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Show THRESHING WADE A PASTIME Italian Families beat Wheat From Straw in Rhythm, and Seem to Enjoy the Work. Gasparlno Dante got up early Sunday Sun-day morning, anil before the sun was very high his day's vnrk was well started on his farm neut Cupula. Italy. The two daughters one eighteen nnd the other fifteen stared (and finished) fin-ished) the day with the men. The younger children were too small to l of any help, although the boy of tell scattered wheat over the stum; threshing thresh-ing flour so that It would be reail when the older members of the family had (inlsoed with brcnkf.isi bread and dices and co ITVv, for Dante call u.'Iui'l coffee In the morning. He owns thirty an-es. When threshing started, the full er paired wlih the oldest girl on s side of the tloor; the other couple stood side by side opposite. The four flails were poised high In the air ad Instant and then at a shout from the farmer one pair desrend'-d and as they were lifted the couple opposite cruck. The four beat the gr.:n, keeping perfect time and pausing only while the hoy raked the straw Into a pile at one side of the floor and swept the kernels of wheat Into m other heap, and threw down a frcsli supply. Then, with a shouted hlgiial that seemed to welcome the new onslaught the rhythm of the thumping started again. The manner of the threshers was more like that of couples dancing an old-fashioned uundrllie than that of harvst tollers under the blistering, blister-ing, blinding midsummer sun of south- em Italy. |