The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1908-11-28
1KE's OXEN.

Among his neighbors Job Haines was
considered pretty fair sort of man.
He had settled in little town in the
southern part of Kansas, where he
lived as an immigrant from New
Hampshire, and he brought his Yam
kee sharpness with him, but as he
dealt fair and attended to his own
business he passed The only MEM
Der of the family beside Job and his
wife was Ike, nephew whom Job
had taken to bring up, as he had no
children of his own. Ike was typi-
cal New England boy about fifteen
years old. He had been brought up
in one OF the coast villages of Maine
and had a great love for the sea.
Job, like the majority of Yankee
farmers, was firm believer in cattle
and did most of his work with oxen.
One day he said to Ike, "Ike, if you'll
take that pair of yearling steers and
break them to work, you can have
them" Ike was exceedingly we'll
pleased at that and at once assumed
charge of his new possessions. If
ever pair of young oxen were we'll
taken care of they were. He groom
ed them as carefully as the horses, so
that their sleek coats shone as glossy
as silk, and he was so kind with them
that they were as gentle as sheep. He
named them Jack and Billy.
In his Western home Ike never for
got the far-of ocean. 1t had been
the one hope of his life to be sailor,
but his being sent West had destroyed
it. When his uncle gave him the
steers to break, the idea came to him
that though he could never expect to
tread the deck of his own ship he could
use ship phrases in the education of
his oxen and thus always be reminded
of his own home beside the sea. Thus
it was that Jack and Billy were educa-
ted to work, broken" totallyignorant
of the usual commands by which oxen
are managed. Gee" and "haw,"
'git up'' and "whoa' had no mean
ing for them whatever. It was haul
away" and port and "starboard"
and "belay." "Stern all" was back.
The oxen grew and waxed strong,
and his uncle often remarked that he
never saw team that could do more
work than those oxen and Ike. No
one but Ike ever thought ofhandling
them.
The nearest neighbor of the Haines'
was Deacon Merwin, a good man and
pillar of the church. The good dea
con saw that Ike's yoke of oxen were
workers, and desire came over him
to possess them. He offered to buy
them several times, but Job always
said that they belonged to Ike and
were not for sale. The deacon asked
Ike if he would sell them, but met
with such an indignant refusal that
he felt angered, but did not give up
the idea of possessing the cattle.
Finally he went to Job and said:
"Neighbor Haines, if them cattle'll
work good every way I'll give you
$500 for 'em. They're too much
property for boy like Ike to have,
and it is apt to create in him bad
sperrit and make him feel above his
elders"
"Well, 1 don't know, deacon. The
boy sets deal by them cattle, and
promise is a promise. l gave them
to him if he would break 'em, and he
has, so I'm bound to keep my part. :"
"That's all true enough, Neighbor
Haines, but Ike's only boy, and
then, remember, $500 amt offered
every day for yoke of cattle. Why
not sell me these and give him anoth-
er pair to break, that 'ud do him just
as we'll ~
The deacon's $500 and persuasions
finally weakened Jobs scruples, and
he gave in. They deacon was to try
them, if they worked all right was to
have them for $4oo. How totell Ike
what he had done was poser to his
uncle. His aunt declared it down.
right mean piece of business and told
Job plainly what she thought of him.
1t was finally decided not to say
anything to Ike until after the sale
had been made and the cattle gone.
In order that Ike might not be on
hand to see his pets sold he was given
a holiday and sent to spend the day
at neighbor "a couple ofmiles away,
where there was boy of his age who
was sortof chum of his.
The next morning Ike was OF
bright and early, and the deacon was
on hand shortly after. 1t would not
be fair to Job to say he did not have
any misgivings. He would have
backed out of the bargain at the least
chance, and he really hoped that the
deacon would not be satisfied with
them. The oxen were brought out
and yoked to the cart without difficult
ty, though the deacon remarked that
they did seem "kinder stoopid." Job
and the deacon climbed up into the
cart.
"Gee up r'
The oxen turned their big eyes
around inquiringly. Gee up, there?'
repeated Job. But they did not move
hoof.
"That don't appear like good
breaking" remarked the deacon.
"They're broke all right" replied
Job. Come, gee up, there y AT
the same time he gave each prod
with the goad. In response to the
prodding the cattle walked off toward
the open gate, in which direction their
heads happened to be turned. Job
did not want them to go in the road,
so he shouted out "Hoy, boy y tc
turn them around, but the oxen had
no idea what "hoy" meant, and SC
kept on going straight ahead. Job