Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1945-05-25

peleQ 10 tne urSt wave OF plOneeISs
some, when our section had become
settled, had swept on west to new
/ land. New land. Virgin soil. New
opportunities. They had gone to
western Kansas and western Ne
braska and to Wyoming and Mon
tana, responding to the very west
ward-moving urge that had pro-
PEELED them into this section. Those
who had remained and prospered
were moving to "the city," Their
sons and daughters were shouldering
the farms. The old settlers were
retiring, but it was not put so crude
ly as that. They were moving to the
city to allow their children to see
what they could do with the farm.
Disease and breakdown was
among them, as it always is among
the old. You could see them on
blustery days, bundled up and sit
ting in the back seats of the spring
wagons, these men who had sunk the
first plows into the buffalo grass, lit
tie beads of rheum clinging to their
noses. It stirred me and touched
me, as it always has, this matter
Of the old moving into the back seat.
Some day I'll be moving there, too.
Maybe I can get used to it by that
time. Maybe I'll even welcome it.
For who knows how he will act, or
respond, to anything till the time is
upon him?
Age had its heavy hand on my IA
ther. He walked more slowly, the
hired man had to oil the windmill.
But Pa got up just as early of
morning, long before daylight.
poked up the base-burner, and start
ed the kitchen stove going. Pretty
soon Phebe would be hopping around
in the kitchen and the hired man
would be pulling on his boots. The
party line would ring and Phebe
would move to it, Strengthening out
her apron almost as if she expected
company. After while she would
put the receiver back. 1.-THE
Knabbs are butchering and they're
calling the Frank Halls to see if they
can bring scalding barrel"
"You better call them and tell
'em they can have ours. We've got
a good tight barrel" Pa always had
tight barrels; he was a good farmer.
Phebe would call two shorts and
long and there would be a busy
clicking in the receiver. "They say
they'll call later if they need it."
would be the last one down, the
city having just about ruined me.
Good morning." we would say to
each other. The hand would come in
with the lantern, and pretty soon
Phebe would come to the sitting
room door. give got the things on"
Then we would 60 to the table and
Pa would bend forward his whiten-
ing head.
1t would be light, soon after break
fast, then Pa and the hand would
start out to do the rest of the chores.
At first I offered to help, but by
this time Pa knew the worst. The
city had got me; it'd been years
since I'd had a callus.
Pa began to talk about moving
to the city where he would "take it
easy"-my father who had never TAX
en- it easy. Yep, he was going to
town and get on the jury! For that
was what the other retired farmers
were doing. We could see them sit
ting on the benches in the court
house yard, with nothing to do,
watching the teams 60 by, hoping
to see someone from their neighbor-
hood. At noon they would disappear
-goin' home to dinner-then after
time they would come back and
again plant themselves on the wood
en- benches.
And then he did, as most farmers
chose to do, bought a house so he
could sit on the porch and watch
the old neighbors pass. 1t was south
of the water toWer-the water tower
had seen so many times as Dave
and I had rumbled in to school.
There the tower stood, like a senti-
mel, the first thing I could see as
approached town; and, going home,
when turned and looked back, there
it was watching me.
Now came the problem of getting
someone to run the farm. No one
was good enough. One was a good
hog farmer, but weak on cattle; an
other was a good small grain farm
er, but weak on sheep. Another
was a hard worker, but drove his
team down hill in a gallop Anoth-
er didn't have any boys in the fam
lily.
At last, he found man. Appeared
promising.
Homer, some day you'll have to
look after this yourself. It's a good
farm. Don't ever let loose of it."
He delayed moving. The stable
wasn't any good. Had to repair it.
Cellar needed fixin'. Roof must have
attention.
Pa left the farm-Pa who had "
er been farther than Omaha sn. &c
he had arrived by OK team-and he
and Phebe started city life. But the
habits of half century could not
be changed. They got up before
daylight. Pa dozed in his chair until
Phebe announced breakfast. Then