The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1885-07-18
Our Homecoming.

"There is no use in trying to keep up
my spirits we never can succeed in
making this old broken down habita-
ton fit to live in !" and I, the bride
of week, laid my head on my hus-
bands shoulder and INDUCED in a good
old-fashioned cry.
'It is hard looking place, I must
admit" said Will +; "but you see, little
one, father has been unfortunate, and
this old place was all he had to give me
towards making a start in life. Sup
pose we put our two heads together and
try and make the old place blossom
like the rose
Wills cheerful voice, and the hope
full view he seemed to take concerning
the situation, aroused my ambition. l
put my arms around the neck of the
great strong fellow and promised to
aid him in everything that he felt able
to undertake.
The next day we laid out a plan of
operation and proceeded to act on it
without delay.
Years ago there had evidently been
nice little garden in front of the
house; but now the ground was COM
pletely covered with heavy growth of
obnoxious weeds. The fence (what re-
mained of iD appeared to be of very
little use except as resting place for a
score of distressed looking chickens,
evidently the property of some one
worse off than ourselves.
Will and 1 spent two whole days in
the exhilirating occupation of pulling
up great green stalks, that had "sot
and sot" until they had, beyond all
possibility of a denial, "about TUX
root"
We concluded to arrange the front
yard before we turned our attention to
the vegetable garden. Will loosened
the rich earth with spade and hoe,
whilst 1 welded the rake in such good
earnest that the whole surface of the
ground soon presented an appearance
sufficiently smooth to convince us that
it was only necessary to plant the seed,
in order to have lovely collection of
flowers.
We held a consultation of-war, ]
suppose 1 must call it, for we intended
to totally annihilate the remnant of
fence, that needed but push to lay it
flat on the ground.
In looking through the stable loft
we found three great coils of heavy
wire. 1t had evidently been the inten-
ton of some one to use the wire in the
construction of a fence; but, like the
"best laid plans of mice and men, "
the project had been failure.
l suggested to Will that it would be
the easiest thing imaginable to put up
a fence. He smiled-not in way that
was "childlike and bland" but as
though he felt the least bit incredulous
concerning the feasibility of the plan.
However, he went to work in such a
determined way that he bid fair to dis
tinguish himself in the art of fence
making.
From a planning mill in the vicinity
he procured a number of flat stakes,
about four feet in length; with large
gimlet he bored three holes in each
stake. To expedite matters man was
hired for day to help drive the stakes
into the ground, and to assist in put
ting the wires through.
One week from the day on which
Will put his spade into the ground, the
fence was completed coat of green
paint and a row of small shrubbery
planted along the inside, gave it very
attractive appearance. We were amply
rewarded by hearing neighbor who
resided in the vicinity, declare that
"them young people up to Hubb's
farm beat everything the way they were
fixin' up things"
The next thing to be taken in hand
was the veranda that extended along
the front and side of the house. We
| planted a row of Mexican vines, then
started toward the wood shed for the
purpose of ransacking an old tool chest
in the hope of finding a quantity OF
stout twine; fortunately we came across
roll of thin wire, which would be far
superior to ordinary twine in the for
nation of support for the climbing
vines. A row of small nails were
driven along the upper part of the rail
ing, and similar row along the wood.
work below the caves. The wire was
then wound round each nail, up and
down, until it was sufficiently strong tc
act as support for the vines.
One bright morning while we were
at breakfast, we heard some one pause
in front of the house; the next moment
a miserable specimen of humanity push
ed his way into the house. His clothe:
were ragged and his face was positively
brown with dirt that had probably beer
accumulated for weeks. 1 retired be
hind Will and whispered to him to send
Al L IL