The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1868-04-14

by the arm and lodged into by-ane.
Peter saw the movement, and understood
it, but he only smiled.
By-and-bye the snow was all gone
from the hill. side. The wintry garb was
removed from that spot before it left
other places, for Peters lot lay on the
southern slope of the hill, and thus had
all the advantages of the warm sun all
day, without any of the cold north and
east winds. The youth found his land
very rocky, but none of them were per-
manent; so his first move was to get off
some of these distractions and as Mr..
Stevenss land was was not yet clear from
snow, he was able to give his young work.
man considerable assistance. They took
two yokes of oxen and two draga, and
went at it, and in just five days every
rock was at the foot of the slope, and
made into good stone wall. Peter then
hauled his hundred loads Of manure
which he had bought for sevonty-five dol
lars, and part Of it he ploughed in, and
part he saved for the top. dressing.
Peter now worked early and late and
much of the time he had help.
Mr.. Stevens was surprised at the rich
ness of the soil, but there was reason for
it, At the top of the hill there was
huge ledge. The rocks which had en-
numbered the hill side must at some for
ner period, have come tumbling down
from the ledge; and the rocks, lying there
for ages, perhaps, and covering nearly
half the svrface of the ground, had served
to keep the soil moist and mellow.
The first thing Peter planted was about
a quarter of an gacre Of water melons.
He then got in some early garden sauce,
such as potatoes sweet corn, peas, beans,
radishes, cucumbers, tomatoes, and so on.
And he got the whole piece worked up
and planted before Stevens's farm was
free from snow.
People stopped in the road and gazed
upon the hull side in wonder. Why had
that spot never been used before For
forty years it had been used as sheep
pasture, the rocks having forbidden all
thoughts of cultivating it. But how adj
mirably it was situated for early tiling !;
and how rich the soil must have been.
with sheep running over it so long An
adjoining hill shut off the east winds, and
the hill itself gave its back to the chill
north.
Peter had planted an acre of corn an
acre of potatoes, and the rest he had di-
vdcd among all sorts of produce Then
he went TO work for Stevens again, and
in few weeks he had more than paid
for all the labor he had been obliged to
hire on his own land.
In the meantime, again, Walter Sturgis
had been looking after employment. His
hundred dollars had been used up to the
last penny. and just then he accepted a
place in one of tie stores in the village, at
salary Of three hundred dollars a year.
He still wondered how Peter White
could content himself in such business
Peter used to be invited to all the little
parties when he was clerk, but he was
not invited now. Walter Sturgis went to
these parties and was highly edited by
them. Also, when Peter was a clerk,
there were several young and handsome
damsels who loved to bask in the sun,
light OF his smiles, and one of them he
fancied that he loved.
After he had got his hill side planted,
he went to see Cordelia Henderson, and
he asked her if she would become his
wife at some future period when he was
prepared to take such an article home
She told him she would think of it and
let him know by letter.
Three days afterwards he received a
letter from her. in which she stated that
she could not think of uniting her desiinies
with man who could only delve in the
earth for livelihood. Peter shed few
tears over the unexpected note, and then
he reasoned on the subject, and finally
blessed his fate, for he was sure that such
a girl was not what he needed for wife.
When the first day of July came, Peter
reckoned up his accounts, and he found
that Mr.. Stevens was owing him just
two dollars, and all he owed in the world
was seventy-fve dollars for manure
On the third day of June he carried to
the hotel ten dollars worth of green peas,
beans and radishes; and in three days
afterwards he carried twerty-eight dol
lars worth. Towards the end of the
month he had sold one hundred and thir
ty dollars worth of early potatoes, peas
beans, etc. Then he had early corn
enough to bring him fifteen dollars
more. Ere long his melons were
ripe, and dealer in the city had enga
ged them all. He had six hundred fine
melons, for which he received fourteen
cents apiece by the lot, making eighty.
four dollars for the whole.
During the whole summer Peter wa.
kept busy in attending to the gathering
and selling of the products of his hillside
He helped Mr. Stevens in haying. and
about some other matters-enough SC
that he could have some help when he
wanted it.
When the last harvesting came, ht
gathered in seventy eight bushels of po
tatoes, besides turnips, squashes, pump
kins, etc, and eighteen bushel- Of white
, beans.
. On the first day of November, PeteI
r White sat down and reckoned up the pro
ceeds of his land, and he fosnd that tn
a piece had yielded him Just five hundred