to our house I would go hay
ridin and chinlypin huntin with them.
and build flying Jenn:es. and dgrapevine
swings, and aee-saws and sich like ti2
they couldn't rest for the fun.
white Ones Ah~ut the uahy.
And in the ira 'nt'--e <idr': tc-~~:
that another ore cf s.~-s simpa!ns