Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1875-05-07
THE BORROWED TOOLS.
A Sketch for Farmers.

SAMUEL THOMPSON and Nathan Holmes
were both of them farmers, and they
were also near neighbors. Their land
was situated upon a beautiful ridge, and
was strong and productive. In the nat
ural capacity of the soil there was not a
cents worth of difference in the two
farms, but yet they bore very dissimilar
aspect after they had been worked a
number of years. Mr.. Thompson's build
ings looked neat and tidy. His door,
ward was clean, his windows were whole,
his barn was snug and warm, his orchard
. looked thrifty, and the trees were care
fully dressed and pruned. Now Mr.
Holmes had no more of family to sup
port than his neighbor, but yet his house
and utbuildings and the rural aspect of
his farm were very different A few rags
We're to be seen in spots where should
have been panes of glass various things
were kicking about in the yard that
should have been in other places; there
were large cracks in his barn, through
which the rain and snow sometimes beat !;
his apple trees were scabbed with old
bark, and the tops were disigured by
scraggy, dead limbs. Mr.. Holmes
work ed hard-harder, if anything, than
did Mr.. Thompson; but yet his matters
were always at loose ends, and he often
wondered how isWas that his neighbor
pushed things along so smoothly and
kept everything in such excellent order.
"Ah, Thompson" said Holmes, one day
In early spring, as he came up to the door
of the former, "have you got an inch
auger?"
Certainly" returned Thompson; "I
couldn't get along on farm without
one"
Il wish you would lend it to me lit
tie while. | have delayed sowing my
grain two days because my harrow is
broken and had no tools with which to
mend it."
"I will lend it to you with pleasure, I"
said Thompson. And then, as sudden
thought seemed to strike him, he added:
"They tell me, Mr.. Holmes, that you
lost one of your cows yesterday"
"Yes," returned Holmes, with an un-
easy look, lone of the best COWS
had"
"How did it happen?"
"She broke her leg"
Broke her leg? How, pray!"
"Why, you see the floor in my tie-up
had got rather worn and shaky, and night
before last she got one of her legs through
stem, so 1 had to kill her"
''Ah, Mr.. Holmes, those are things we
farmers ought to guard against. A very
little labor at the proper time would have
saved al that"
"I know it," said Mr.. Holmes, with a
downcast look; "and should have fixed
the floor long ago if had had the tools.
But it's no use in crying now. What's
done can't be helped"
That was always a source of great con-
ISOLATION to Mr.. Holmes. When a thing
was done he tried to feel satisfied with
the reflection that it could not be un-
done; though he seldom laid up the ex-
.perience for future use. Mr.. Thompson
turned toward the shed door and led the
way up into neat, light chamber, and
Holmes followed. Here was a stout
bench, all fixed for handy use, and upon
it were full set of planes, saws, gauges,
mallets, etc, while in a small rack
against the partition were arranged a set
of chisels, gimlets, files and screw -driv-
ers, and overhead hung some half-dozen
ditferent-sized augers. In short, there
was everything that man could possi-
bly, need in building and repairing about
house.
Mr.. Thompson took down an inch au-
ger and handed it to his neighbor, and
as he did so he remarked:
81 haven't seen your son Thomas
about for two or three days. Is he
sick?"
"Well, not exactly sick, but he's got a
very bad foot-he can't step on it,"
"Ah, how did it happen?"
"He trod on an old rusty nail in the
barn floor and it went into his foot some
ways"
"W-h-e-wl that's bad" uttered Thomp-
son, with sympathetic shudder. 81
never allow my boys to go around much
barefooted. / have found that the pricks
and bruises generally cost more than the
shoe-leather, aside from the comfort and
looks"
"Oh, Thomas wasn't barefooted, but
you see there was a hole in the bottom
of his shoe. / meant to have carried il
down to the village and have it mended
but forgot it."
"Ah. friend Holmes, save all such
difficulties as that | always keep lit
tie leather by me, and then when there is
81 a little tapping or patching to be done
can fix it up in few minutes. All these
things can be done during rainy DAYS
when I might otherwise be lying idle"
"Well," returned Mr.. Holmes, g / sup
pose might cobble shoe well enough
If only had the tools; but it takes quit,
collection of implements to fill up {
cobbler's bench. However, what's done
can't be helped. / guess Tom'n be ou
in day or two. But | must hurry OF
now and fix my harrow"
1t took Mr. Holmes nearly all day t
mend his harrow, so that he had to post
pone the narrowing of his land till tn
next morning, and when he at length go
his grain into the ground he was jus
nye days behind his neighbor ThompsoH
his son was confined to the house owe
a week, and during that time he had t
hire an extra hand, which cost him abou