Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1898-08-02
CITY HELP IN hAYlN,.

| because l had seech dern'd mean help.
How did l happen ter git sech help!
Well, Ill Jest tell yer.
Here along about three weeks afore
twas time ter begin hayin' got letter
from my fust wife's sister, who lives In
Borstin, ssyin' her two oldest boys had
jest got through from college and would
like ter make me visit, and at the same
time git leetle outdoor exercise, and
would like nothin' better than ter help
me hay 1t. She said they had been ter
work In the gymnasium "a sort Of una
chine shop, take it, and were all hard
ened up, and would make extra good
help. So wrote her ter tell 'em ter
come.
jest about three days srter wrote
her, got letter with u ten-cent stamp
on it, tellin' me ter meet 'em on the 10 10
train the comm Tuesday.
So when the day arrived hsrnessed
up old Dobbin and rode down ter the
station. The train that mornin' was
about two hours late, but | hung around
town till she come in.
| was 'spectin' ter see couple OF six
footers, With their own hsyin' tools, and
all ready 10 begin work, but here Is dis
appointed.
1 waited and waited, looking all the
time for my men, Til everybody on the
platform had left with the exception Of
q kind Of CANT looking fellar, with nose
glasses on, who stood clean ter the fur
therest end Of the walk, and was sorter
gszin' at wood pile Jest across the track.
Thinking perhaps he might have seen
or heard something OF my men, | walked
over, and gently tappin' him on the
sholder. said says 'hsve you seen or
heard nothin' OF couple OF strappin'
great fellsrs csrrryin' u scythe and sneth
aud no knowin's what all, that's looking
fer a JOB In hayin'yr He said he had not
seen any sech persons. Then explain
ed nv situation, and told him | was
'spectin' my grandchildren down from
the Hub, ter give me lift in hayin'. but
they hadn't shown up yet.
At this he sorter orighten'd up, moved
his nose glasses leetle, and said: Says
he, "Is this Uncle Josiah Pettibone
whom we are Ia visit this summer
Says |, That's my name"
"Well, says he, II was just looking
for you. had begun to think you were
not coming, and so my brother just went
down TO engage hack TO take Us out,
but so long ss you are here we shall not
need Ii, so | will 90 aud tell nv brother"
IL was much rs five minutes afore
could collect nv thoughts and make my
self believe that he was one Of the two !
had come after.
While he was gone after his brother,
set ter work 10 look up their baggage.
The fust thing | struck was n couple OF
bicycles, looked like new ones then
came ter two wholoppin' great trunks,
four extension vslises, and bag OF old
clothes that their father had sent me.
This wound up their baggage, and l had
Jest finished loadin' the stuff into my ex
press wagon when the young fellar
arrived with his brother.
Well. | never. IL ever yer saw spin
a real white-livered one, that
wouldn't weigh 30 pounds srter 4 good
square meal, you can imagine about how
that chap looked. Why, he couldn't
lift = pitchfork, say nothin' about pitchin'
hay, the fust one | saw looked like a
iigh,in' man aside OF him.
After n while We got loaded In and
stsrted for home. had begun To feel
kind Of sick OF nv bargain, but want
sgoin ter kick till saw how they pann-
ed out.
No,hin' worth mentioniu' happened
Til we got home and had been ter din
ner, and then as | had some business
down in the south part Of the town,
told the boys they might bunch up 4
H. In he. shar rl
IL they didn't feel too tired. They said
they would like nothin' better, 80 left
'em ter do il. When got home II was
most dark. hut thought I'd just step
out around the house and see what kind
Of a Job OF bunchin' they'd done. What
kind do YOU s'pose; Well, I'll be dern'd
II they hadn't dragged every straw of
that er hay into one big heep, right
under big shade tree which stood at the
corner Of the orchard.
didn't say nothin' that night, but
thought would explsin 10 'em In the
mornin' how ter bunch, and then set
'sm ter mowin' by hand In the swamp
Jest below the house. Mornin' came.
and about 10 O'Clock | managed ter git
them er fellsrs out OF bed. They said II
wss rather earlier than they were in the
hsbit OF gettin' up, but 'sposed they
might as well get used ter rising early In
the fust OF IL.
went out TO finish spreading some
hay, and told them 10 take the rakes and
come out as soon as they got somethin'
to eat. About half an hour later, hap
pened to glance up, and jest In time TO
catch a glimpse of that white-livered
scamp, who was just In the rear OF his
brother, going as fast as he could send
that er bicycle Of his. That WAS the last
| saw OF them that day.
The next day they crawled out OF bed
Jest in time ter git dinner, and about two
hours after came ssunterin' out into
the field where was ter work, with a
picture box or something another they
had ter take pictures with, and asked me
IL s'posed il would be 80 l could "show
'em over the beech" any that afternoon"
| told them as pleasant as | could (for l
was billing mad) that there was not any
beech in this vicinity, but thought they
might get Bill Jones, who lived next
neighb0r, ter take 'em up the stream.
They said he didn't ''cut no ice." told
them he did, that he'd cut Ice on that
ere stream for going on nine years, and
knew every crook and turn there was In
IL.
They laughed and laughed til their
nose glasses dropped of and then they
left. was Just ready mad, now, tell
YOU, but knowed better than ter COM
mence least should say more'n ought
TO. and likely nuff scare that youngest
scamp into fit, so | kept still and let
'em go il their own way. The next day
| went off and got man ter help me
finish up hsyin', for II had waited for
them er fellers ter help, I'D been hauling
nv hay in on a sled next winter.
As tbs, I'm done, and my city relations
have returned TO Borstin, for which 1
haint sorry) and IL ever i git any more
letters from city folks wsntin' chance
ter work for the exercise they git out OF
il, | shall jest write back 70 'em and tell
'em that I've just engaged all the help |
need. but am just as much obliged 70
them for their generous offer. would
say no,hin' sgin nobody, but AS sort oil
a warning to the good farmers who are
situated as l am, will say; that OF all
the dern'd mean help in hayin' thet l
ever saw, the city folks beats 'em all
Maine Farmer.
The Board Of Agriculture's figures OF
three quarters Of full crop OF apples
are altogether too high, and are about
on a par with its early estimates year
aoo of shout a half a crOp. when there