Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-07-25
Two Girls That Tried Farming.
BY d, A. SHEPHERD.

BY D. A. SHEPHERD.
Dorothea Alice Shepherd and Louise
Burney US. Fate.
Yes, that was the way the case stood.
We were making the fight.
We often wondered now that we dared,
But success is. enervating. Our needs
gave us requisite intensity then.
suppose that fate and folks thought we
were very we'll off as we were-Louse rs
housemaid in family where she was rs
good as anybody" and | rs district school
teacher; ut least know that in the first
of the struggle the sympathy was all on
the wrong side. 1t is u very fine thing,
now that we have succeeded; but there
we're days and times when-well, never
mind it is little matter since we have sue
ceeded, have accomplished nearly every
thing which they predicted we never
could do. We wanted home, we want
ed to be our own mishesses, we wanted II
living that should be Independent of the
likes, dislikes and caprices of others. We
read up the subject of labor, talked over
every branch we had known women per-
mtted to try. We turned from I'LL the
traditional industries of our sex; we knew
those ancient avenues were crowded.
But finally, when a good plan and capt.
tai to carry it out both seemed impossible,
both the plan and capital suddenly "turn-
ed up"
A maiden sister of Louise, who rs house.
keeper had saved up eight thousand dol
lars, died and left the sum intact "to lis,
as Louise was pleased to say. And one
day soon after, she laid down the New
York Tribune, and said, "Let us &C
westH
1t was meant as merry jest; but it was
a breeze to blow the tcndril of II vague
fancy of mine ground u happy thought
which l suppose many other women try
to Chamber up by.
Lou, why not?' exclaimed at once
"Why not go west and buy ii bit of lan'
and raise small fruits for the marketso"
In few moments we talked ourselve
brave and eager, not so much over tht
work as over the happiness; the plan pre-
sented itself to us us idyl, pastoral, holda!
picnic. "That would be home and indie
pendcnco beyond any of the other plans,
} said Lou. L" Just you and |, and nobod.
to deal with but Dame Naturem
} Accordingly, we came up into Michigan
: to cousin Janet. Making her hospitabl
house our headquarters, we proceeded t.
"look land' like other Eastern capitalists
5 that is. cousin Janet's husband took us il
J his light wagon to see every farm that wa
$ for sale within ten miles. And it wa
f such fun-we little midgets to 90 tripping
, over magnificent estates of two or thre
, hundred acres, and spying about with on
! ly II thousand dollars in our pockets!
f OF course, we could not buy them; an
! we did think, so long as we were "onl
= two girls there was no need of sue
e widespread Consideration when we final
/ lv made our choice. However, Lou an
II | were of one mind. We had resolved t
t keep to ourselves the plan of mike
farming;" and when the whole of thu
C rubblshv, neglected thirty-fve acres Wa
Il offered to us by its nonresident owner Il
/, II sum quite inside our means, instead {
Is turning up our noses ut it, we felt it to !
is IL bit of outspoken friendliness on the pa
y of Providence, and to the astonishment
II the neighborhood we bought it without d
l. lay.
e On our way home from the village W
is aoain passed our place. John rather M
1t liciously asked if we would not like
d look at it as u whole, and stopped Il
IL team.
u As II whole, it was II narrow, hill
ii stretch, outlined by II weak skeleton of
h fence; forbiddng surface Of stubb
ID ground aud wild turf, the distant hiIl-to
III crowned with tall mulGins. There w
n not u sprig of clover on the place, III
e though there was in old brown house al
lie barn, there was not an orchard tree, n
rs II reminscence of a garden.
d, With u strange new sense OF securl
ed which only the possession of a bit of re
he estate can give one, we fitted away
e. prepare to come again in the spring wi
be the first robin. went back to cousin d
nj nets and hired out, not to her, but to &C
ri sin John while Louise took up her old bV
mess of housework at II wealthy farme
near us-cheerily, both of us. We h
paid for our farm, and there remained
er us funds for the purchase Of horse, wag
IT. and cow Lou being supposed coolest
he case of fire, took charge of the preclc
tn deed, and of the money, promising to
he thereto, before spring, fifty dollars; " a
is, that will buy your clover seed, Dolly
he But you know you believe in clov
lis Lou and several COWS and sheep?'
n not fancy shouldering alone the re'pon
m bility of my theories.
is "Oh yes, dear Dolly, if you are cert'
Ks, you do"
A l was pretty certain.
vii Lou had her two dollars each we
to What had earned was twelve dollars
ny month, experience and health. Of cou
in they wanted to keep the sick girl in
in, house. But ut the outset | made for L
ey. self some short dresses-I am small {
ng slender, and it was not ut all such an
er- rage upon the aesthetics of dress rs
my may fancv-and thus lightly and conv
aid iently attired and beginning moderate
hat | worked out of doors every day "
ely cousin John and the boys.
found everything hard but nothing
possible.
Little Rob and | cut up about Ia
~ dozen acres of corn unassisted. Unass
liS ed husked the same, bound my bund
'hs and well. too. At first | was greatly
'iV' couraged over this same binding us
VI w women are; for cousin said he couI
'lne sacrifice too much to our experiment,
m 'ne that he wouldn't have me in the husb
ng,' lM unless could bind my stalks US l W
'n. an- | promised, but il tore my hands cruc
~, and then the bundles upon which L
eil' m spent so much time would fall in pi
I"h- W. while was carrying and setting them
's1 uo But one day, when | was at quite
, oms what to do, espied two German wo
WAS WA; in the neighboring field occupied like
SION si self, and climbed the fence and Ca
InH ln';t upon them, as very properly might,
un WI. y being the later eomers. They, | 10
'r'- had availed themselves of woman's
verbal wit; they showed me some bal
coarse twine.
Nat Go puy yourself some pals OF !
He rope, and not tear your shmall hands
for twisting stalks and marsh hay. 1t do
the more time to twist him, than it did to
keep de leetle rope"
old returned triumphant, and alter
ears bound my stalks, woman-like, with 81
rope"