Litchfield enquirer., 1875-02-04

E
 Jehn discoursed again of the poor 4soi
 as ye sat there. He; warned us that, vi
 could never expect to raise wheat. Wheat
 1 had seen little save wheat since we cams
 into the State. I didn't believe in st
 Wneh wheat. E0n account of a few princi
 pies in chemistry, and I told him so; an}
 let him langh at my ''schoolma' am farm ing whileI jumped out and crept througl the bars and ran up to make sure the ol6
 house was locked. What an old house
 It had grown dear to us already, as being our very own: but in reality it was a:
 brown aud struggling, and as lonely anG
 unpicturesque, as an old birds nest
 --s'torn with storms and rain'
 With astrang new sense of security whicl only the possession of hit of real estate can give one, we fitted away to prepare to come again in the spring with the frs robin. | vent back to cousin, Janet ,ani
 hired out, Eot to her, but to cousin John
 while Louise took up her old business o 'honsewofk at wealthy farmers near as 5 sheerily, both of us. We had paid fol our farm, and there remained to us, fund. for the purchase of horse, wagon, and GOV. Lou, being supposed coolest il case of fire, took achargeIof h8pfecinus deeds and of the money. promising to add thereto, before spring, fifty dollars; 'tAnd that will buy your clover seed; .Dony."
 Rat you know 3fDas believe in clover Lou, ,and several COWS and sheep2" I did not fancy shouldering alone the responsi
 bility of my theories.
 .'0h, yes. dear Dolly. if you are certain you do." ,s
 was pretty certain
 Lon had her two dollars each week. What earned was twelve dollars pel month; experience, and health. Of course they wanted to keep the sick girl in the house. But at the outset I made for my. self some. short dresses,-I am small and slender, and 1t was not at all such an out rags upon the esthetics of dress as you may fancy. thus lightly and conven. iently attired, and beginning moderately, T Isworked out-of-doors every day with cousin John and the boys. found everything hard, but nothing iAzp0ssible.
 Little Rob and cut up half dozen acres of corn unassisted. Unassisted l hnsked the same, bound my bundles, and we'll, too At first I was greatly discour. aged over this same ''binding," as all wo- men are: for cousin said he couldn't sacri- ice too much to our experiment, and that he wouldn't have me in the husking unless could bind my stalks as I went. prom lseds bat it tore and wore my hands cruel ". and the bundles upon which I had spent so much time would fall in pieces while was carrying and setting them up. But ono day, when was at quite loss what to do. 1 espied two German women in the neighboring field occupied like my self, and l clim bed the fence and called upon them. as very properly might, they heing the later corners. They, I found, had ayailed themselves of Woman's pro. verbal wit; tEey showed me some balls of coarse twine.
 'sssGo puy youself some palls of leetle rope. and mt tear you shmall hands init twlsting stalks and marsh hay. It do take more time to twist him, than 1t do to earn de leetle rope"
 returned triumphant, and after that ss bound my stalks. woman-like, with ''lee-
 After the first few days, I could work early and late. Cousin Janet said should surely finish myself up nov; and Louise was afraid I would, too. But day after day I appeared in my corn-ield, where I worked after fashion of my own. didn't fancy wet stalks, and bugs. and mice nests, and perhaps a snake, in my lap. But the vigorous motions required to strip and break the ear from the husks, and the exercise of binding and carrying, my chest as thoroughly as the motions of the movement cure, and mar velously strengthened shoulder and wrist. My cough ceased. The sunlight of the lovely, vaporous Indian summer weather, and the sweet air, proved at once balm and tonic for my irritated stomach, and together with the exercise, invigorated my appetite. 1 used to run down to din- ner as hungry as the boys, and bark glee- fully 'aike wolf' in Janets ears, to show her how ravenous I was, until at last the hired man-an old Scotchman- said one day to John, who was featuring me, "Hoot, mon! let the lass alone! gie her oatmeal pairritch for her breakfast and let her work; them as likes wark can wark their fill on that!"
 So they can. Louise and know that. A cup of strong, pure, we'll creamed coffe, with dish of oatmeal mush dressed with cream and sifted sugar, has been our dai- ly breakfast for years. The old Scotch mans hint has been fortune to IS in the matter of solid muscle and healthy thought.
 While l grew brown and strong out in the sunny fields, was daily learning my business working alongside cousin John. learned the easy way, the "man's way, of holding the plow aRd turning furrow, and it was proud time for me when Rob and were trusted to blow out the pota. toes when potato harvest came. ''thank. ed my stars" every day then, as every day since, that I had the energy and the sense thus to fit myself to carry out our enter prise. I was taught how to make prop. CT stack of cornstalks-one that would shed rain-and how to build load. l sOOald persist: if slid of the load. as of. ten l did, would chamber back; for if ] was as slim as willow whip, I was also as 1.-the. picked apples day after day, untll no possible height on the ladder could turn me giddy. l drove the mower to cut the seed clover; could in my short scant skirts. I learned to harness, tc milk fast and clean, how to feed and care for stock, and how to swing an ax and file g saw; and if I did sometimes quite weal out John and old Donald with my aues. tions, and with being in the way, and with the general bother of girl mixed up with the work. Lou and don't know that we care: man, as 8 race owes us great deal. l would tag round all day at my cousins heels with his little boys, who thought ii great fun to go out and work with Dolly, and who between them taught me almost as many things as their father did; and at night sat in the rocking chair and ques. toned John about sheep and wool and lambs and hay-making, and then compar. cd what he had said with the Rural and the Agricultur1st
 Cousin paid me my wages by going over to our farm and blowing up every rod of it save the door-yard and wood-lot. He protested against the nonsense cf 'sfall blowing ;; but Insisted, talking .'cut. worms" and the magic harrows of winter frosts. He protested still more loudly be- cause bargained for every load of barn yard compost which the farms for ten miles around would sell and deliver spread upon our ploughed land-to sswinter waste, they said; and he called me a
 ,headstrong girl'' because after making the land 80 rich I would not s'take .