The Washington herald., 1907-04-07

! Vice President Fairbanks next week win
/ become a farmer. 1t should not be in
ferred from this that he has decided 10
abandon his official position. for his a5dl-
cation viii last-weI. only until he
chooses to terminate it,
/ Dir. Fairbanks was born in a DOLLHOUSE
and reared on the farm. and he has a
/ deep and abiding love for the country.
/ When ne was ID practicing attorney he
had habit Of going every year TO his
Illinois farm. which he has now owned
nearly three decades. but public life with
| its pressing duties. caused him to aban-
don these annual trips. This year. with
no official matters Immediately demand
/ ing his attention, writes Louis Ludlow. ia
the Indianapolis Star, be intends 10 20
/ to the farm and make up for lost time
by remaining just as long as he likes.
| Newspaper paragraphers have long
harped on Mr.. Fairbanks fondness for
buttermilk. and he has never denied the
| soft Impeachment. No one appears %
have discovered, however. thar he is just
as fond of corn bread as he is OF butter
milk. bat such is the fact A steamiHg
Icorndodger generously overspread with
rich country butter. is TO him the ne plus
ultra Of yictuals.
shines as Thrashfng Hand.
/ Mr.. Fairbanks does not 20 10 his farm
I IN the capacity OF an idle 0Verseer. NexE
week he viii be plunged In farm work
up 10 his armpits. he likes 20 pillow. snd
( is very skillfuI hand a. breaking up'
/ The soil preparatory 10 the spring sowing.
/ II is as a thrashing hand, however, that
be has made his greatest reputation. He
/ likes to pitch wheat, and has spent many
a day in the broiling sun tossing up the
yellow sheaves, while, as the Irishman ia
the weI-known story observed, "the man
on the wagon did the work" Mr. Fair
/ banks. when young man, was aa ex-
pert band cutter, but Of late years his
work around thrasher has run chiefly
I TO feeding the machine.
/ Mr.. Fairbanks admitted that he IS
going to the farm next week to help
along with the spring work When asked
/ TO relate his most interesting experience
as farmer he told the following.
/ 7 suppose I have had about the usual
run of experiences that have fallen 20 the
+ lot of every boy who grew up on a farm.
! II is not soft SNAP By any means. but.
after all. there is nothing like the fresh
air and hard work Of the country 10 give
a man q zest and appetite and enjoyment
/ Of life.
When I was a young man on the farm
X usually fell 10 my lot 20 cut bands
thrashing time. In those days a thrash
ing machine was quite a different looking
affair from those now in use The feeding
was done only from one side. I was armed
With long. sharp knife, such rs might
have excited the admiration of AIr Bowie
Fhimself
when the Band-knffe Slipped.
u shall never forget an experience
had one day with one Of the odd charac-
tsrs of the neighborhood, who Insisted on
giving the thrashermen an illustration Of
| the fine art of feeding a machine. He
used both hands in a series OF most won
derful curves aud gestures. and while he
was heaving TO one side in an effort. 10
/ demonstrate one Of the delicate points OF
/ the business he brought his hand directly
/ under. my bowie knife. The blood spurfed
and my heart sank. for I felt that I h4d
almost murdered him. We helped him 10
a pump not far away and bathed his
/ hand, and We soon found 70 our great
satisfaction that he was not seriously
injured never heard OF him giving a
| lesson IN feeding q machine after that.
His Brother TricI1ed Him.
"A few years ago" continued lIr. Fair
banks, my brother out in Illinois plave5
what I shall always consider IA mean trick
on me. I had been kept close to my desk
/ for long time, and while was in per-
fectly good health. my muscles were not
I in as robust a condition as if I had been
engaged in manual occupation in the
open air It was thrashing time when 1
arrived at the farm, and was seized with
a desire to once more feed the thrashing
machine. 1t was quite a different looking
machine from the kind had been used
/ to when q boy It fed from both sides.
and ] must say it had a most capacious
nav. There were band cutters on both
sides, instead Of one. and they were quick
and alert.
when I climbed upon the platform I
felt thai I was living my b0yhood davs
over again, but ] soon discovered my
mistake Feeding had ceased to be a
slow. easy, and agreeable process. The
sheaves virtually rained down uDon rue.
and the cylinders seemed to be revolving
at the rate Of thousand revolutions a
minute The dust was so thick one could
eitIllost nave CUT il Win "a knife. To got
int my throat and windpipe and almost
chOked me. I regret To say thar I was
; forced 10 show the white feather. but
such is the fact
L afterward learned that when
climbed upon the platform 10 feed the
machine that brother Of mine sIfp0ed
around 10 the engineer and told him 10
turn on every pound of steam he could
muster Then he sent word 10 the pitch
ers 10 hand down the sheaves 20 me lust
as fast as they could sling them and the
engineer and pitchers never obeyed in
structi0ns more faithfully in their lives"
Gritty RTT coon SwoKr