Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1873-08-22

the porch.
"Do humor Jonas, father" said she.
"Whats the damage anyhow? If he's
playing off trick on us, there won't be no
bones broke"
Andy was himself curious TO see the
young man operate, so aided and allotted
by his better half, he lett the ak helves and
the pile of shavings.
"Come, now, young man." he grunted,
"lers have taste of your conjuring, but
tell you aforehand I don't believe n word
ont"
Jonas exchanged furtive smile with
Polly, and, seizing the crotched stick by
both its prongs, walked slowly out into the
grassy yard, and stopped under a great
pear-tree.
"This is the place." stamping the ground
with his foot. "Tho wtch-hazel bough
turned in my hand. l will put down
stake here, and any time you choose to dig
1 think you will strike a vein of good wa
ter"
"Sho, nonsense" spluttered Andy, "I
could do that trick myself. It's all moon
shine, and just TO prove that 1t is, I'll begin
digging there bright and early tomorrow
morning."
"Very well, sir" said Jonas, "and If you
don't strike water in the course of a day or
two, I will agree to pay you for your troub-
le."
"Of course you wouldn't take pay" said
Polly, quickly.
"Of course l would" returned Andy,
| 4 Al 1, IT,
the bargain"
"All right, sir,' said Jonas. nettled by
the elder mans dersion. "If make a
mistake now, it will be the first time. 1 am
ready to stand to my agreement" and he
nodded to Polly and turned on his heel and
walked away.
The next morning was one in thousand
cool, clear, crystalline, with sky of un-
equalled depth and splendor, and little
breezes idly running their fingers through
the grass and leaves, and touching all the
harmones of the world.
Handy Andy had choice collection of
the worst old clothes ever seen. twas one
of Mrs. Andy's standing grievances that
father would get on some old dud when she
wanted him TO appear respectable. He new
er parted voluntarily with any of his ha-
biliments. Sometimes, when he was alb
sent on a journey, Mrs. Hinman gave away
a few she hoped he would not miss, and
burnt up others that were too bad to bestow
in charity, carrying them out to the puri-
flying and sacrifcal flame with a pair of
tongs.
Now the lord and master presented HIM
self in a pair of trousers he had used to
paint in, and which were plentifully streak
ed and spotted with divers colors. or a
pleasant morning Andy liked to begin
work bright and early, and it secretly did
him good to hear Polly go singing round
the house, to smell the coffee bubbling on
the kitchen fire and mingling its fragrance
with lilacs and syringas, and TO hear the
hens oacAling in business like way out in
the barn. Now as Polly tripped down the
orchard path TO the spring, she took sly
peeps at picture of the kind known as thu
type, which Jonas Strong had given her the
day before, and it seemed as though her
heart was a fountain of melody, which
overfowed her lips.
Wel-dgging seemed TO come by nature
to Andy before noon he was up 10 his
head, and had rigged pulley and buck
et, and Margaret came out to empty the
bucket as it creaked up over the edge of
the pit. Overhead in the pear-tree was
a robins nest. The fuss had not driv-
IN off the mother-bird. She sat there eye
ing the proceeding and takinga very nteli
| gent interest in the matter.
"Any signs of water yet, iatherY"
"No," responded Andy. ~ shall keep
on for a spell right down towards Chany.
There'll be some satisfaction in seeing what
butt resses and supports the old farm, how
the studs and sleepers are put in. It's
queer how body reels going down into the
insides of the 'srth. I've thought of all
them passa ges of ScriPtur' where ii speaks
of life eternal, and compares it to a well of
living water. And 1 expect if go down
deep enough TO see stars shnin in the day
time. It's something TO he sartn the sun
don't snuff em out every morning like
candles in the gold candlesticks that was
set before the ark of covenant And to see
that robin roostin' up there on the pear
tree limb, as if she knowed all about it and
give her consent, is kind of company. l
shan't lose nothing by the job for if it fails
Jonas Strong must pay up. I'll let him do
it jest TO show him he mustn't try to come
it over folks with no such hocus pocus."
"But what will you give Jonas if you
succeed ?" asked Polly.
"Dunno," responded Andy, slowly, wip-
ing the brown mold from his face, "unless
let him take you"
Polly said no more, but the tin-type
see med TO burn in the bottom of her pock-
ct, in sympathy with her cheeks. So they
worked on, with holyhocks blooming in
variegated ranks, and the larkspur, and
candy-tuft, and sweet Williams spreading
perpetual banquet for the brown bees
while Mrs. Hinman snapped out the pill
low-slps and towels she had washed, and
hung them on the currant bushes, and a
brood of downy chickens peeped in the
burdock. All that day they worked and
the next, and Andy was deep in the well
his own hands had digged, when suddenly
there came a voice from the pit.
"That rascal was right afler all. There
is water here; it's rushing in fit to drown
me. And Andy scrambled out fast as ever
he could.
Polly was as pleased as If they had found
a diamond mine under the pear-tree.
"The worst of it is, can't crow over Jo-
mas" said Andy, scratching his head "but
l shall say it was lucky guess. Wonder
what your mother'll do, now she han't got
the we'll to din on? Guess my old clothes
will catch ii worse than ever"
When the well was cleared the whole
| for il,,c IN iacl g lie ina