Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1864-09-14

PioSeo' anu ao iaoo ieohu ohO ehd' WIG
and myself were considerably pleased
with. Fine double house, four acres beau
tifully shaded, vegetable garden not to be
beaten, and soil of superior quality.
The place is still in my possession, but
before | would go and live on it again, l
would give it away; yes Aleck, would
see it sunk in the middle of the Dead
Sea. But am getting little ahead of
my story. For two or three months,
matters and things went on very we'll, be-
cause | had something to attend to in
making few improvements about the
house5 and in furnishing a number of
the doors with locks of my own inven-
ton; but as the whole premises we're in
excellent repair when l bought them. l
soon came to the point where there was
nothing to look after but the cultivation
of the garden. was not long, though,
in making the discovery that had no
genius nor taste either for digging around
roots, or pulling up weeds, and SO, as my
wife did not wish the garden to run to
waste, employed regular English gar
dener to carry the thing handsomely
through. Well, | didn't mind the ex-
pense he put ue to in the way of guano.
new-fangled gardening tools, and patent
watering apparatus; for had fully ex-
Ipected to spend money, and thanks to
our previous economy, we had the money
to spend; but Aleck, it was really very
amusing to see what fruit and vegetables
raised from our garden stood us in. Max
ing use of the little arithmetic | was
master of, | recollect that ciphcred up
the cost of some of the table fxings, and
the result was-cucumbers seventeen cts.
apiece; green peas, a dollar and three
quarters for half peck currants, fifty
cts. quart; raspberries, thirty cents a
pint beets, fourteen cts. each, and eve
ry thing else in proportion. All this |
cared nothing about, but somehow, | felt
out of my gearing in not having the
right kind of employment Wife did
her best to coax me into gentlemanly ways;
had the old mechanical CRIME all tho
roughly scrubbed out of my hands--6n.
ger nails cleaned out and rounded--so as
to make it appear that had never done
maunal labor. F., .. ...... .... ....
Then we must get behind couple of
Morgan ponies which ! had purchased,
and make fashionable calls in the day
time on those who had called on us; and
wife wanted me to soften down my voice
and be particular about my grammar and
the subjects talked on, but sometimes
forgetting myself / would revel in the
proud memory Of the locks and keys |
had handled in happier days, and COM
mcnced a history of my exploits in that
line, when wife would look as though she
was going to sink through the floor. In
fact she wished to keep perpetal lock on
my lips $50 far as our antecedents were
concerned) with the key in her pocket.
But | sighed for the shop, and time hung
heavily on my hands, so that an hour
spent in stupid listlessness about the house
seemed longer to me than day did, when
had orders ahead for locks, and was
driving hard to get them finished at a
given time. My youngest brother, who
lis college bred man and lawyer, sent
me, at my request, fine collection Of
books on every imaginable subject, SO
that my library outshone that of the par,
son, or indeed any other man in the
place, but found had no more taste to
sit down and read than | had for trim.
ming currant bushes. Time was, after
had finished hard days labor at the
, shop, when an hour at books was real So
lace, and | also beloved an hour of i'm
provement. Then | envied those whose
leisure allowed them to feast on books
! perpetually but the mistake made wa'
in failing to discriminate between th'
mental habits and requirements Of th'
professed student, and those of the work
: ing man. ''a ba ,
: In this wretched manner did time a
~, country ,eat drag heavily along. Wis