The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1903-02-27
CHAPTER V.
AN OLD ACQUAINTANCE.

A gruff clamoring from without,
and tremendous humping on the
side of the building, awakened Ros-
sitter the following day. The unusual
sensation of finding himself in clean
and comfortable bed created for a
brief space a great wonder in his
mind, and it was not until he espied
Joe Becraft sitting upon the edge
of his cot yawning and stretching
himself that he became fully aware
where he was lying. The instant
he scrambled out upon the floor he
knew that the air had changed dur
ing the night, for a fresh breeze
swept in an adjacent window. Drops
of rain glistened in the pale dawn
on the grass where it was not shell
tered by the trees, but Rossiter dis
covered when he went towards the
barn for morning scrub that it was
only the edge of the shower that had
touched the Merton farm. The at
mosphere, however, had cleared and
the dust was laid, so that everyone
was in excellent humor.
AS he came out from breakfast
with the Becrafts two men were
bearing the last double hop-box into
the yard across the way where the
picking was to begin. Presently Jack
Parmelee appeared and announced
that everything was in readiness,
whereat there was a general move
ment towards the yard. The women
and girls had provided themselves
With great sun-hats and = cotton
gloves, and Rossiter observed that
some of the boys had also procured
a protection for their heads.
"Does one need gloves of any
sort?" he inquired of Joe Becraft.
81 don't see that you have any,
Jim an I never use 'em," was the
reply. ''If the vines bother you at
first, you'll find your skin'll get
toughened to 'em after little"
Jack Parmelee had the apportion-
ment of the pickers, and at Ros-
siter's request he was placed at a
box adjoining his friends, where he
could talk across the rows to them.
penter from Illica, who was out of a
job, and his wife and son, boy of
Jim Becraft's age. He fell into pleas
ant conversation with them, and as
they had frequently been in the hop
fields before, they gave him such
simple instruction as was necessary
in regard to picking. Shortly after
operations began an additional Is
pickers arrived from Hintonville, and
the scene became an animated one.
Cries of "Hoppole!" rang up and
down the field. The pole-pullers,
with their hop-dogs (an instrument
for pulling poles consisting of ii
! toothed clamp attached to a stout
strap hung about the necI), hastened
hither and thither supplying the
needs of the pickers, stripping and
4 stacking the poles as fast as the
hops were removed from the vines.
, Acquaintance shouted greetings and
gossip from one box to another,
Then, as the sun grew high, awnings
were suspended for those who OBJ
jected to the heat.
Rossiter thoroughly enjoyed it all
The odor of the hops was delightful
to him, and erelong he found his fin
gers growing nimble, so that he was
gratified to see from the pile in his
box that he was holding his own fair
ly well with his fellow-toilers. BY
and by, shortly after half-past eight,
some one shouted "Hop-sack!"
my goodness" exclaimed the car.
penter's wife, "that's quick work!
They must have dumped Suppose
we try it, Ben, and see how much
we've got"
To dump" Rossiter discovered
meant to empty the hops from one
partially filed box into another, Sc
that they should have less time to
settle. The carpenter at once pro-
ceeded to carry out his wife's sug-
gestion, but when he had finished
they still lacked two inches of hav.
ing one level box.
Lets hustle" said he, perhaps
We'll get the second" They made
their fingers fly, and soon he, too
was yelling "Hop-sack!"
Jack Parmelee speedily appeared
with several bags of coarse stuff un
der his arm, into one of which he
emptied the hops from the now brim,
ming box. Then he handed out q
strip of cardboard upon which was
printed