Putnam patriot. [volume] (Putnam, Conn.) 1872-1962, 1915-04-09
CHAPTER n.
~ AM found Bin Googe sitting ON
box whiting
Hello. Billt said sam. Not
u .,-....,.s,,.v sf,ss., 10 -.


~ working these daysg"
No: you bet | amt" answered Bill.
Il Kit enough o that durin' crop time"
well. what do you fnd around
hereg" asked sam. Il never come TO
town except ON business.
For one thing" Bin replied. I'm
here tryin' 70 make some kind of-sr-
engagements for supplies this year
Didn't make enough to quite settle un
with old Jim Anderson, and he's cut
me on. Lots o. times, though, us fell
lors COME to town to sit together and
talk over our troubles Misery loves
comp'ny. You know, sam. And some-
times we chip in aud send off for a
gallon of Old Crow. When a man gifts
few swlgs O that under his belt,
sam. he jes' forgits all about bein' so
doggone poor and oruery.'
Yes" said sam "and he makes a
fool of himself and wastes his money,
and after It's over with he feels worse
and is poorer than he was before"
Bill Googe was a peculiar kind Of
fellow. He was almost always in a
good humor and you could hardly say
anything to make him mad. But he
didn't like to work. According 10 Bill.
1t was always too Wet or too dry. He
spent most of his time fishing and
hunting. and he was Il fine companion
to have along ON such Il trip. He could
tell you more funny stories than you
could possibly remember. In the local
ity where he lived there was rarely
any lack of rain. but Bill would often
sit down ON a log and picture, in glow
Ing colors what he'd do If he was
fixed to irrigate."
Bill had at one time owned the farm
on which he now lived But he got
the fever ito go west" At last he
found man to buy him out. and he
departed for the land where man
could live without working He was
gone about a year and came back
broke" and went on the farm he had
left as a renter.
All during the sunny days when the
grass and weeds were flourishing and
choking out the crops not a glimpse
could you catch of Bin in the field, but
you could hear the deep mouthed bay
of his hound, Trailer, and the sullen
boom of his mnzzle loader off in the
woods along the creek.
Bill ehueliled at Sans remark
But let that go, Sam continued. 81
didn't come down here to preach.
What | want TO know is this: VIII you
pillow my field for me some time soon?"
WHAT exclaimed Bill. You amt
thinkin of goin' back on that clay pile,
air ye?"
Yes; that's what I'm going to do
well, you're crazier than | thought
you was. Wish | was away from out
there; you wouldn't ketch me goin'
back. How do you think you're goin
to make Twin on that FARM
I'm going to make it off the land,
of course"
Don't you git no sich fool idea into
your head" Bill exclaimed with con
yiction. "Why, boy, that land won't
sprout peas"
Its going to do it anyway" replied
Sam And. more'n that. it's going to
grow lem after they're sprouted. And,
besides that, its going to raise some of
the finest corn and cotton in this
county"
You'll never do it. Bill asserted.
Il know that land You can't raise
disturbance ON il"
Look here, Bill" said Sam, "you've
been GU the farm Il long tine. and |
guess you've learned some things about
the business, but one thing is certain,
you don't know how to farm, and the
proof of it is that you don't raise good
crops
Amt nobody goin' TO raise good
crops when it's too dry or too wet.
You got to have things right
mo; that's not the trouble. Good
crops can be raised with the seasons
just as they are. And | don't know
much about farming, but I'm going to
show you how TO do the trick better
than it's been done in the neighbor-
hood"
"Where'd you learn so much, I'd like
to know Bill inquired in an amused
tone.
men that know how to farm"
Bill Googe slapped his thigh and
laughed merrily.
Gee. but that's good onen' he said.
81 wish Miles Pagan could hear that"
Hell hear me say 1t. all right" Sam
replied. But I'm not going to argue
with you fellows. I'm going to prove
it. And. now, what about that plow-
ing? You didn't tell me whether you'd
do it,
Sure I'll do it. amt got nothin'
else to do
81 thought maybe you'd want to do
your own blowing
mo. l never fool with that till
spring. | believe in lettin' the land
rest. Sometimes I don't pillow it at all
--jes' yreak it off and plant it."
"Well, ! want this land plowed deep,
and when | say deep | mean deep.
How much will you charge to do the
work that way?"
Let me see. You want the whole
field plowedf'
Eyes. all of it,
well, that stumpy acre will be pref
ty knotty."
Don't figure on that. I'm going to
have the stumps out. | heard father
say that a man couldn't be religious
and cultivate a stumpy field. believe
he was pretty near right A fellows
going to blow them out for me with
dynamite"