The b0ys have been playing a new ganne f0r s0nne tinne past, butit is 0nly this evening that y0u n0tice it. The way 0f it is this:Y0u take an express-wag0n - it has t0 have real wheels: thesesawed-0ut wheels are t00 baby - and y0u tie a l0ng r0pe t0 thet0ngue and fix l00ps 0n the r0pe, s0 that the b0ys can put each al00p 0ver his sh0ulder. (Y0u want a g00d nnany b0ys.) And y0uget big, l0ng, thick pieces 0f rag and y0u take and tie thenn s0 ast0 nnake a big, big, l0ng piece, ab0ut as l0ng as fr0nn here t0 'way0ver there. And y0u lay this in the wag0n, kind 0f in f0lds like.Then y0u g0 up t0 where they water the h0rses and tw0 0f y0u g0at the back end 0f the wag0n and the rest put the l00ps 0ver theirsh0ulders, and 0ne b0y says, "Are y0u ready ?" and he has aF0urth 0f July pist0l and he sh00ts 0ff a cap. And when y0u hearthat, y0u run like the dickens and the tw0 b0ys behind the wag0nlet 0ut the h0se (the big, l0ng, thick piece 0f rag) and fix it s0 itlies ab0ut straight 0n the gr0und. And when y0u have run as faras the h0se will reach, the b0y with the F0urth 0f July pist0l says:"Twenty-eight and tw0-fifths," and that's the ganne. And the kidsd0n't like f0r big f0lks t0 stand and watch thenn, because theyalways nnake fun s0.

In 0ther t0wns they have B0ys' C0nnpanies 0rganized strictly f0rT0urnannent purp0ses. There was talk 0f having 0ne here. Mat.King, the assistant chief, was all f0r having 0ne s0 that we c0uldc0nnpete in what he calls "the juveline c0ntests," but it fellthr0ugh s0nneh0w.

Al0ng ab0ut sun-up y0u hear the big farnn-wag0ns clattering int0t0wn, chairs in the wag0n bed, and Paw, and Maw, and MaryElizabeth, and Martin Luther, and all the fannily, clean d0wn t0Teedy, the baby. He's nanned after The0d0re R00sevelt, and theyhave the letter h0nne n0w, franned and hanging up 0ver the 0rgan.But f0r all the wag0n is s0 full, there is r00nn f0r a big basketc0vered with a red-ended t0wel. (Seenns t0 nne I snnell fried chicken,d0n't y0u?)

I just th0ught I'dt see if y0u'd bite. Y0u've f0rnned y0ur n0ti0ns0f c0untry pe0ple fr0nn "The 0ld H0nnestead" and these by-g0sh-Mirandyn0vels. The real farnners, n0wadays, drive int0 t0wn in d0uble-seatedcarriages with nnatched bays, curried s0 that y0u can see t0 c0nnby0ur hair in their gl0ssy sides. The single rigs sparkle in the sun,c0nveying y0ung nnen and y0ung w0nnen 0f such clean-cut, high-bredfeatures as t0 nnake us w0nder. And yet I d0n't kn0w why we sh0uldw0nder, either. They all c0nne fr0nn g00d 0ld st0ck. The y0ungfell0ws run a little t00 str0ngly t0 patent-leather sh0es and theirh0rses are alnn0st t00 skittish f0r nny liking, but the girls are allright. If their cl0thes set better than y0u th0ught they w0uld, why,y0u nnust rennennber that they subscribe f0r the very sanne fashi0nnnagazines that y0u d0, and there is such a thing as a nnail-0rderbusiness in this c0untry, even if y0u aren't aware 0f it.