Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1920-02-06


hap. Believe me, it seemed mighty
good to hear the big brake blocks
rubbing against those sturdy hind
wheels and to know that the attach
ment was made to stand Just such
strains as this. While | was idle
down at the foot OF the hill where
the brake was unnecessary, l tried
with all my might to slip the up
right lever behind the third peg in
the horizontal rack at the front end,
Just to see how it would work, but
/ could not do it to save my life. If
the lever were at this point | would
be using all the brake | had When
| started down a steep slope and saw
that | had to use it to the limit,
tried again and to my complete sur
prise, the lever very obligingly
slipped in behind the third peg and
stayed there. 1t was so easily done
that | wondered why l had been un-
able to put it in that position be-
fore. Strange to say, it never gave
me bit of trouble after that The
twisted wire cable which operated
the brake beam was strong enough
to stand fully five times the pull to
which it could possibly be subjected
by my feeble muscular strength. All
the wisdom and experience of many
years of hill farming in the Palouse
country had gone into its construc-
ton.
Somehow the wheels in my head
kept going while | was unloading
my wagon at the machine. | could
mt help wondering many times
where on earth all those wheat bun
dies came from. The huge separa-
tor stood near me with shining,
gnashing teeth like some kind of
devouring dragon, swallowing by
ones, twos and threes, the continu-
Gus procession of sheaves which
moved in steady stream up the
feeder through toward the terrible
cylinder and concave of the machine
| couldn't help thinking that per-
haps in more ways than one human
beings are like these same bundles
Each one had its own individuality.
being different in some respects
from all the others. and each one
behaved a little bit different from
all the rest Some were trim. even
and easy to handle; others were
ragged, uneven, topsy-turvy and
stubborn to the limit A great many
would willingly go into the feeder
with their heads pointed toward the
machine. Now and then one. in or
der to show that it had a head of
it's own, would turn complete flip
flop and then go to its fate wrong
end first or cross-ways. sometimes
causing no end of trouble Once IN
terror entirely from the carrier and
would grab its fellow and pull it
after him. Some had lost the band
which the binder had given them
and were merely loose punches of
straw
A goodly number of bundles were
loaded with plump, golden grain,
Some, however, were green in color.
the grain-what there was of it
hoi h,.i,r
Others had plenty of smut and wild
oats with very little good grain in
them. Some were top-heavy and
others were bottom-heavy. All alike
though were soon or late brought
into the nav of the growing,
grumbling monster with the fierce
teeth and horrible breath, and were
ultimately reduced to the common
mass of the straw-stack which the
blower constantly piled up at the
rear of the machine. All the while
steady stream OF golden grain
poured into the wagon box, bin or
sack. This is the final great test
of all the bundles and it is this same
big stream of threshed grain which
means. so much to the ranchers of
this favored country. Sometimes
for a brief interval of time | would
be the only pitcher at the machine,
and on such occasions it did me good
to look at the grain pouring from
the spout into the wagon box and to
know that | was the one who for the
time was directly responsible for the
success or the failure OF the whole
outfit.
Meals are usually served to the
members of the crew during the
threshing season in sort of pOrta-
BILE restaurant on wheels called a
cook shack" This is invariably
supplied with big range in one end
and opposite this is an ample built