Dublin Core
Title
Seven Days in the Country (Ch. 4)
Description
The fourth chapter of Seven Days in the Country details Fred and Dick’s attempt to corral a stray calf that escaped from the pasture. Even though Dick hurts himself, he returns to finish mowing the field before returning back home to write.
Source
Amherst College Archives and Special Collections
Rights
Amherst College Archives and Special Collections
Type
Manuscript book
File
Transcription
Nelson Family Juvenilia
Box 1 Folder 42
Seven Days in the Country – n.d
Seven Days in the Country
Chap 4. Tuesday. The boys do the clipping
The two oldest boys had not been down stairs long before their mother noticed that one of the calves were out of the pasture so they had to go down and get it in “I am going to put a pole on before I help get him in” said Dick. “I aint going to” said Fred. Dick went along and took a pole off of the fence of another field and dragged to the fence where he wanted to put it on. The pole was a short white birch one so he could manage it pretty well. He pushed one end in by a bunch of choke cherry bushes to a pair of stakes but there were no stakes for the other end after looking around a little he noticed one of the cherry bushes were enough cut down so as to hang over the fence near where he wanted the stakes so he put the pole in one of the crotches where the limbs branched out then he pushed from the other side and found that it held then he went back to where Fred was trying to get the calf in. “You havnt got [page break] him in yet have you Fred said he. “No” Fred replied “I got him clear up there once then he dodged by me and went down the road again and then when I would try to drive him he would bunt at me.” Dick had brought a stick with him but the calf turned and [tare?] him, Dick held out the stick; he had in his hand and let the calf bunt it several times then he grabbed the calf by the horns.
“Can you hold him till I get a whip” said Fred “Yes” Dick replied. Fred ran down to an apple tree and pulled off a small branch and trimmed it a little then he came along when he hit the calf with it the calf didnt stop to bunt but started fro the barway and went through as quick as possible then the boys put up the bars and went up to the house Dick had to go out and turn the grind stone for his to grind a cythe right a way after breakfast they hitched up and went down in the field mowing Dick and Fred did the clipping they mowed a while then Dick saw a red lizard [page break] so he laid his cythe down and went to looking for I he looked a little while and then as he put his foot back he felt something cut his foot he quickly drew it up and found that he had pushed it against the cythe, his father was just coming round there then he took his cythe and went down to his father and had it what for he had not learned to whet his own while his father was whetting it Dick just spoke about his foot and how he done it his father told him saying you had better go up to the house and have a plaster put on it and you had probably better put on a shoe” “All right” said Dick and he started off for home his mother was a little surprised at his carelessness after she had done it up, Dick put on a shoe and went down in the field again he went on mowing just the same after he got down there he mowed till he got around to where there was a lot of brush then his father came and he and his father picked the brush out and then they both mowed till the got it all cut it was ruff mowing there being so many [page break] sticks then Fred came up and had his cythe whet when he got it whet they went to another place to mow there was brush there Dick went to picking brush here while that Fred mowed he had mowed a swoth a long one side and had got ready to take another when he said. “I am going to go clear around this little piece.” “No you cant Fred the brush isnt picked up round that [—-?]” said Dick “Well I am going part way anyway” said he “You cant unless you want to mow through brush” Dick replied, so Fred went back and began a gain where he did before his cythe was a little dull so he had it whet then he came back and mowed a swath then he helped Dick pick up brush after they got it most all picked Mr Owen came there he sent Fred after a rake then he and Dick went down to the brook and got a drink of water then they came up Mr Owen took the rake and raked out the little sticks then they mowed it after that they went up to the house and Mr Owen went to [p—n-ing?] the potato bugs. Dick and Fred did some writing of theirs till dinner.