The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1898-10-04

good is more than the bad. Indeed. the
scriptures tell us that all things work to
| gether for good to those who love God.
Certain it is that our little girl has pass
ed the crisis safely and is now slowly bul
surely recovering from that long protract-
ed fever. There is more good in this
than there is bad in all our little troubles.
1t rains every day and all we can do is
to sympathizc with our neighhors and
| friends who have lost fodder and pea
vine hay. and can assure the farmers
that it will stand more rain than any
other hay if the windows are opened and
aired as often as the sun shines. 1t will
lose its color. but stock will eat it greed
lily when it does get dry.
Our old cook is down sick and we can't
get a substitute, for the darkies-women
and children-are all in the cotton fields
taking their chances between sunshine
and showers. SO we are running the
machinery Of kitchen and chamber in Il
very economical way. Bread and butter
and toast and br0iled steak and fried
egs and coffee and milk are good enough
for anybody. and we are getting along
splendid. | make the fires and bring III
the wood and help to wash the dishes.
We are all fond Of chicken, but not fond
enough to Kill them and prepore them
for the oven. \ large old oak in our
grove has been dying for two or three
years, and so / hired Il man to cut it
down and saw it up for the stove. He
couldn't find Il helper, and so | had to
hitch myself on to one end of the cross
cut. | used to do that in a lively man
ner when on my farm getting out boards,
and | haven't altogether lost the lick,
though | Il lost Il part of the con-
tinuance. By and by | concluded to
show what a man could GO. anH so /
took off one handle of the saw and ran
it alone. Yes. it is a fact that 1 cut
off four blocks all solitary and alone by
myself with nobody to hesp me. | can
prove it, if necessary, for our female
neighbors across the street recOnnoitered
and watched me and smiled sweetly. and
the passing people drove slow to see me
break down. and old Judge Wikie. who
always steps exactly three feet. shorten
ed up and sat down and camped en- the
sidewalk and wondered and waited for
me to surrender. and our family doctor
hailed me to quit and 60 home. When |
was about used up my wife came and
ordered me to stop it at once and l stop,
ped. These people around here never
saw an old man run a crOSS-cut all by
himself and they never will again, /
reckon. But there's life in the old man
yet. All this time my man Webb was
chopping and splitting up the blocks.
and so III recourse of time we got it all
sawed up and split up into stove wood
and it made eight wagon loads. The
tree was two and Il half feet In diameter
for forty feet up, and right where the
limbs all branched out was Il hollow
about two feet deep and out of that hol-
| 1n~ two n1.,,,, 70, 1,nr-,, Yr1n, H..
tree came crashing down. Webb cut
down the tree and Webb saw the pos
sums first and caught them. AS he was.
putting their tails in the split Of Il limb
says l. "What are you going to do with
them?' Take 'em home" says he.
Well, / didn't want the animals, but [
got to eliminating about the law of
"Ferae naturae" that | studied in Black
stone. and so to tease him / said: why,
Webb, these are my 'possums; they are
on my land and in my tree, ana must
be my 'possums.' 'NVhy, boss" said he.
"how's dat? | goes 'possum huntin' or
rabbit huntin' and it don't make any diff
ference where | catch EN-. dey is mine.
amt dey, onless lie Ian is posted. And
Ross, your Ian wasn't posted and hain't
even got a fence round it Webb laugh
ed like he was sure he had me. But
see here said l, L didn't hire YOU to
hunt 'possums; [ hired YOU by the day
to clt wood and all your time is mine
and your labor is mine. and according
to the law the 'possums are mine"
Webb wasn't satisfied and finally pro
posed to divide the spoils, but ! gave up
my claim. | have since submitted the
question to learned members of our bar
and find that they differ. Now, / would
like to know how those 'possumS found
that hollow treSe right here in the heart
of the town. What instinct told them
there was Il hallow in the top of that tree?
But | am not running Il 'posSum ranch,
for ever since that 'possum supper at
Newman | haven't taken much stock
in possum meat or 'possum politics..
Neither has Colonel Gambler. He likes
rabbit-foOt better, but he didn't need
either to put him at the head of the
column. j had a periodical visit the 9th
cr day from my old copartner. Judge
Branham. Not old, but now young
again since his salt water baths on Long
Island. We talked about Colonel Cand-
Ter and the coming election of course.
and the judge became enthusiastic and
said: He is some kin to me through
the Anthonys and Coopers. The kin is
some distance up the line. but the blood
is there and neither of US are ashamed
of 1t. DR.. Miller was as rich and rare
in conversation as Ben Johnson and he
said to me: If a man is qualified to
make Il good administration of a dead
mans estate he will make Il good gov
ernor.'
This is true" continued Branham.
"A good governor should be honest. in
telligent. cultured. fearless and firm.
Allen Gambler has every one of these
characteristics. He will administer the
affairs of state with a firm, unfaltering
hand, without regard -to the personal
interests of himself or of his friends. His
election IS assured and he will succeed
himself if he desires to do so. The per-
pie know his honest. solid. sterling char
acter. They do not simply believe it
after a political fashion, but they know
1t. 1t makes no difference how many
politicians or journals may antagonize
| him thpv cannot cbanna Tho nn1li. ,,;.l