The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-05-31
4 TRIP To P|SGAH
TIA RIPLEY K ELL

.p;sgab in October. | never heeia
Won will freeze. You
LII catch your death OF coio- 80
- ,umerol1s other objections w.
raisad against making tnls u.s
TIN so late in the season 49,,
late. alter the middle OF oetoo nye.
- h,nnaned for once IN our nses
that we could AL 80 hasides
home There were six OF US p
49, driver of the ago Ny ~
No. and Lila, whose nuspahua
1-ere in distant cities; Marlha' W.
;a o,,ite as nice as a niece, the oot
ST her husband. the reliable nian
and myself. Then there was -
a eood-natured colofed mai
spite Of stormy opposition vs. no
cidad to go. and then such a tine
as we had planning as = INN,
nov many days we snouiu .as
ar Lila being the m~athenatlclah =
tho narty. undertook to decide aDoue
- nroyisions. With pencil ana pa
per she figured out just now -
g would taxi for seven people re
ouiring three meals a day a'o"iAe
- margin for extra appet'tes oi poo-
sible company. To me lt was 49,
.ha, the examples in the PACK :,
49, old arithmetic, and 1 was GLAD
- ascane so easily as just to mana
w. NV share of the necessary money
for purchases. l have great respetI
even admiration for a mathematics
mind but the idea Of exactnesS III
science OF anything else was en'''els
left out Of my imposition we "eio
to start at s O'Clock. Larry ie
is abominable, SO l demufreu q.
hour. but the majority oVefruieu my
wish and we started promptly,
sarprised them by being ready TO n
minnie. What a crisp, delicious morn
inc it was. and every one or us Ell
thusiastic in our W.
drove the first nine miles IN q wa
tertown, over a good road, throusi
the beautiful farming country OF the
French Broad and Mills river. we
went at a spanking trot the frosty
atmosphere of an early morning III
October celebrating the horses as
wei! as ourselves. The naples were
f1auntjng their gorgeous scarlet and
orange on every side, and the deep
crimson of the oaks vas beautifully
rontrasted with the dark green OF
the pines, and the yellow OF ma
hickories. At Mills river We We're
Joined by the Reliable man ana
Alonzo. the former having ready a
wagon, two sturdy horses, and also
a horse and buggy In the wagon
was proyender for the horses. and
every iIldR lIldDIC SoAAf ihASA~
kind thoughtfulness could provide.
From this point we drove up the
north fork Of the river and along
the racing. tumDling BoilSton creek.
Miles and miles VIZ went on the n
OF these streams, going steadily up
all the time. How busy the farm
ers were as we drove between their
broad, fertile fields. Corn was be-
ing gathered. fodder and tops piling
80 ~,x> o{Dfn
hay-stacks showing what had been
the fine Timothy and clover Of the
meadows: golden pumpkins, promls-
ing Thanksgiving pies, the tendel
green Of the rye, showing over the
empty corn rows; and the noisy hum
OF machinery. Smelling, s~hredding anc
cutting feed for the innumeTablt
sleek cattle, who eyed US with indo-
lent curiosity as we passed their in,
closures. Here and there a pillow O
harrow drawn by two or -four bis
horses, rapidly turning over tn
heavy sod Of grass or peas to b.
dissolved and melted by the ice anl
snow of winter. On many a hillside
tho sheep were busily cropping tn
short. fall grass, with always tn
~proverbial black n in the flock
sometimes ever being the leader a
black sheep often are. Great ia
Berkshire and Duroc hogs were hap
PLY roofing or basking in the sun
shine, with never a thought of tn
sausage and spare-ribs they wer
doomed to supply. Half shy Perch
erson and Clydesdale colts regarde,
US with amusing interest. while thei
companions, pert. inouisitive littl
mules. danced and pranced for on
entertainment. Higher yet and high
er, until the road grew more narrow
the hills more steep and long, tn
dense thickets of laurel n rhode
dendron more abundant. and tn
beautiful river like a silver threat
as it sang and rippled over tn
rocks. The last ford-how we'll
remember it. only a few yards wild,
hardly ferns having their fronds i
its delicious GOODNESS, alders swaye