Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1850-12-18

a delighted eagerness when his ia'hef
could not help observing. lie Immediately
commenced reading aloud for his mother.
Peter Miller listened, and soon became as
much interested as he had been in the story
in the preceding number.
Alter supper that evening. Peter took up
the paper because he could not help doing
so-the very sigh, of j, producing desire
TO know more Of what it contained. lie
was reading 10 himself, when he paused,
and looking up, said, thoughtfully-
"Can that really be so -
Can what be so p asked Hannah.
| " If what is said in this paper be true, "
replied Peter, 81 can pay off my mortgage
in two years.
"Whai does it say = enquired Hannah,
looking surprised.
d" 1t says lha, swamp muck, treated in a
certain way, makes fertilizer equal in
value, TO lands of certain character. 10
The bes, stable and barnynrd composts. II
this really be so, can, as just said. pay
off the mortgage in two years. For there
are thousand, Of cart loads OF muck in lha,
swamp across the orchard. There is a
rtle book, i, is further stated here, to be
had 10 Cincinnati. called The .Muck Man,
uai. |, really seems too good to be true. F"
The Muck Manual was sent for and
Obtained, and Peter studied i, day and night,
for a week. By that time he understood
the matter thoroughly, and it was to him
like light ahead. Already the pressure of
gloomy despondcncy, as he looked into the
future, was, 10 n great extent, removed.
il his vineyard, now four years old, pro,
duced good crop next season, it would
net, the handsome sum OF two or three
hundred dollars. Moreover, if the muck
compos, answered as well as he was in
clned to believe lha, it would. one or two
hundred dollars would be made by using it.
Week after week came the Gazette by
pos, bu, it did not, as at first, bear upon
its margin the name Of Benjamin Hicks,
for the old gentleman, instead Of sending
his own copy Of the paper. had ordered i;
TO be mailed to Peter from the office in Gin
cinna,. No longer, in the mind Of the
latter, unpleasant emotions excited when the
postmaster handed him ou, regular. on
Saturdays. the Gazette. lie would have
felt no little disappointed had there been
any failure Of the paper 10 reach him with
its accustomed regularity.
II it wonderful what change was
wrought in the whole family of Peter Mil
Ter, in very shor: sine, by the iniroduc-
ton Of newspaper. Its caretcny selected
stories ever intoxicating some good principle
or awakening the feelings to warmer sym.
pa,hies; its current history Of passing
events; its pleasant melange of wit and
humor; and its grave lessons of truth to the
understanding, and good Impulse to the
heart, gave aliment to the hungry minds Of
parents and children. al the same time that
it elevated them into higher, purer, and
healthier region.
In Hannah, who afore,imes used to war.
bic like bird, from morning TO night, The
sweet voice of music had become dumb.
But ere the spring opened, that voice was
occasionally heard again breaking forth in
smtches of old melodies. 1t sounded
strangely familiar and pleasant, to Peter,
when this happened; and in his heart
awoke a thousand dear. responsive.echoes.
Peter himself had become daiereN
man, and was looking hopefully forward 10
the coming summer, when the exPeri-
men,s he was going 10 enter upon would be
tested. The change in Ellen and Henry
was quite as apparent. Both became ex-
cited to self-improvemen', and got their
father TO procure them some books, in
which they studied lessons daily, with the
regularity of scholars at school. Their
heart, being in what they were doing, they
improved wonderfully. This fact pleased
both their parents, and increased The cheer
fulness of feeling into which they were
gradually rising.
During the winter. the sheep Of Peter
Miller were attacked with the distemper
from which they had suffered so fatally the
year before. Timely communications in
the Gazette, from large wool growers in
Ohio. among whose nocks the disease had
likewise appeared. enabled him to apply
remedies, till then unheard of in his neigh.
borhood, and which prevented the loss ofa
single animal.
When spring opened. Peter employed
two extra hands for sonS weeks in hauling
swamp muck, erd in preparing it for GER
tain fields lha needed renovated. Had his
knowledge Of its valuable fer'lizing prop
er,ie. been Obtained some four or five
months earlier than i; was, he could have
used it 20 far greater advantage in that
wears crop. As il was. he made saving