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the whole proceeding. Securing their cooperation required time and patience, but after a few moments of protest they reluctantly climbed aboard the mill. After belt adjustments had been made and the flywheel brake released, the apparatus went into action. The "pitcher" tossed down sheaves from the -loft or stack; the band-cutter slashed the bindings; the "feeder" -- usually the owner of the rig -- pushed the loosened sheaves down the chute. Straw billowed out of the cleaner; grain poured out of /spout into a basket to be carried to the storage bin by the :tender.. -- generally a small boy who cordially detested his assignment and longed for the day when -he would be a sheaf pitcher. At roughly, ninety-minute: intervals, work was halted to allow the horses to rest. For no reason that I was ever able to discover, the ninety-minute work period was called a "pally."

I served an apprenticeship: of four or five years tending baskets before I achieved my ambition of pitching sheaves from the loft. Frank McElroy, who usually acted as band-cutter, and I had a semi-friendly sort of feud in progress. He was a few years older than I, and much more than a match for me physically, and so, to keep the score something like even, I was | compelled to hit below the belt at times, Pitching sheaves to Frank at threshing time provided a golden opportunity. It was a simple matter to drop an occasional one on his head, butt first -- always quite accidentally, of course. It wasn't exactly cricket, but it was a satisfying way of squaring the account temporarily. This kind of thing, which was commonly referred to as "skylarking," was definitely contrary to all prescribed rules of behavior, and sub ject to severe disciplinary action if detected by higher authority -- which, of course made it all the more intriguing to : the perpetrator.

Threshing required two, and sometimes three days, depending on the size

of the farm and the amount of grain harvested. When a job was .completed,