Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-03-31

made the knives go slashin th'oo the
stalks. Each Oh 'em he'd a Teller follyin
him with a couple O. fresh knives, an
up in n corner O. the tiel' the squire's
hirelin's was a-buzzin the grindstone
sharpin blades. The corn seemed to fall
down, blade after blade like, an what
with the swish o. the knives an the
crack, crack O. the stalks an the yellin
O. the Raccoon valley folks a-sickin on
the teacher an Jake Wingle an Hen Har.
mon 1t was most exoitin. They took six
rows apiecet at a time, an it weren't
long before Teacher Perry, who's most
as good a corn cutter as be is a speller,
got a shock ahead O. the others. Then
he slashed his leg an lost three shocks
while 1t was bein tied up. Jake Wingle
won the lead, an he'd "a kept it, too,
only he got n hand mixed up in the
leaves an took OFF two fingers. That
th'owed him ahint so fer tibet when
time was called he was full eight shock
short O. the teacher, who come in geo.
ond.
"You should a. heard the cheerin
when young Harmon stuck his knife
inter q pumpkin IN walked up to where
the squire an Flory an Pet was standin.
"'Well, Hem says the squire, smil.
In, which un does you want?'
Thet kinder stumped Hen Harmon.
He looked at Flory, then at Pet, then at
Flory ag'in.
why l hain't tho't O. thet,' he
sails, sails be. Really, l hain't an idee.'
Then be kinder blushed a leetle. I've
been settin up with both, he sails.
"This here was a hitch 'et hedn't
been allowed fer. Hen certainly he'd a
right to pick, but ez be couldn't make
up his mind jest which un he wanted it
looked ez though they'd be some delay.
But the squire, he's q cute man-an
unusual cute man.
Girls, he sails, turnin to Pet an
Flory, Hen Harmon was won the right
to the best O. ye. Supposin you uns de-
eide which un's the best by huskin tibet
corn
"Then the valley folks all cheered,
an the girls agreed, an tho the corn
was a leetle green, yet they set right
down, each at a shock, an begin what
be all odds was the grandest thing l
ever look ut. To tell the truth, they
wasn't much to see after all, nothin
but kind O. cloud O. 1yin husks, with
occasional glimpse o. red calico in
the middle. They finished the first
shock e~ven-dead even-an run to an.
other, tored it down, jumped into the
middle an at it ag'in. At the sixth
shock Pet yelled fer a new huskin pin,
fer she'd wored hers clear out. The |
was finished even, an they was
half an hour left. The twins were kind
or winded, an the crowd was winded, |
too. from yellin an sickin 'em on. The
was finished in silence, ex.
pept fer the rattle o. the husks. Jest as
The squire yelled the end i the hour
Pet and Flory gifts up together, each
her fifteenth shock. An when they
hearn the yells an knowed it was over,
an over even, they both jist dropped.
Ez luck would hev it, Pet fell plump
into Hen Harmon's arms, an he gives a
whoop an picks her up an runs across
the feel an throws her inter his buggy
an starts off fer the preachers. Flory
Tell inter Teacher Perry's arms, an he
put her inter his blackboard an licked
up his horse"
IAN what became o. Jawhn Wingle's
'on?" asked the storekeeper, for the man
Raccoon valley had paused for
want Of breath.
Jake Wingle, you mean? Why, he
vent to the preachers with Elite Bum
lie, who'd been nursin his lame hand
turin the huskin tournyment. "-St.
4ouis Republic.