St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1897-07-24

workers out Of . job with nothin ia
do and so scandalous hungry till he
didn't know where he would sleep that
night.
From the way he talked and the
way he looked thought the pore, on.
happy devil must be in cold, dead ear
nest. In the fullness Of my weak and
tender heart told him would give
him somethin to eat and somethin to
do, providin he would take the whole
contract. The next thing knowed I
was traded with on the spot. He went
on around to the kitchen and worried
down the grule. Then he spat upon his
hands and made out like he was Jest
naturally itchin and achin to put in
q few ticks of good honest work.
'Now rally didn't have anything il.
particular for him to do, Rufe. I was
jam up with my crop and had then
been fumblin and foolin around for
several days smoothin down the edges
and knockin on the high places. But
put on my thinkin cap and rummaged
around for some honest work to give
that tramp. had three acres planted
in corn over on a red hillside, and il
had come up mighty bad missin. II
was my plans and intentions to replant
that cut with COOLERS, and at odd times
of nights and at noon-me and the
children had done already shelled out
the COOLERS to do the work with. I
went and got half a peck of them nice
shelled COOLERS and give them to the
tramp. Then l went over in the field
with him, showed him what t. do and
how to do it, and left him there With the
job in his hands. At dinner time he
come in tired and hungry like man
which had been hard at work. He
climbed up around three plates Of
spring greens. with meat and bread &C.
cordin, for dinner. Late along in the
shank of the evenin he turned up oncst
more at the house and lowed that he
was done the job. Nofhin would do
but I must 60 over there in the field
with him and see that he had done as
/ could see where he had
pecked through the corn with a hoe
and left the proper signs in every missin
place. So in pursuance of the contract
which we had made paid him IS cents
in good sound free silver and he went
on his way rejoicin.
SWELL, in the due fullness of time
went over in the field one day to see how
my goober crop was comm on, and
it, they never had come at all.
And they never did come, Rufe. any to
speak of. All and in all 1 think found
seven goober vines in the whole three
mere field. The durn tramp never did
plant EN-. Rufe-that is to say, he never
did plant EN- in the native soil of that
corn field. Doddurn him, he planted
EN- in his bread basket or toted EN- off
in his pockets, one or the other, and
maybe partly both. Anyhow, he only
went through the motion in regards
to the work, whilst he cooked me done
as q cracklin for two square meals, half
. peck Of nice shelled COOLERS and IS
cents to boot, in passin.
He HAS Weanea En- Now.
"But let me tell you, Rufe, I'll be ever
lastingly gummed up if haven't put
the final fixments on en- this year. The
tramps haven't lost anything around
our house here lately, and there amt
D blame thing on my place now which
Tramp needs in his business. They do
come pillagin and pirootin around oncst
IN awhile, but dadblame EN-, they don't
larry and remain over with VI this
any to speak of.
'How did manage, and what have I
lone? Along in the fall of last year
didn't do a blame thing but take all
the field hands out and split IA cords Of
oak and hickory wood. Then had the
wood all stacked upin one long, high pile
,ut there by the well in the back yard
didn't put the wood there to cut It up
md make fires with it indurin of the
winter time, you understand. / put It
here for the tramps. We had the blazin
good fires all right. but give out gen.
.ral orders that nobody mustn't cut
marry blessed stick of wood outen that
Zig pile. It didn't belong to me any
more. It was stacked up there for
he tramps.
And, now, Rufe. you would laugh
ind laugh till you could just naturally
oil down and wallow in it if you could
zee the tremendous movin influence
which that big pile of hard, seasoned
'ak and hickory wood can bring tc
YEAR upon a pair of able-bodied
ramps. When they come up to
he front gate and want a bite
# something to eat, all have got
o do is to tell 'em all right and send
EN- around to the kitchen. The minnit
hey pass around the corner Of the house
md catch sight Of that 14-cord pile
I wood, with two good axes layin
round convenient, burned il they don't
all over one another cleanin up and
,ettin away from there. 1t is worse
han a dost Of high life or sperits of
"Some two or three weeks ago pair
f the boys passed along the railroad.
nd one left the main line and come by
ur house to draw their rations. As
sual, l sent him on around to the
,itchen, but he never got that far.
Blamed il it didn't look like he would
amt at the very sight of our wood pile. |
'hen it would seem like he took curva-
ure of the spine, and the latest flying
aachine is nothin, RUFF, to the move
nent which he took unto himself as
DON rs he recovered sufficiently to re-
ume business. In his big hurry to alb |
he didn't take time to open the |
ront gate, and he snaggled a duplex
oncurve in the seat of his breeches as |
e went over the picket fence and made |