about 9 o'clock in the morning
You would go to bed Sunday night at 9 o'clock , and lay awake thinking of the glory of a farmer 's life , and at 3 a. m. you would go to sleep , and at 4 you would hear the door to the attic open , and a voice that would sound like an auctioneer would yell to you to come down and get to work . You could n't argue the case with the farmer , as you do with me when I try to get you up early to go fishing ; and you would get up and put on a pair of cowhide shoes , brown overalls , a hickory shirt with bed-ticking suspenders , and you would go out into a barnyard that smelled like fury , and milk nine or fifteen cows on an empty stomach ; and while another hired man was taking the milk to a creamery , you would see that it was not daylight yet , but you would go in the kitchen and eat a slice of pork , and hurry about it , and then you would curry off the horses , and help hitch the team to a reaper ; and just as it was getting light enough to see things , you would go out to a wheat field , and , after the old man had cut two or three swaths around the field , several of you would turn in to bind up the bundles . They would show you how , and then they would see that you did your share of work . `` You would hustle for about four hours , and you would be so hungry it would n't be safe for a dog to come around you , and you would drink warm water out of a jug till your stomach ached , and you would wonder if it was not almost supper time , and if you looked at your watch you would find it was only about 9 o'clock in the morning , with three more solid hours of work before dinner time . When the horn blew for dinner you would just be able to climb on one of the horses to ride to the house , and the harness would take the skin off your elbows . When you got to the house you would want to lay down and die , but you would have to pull water up in buckets to water the horses , and go up in the hay mow and throw down hay and carry oats to them , and when you went in to dinner you would feel as though you could eat a ten course banquet , but you would find that it was washing day , and they did n't do any cooking , and you would eat a bowl of bread and milk , and chew about a bushel of young onions , and when you were filled up and wanted to lie down and go to sleep , and die , the old man would tell you to hustle out and hitch up that team , and you would be so lame you could n't ride on top of a hard farm harness , and you would walk to the field , your heavy shoes wearing the skin off your ankles , and the old machine would begin to stutter and rattle , and you would go to work binding bundles at 1 o'clock and work till dark , because it looked as though it was going to rain , and when you got the chores done , milked the cows , bedded down the horses , carried in wood to the kitchen and a few things like that , and they told you supper was ready , you would say you would rather go to bed than eat , and you would go up in the attic and fall on the bed , and go to sleep and dream of your Uncle Ike . Do you know where I would find you next ?