Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-07-25

and u tonic for my irrilated stomach, and.
together with the exercise, invigorated my
appetite used to run down to dinner rs
hungry as the boys, and bark gleefully
like u wolf u in Janet's ears, to show her
how ravenous | was, until at last the hired
man-an old Scotchman-said one day to
John, who was lecturing me, "Hoot, mon!
let the lass alone gle her oatmeal pair
ritch for her breakfast, and let her wark;
them us like wark can wark their fill on
thatn
So they can. Louise and know that,
A cupof strong, pure, well-creamed coffee,
with Il dish of oatmeal mush dressed with
cream and sifted sugar, has been our daily
breakfast for years. The old Scotchman's S
hint has been fortune to us in the matter
of solid muscle and healthy thought.
While grew brown and strong out in
the sunny fields, l was daily learning my
business working alongside cousin John.
l learned the easy way, the imam s way"
of holding the plough and turning u fur
row, and it was proud time for me when
Rob and were trusted to plough out the
potatoes when potato harvest came. l
g thanked my stars that | had had the
energy and the sense thus to fit myself to
carry out our enterprise. Cousin paid me
my wages by going over to our farm and
pIoughing up every rod Of it save the door
yard aud wood-lot. lie protested against
the nonsense of "lall ploughing;" but |
insisted, talking "cut worms" and the
magic harrows of the winter fr0sts. He
protested still more loudly because | bar
gained for every load of barn compost
which the farmers for ten miles around
would sell and deliver spread upon our
ploughed land-"to winter waste" they
said; and he called me "headstrOng
girl" because after making the land so rich
| would not take wheat-crop off when
seeded it," But Lou and l knew wheat
crop was an affair of money, men and
teams from beginning 10 end; besides, We
meant to save the entire strength of The
soil for our future meadows
Many sly dig did get about my stub
bornness.
" Have ye bought yer team yet, Miss
Shepherd?" Thus friendly neighbor.
Miss Shepherd is saved the trouble ol
reply. "a team? Dolly amt a-goin' tC
buy no team she's gon' to work hel
farm with idees."
Well, why not?--if l can.
So pursuant to Johns theory of "idees,
| question and question until have learn
ed the routine of the main farm crops, tht
number OF days work per acre of boil
men and horses, cost of seed, and probable
average and market value of yield. als'
learn the daily amount of food consumed
} by each of the Matchmaking animals, to
gether with the market prices of the dif
, fcrent meats.
! When winter came, | returned to m,
ancient employment. My school-keepin
: wages paid my debts to the farmers; ant
with tile surplus bought out cousins hen
merry cntirc-the fowls and guano-togeth
| er with pretty pair of Poland pigs. Lo
had purchased grass and clover seed, an
5 had learned to drive; and as | knew hov
G to milk, and April was near ut hand, W
e bought IL load of hay, handsome horse
y Pampas and gentle COW, Maggie, cutiva
: tor and spades, gathered up all the oil
) tools cousin had given us, even to draw
y shave, and went down home.
And here blessing upon the gray head
D of cousin Janet and cousin John is surel
e in order; for portion of everything i
0 their house was sent with US, from ba
; of flour and ham to II tiny sack of 81
and the residue of my oatmeal, from
S load of nursing fruit trees down to bul
S die of currant bush and peony root; anC
2 last of all lovely little cat, I" TO purr an
e sit in your lap and make it seem like HON
l. in the evening"" That was what littl
cousin Jamie said rs he reached up an
Il put it in my arms after we were in I'll
wagon.
u Well, it was blre home after we ha
! done our very best with it; and had it nj
" been our own we could not have stai
u u there. We had spent all our money c
u. " the land, and there was nothing left lt
" the house. There was not one brigl
70 70 thing in it except the cracking fire, an
'r - Louise with her golden hair and crimsc
- cheeks. Such IL homemade home as
~ ~ was! | had braided Il great rug, and tn
e turned out to be the only bit of carpet v
- had for four years. Our window shad
y we're of newspapers scalloped and ador
49, ed with much elaborate scissors-work. "
'o had three chairs. antiquated specimen
-. ~ that | had brought down from cousin
W wood-house chamber, cushioned and dra
h' ed; and the trouble we had, to be sur
J., because we could not step up on any
y them to reach thingsl We used stal
i" in the place of table, for which Lou co
w trived IL leaf and we slept upon an oil
rs laShloheu E43'-oc.,s'o;'' m.l'''' l't" ""' ~
nd gwen us. we o"heu lnreo Pc''eo "'i.
nd platter, us many knives anu lorHs' Gu
or and saucerS; John s;'id II we nao co'nPI ~,
Lou and could walt "hlcl VIC u'u' !
,v rest OF our indoor possessions consisted
,nl some Old Kettles Il score 0l Snlnih9 III
ia mllkpans, couple Oh pals orooIn'
th small PIE OF DOCKS IN Diue "nu Solo,
[n- trunk lull ol naSa",nes- -u",ou"u !
Ill precious, an etcnihg ol E'anSeilnc' an'
rs. splendid engraving OF lonS'e'io" slI'i
RS IN Il rocklng,chalr; that tIu.y was evel
nd thing we had to put mo thaI ra"lol'HS
TO house. ,
on However, we sui thlnk IL was oeV'er
in have bought the clover seed
ms The first eVenln? was strange euousn U
did us. remember Just no" oPPresslNc, :,
nd silence became alIer everything was w
and we sat down. Lou crleu' ana Iaui
cr ed. Then we felt Il Nv aoSura IL was 10 10
I'd afraid in our own house; an" we enc cllee
ISL ourselves with the pussy ana tne @ llrc' u,
we said we would subscribe lVr ne'
ain paper. After that all went well ~,
Only every morning Lou Woulu HS> n, !
dolly, you never Will 90 OH ana lo'
ok me, will you"
NOR mo, indeed" -,