The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1885-05-20

lines were marked for the berry plants
and the holes made, Sue dropped them
in. Dave followed and poured water
into each hole, and Jack Strengthened
the roots, filledup the holes and stepped
round each one to set it firmly, while
Bert, with hoe and spade, made a little
gutter beside the lines, and, turning
the overflow of the spring down another
channel, made little dams at the head
of every runlet, so that, by removing
stone, he could send a tiny stream of
water down by all the thirsty plants
whenever it was needful. Once week
the plants were hoed about and weeds
cleaned out. 1t was a good place to
work, for up the wild mountain road
that led to the farmhouse nobody ever
cared to drive, it was so stony and mar
row. Nor did the village boys know at
all what the Hyler children were doing
up there, for they kept their own Sc
cret. Their great trouble was the soli-
tude that enticed so many birds to its
shelter, and promised to bring guests
to eat their berries, more numerous
than welcome but this first year there
was not fruit enough to tempt them.
The plants grew very fast and large.
| w thClC was ~ utiY lldl DtlU
and Jack could not get any work to do,
they went up to the farm and wheeled
leaf-mold from the woods to enrich
their lot. They planted sweet corn
where there was more room than the
strawberries could cover, and many a
nice smoking pile of ears helped out
Sues scanty bit of pork, fried for din
ner, just to make the potatoes savory.
They got along nicely through the sum-
mer, and this encouraged them to hope
that their winter would not be hard to
bear.
eve can work, all of us, I'm thank
full to say" said Bert.
Yes; if we can get work to do" put
in Jack.
81 declare fort" exclaimed Bert, a
little provoked. You ought to be
called the Great American Director,
Jack. Seems as if you had to find
somethin' to growl about always"
Jack scowled; but Sue put both her
arms around his neck.
love you, Jack" she said, in the
very sweetest voice. Jack couldn't
help pulling her ON to his knee and
hugging her silently.
Hooray for Suer' shouted Dave.
"She's regular molasses jug. Makes
everything taste good; don't she,
sonny?" and Jack really had to laugh
then.
Sue certainly was the family sweet
ness, and was all the dearer to her
brothers that she looked as much like
their dear lost mother as a healthy
child of ten can look like WORKOUT
woman of forty. There were the same
calm, brown eyes, straight, low fore
head, and tender lips, that they so
well remembered had never failed to
cheer and comfort them; and there
was, besides, the brightness and hope
fulness of childhood, long ago van
ished from Mrs. Hyer's heart and face.
In late October, when the leaves be-
gan to fall, all the family went up the
hill, for few days, armed with rakes
and old baskets; rough rakes, indeed,
which Bert had nailed together at odd
hours, but quite good enough to gather
up the fallen leaves and make large
heaps, from which the rest filled their
baskets, and then covered the rows of
strawberry plants thickly. Sue and
Davy and Jack did this, while Bert cut
down hemlock boughs to lay over the
leaves and keep them from blowing
away. Then they bid goodbye to their
precious plantation, and went back to
the cabin.
1t was long, cold winter that fol-
lowed; but Bert found work in Chester,
five miles away, that at least paid his
board for the time and furnished him
with clothing. Jack went every day to
Deacon Shows house, and also to Par
son Miners, where he fed the cattle and
horses, MIXED the cows, filled the
wood-boXes from the shed outside,
drew water, and was . handy man in
both families; for the deacon was old -,
and cold weather made him rheumatic,
and the parson was always feeble; but
Jack earned two dollars a week in
this way, and Cynthy at the deacons
sent many basket of apples or pan of
dOughnuts to Sue, when Jack went back
to the cabin at night. The parson gave
him his two weekly papers, when he
had read them himself, and in the long
evenings, while Sue mended or knit,
Dave read aloud all the news, which
was as good as new to the three solitary
children, and gave them plenty to think
and talk about.
Bert came home Sundays, when the
snow was not too deep, and the winter
went away much faster than they had
expected; but it was not till the middle
of April that they thought it time to 90
up the hill and peep at their plan
tation.
Two or three warm days then had
melted the last SHOWS, and Bert said
they could lift off the boughs and leave
the strong spring winds to dry and scat
ter the leaves, before he dared to rake
them away entirely; and by the first of
May they were hard at work again, I'M
covering the thrifty rows of plants,
hoeing about each till all the ground
was loosely stirred to drink in the sun
shine, and fetching fresh leaf mould to
further enrich the soil. Bert also
brought from Chester some cuttings of
large Characteristics, which he set in
lines on another plowed and narrowed
piece of the mountain meadow; for he
had heard in Chester that there were
very few currants to be had there, and
the boy hoped that the currant worms
would not find their way to the East
Hill farm.
The strawberry plants grew and
spread and blossomed under this care.
! Plenty of water fed the yioOrOus roots