Red River prospector. (Red River, Taos County, N.M.) 1900-190?, 1906-12-20
THOSE HAPPY DAYS
WRITER RECALLS THE DELIGHTS
OF HIS BoYHooD.
When Life Was, More Or Less, One
Continual Round Of Joy-Partieu-
lar Pleasure In Teaching
the Calf to Drink.

Yes, sirl Boyhood's happy days, of
course. We know about that. We
haven't forgotten the Joy of sleeping
in an unfinished loft in winter, when
our breath froze to the bedding and
we had to thaw out with a hot fatiron
every morning.
Morning, tool We got up at four a.
m, pitch dark, "a below zero, and
still going down! We had to get up,
hustle out and feed and milk the low
ing herd, curry the rear elevation of
the family mule, wake the rooster up
to crow. thaw out the pump, chop four
cords of wood and shovel away the
snow to make room for the sun to
risel
Sometimes we went to school in the
winter-not often. Only on the days
when it was too cold and stormy to
go outdoors. Then we sat on a nice.
cool board about so feet away from
the stove and gayly blew at our fin
gers and picked icicles from our hair.
And, as we sat, we listened to a wood
en- image with a teachers license as
he handed us INSTRUMENTATION and per-
manently crippled our intellects.
Then came the merry springtime!
Rise at 1880 a. m. More lowing herd!
The herd lowing owing to the supply
of fodder being low. Then the hired
man, who had hibernated in the for
est, came forth seeking whom he
might make happy with his presence.
And we, being in need of extra joy,
were allowed to sleep with this WOOL
ly hireling, who snored like the boom
of the sad sea waves. He was a good
fellow, this hired man. He taught us
to chew tobacco and swear. These
gentle pastimes procured us more vic!
lent lickings than any other joy in our
whole young life.
No memory is more loaded with joy
germs than the spring crop-working.'
Can we ever forget the blowing? How
we held the pillow when we had to
reach up with a pike pole to get the
handles; how we drove the old plug
team, with the lines around our neck;
how, when the clevis broke, the mares
walked away with our frail body drag
ging behind by the ears? When dark
ness came we stabbed the plugs and
went forth to milk the brindle heifer.
The heifer kicked us across the barn
floor and an old COW obligingly kicked
us back again. Then, when the milk
ing was over, what fun t. turn in and
teach a fool calf to drink! This act
ing as dry nurse to a bandy-legged
calf was one of the most unmixed joys
of all. We tied the calf short, set the
bucket in front of him, got astraddle
Of his neck, stuck two fingers in his
mouth, and with the other hand
jammed his head into the pail. And
all the time we were emptying out
abuse on calves in general and this
lop-eared idiot in particular. This
went on until dad came in and with
loving patience horsewhipped US all
about the place.
Then, when we had carried in the
wood, brought 40 gallons of water
from the spring and eaten about eight
pounds of solid food. we went joyfullyi
upstairs-and came down again imme-
diately to breakfast.
We often dream and wake to weep
for the days gone by when the hay
was ripe. We recall the old swamp
that always had to be cut by hand.
We recall little stones that we rasped
the edge of our blades on. We recall
the pretty snakes we stepped on with
our bare feet. We remember it all
with solemn gladness.
Well, well! How it all comes back
to us!-Chicago Daily News.