The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-09-05

1 don't know why they named her
Beck unless Beck Is an abbreviation of
Rebecca and she earned her cognomen
because of her fondness for going to
the well. 1 was introduced to her near
Aiken, S. c., where 1 had gone from
charleston in the fall of 1875 to learn
the mysteries of farming, which l then
believed, and still believe, was the best
business in which man who desired
goodness with contentment could en-
gage.
1 had the idea at that time that to
make success of farming one should
learn the details OF the work on a
farm. 1 probably got this impression
from reading one of Poor Richard 8
Maxims," to the effect that
"He who by the pillow would thrive.
Himself must either hold or drive"
4 1 have since learned that knowledge
is not necessary to success, for some
of the most successful farmers with
whom l am acquainted are bankers,
merchants, doctors, lawyers and editors
of agricultural papers, all of whom CAN
tell you more about how to make money
on the farm than any follower of the
pillow alive, or who ever lived. Prob
ably the most liberal disseminators OF
information are manufacturers of agri-
cultural implements, commercial fertili-
GERS and seed statesmen, but be that as
lit may, 1 thought the thing to do was
to go to work on farm, so L threw
lup a good job in the city and started
pulling a bellcord over mule FOR the
sum of So a month and board, which
board was sustaining. but not, so to
speak, epicurean.
i A steady diet of cowpeas, corn bread,
what was then euphoniously called
SOW belly with blue stem collards
and tunrip salad, with biscuits ana
sorghum for dessert, was filling ana
nutritious, but not calculated to make
one enthusiastic in the matter of diet.
After a time l returned to pursuits
commercial, and have accumulated a
fortune of $7000,000 Gin family, but
: some of the happiest days l have ever
spent in my eventful career were on
the farm, wrestling with the problems
linseparable from the vocation of farm
ing.
Beck was a mouse-colored, zebra
legged mule which stood about 4
hands high, and had what appeared at
times ii feet, especially at such tunes
as she desired to visit the well, and L
around corn. She was marvel OF a
beast. and a times was all that one
lcould wish in or expect of a mule. she
went all the gaits and under the saodle
, or hitched to a buggy she was JOY
that is to say, she was a JOY as long as
she felt like being one. AT other times
she was beyond my powers OF de-
scription, and it would take the pen u
j A. Latady to do her justice, that or
a. baseball bat well seasoned and with
sufficient heft.
For illustration Beck might pass Ger
tain blackened pine stump every DAY LOT
a week or a month, entirely obvious Oh
4 its presence, but let me put on my sun
Il dav clothes, blue necktie good hat ana
start for the cross roads to attend church,
l and this self-sam black stump would ap-
near to her both Scylla and Charypd
to attempt to pass which would result IL,
the certain destruction of herset ana
Il crew. and without moments WarinhS
4 up she would go on her hind 1eet' letch
whirl, and 1T was only the goooness
of God and a good knee grip that pre-
vented my fool neck from being broken
We would be running around corn 90
ing as pretty work as you ever saw
| a,tervthing would be serene and feeling
so good that I would start singing
! Hasten sinner to be wise,
1 STAY not for the morrows sun,
Wisdom if thou still despisee
| Harder is she to be won
when all of a sudden on reaching the
| end of a row, Beck would take natioli
| that she wanted to go to the we'll, anu
would start off sideways, orassihs nc
and the plow sorter looking back over
! her shoulder to see where l was me
| dra ecing on both lines and expressing
| NV opinion of her in language wnlcn
/ would not pass the censor While sought
! to stop her somewhere in the nelgnoor-
hood of where the blowing was 10 De
| done.
| would resent it by backing up and launch
! ing out at me with both hind feet, ana
| I would have to dodge to keep her from
| knocking off my hat. She would get
| tangled up in the gear and by the time
I got her stopped and untangied ana
| Strengthened out, I would be SO not tnat
| I would feel not only like going to the
we'll to get pail of water. but like going
IdoWn 1t when I got there to cool OF
| some.
| After so long time I would get her
| at work again, after she had torn down
| a lot of corn, but it would be a GOOD
while before 1 felt like resuming the
| hymn
! Hasten sinner to return
Stay for not for tomorrow SUM-.
And as I would get to the lines,
Hasten mercy to implore,
I would feel their appropriateness.
| Beck had a fine ear for music, and II
| she heard the dinner bell or a horn or II
| she thought she heard either. not another
row would she pillow. without a battle
for supremacy, regardless of how anxious
/ might be to finish up a certain task or
field before taking out. 1t might be that
10 or 20 minutes only would be needed
to finish and thus save a long trip back
after dinner, or I might be pushing to
get the blowing done before an approach
ing shower arrived. That did not make
| any difference to Beck. She knew when
she had had enough and like some hui
man females, when she would she would,
and when she wouldn't she wouldn't, and
that was all there was to it.
| After awhile / got to carrying pole,
sorter dragging it along behind me. Beck
used to watch me with one eye cooked
back, and when l would lift my pole to
give her we'll deserved whack, she would
Jump forward, light as a cat. and the
pillow handle would take me in the side
with blow which would have been the
fortune of any pugilist could he have