Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1873-08-22
The Leisure Hour.
DEGGE,v'Ss THE WE'LL.
BY AUGUSTA LARNED.

Andrew Hinman, known to his neigh
bors as Handy Andy, had grown fore-hand-
ed by an infallible recipe-hard work, econ
omy, and the habit of doing everything
himself. There were few men in town who
hired so few days work as Handy Andy.
He was born with contrvance, that first,
best gift to the New Englander, and could
build barn, or paper a room, or cook
meal or whitewash a ceiling, or solder tin
ware as deity as if he had served an ap-
premiership to each and all of these useful
trades.
There was no manner of tool Handy An
dy did not possess in his shop, which was
part and parcel of the old cider mill; or if
he had it not in his collection, he could
make the thing itself or substitute, from
his unfailing store of gumption.
Handy Andy's name was perfectly justi-
fled by the facts. lie had very queer pair
of hands, hairy, brown and wrinkled, and
it was marvellous the fine work they could
do, even TO putting new stick to the fam
lily umbrella, or mending a crotchet-nee-
die. He had even made little coffin for
one of his own children, not TO save ex-
pense, but from a feeling that he could not
let Indifferent hands touch the wood that
was TO enclose his curly-pated boy, who
had clambered so often over his knees, and
clasped his neck with "a pair of chubby
arms. He shut himself in the old shop,
and tears fell down on the well-seasoned
boards as he planed and fashioned the little
casket.
But with all Andy's contriying there was
no well on the place. a shoemaker's fam
lily, says the adage, goes poorly shod, and
a handy man will sometimes tolerate very
unhandy things on his premises FOR long
course of years. Andy had got used TO
seeing his women folks bring water from
the spring some distance off at the foot of
the hill, and gather their washing fluid in
a large hogshead placed at the corner Of
the house.
For years Mrs. Hinman had talked about
having a well dug, and had expended much
breath and eloquence on the subject in vain,
while Andy, in his spare hours, tnkered
away at something to amuse the children
or please his own fancy. Andy had prom
ised M any times that he would do the job
when farm work was slack, but the time
never came, owing, perhaps, to a deeply
grounded prejudice in his mind that what
was good enough for his mother would
serve his wife, and very stubborn faith in
the powers of endurance possessed by wo-
men folks generally.
But his daughter Polly had grown to be
fnn et, in,ht al mir xuif fino
eyes, in which the thoughts lay like agates
in clear brook. Polly had developed a
talent for managing her father Mrs. Hin
man die not possess. That excellent wo-
wan had harped so long on few moldered
strings that Andy found the harping an ac-
compartment to his thoughts he would
have missed had it ceased altogether.
Polly had said in her heart, "There shall
be a well dug this summer" She could
recall, almost as far back as memory went,
Juggling buckets of water up the hill, and
splashing her miserable little ankles all the
way and the exercise was none the less
distasteful now that she could carry with a
steady hand.
One day Polly presented herself before
hel idluci, WIN So' WI tho poiSH, al S'H
powered in trumpet-creeper and bitter
sweet. He was fitting helve TO a new AK,
and little pile of snow-white shavings lay
heaped against the rocker of his chair. Just
over Polly's shoulder appeared the florid
face and curly locks of young neighbor.
Here is Jonas Strong, father" said the
girl. "He has been locating oil-wells down
in Pennsylvania, and thinks he could show
us where to dig for water near the house" "
$50 JONAS" remarked Farmer Hinman,
sighting along the ax-helve at the same
time, you've struck ile."
"No SIR" said Jonas, "but I've helped
other people to do it. It's Rift."
"Gift?" repeated Andy, whiting away
81 don't believe in gifts, except the gift OF
tongues, and the women monopolize that
Now, If it was a contrivance or invention
that would lead people to discover what's
hid in the bowels of the 'arth-"
"Ths is what he does II WITH" interrupt.
ed Polly, and she drew the divining-rod, 4
crotched stick of the common witch-hazel
from the fold Of her dress. "Come apd Sc,
how Jonas goes To work. You can't un
derstand the thing, father, until you watcf
the process"
"Shop spluttered Andy, "you cam
make me believe in any such witch work
I'm too old bird to be lined in that way
Mrs. Hinman had listened to this confal
! through the Stats of the bultery window