The new enterprise. (Madison, Fla.) 1901-1908, 1903-12-17

make them tread that hay down in the
NOV. My need Of aid was pressing.
ran out to the lane and called the
colts through the yard into the barn,
then led them across the barn door
and urged them into the NOW. The
hay was just about level with the
barn floor when l drove them In, and
put up a board to keep them from
coming out. The Whitcomb load was
half of by this time; but pulled a
part Of it bnck, and then. bringing a
horsewhip from the wagon house, l
ran those colts up and down the NOW.
They were fine, plump. heavy colts.
and the way they tramped that herds
grass down was JOY to behold.
The Whitcomb cart had no sooner
backed out Of the barn floor than in
came our cart with its second load.
Napoleon had loaded it hastily, for
the sky was darkening.
"Pltch it off! Roll it of" exclaimed
to the hired man. "Ill take care Of
1t! III stow 1t now as fast as all Of
you can bring it to mev'
l would wait till had half a rack
load OF 1t rolled back and distributed
about a little; then would get up on
the front girders with the horsewhip
and send those colts back and forth,
from one end of the long bay to the
other. Eight feet are much better
than two for treading down hay, and
the difference between 140 pounds Of
boys and 1900 pounds Of colt was at
once apparent. 1t was a great scheme!
Meanwhile the loads came in hurry
and haste. One was no sooner pitched
off to me than another was ready.
We were all working as swiftly as pos
slble. But while throwing of the
eighth load our hired man suddenly
stopped, leaned on his fork, and began
to laugh.
SAY" he drawled, II s'pose you
see that this haymow is film up
pretty fast. 1t is up to the front beams
now. 'Tain't any O my business, but
how are you goin' to git the colts down
olf'n the mowT
In the heat and hurry Of the emer-
gency / had not thought Of that, and
they were being elevated higher and
higher with every load. In fact, they
were up nine or ten feet above the
barn floor already; too high for them
to jump down without breaking their
legs.
The hired man stood and laughed,
"Those colts'll be up in the roof Of the
barn when this field of hay is in"
said he.
When he drove out to the Geld he
told Napoleon Of the fix was getting
into with the colts, and Policy came
running in to sec about it.
That's a pretty go" he exclaimed.
"What will Grandpa Adams say?
don't think you ought TO have taken
those colts for such a Job, The dust
is making them cough
"Well, they might Just as we'll be
on the great beams as where they
are" said 1. "Now they are up here. l
am going to keep them at it till this
hay is i'm
Therell be the mischief to pay If
gr0ndpa finds it out" replied Napo-
leon. He hurried back to the field,
however, for the cart was waiting.
l felt rot a little anxious about
the situation; but the loads were
coming think and fast AS l could
could not get the colts down, 1 kept
them treading, and getting higher with
every load. The rain did not begin
until nearly five o'clock, and we hauled
in eighteen big loads of that herds
grass, there were only about two loads
that became too wet to get in.
But those eighteen loads had filled
that haymow quite up to the great
beams of the barn. AS the hired man
had anticipated, the cots were up in
the top of that high barn with hardly
room to stand under the roof. Truth
to say, too, they were hot and sweaty.
The men from Mr.. Whitcombs went
off home, laughing over it; as for
Napoleon and me, the more we studied
the problem Of getung the colts down,
the more difficult it looked. We set
long ladder and carried up two
buckets Of water to them, and let them
stand in the hay and eat what they
wanted. In fact, we were tired out
with our hard afternoons work, and
there were the cows n milk, and all
the barn chores to Go. 1t was Satur-
day night and our hired man went
home.
While we were milking we heard
Grandpa Adams calling the colts. 1t
was now raining hard, and he had
come over to see that they had
opportunity to get under the barn
yard sheds.