The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-11-08
Was a Merry Huskin' Bee

he said would be rnere waiting for us was
not in sight when he left the electric car,
and we had a four-niIe walk over one Of
those Glastonbury roads, so muddy that
1t would make the Slough of Despond
look like an asphalt9payement. My pat
ent feathers looked asst were a sewer
laborer when we reached the farm house.
We saw light and heard voices in the
barn, and on entering found a lot of
scrawny looking girls and women huddled
in one corner, while a lot of big, hulking
farm laborers and gawks stood in an
other, hands in pockets, looking at each
other like a lot of cattle waiting for feed
time. My olfactory senses are pretty keen,
but l failed to discover any scene of new
mown hay. There was, however. a pro-
nounced stencil madetup of horse and
COW smell. harness and axle grease. The
girls giggied at my friend and me as If
we were Punch and Judy show, and the
pumpkins eyed US with hostility.
while we were accommodating, a sour
faced looking farmer came in and tried
to smile so hard we heard his face crack.
Everybody said, Hello, Eli!
g That's right, boys,i n gels, too he
said; go right ahed an hev good time.
1 guess mebbe yew'H find the corn outen
the fust field tew the right. Ez soon s
yew bring it in yew kin git tew huskin'.'
We'll, We wallowed our way to that
field ankle deep in soft earth, and filled
our arms with wet, undiscovered ears of
corn. Suit of clothes ruined. When it
was all piled on the barn floor the farmer
dumped some wet straw down. think
it was the previous nights bedding for
his cattle.
g Thar he said, "thar,s suthin' nice an
kumfertable fer yew to sit on. Guess yeW
kin git tew huSkin' meow. can't yeW!
We'll, we began huskin, and as we
husked my throat got husky. and could
feel ehills and fever sending skirmisherS
up to my spine. 1t was so cold my teeth
The farmers wife came in, and If l ever
get hold of sour apple pie as sour as her
face I'll stop smoking.
" 'Hain't huskin' very fast. be they,
Hiram she said to her husband, with
look that would have turned milk.
- No, they hain't,' he replied Guess
mebbe Their hain't enuff red ears
"There wasn't an ear there that WASH
red with cold. s..,,,,
eff YOU fellers want suthin to drink
TIN wells right handy Hiram toid US
and then he dumped a basketfui OF nan
rotten, worm eaten apples on the Iioot;
There was just one girl IN tne ioI
with some pretenSionS to pretLlness.
found the first red ear of corn. and. gong
over to this petticoat, tried TO KISS hei:
I got blow on the nose from an ear 9i
corn that made me see stars ana re 1dt u
while the pumpkins laughed like lot OF
horses neighing for'lLoats. There We're
one or two more ears found and the farm
hands. seizing the hands OF girl IN one
of their own and taxing Hef ny tiS I lioii
with the other, would kiss her as II tney
were eating hurried meal Of corn beer
and cabbage. %
I'm afraid my disgust showed plainly
on my face. We got the corn hasked
about midnight and some one suggested
that we clear the floor for dancing.
We'll said Hiram, I'd like tew ac-
this ere corn to market in the mornin'
an git UP purity early. SO / guess mebDe
it's bed time meow
'tAs We went out heard some one say:
.I.et's give that city Teller what's been
putin on airs a rail ride"
They did. That s. where the reel came
in for me. I fought as best | could. pul
until / was half Dead gave me this eye
and carried me half way to the car sta
ton on g rail little less sharp than
knife. They were a husky lot.
Lets go to the bar
And they did-Hartford (Conn) COR
respondence New York Tribune.