The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1898-03-05
A TON OF HAY.
BY GEORGE L. TEEPLE.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Ir ALL happened beeau.e nenr!

TT ALL happened because Henry,
being a greenhorn from the city,
JAILED to understand that loading hay
l., in its way. one of the fine arts. The
mistake was natural enough. II you
have never watched atientiyely while a
Lad was being made up, you can hardly
realize how eunningly-eontriyed piece
OF architecture it is.
Henry was second cousin OF ours,
aud had come out TO the farm that sum
Iner for the first time. lie was tall,
powerful fellow. who had won the ham
mer throw ut his intercollegiate games
and was proud of il. Finding MS in the
thick of haying he at once said TO him
self that here was just the way to keep
in training. SO the next morning after
his arrival he rather patronizlngly OF
fered to take Uncle Johns place on the
load.
Uncle John hesitated. "Did ye ever
load hay" he asked.
"Neyer touched a pitchfork in my
life" said Henry.
"Then / guess ye hadn't better try it,"
said Uncle John.
Henry glanced down at his big bieeps
and thought Of that winning hammer
throw, and of the glory and fame Of H..
lie not able to load hay 1t was really
too funny, and he smiled superior
smile at Uncle Johns rustic simplicity.
A shrewd twinkle suddenly lighted
l.. Al 80 l. pf
eye. "Well, s'pose We try it," said he;
and as we started for the field, Bill, the
farmland, vainly tried TO conceal a
grin behind the horny breadth Of his
big palm.
'What great, hulking, lubberly sim
plteton of fellow that Bill is" thought
Henry to himself.
My brother Teddy nudged me In the
ribs, then he slyly drew down one under
eyelid. Dye see anything green inmy
eye?" he whispered, We had to fall to
wrestling in the bottom of the wagon to
relieve our feelings.
Henry was really a sight worth see
ing as he posed on the wagon-rack and
tossed the hay about with easy power,
pitching il much further than was nee
essary, just TO show us green country
folk how easy this sort OF thing was
20 college athlete.
The twinkle in Uncle Johns eyes
grew shrewder. "Pooiy hefty Teller,
amt YEP" he remarked
Henry assented with nonchalant
smile. Bill, the farmland, grinned
wider. IL doesn't do, you know, TO toss
hay about the rack with easy power any
farther than is necessary AT haphazard
\ good load Is built up as solidly and
Systematically as a stone wall, so that
81 will outride rough roads and windy
weather with perfect safety Henry's
load, as he described il afterward
looked like the head OF hair on a foot
ball half-back, after hard scrimmage,
magnified some 80 or 60 diameters.
"Fine-lookin' load ye're maxim"
said Uncle John, smiling benignly.
Teddy and ! snickered. Henry said
nothing. He was beginning to realize
hat something was wrong.
The edges Of the load were crumbling
away and tumbling off in the most I'M
accountable fashion. One entire corner
started for the ground, and Was only
rescued by the most heroic efforts Of
Uncle John and Bill. The farmhand's
grin widened TO porientous dimen-
SONS.
Henry grew nervous. II was with a
great sigh of relief that he took on the
last cock aud started for the barn. But
he end was not yet. The road was
rough and his nervousness returned rs
he felt the wretched load quake aud
slide at every jolt II WAS going TO
pieces under him like rotten raft in q
choppy sea. Close behind him. he
knew, we followed, gloatiue already. be
YVES sure, over his expected humilia-
lion. lie could fairly feel Uncle Johns
lseen eyes fixed on his Back. and he
heard or was il only his tortured i'm.
aginaiion? q chuckle Of auiicipaiory
triumph fren the fiend Bin