The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1889-05-22
MY Grandfather.

My grandfather bought tract of
land in New Hampshire, when he and
my grandmother were young, and com
menced life on it in small house of
two rooms. He began at once to dig a
cellar and lay the foundation for a
large, square two-story house, such as
hewed the large timbers, he burned
the bricks for chimneys and made by
hand all the shingles, all the while
clearing up the land and raising large
crops. After working in the woods all
day he would shave shingles by lamp
light till ten O'Clock. 1t took several
years to do it, but when the house was
up and few rooms floored and plas-
tered they moved in. The rest of the
work and the finishing and painting
was done little at time, as he could
pay for, and it was well and thoroughly
done, and in time it was home to be
proud of. Six children were born there,
and all were strong and active men and
women of more than common ability in
many things, and to-day there is no
fairer spot in all that region. The elms
he set out are now immense trees, and
the stone-walls, built of the abundant
material at hand, and double, are now so
close squirrel can hardly find way
through, and horse might walk on top
without displacing stone. The small
streams were spanned by stone bridges,
and everything was made solid and to
last. When a man has made for him
self such home he loves it as part
of his own life. | never knew but one
man who dared ask him to sell his farm,
and the anecdote will bear telling. A
city-bred stranger called one day, with
a Mr.. c., who was one of grandfather's
ing a farm. After some talk, he said
he liked the looks of that place,
and didn't know but Captain p would
sell it, if he had good offer"
very good offer" Grandfather, who
was Captain p, was a very large and
powerfully-built man, and when eX-
cited had habit of closing his lips
and breathing very hard through his
nose, his nostrils quivering like those
of race-horse. He was breathing his
hardest, and looking at the small man
with half-shut eyes, in way that BODIED
mischief, and the man fairly turned
pale with apprehension, for he saw at
once he had " bearded the lion in his
den" After minute or two grand
father turned to his mel 'hbor and said:
Mr.. c., did you ever know me to be in
want of money!" Certainly not"
said Mr.. c.. ave all know Captain p.
has money enough and to spare, but
thought perhaps if you could sell at
large protit-a very large profit, you
kn0w-may be you might think of it.
My friend here" he added, turning to
the city man, 4" has had very large prop
erty left him-a large fortune" "Ah,"
said grandfather, " sell-sell my farm,
that made out of bowling desert,
a wilderness, every stick and stone of
it! He may have fortune of thou
sands of millions, for all l know, and
as much more on top of it; but" said
he, fairly gasping for breath, &C. tell
you he hasn't enough to buy that roar
ing, raging pattock hole down in the
swamp lot, not by big sight" The
"pattock hole " was a place where a
sort of large bull-frog lived-hun dreds
of them, one would think by the noise.
They were a nuisance to the village
people, but he loved to sit on his door
step of an evening and hear them.
Without another word he walked out
of the house and muttered, in his wrath
"Sell-sell my farm to him?' But he
never spoke of it afterwards. He could
never be beaten in telling a story. l
remember once man from the West
ern States Boosting of the large snakes
they had out there. Grandfather evil
IDENTITY thought he stretched the truth
or the snakes, and he replied, Well
we have no snakes to speak of, and
don't want any, but | have got a swamp
full of bull-pattocks, every one of them
as big as a side-saddle." A. NJ. 5.