The farmer and mechanic., 1906-05-29

hetriuE II for 10 other rea@al Z"
Shows hat q kind hearted old Eef .Ic-
man Uncle Billy Is even - d-inb
LTnfe@-
somebody ha1 told him tna best
Way - hrcak a young steer vas 10
yoke him 70 a pair # shafts and lurn
him loose t. 20 where he pleas ~0
tho steer "a.- thus yokcd au1 a-.ag
turned ddTIft he walked of dra ~ Eag
tho shafts after him. II hadI gone
far. however. before ne got s4l.eu and
iaIi down. Uncle Billy Vsta rira .1t.I
Went 10 his aid. and using every in-
ducemcut that he Thought would D.
hkeIs to move a steer ne failed utterly
" bulge him Ther. ne las tnd
would not 80 much uS bat his "se@.
Uncle 3illy went for Il bundle ot tod-
der s. hlch he scattered in front ~ me
steer in a. tempting manner - he
knew how. But the steer would not
move. Night finally came or ana. tho
weather being very cold. Uncle ElllS
got an old bed quilt or TWO and covered
him nicely. having first unhitChed nim
from the shafts, The next morning,
bright and early. Uncle Billy FASTENED
out. and there lay the steer not haE-
ing moved an inch from his original
position During all Int day every
device was reSortel to by Uncle
Billy that any one else ever tried. TO
make that steer move. but ta-rc he lay
his eyes set. His tail was twisted and
faggotS Of fire We're used. nubbiuS Of
corn were temptingly held close t. his
mouth, but there he lay. A. night
came on and it began to snow a shell
ter was built over the steer and he
was again covered with quilts. Next
morning, partly covered in snow. there
he lay. AT length Uncle Billy sum
moned help and by putting strong
cloths under him tie steer was carried
back to the lot and placed in It dry
.+.,II -Tr- l1r-..
thing could be. Feeling that all had
been done for the poor beast that
ne could do. Uncle Billy and his help
started to the house expecting. of
course that in few hours the yearl-
ing would breathe his last Before go-
ing into the house he happened To
look back and. to his great surprise
the Aearling was walking about the
lot, picking up shucks and was as
gay rs any other yearling."
no" said Uncle Billy, II never
hitchcd him uD any more. ] let a
negro have him and he pulled a ploW
all right for him. / don't know why
he acted rs he did unless it was be-
cause he felt like | had dissraccd him
by hitching him To a pair Of shafts
instead of a cart. and he had to pout
about it
This story reminds me If another.
My father bought a likely negro wo-
man. when was u boy-aS healthy
looking woman as anNbodyS negro.
But she pot sick. and. Notwithstanding
the very best doctors attended her she
got no better but grew worse all the
time. OF course she could not work.
but. on the contrary she had to he
Eurscd and waited on by others
There She lay and to hear her talk
her pains and suffernGs were quite
sufficient to have killed an elephant
For Years she kept her bed, and no
. IL
to walk. But one morning when Sher-
man s army reached Raleigh, like Uu-
Gle BillN'S Ncarling she arose and
walked out. In her newborn free
dom She sailed around the premises
telling the other negroes that she had
never been sick a day in her life. but
had been feigning sickness to keep
from having TO work. | guess that
was tho way with Uncle Billy's steer
didn't want to work for him. steers
and negro women are not the only
shams in this world. however.
IN the course of a long life | have
seen many people who grunted and
complained of feeling mighty bad
when they did not wish to do any
hing. School boys who have not stud
led their lessons Will persuade their
dear mothers to believe they are not
feeling very well, but if allowed to
stay al home they very soon begin to
feel better. And | know a host of
men who feel mighty bad" Sunday
morning about church time. but are
hearty enou"h about dinner time.
Feeling mighty bad" is a cheap and
Easy way to keep from doing what
one does not wish to do.
SO. as | can not account for the
strange conduct of Uncle BiHy's steer
n any other way. | must conclude n
was feeling "mighty bad" when he |
saw work ahead, but felt better when F!
he had been ''toted'' back to the lot |
That was a smart steer.