Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1900-05-05
A Turn at Flowing
The Boy Didn't Like the Work, but
Enjoyed the Attendant Sport.
BY Ernest McGafy.
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"Do you really want to try your hand
at the plow?" was Uncle Toms cmark
after breakfast was over.
I'D like to see if l could" said the
boy, "even if get sick of it before
night"
"All right" was his uncle's reply.
but you can't carry the gun with you.
The mules would stampcdr.'
'Why, what would there be to
shoot" said Aunt Fanny.
"Oh, there's blackbirds and kildces
by the barrel" said Uncle Tom.
I'm take my bean shooter" said the
boy, and get enough birds for potpie
by night"
SO. with Il pockrtful of buckShot and
his rubber weapon he was ready for
the fray. The farm was one of 80
acres. 1t was rolling country and
fenced in by the old fashioned barbrSS
wire fences. The soil was dark lean
and easily worked. There was sand
enough SO that a plow would Scour
fairly well, and there were no rocks.
The boy had watched his uncle plow
the day before. and it did not seem
very hard work. So, with light plow
and the old team, he started in with
considerable confidence. The rcins
We're crossed over his shoulder and un-
der his arm. and the novelty of the job
appealed to his curiosity He grasprd
L.. 1, Al.
an assuring Cit up!' His instructions
were not to hold the ploWSharc too
deep in the soil or he would be hoistrd
into the air by the combination of the
lines around him and the leverage of
the earth's surface. and for the first
200 yards he gingcrly scraped along al
most on top of the ground.
Then he remembered that this was
not plowing. and he "h'istcd" up the
handles and dug into the bowels of the
earth. 1t was a long pull and Il strong
pull and a pull all together as he rc-
membcrcd it aftcrward. and it ended
by his being Slung over the tops of the
plow handles ana deposited in the dirt.
The plow had been turned upside down
in the furrow, and his hat had been
scrapcd off by the lines. The near
mule bcamcd on him pityingly. and his
back felt as if part of it had been pull
ell out and thrown away. Then he rec
objected about not digging in too deep
So he braccd himself and took hold Of
the plow handles again. y long stretch
of comparatively level ground assisted
I,i. Of,
time. 1t was vast and awful dis
tance across the field for the first fur
row, and his uncle was mere Speck
at the other end. When he got to the
end of the furrow, he found the wire
fence, and beyond was limitless en-
panse of rolling prairie stretching
down to the timber line of the TarkiO
river. Outside of the fence were sew
eral furrows. which, his uncle had ex-
planned, were to keep the prairie fires
from coming in and burning the fence
posts.
He turned the mules and started
back on the blowing. The loose loan
broke under his bare feet, and the fur
row crumblcd down and archcd ahead
of the plow like the back of an angry
hog. There was steam, light, misty,
almost impalpablc, that rose up from
the clOven hide of the old brown earth.
Far in the west n bank of white clouds
lay furlcd in the blue skies. He held
the plow more steadily now, and when
the share began to sink too deep he
eased it up without jerking the point
free from the furrow.
The turning point was reached again,
and again he halted. From the line of
cOttOnwOods that fianked one side Of
the field came down troop of black
birds, clacking and gossiping, in their
quest for grubs. bugs and angleworms.
First in size and Importance were the
gorgeous purple gracklcs, or crow
blackbirdS. They were the autocrats of
the blackbrd tribe and most important
and busy when engaged on foraging
expeditions such as these. They were
followed by the more sober hued COW
blackbirdS in great numbers. and as
the team drew away and the furrow's
line heightened out the scouts of the
expedition came in close to the plow.
boN SOI HIS DtiIl
shooter within easy reach, and as the
birds lined along the furrow he stopped
The mules.
The nearest hlackbird was a big pur-
pie grackle. The boy drew the rubbcrs
back, q bullet flew as the rubber bands
snapped, and the blackbird doubled up
in the furrow with a bullet in his
breast. Putting in another bullet, the
boy took another shot at the next bird,
which had not noticed the almost
noiseless effect Of the shot. Fair and
true the second bullet went to its
mark, ana n second blackbird dropped
TO the shot. Going back. the boy pick
ed up the two birds. and the rest seat
tered back along the furrow. Putting
the lines across and under, he started
along the furrow again. Again the
birds drew up, and again he got two
shots at them, getting one bird and
just grazing another When he got to