Grandpa Howard related this story of picking corn by hand.
Before mechanical corn pickers were in use, corn was shucked by hand. Seventy-five or 80 bushels was considered a fair day’s work. Cribbing did not begin then until about the first week of November. Consequently, those with a large acreage were anxious to hire help, in order to gather the crop before bad weather.
Bob Judy, a prominent farmer who lived near Judyville in Warren County, offered to provide board and lodging, and also pay $0.02 per bushel above the customary price to each man who could furnish their own team and wagon. The extra wages and the prospect of five or six weeks of work induced Grandpa’s father and a near neighbor whose name was Enoch to accept the offer. However, they planned to spend every second weekend at home.
They placed tall “knock boards” on their wagons in view of the big loads expected. But when the time came to go, Enoch was reluctant to leave his family. His wife gave him assurance by promising to write often. The letters came regularly, but since he was not literate, Grandpa’s father read them for him. One morning just before starting to work he opened the letter and gave it to Grandpa’s father. Grandpa began, “Dear Enoch: We are all well—”
“That’s all I want to hear now, finish reading it when we have more time,” Enoch declared, as he reached for the letter. In their bedroom that night, he handed it back to Grandpa’s father who read as follows, “Dear Enoch: we are all well, except Cora (a small daughter) she has had a sore throat but is better.” This news excited Enoch and he exclaimed, “Except … Holy Heavens, I thought they were all well. Cora might have choked to death.”
After spending a sleepless night, he started home at daybreak to be with the family and Bob Judy was short one corn husker.
Grandpa told me that “except” is a word that we should not overlook, even though it is often in fine print and less conspicuous in boldface type. It means to take or leave out; admit; or exclude, therefore it may be more deprecating than it appears for it connotes restriction or reservation. Watch out for the word “except” was his caution.
Grandpa also told me that early one morning several years ago, a neighbor came to his place riding a nice-looking medium-size brown mare. Forthwith, he said, “I want to trade for your bay horse.” Not being a “horse trader,” or a very good judge of horses, Grandpa wasn’t interested until he was offered $100 to boot. Whereupon, Grandpa remarked, “What is wrong with the mare?” He replied, “She is sound all right, except, being what is called a cold collar.”
Thinking perhaps the fault could be remedied by kind treatment, the deal was soon made. A short time afterwards when the mare was hitched beside another horse to an empty wagon, she put her head over the horse’s neck and refused to tighten the traces. Yes, she was all right, except … which reduced her value in Grandpa’s estimation 100 percent.
Watch out for the word “except” was his repeated caution.