40 THE TIM BUNKER PAPERS. 



&quot; Don t talk,&quot; says I. &quot; You see this paper, wife, is on 

 my side. It is showing up the humbug, and no mistake. 

 And there is more humbug in the world than I ever 

 dreamed of.&quot; 



Upon this, Seth lit &quot;his pipe and vanished in smoke. 



. 14. HIS VIEWS ON PASTURING CATTLE IN 

 THE ROAD. 



MR. EDITOR. You see, I was so busy last month, plant 

 ing, and getting things started for the summer, that I 

 didn t find a minute s time to write to anybody, and hardly 

 to be polite to my neighbors. I wish all my neighbors 

 had been as busy, and as slack on politeness as myself. 

 But no sooner had the grass begun to start in the spring, 

 than some of them began to send along their compliments 

 by their cattle, as much as to say, &quot; By your leave, Mr. 

 Bunker, I will keep your lawn in front of the house well 

 cut and shaven, and won t ask you anything for the job.&quot; 

 I counted, on Saturday, at least a dozen animals in the 

 road. There was Jake Frink s horse and colt, and Bill 

 Bottom s drove of yearlings, and Uncle Jothum Sparrow- 

 grass s two cows, besides two or three other folks cows 

 that I should not like to mention in the same company. 



Now you see, Mr. Editor, if a man s going to be polite 

 at all, it is always best to attend to it in person. This 

 sending along civilities by stray cattle is rather doubtful 

 courtesy. It might happen, you know, that the shaving 

 of one s lawn down to the roots would not be acceptable, 

 and if it were, a second civility in the shape of the hogs 

 to turn the sod of the lawn bottom side up, might be a 



