Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1877-08-17
TWO GIRLS THAT TRIED FARM
ING.


by d. A. SHEPHERD.
Dorothei Alice Shepherd and Louisa
Burney Us. Fate.
Yes, that was the way the case stood.
We were making the fight.
We oilen wondered now that we dared.
But success is enervating. Our needs CAV Q
us requisite intensity then.
l suppose that fate aud folks thought we
were very well of as we were-Louise as
housemaid in a family where she was "as
good as anybody" and 1 district school
teacher; at least, know that in the first of
the struggle The sympathy was all on the
wrong side. 1t is a very fine thing, now
that We have succeeded; but there were
days aud times when-well, never mind |!
1t Is little matter since we have succeeded,
have accomplished nearly everything
which they predicted we never could do.
We wanted home, we wanted to be our
own mlstresses, we wanted a living that
should be independent of the likes, dis
likes and caprices of others. We read up
the subject of labor, talked over every
branch we had known women permitted
to try. We turned from all the traditional
industries OF our sex; we knew those an-
cient avenues were crowded.
But finally, when good plan and capi-
tal to carry it out both seemed impossible,
both the plan and capital suddenly "turned
up"
A maiden sister of Louise, who as house
keeper had saved up eight hundred dol
lars, died and left the sum intact "to u.s."
as Louise was pleased TO say. And one
day soon afler, she laid down the New
York Tribune, and said, "Let US 60 west y
1t was meant as a merry jest; but 1t was
a breeze to blow the tendri of vague fam
cy of mine "round a happy thought
which l suppose many other women try to
Chamber up by.
"Lou, why not ?" / exclaimed al once.
"Why not go west and buy bit of land
and raise small fruits for the markets?"
In few moments we talked ourselves
brave and eager, not so much over the
work as over the happiness; the plan pre-
scnted itself to us as idyl, pastoral, holiday
picnic. "That would be home and inde-
pendence beyond any of the other plans,"
said Lou. "Just you and 1, and nobody to
deal with but Dame NaIurep
Accordingly, we came up into Michigan
to cousin Janet. Making her hospitable
house our headquarters, we proceeded to
"look land" like other Eastern capitalists
that is, cousin Janel's husband took us in
his light wagon to see every farm that was
for sale within ten miles. And it was such
fun-we little midgets to go tripping over
magnificent estates of two or three hun.
dred acres, aud spying about with only 9
thousand dollars in our pockets
OF course, we could not buy them and
we did think, so long as we were "only
two girls" there was no need of such wide.
spread CONSERVATION when we finally made
our choice. However, Lou and were o.
one mind. We had resolved to keep to our
selves the plan of "mixed farming !" and
when the whole of that rubbshy, neglect,
ed thirty-five acres was offered to us by its
nom resident owner for a sum quite inside
our m cans, instead of turning up our noses
at It, we felt IL TO be bit of outspoker
frlendliness on the part of Providence, and
to the establishment of the nelghborhood
we bought II without delay.
On our way home from the village We
again passed our place. John rather mali
ciously asked If we would not like to look
at it as a whole, and stopped the team.
AS whole 1t was a narrow, hilly stretch
outlined by weak skeleton OF a fences 1
lorbidding surface OF stubble ground and