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They Aialt Been Brought Up Right
loads pretty geed. I kayo querisd the following:
page 4 niers lateral for him to say I always thought that was what
page 5: kids' lastsad of kit's
page 6; 4th from final omit 0 had*: airs colloquial
pogo 8: and. it did have four noels batter to say s but it did
2nd from final line aim
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Names Robert Wilder
Title: Living Lore
Assignment: Northfield
Topics The Hey, Grain and C
Man of Northfield T
mr. Dunnell charged his black pipe thoughtfully and seated him-
self 10n a sawhorse that served as a bench in his coal, grainl-fer-
tilizer and oil office down by the railroad tracks.
"You saw that? be asked. I Avery young feller I've hired acts
just like that when you try to tell than anything. Dunno whether it's
true in other towns or not. I don't expect a young feller to know
everything when I hire him.
do -A
They's a lot of tricks to handling
and coal coal chutes and things. A feller can tucker his self
all out doing things they's an easier way to do. I try to tell 'em
and they act insulted.
)16t don't make so much difference what they do around here, even
though they don't use their beads at all but just go at everything hind
end first. They'll learn intim. But I do get mad when they don't do
for'
as I tell 'ea at, my customers. When I was a boy and worked out, I felt
I was obliged to do as my boss said. It---1-didn't—l-ilee--what-ho--said I
supgats 1
shouldn't mitaneed-te-use--thair-baadev---
/I like to have themdeliver the grain and feed where the customer
wants it. I tell the boys so. And I explain to than that the customer
isn't always 'round, so they should use their heads and put the bags
where they'll be handy for the customer, in case they don't know where
he keeps his feed as any fool ought to be able to find out. But do
they do it? I guess not. Seems like they tear out to the place with
Name: Robert Wilder
Title: Living Lore
Assignment: Northfield
Topic: The Hay s Grain and Coal
Man of Northfield Talks
the truck and when nobody sees than they upend the truck and dump
the bags in the first place they see then tear away Agin. I hear
more hollering from customers over that than over anything else.
Man comes back from somewheres, maybe late at night, and can't get
into his barn without moving a, mess of heavygrain bags. Maybe in
his best clothes, too. If he'd.a been willing to move 'on in the
first place held.a bought 'em at a chainstore a'little cheaper than
I can sell. But he figures it's worth the =try to have the bags
lugged for him. That's how I stay in business, and how the young
fellers have a job with me. But they don't think of that. They
don't like to carry the heavy bags on their shoulders, and think if
they canget out of it they are coming out ahead. The way to get a
steady job and keep it isn't to see how much work you can get out of.
that-the-tusirttritryratr-be-elie.-1 The young people don't know that.
They ain't beentrought up right.
„Aalk about leaving things where they don't belong. Some of them
never leave anything at all. And that's dun near as bad. I sent a
young feller over the river with a load of coal. He come back with
the load. Said the folks weren't to home. Was the cellar winder
fastened? He didn't know. Did you ask some of the neighbors where
they was? He hadn't thought of that. Well, you take that load right
back and you deliver it somehow. It's going to be a cold night and
-3
Name: Robert Wilder
Title: Living Lore
Assignment: Northfield
Topic: T e Grain and Co
Man of Northfield T
those folks will want their coal. HA went back, and it seems that
theism= was in the house all the time. The young feller had been
so careful not to disturb nobody that she hadn't heard him. And
only saw him when he was leaving with the coal. She yelled as loud
as she could, but he didn't hear her. She said he drove that truck
awful fast.
/Another time I sent young Stebbinsgm-you know himwacross the
river up the other way with half a ton of coxl. Half a ton, mind yer,
just a little jag, and it's three four miles over there and same dis-
tance back. But they was snow on the ground, the driveway hadn't
women
been thovelled and he couldn't back in. Just the in folks to
home. 'Course I knew the place. Couldn't back in? Why the house
sits dum near in the road. Didn't you have a shovel? Yes, he had.
Couldn't you shovel just those few feet so's y. could back in? well,
he never thought of it. Couldn't you have gone across the street to
Buffam's store and borrowed one of their old baskets and carried that
little jag in? Well, he never thought of it. So you came back here
with it? Suppose you think tell you to navermaimi, we'll just
dump the little load back in the bunkers and fa get all about it, and
just let 'em freeze over there? Bahl I had to laugh. He says, says
he, 4Miss Merriman stopped me just now and says she wants a half ton
of coal/.4 Oh she did, did she? I says. And there she was right in
Ivies Robert Wilder Assignment: Northfield
Title: Living Lore
Topic: e Grain and oal
of Northfield T k
front of her house, and there you was with a half ton of coal on
your truck that you couldn't get rid of. Now, why didn't you
deliver it to her? I says. Well, he didn't think of itl
bbw, I'll tell you how we done when I was younger. 'flours.
those were the hoes and buggy days and we couldn't go joy riding
with a coupla tons of coal at fifty miles an hour. But we managed
to make deliveries somehow.
'Paul Breinig lived on that estate just beyond, Wanamaker Pond,
on the hill to the right. He used coal for cooking, and he'd told
ma that he wanted some coal as soon as I could get it to him. I
loaded up right away and started off with the hosses. When I got
to the foot of 'Chog Hill I met Breinig and his whole family in
their automobile, which was a novelty in them days. He didn't
stop or holler anything so I kept ongoing, figuring that he was
just going to the post office, or somewhere., and would be right
back. I come to his place and waited a while but he didn't come.
I tried the doors and they was all locked, except one where the
screen door was fastened but I could see that the inside door winit.
I went to a barbed wire fence across the road and twisted off a
piece of wire. I mad* a hook on one end and fed it careful through
the screen. Finally, I got hold of the hook on the door and un-
locked it. Then I went in and opened up to suit myself and basketed
Name: Robert Wilder Assignment: Northfield
Title: Living Lore Topic: The Hay. Grain and Coal
Hen of Northfield Talks
.01014111111111110M
in the coal. After I got it in I waited a while for Breinig to
coma back. But he didn't come. And I got scairt that he had gone
away somewheres for the night. And I didn't want to leave the door
unlocked, so I got out the wire and after a few tries I managed to
hook the screen again, And so I come away.
Obreinig coma down the next morning to pay me. 4Dunne114, he
said, 46 the hell did. you get that coal in? The doors was all
locked. And they was locked when I got back. But the coal was
there. How'd you do it?'
r
"lister," I says,4aeca-4 Ili can get into any gol dummed house
in this town. I know 'am all. And I know how to get in. Nobody
can keep me out not if you've ordered something from me. You can
lock your house up as tight as you want. But if you order coal, I'll
get that coal in right in the bin where you want it!*1
/But he teass4 so hard, and I could see it worried him. He
wait quite right in his head, you know, so I told him how it was done.
But there you are, would one of these young fellers think of that?
I guess not. They'4a. come back with the load 'cause the folks weillt
to home. And that's one reason why small business men are disappearing.
These young fellers wasn't brought up right to make small business men.
re
Wkood—Windou sayritotany small business men now sitting in
A
the_middle_of this
the road? Let me tell you, son, that is town would
Name: Aobert Wilder
Tftle: Living Lore
Assignment: Northfield
Topic: The HilY: Grain and Coal
Nen of Northfield Talks
be a dum sight better off if we had some business here that would
keep fifty or seventyifive men busy winter aglif these you9g fellers
would start making things the wwthey-alied to when I was a boy I)
--71111111;-4-ybe I -al
=tan 'small manufacturer'. I always thought
that that was what they was talking about in Washington when they
saidslismall business man." Baelpeoe-ses.114.10,eilmoutraiePT...hey4.
Doedilmeriatilne4A4amR0046.1 Ng don't need nobody trained up to do any
trading.
/I know that when I was a boy I used to braid hats. Straw hats,
you know. Every town most had one feller who was a. hatter. I got
a cent for every hat crown I braided. And when I got up to two
dollars and a half I could have a pair of shoes made by what I've
been calling a small business man. They wa'n't like the kind the
kids have now. They was really leather boots. And sometimes they
had copper toes. And the real fancy ones had a little bit of red
leather set in 'em. All kids have to do now when they want a pair
of shoes is to holler. In those days we had to earn 'em. And
believe me, we took care of 'em, too. Kept 'am greased and put
sway neat. We didn't wear 'am morein we had to. Went barefoot
mostly. My feet got so tough that I could walk right on thistles
and not feel 'em. t;ligegtert'-t'f743irimr:U%issolp• Even todey I ain't
got a corn, nor a bunion, nor a broken arch nor nothing. Feet's as
good as they ever was.
_
Name: hobert wilder
Title: Living Lore
Assignment: Northfield
Topic: The Hay, Grain and Coal
Man of Northfield Talks
We got our_hay in rompt, too, and started the next job. Didn't let
the haying ter snowily. They holler about how they can't
hire no help. We couldn't hire none either. Nobody would work for
money. Oh no, nobody would take any money for what they did. They
just traded work. Your neighbor would help you get in the hay, and
then you went and helped him. There wasn't all this stuff or figuring
out if you
s getting a proper return on your farm investment, what
your overhead was and what your time was worth; such as the agri-
cultural colleges teach now days.
"Guess they must teach 'em to leave their machinery out in the
field all winter, for so many of 'em does it. I always put what
little machinery I had under cover and looked after it the way I was
trained to look after my boots. But these college farmers don't.
Let the machinery all go to hell and then buy more.,Wonder pthey
can't show a profit on their farms all the time they are riding around
in their automobiles.
"KM Alexander graduated from State 'wollege. He'd inherited
that big farm just this side the state line guess maybe some of
the farm was over in New Hampshire, too. Well, he got most all the
kinds of farm machinery they was in the world. Got a job as agent,
too. he had the first manure spreader I ever see. Kept it down
under the barn where the manure c,,uld be pushed through the floor
Name: "obert wilder
Assignment: Northfield
Title: Living Lore Topic: The Has'', Grain and Coal
Man of Northfield Talks
right into it. That was an efficiency method he had learned at
btate. Well sir, a man wanted to buy a manure spreader and he
heard aoout Leon being the agent and having one, so he went up
to see Leon. Oh yes, Leon had one and he explained to the man all
about it and how much it cost, and the efficient way of filling it.
The man was real interested and wanted to see it. Leon took him out
/round the barn he hadn't been there himself for some time and
showed him where the spreader was. Lucky he c6me along or the man never
t%
wouldzA found it. The ling was all covered up with manure so deep
that only the end of the pole was showing! Leon got the idea of how
to fill her up all right. He just didn't think to take her out and
spread the manure on the fields now and then.
!ieon was a funny feller. He dropped dead over in Greenfield.
Jould think he would. All he ever did was eat never took no
exercise. Farming didn't give it to him. Not the way he farmed.
He was quite a church feller. Sang in the choir and never smoked,
nor drank, nor nothing. I went to a church supper once and he was
there. Aever went again. It made me sick. I did go to a supper
at Iasonic Hall one time the Masons was giving a public installation
and Darby invited me to come, when he was the head one. There was
Leon Alexander and Frank Montague and Frank Williams and Charlie
6tearns and a lot of those It. Hermon professors all the same thing.
-10
Name: Robert wilder Assignment: Northfield
Title: Living Lore
Topic: The Hay, Grain and Co
Man of Northfield Talk,
Pass 'em a dish of mashed potatoes and they'd scoop half of it off
on to their plates. Then they'd take a couple a pieces of meat
enough for a wall family and a dam' good helping of everything else
they was in sight, and never say nothing. Jubt sit there hunched
over their plates shovelling it in. And then by Gaq yell for morel
1
I never see such a passel of hogs in my lifet My stomach never bothers
me. I guess I can eat anything plenty of exercise in the grain
and coal busines. But I'd be ashamed to eat the way those fellers
do. And look at the bellies on 'em. They all walk as if they was
carrying bass drums. rrobably Old Moody started it. He had a big
belly, you know. Wouldn't never touch a mite of liquor, but he
sure did shovel in the food. Guess he skipped that place in
bcripture where it says to be temperate in all things.
"ell, neon would get up in the morning and help his man milk
the cows. he was selling milk to a boy's camp up on the Riuge.
.hen he'd take the milk to the camp and stay there for breakfast, 'cause
it didn't cost him anyting. He'd get back about nine o'clock, maybe,
and then he'd fool around and get outithe field about eleven.
/One year he hired me to cut grass on that big field of his
east of the road. There vilaft no houses there then. i2Course I
come bright and early to do what I could in the cool of the morning.
I had a good pair of hosses, but they wan't fast walkers. When Leon
-11
Name: Robert Wilder
Title: Living Lore
Assignment: Northfield
Topic: The Hay. Grain and Coal
Man of Northfield Talks
come he showed up with a hoes that, by AI couldn't walk two miles
an hour. Darned old plug, all right for a plough, maybe. But Leon
had him on the rake. Light job, you knowA where we generally put our
good carriage hosses. Darned if I couldn't cut faster than Leon could
rake. ieinally he said it looked like rain and thought I better help
him get the hay under cover. I didn't see no signs of rain but I
took one of my hosses and finished the raking job. Leon hitched
his plug onto the funniest looking hay wagon you ever see. 'T was
a bit bigger than a kid's toy wagon and it did have four wheels.
He and his man pitched the hay into it. But they didn't use no
system at all. A load of hay is built up, you know, with forkfuls
of hay like a brick chimney or a atone wall. They just pitched it on
any old way made a kind of big haycock so's one forkful would top
the load 'stead of regular rows like we did it. Maybe it was the
way he was taught at state. Then they wouldn't bind the load, nor
nothing, just start for the barn. On the way the forkfuls would
keep tumbling off like kids out of a truck at a school picnic.
But they wouldn't stop, no sir! They went straight for the barn
with whatever was left on the wagon. And they never picked it up
on the way back neither. I know I went by there late in the fall, and
here the field was, covered with little haycocks where the wagon had
been. And, I suum, the rest of the grass hadn't been cut neither!
College or no college, Leon just wasn't brought up right."
'Fri— TrEart