Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1884-03-21

! sons and sit on the bench outside the
house, and chat with him for half an hour.
The house itself is small affair, of the
class known in that part of the country
as 'shanties.' 1t is tight-boarded and
banked up about the sides, and is proba-
| bly, warm and cosy even in our bitterest
winters. Pete had set out few trees in
! front of the shanty-elms and cottonwood
and had built little arbor over the
| door, under which the bench was placed.
There were few flowers in boxes near
by, and an old yellow cat was almost
always stretched out at full length in the
doorway. 1t is a pleasant, home-like lit
tie place.
" A few rods from the house was q
straw-barn,' with a heavy log frame,
that Pete had built. 1t was completely
buried in a mountain of straw One
evening, after l had become quiet at
home with my neighbors, l ventured to
say:
Well, Pete, I suppose you became
acquainted with your wife in Norway2
Perhaps you have known each other
since you were childrenp
Il" Pete was smoking his long pipe. He
did not reply, but laughed quietly. l
glanced at his wife and saw that she was
smiling, and had a roguish light in her
eyeas she looked at her husband.
This excited my curiosity, and said
to her, How is 1t, Mrs. Neils)n2 Have
you known Pete since he was little
boyP
"'Oh mo-
"' Then yod came over on the steamer
! together from NorwayY
"'Oh no, and she laughed outright.
"' Did you meet him on his way out
WestY
"No, no, no.
"' You must have found him here
waiting for you, then,' l continued
laughing.
"'No, he not here when I come, she
said, as she VALID over to where Pete
was sitting and sat down on the ground
at his feet. Shall I tell, Pete? she
asked, looking archly into his face.
"Pete kept on smoking, but nodded
good-humoredly.
/" His wife laid her hand on his knee
and for moment was thoughtful and
quiet. Perhaps she was getting together
her somewhat scanty collection of Eng
lish words.
:" Well, she said at last again, look
ing into Pete's face and smiling, come
to here with my farder and my mutter
and my sisters. My fardcr take quarter
section, and then he say:
GO" Hilda, you take quarter section,
too. You more old than twenty-o one" ~
A." Rather frank confession, thought
but she evidently had no sensitiveness
about her age, and went on:
g So | takes this quarter. But I not
come and really live here. Only l put up
leetle house, and sometime come here
with my farder for one day, or for two
day.
{" So by-an'- bye Pete he come here,
too. And no more good land left; and
he know how nobody live here, so he
! build house here, too, and live here all
times and plow and dig we'll.
g So my farder he come here and he
say to Pete, "Go away, you bad man
You no see first house what built before
you comes"
And Pete say he no care for house.
"You must live on quarter when you
want get it. Nobody live in those house.
| live here all time Quarter section
mine" he say.
GO So they shake heads and talk loud
and shake fists. But Pete he stay.
"' He never see me. He think my
farder want this land himself. So then
my farder and l come and stay in first
house all time.
"'Then Pete he come to there, and he
say, eco away! go away Do not live
on my land. 1t is not you's land" He
say many such things.
"'"No," my farder say to him one
day. cit is not my land"
"'Then Pete look surprise and say,
eff not yous land, then 60 away"
g But my farder shake head, and say
very loud, "Not my land, but my daugh-
ter land"
/" Then Pete he look at me, sit in dark
corner, and he more 'stonish. But he 90
away that time and plow some more,
and build straw barn and buy COW. And
some time / hope he go away and leave
land for me, and some time'-here she
looked up again and smiled at Pete.
Some time l hope he come back to see
us some more, and not go away. And l
sit at window and watch Pete build
house and barn, and plow, and l say
"'"Pete have good house and barn,
but he all so lonesome without some
wife"
"'My farder say always Pete is bad
man. But knOao he not bad man.
" Then he comes again, and he say,
"If you go away, 1 give you hundred
dollar for not have any more trouble"
:" But my farder say, "No; this land
my daughter land But if you go away
l give you fifty dollar for not to have
some more trouble"
" But he say no, and he go off again
So then he build more bigger house, and
buy hens, and plow some more. And
he come again.
"'And this time he walk right up and
stand close in front of me, and look at
me so l want to run away. But l sits
STILL
"'And he look down at me, and say,
"Who live on this land2"
"'And can hardly speak, but say,
very low, 81 live on this land. ;"
"'Then he laugh and say, "Who
else2"
81 laugh too and say, "You too"
"'Then he say, eyes, we all two live
on this land, but who own this land2"
"'Then nv farder. he say, very loud.