Arizona republican., 1909-11-25
CERTAIN THEY LOST NO TIME
One Thing About Their Employer the
 Farmhands Agreed Upon

oOiiH obtiidbdt
 lived upon a farm of 220 acres. The land was fertile; the crops were
 good invariably; the spirng from
 which he obtained his water was
 cool and pure: the cows that grazed in the meadow or chewed their cuds
 under the umbrageous trees were sleek and fat and carried udders as
 large as German balloons; the farm
 machinery when taken from the tool
 house glistened brightly in the sun. Oberlander was rich and perfectly
 independent in the winter. In the summer when he needed extra men to harvest his crops it was other
 wise; but then he was diplomatic. When he was a boy he encouraged
 his playmates to dam up the creek
 and make swimming holes and for
 their labor gave them the privilege ot
 swimming in them with him at cer-
 tain times; and before he was 20
 he had half the Young fellows in the
 neighborhood huntinA bee trees for
 him on shares. From these two sim
 pie facts it may be inferred how he
 was able to accumulate this farm and
 erect thereon a house good enough
 for the governor and a barn sUffi-
 ciently large to hold the county fair
 in.
 No one will be surprised upon driv-
 ing out to the Oberlander farm to see three or four hundred hens. each attending strictly to her duty of lay ing an egg a day in the winter as well as the summer time; nor to see bees arriving or departing from q row of hives so long that the last line looked. no bigger than a number shot in pile of cannon balls; nor to see thousands of pigeons fat
 tening themselves on the neighbors' grain and hurrying home to roOst and to pot; nor to see that no shade tree surrounded the buildings except those that bore fruit and nuts: nor to see the water that came from the spring operating a hydraulic ram and forcing part of itself into the house and barn. turning the wheel of a gristmill. making a pond for speckled trout and passing hesitating- ly down through the meadows. damp ening the soil and keeping the grass fresh and green through the summer and fall.
 Oberlander had a toulouse full of the latest farm implements, but what he wanted and needed most was a machine to operate the others. This had not yet been invented. So at harvest time he had to go to the village for help. II
 The village was two and On-quarter miles distant. He succeeded in em- ploying Bill Stebbens, Dave Cramer and Sam Holden. They went out to ten days returned with SIS each and looking as if they had been well fed. One Sunday had intervened.
 Their stories differ somewhat, but as to the main fact-that they lost no time-all seem to agree.
 Bill said: old Oberlander is the meanest man 1 ever worked for. If a shower was coming up he'd say, Work fast boys. there's a storm com ing and when it would begin to pour down. he yell out. Keep on boys; it won't last long"
 Dave said: "Oberlander is like the general run of 'em. When storm blew up, he'd set the example by faster and call out, Men, We'll try to finish this field before the rain comes. and if it rains too hard. we'll go to the barn Then l if we went to the barn and began to | pitch horseshoes. he'd come around 1 and say, Wen. if that's the way | you're going to rest you might as well clean the barn"
 Sam said: Tt is a pleasure to | work for Mir. Oberlander. He man. ages everything so nicely. If a thun- der storm canes up. he'd call out Gentlemen, we'll work a little faster to get this wheat shocked up the the approaching storm will put an end to our labors in the hot field. and then we shall run to the cool barn for shelter. And later we'd get to the barn and be about ready to stretch ourselves on the straw for snooze, he'd hunt us up and say, Now, gentlemen, with all of us here,
 it will be an easy job to get the barn ready for the new grain, and If we hurry, by the time we are through the sun will be out and we can go into the fields again and get away from the musty air and dust.