Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1909-03-19
What he Heard.

-
goods, flung himself into his
chair in front of his desk the
other morning and looked dag
gers at the sheets Of paper, rep.
resenting 50 much work, stacked
up in front of him.
What's the matteri" asked one
of his neighbors, rolling up his
sleeves, preparatory to planting
himself at another desk and do
ing the same kind of work.
% Heckt' snorted the gray
haired man. | was raised on a
farm and | left the old place
when | was II to come to town.
The old farm was out here in
Central Kansas. | had notion
that farm work was too slow for
me; too much drudgery and not
enough coming in. | had great
dreams about what | could do in
the city. | dreamed about get
ting rich and living in fine hous-
es and going to Europ eand all
that kind of rot. Possibly, kid,
you re dreaming about it, too"
He looked at a youngster who
had recently been promoted from
office boy to ripping open envel-
Opes and sorting mail.
But my Crouch started last
out west Sunday to see a rela-
night he continued on. "
was out West Sunday to see a
relative, and coming back on
the train last night, | went into
the smoking-car, pulled out my
twO-bit cellluloid-stemmed putty
plugged cottonwood pipe, filled
at up with the only cheap saw
dust | can afford to buy and ask.
ed a fellow sitting next me for
I. macth. He was farmer, but
he was dressed good enough.
little silver box at
me, ALL engraved and doo-dooed.
1 took a second look at him and
then a match. l sat back and
listened to the talk. And what
did | hear9 Nothing but PTS
tom and cylinders and 'carbu-
rettors and 'sparkers' and hood
and 'tonneaus, and a lot OF
other Junk | couldn't remember
My but that is a beaut of a
$500 car | bought, said my
Peach, isn't ltP
answered a man across the smok-
ing compartment, but ! like that
slx-seater of mine better. | can
tear off fifty an hour in her easy
And that is the way they went
IN. There must have been a doz-
en- farmers in the smoker Of that
Pullman, and every one Of them
Was busy talking automobiles.
They didn't even notice me. L
got tired Of it and went into
the smoker of tn. next Pullman.
Blast my hide if they weren't
automobile there, too, and
The farmers had captured that
smoking room completely. | |
couldn't get seat. They were
around to each other,
laughing and talking about So
COG ears, same as l would talk
about a nickel cigar. They were
all smoking ten-centers, and Ill
be blowed if one of those farm
ers didn't sniff and say, who
is smoking that rotten pipe
around here, anyway l ducked
| stood out on the platform OF
tie car and smoked in Lone
some Land all the way to TOpe-
ka, and it was cold out there, too.
Think of it. Here I'm plugging
away at a paltry $50 month,
l who had left the farm once
10 make a million, and those farm
ers, big strong and healthy boys
at the same time | was a boy,
and l bet no better off then
than | was, blowing in $4,000 at
a throw for an automobile for
fun. Why they wouldn't even no
tlce me and my store clothes.
That's why I'm grouchy. | just
naturally found that | was out
of it with that bunch of Kansas
farmers returning from the auto
mobile show at Kansas City. |
am not in tim out of it. |
left the farm for this land he
hit his desk a JOLT. And they
STAYED on the farm for what
they got out of it, and they
o,o ,attino q nlpntvp