The Logan County banner. [volume] (Logan, W. Va.) 1889-1903, 1891-09-24

Miss Ferobia deigned no reply, how
ever, but went coolIy about prepare
tions for her own departure.
She had rented small cottage and .
few acres Of ground mile or two
from the old homestead, aud Timothy
could do no less than get ont the spring
wagon and drive her to the new home.
1t was yet early in the springtime
and the wild plum trees were white
with bloom. The tall naples and elms
by the roadside swung their light tas-
sells In the soft breeze and myriads of
buttercups and purple-hued pansies
dotted the grass-grown lanes.
Il dunno what you wanted of so
much ground round your house." re-
marked Timothy, refectively, as the
wagon rolled easily along. Half an
acre would of been enough, should
say
mo, it wouldn't" maintained his
sister, stoutly. I'm a-goin' into the
eardcnin business, to raise truck for
the markets"
Timothy whistled.
you'll make failure Of It, sure as
guns, he declared, ruthlc ssly.
But Miss Ferobia was not to be dis
couragcd.
There plenty of men make Twin at
1t. an why notms?r SHE asked. I've got
a little money laid by to start on. An
Iave get a stout pair Of arms, an1neyer
was sick day in my life; so why
should make a failure ofit?''
4 h n. IL, L 4
remarked, vaguely, that it was on
practicable. and she would find out, :"
and declined to commit himself fur
Their. And the conference was cut
short by their arrival at the cottage.
1t was lonely place but Miss Fero-
bia was blessed with strong nerves and
solitude had no terrors for her
She had accumulated few odds and
ends Of furniture from time to time, the
gifts Of various friends and relatives,
which went good way toward fur
nishing her diminutive dwelling.
And when they were arranged to her
satisfaction and a-sauaHe= bright=rag
carpet tackled down in the center of the
room Miss Ferobia felt as happy as .
king.
She was too tired after her days
work to do more than take cup Of tea
and retire to rest. But comfortable
nights sleep on the old-fashioned,
sqnare=posted bedstead restored her
enei giles, and for the next few days she
was as busy as mailer over her prep
arations.
Lem Dedson was hired to pillow the
truck patch" a COW with a young calf
was bargaincd for and few fowls of
the plymouth Rock and Dorking species
were purchased and were soon ickling
vigorously around their new quarters.
After little more help from neighbor
Dodson and vigorous use of the hoe
on Miss Ferobia's part the ground was
in readiness for planting and, the ambi-
tious market gardener sat up till long
past her usual bedtime looking over
her stock of seeds and selecting those
requisite for immediate use.
There might still be late frosts, she
reflected, and such tender plants as
beans and cucumbers. summer squashes
and nutmeg melons, would be better
out of the ground than in it for few
days to come.
But beets and lettuce, spinach and
tttarfewf#t= peas =rtttabagts= we{iild
stand anything short of regular
freeze land might he=safefy planted at
once.
And, late though she sat up. the first
pink flush Of early dawn did not find
Miss Ferobia mapping the next morn
ing, nor for many mornings to come.
She was up with the birds, and after
a basty breakfast out she sailed, and
heed and ralsed, weeded and trans
planted, till her back ached and her
fingers grew sore and her nose freckled
and her cheeks tanned But garden,
ing is hard work, at best, and though
Miss Ferobia labored with will, the
grass and weeds ,could creep in here and
there in spite of her vigilance. The
purslane "pusly" she called it-and
horse-nettles grew faster than her but
ter head lettuce or white spine cucum-
bers.
Then the weather was not always
propitious. and her first planting of
sugar-corn and early rose potatoes rot
ted in the ground.
But Miss-Eerebia, nothing daunted,
replanted the vacant rows with later
varieties, and in due time the seed
sprouted and gave every promise of
luxuriant crop.
But from that time on it was, as the
declared. a ''tnsslen be-.
tween herself and the weeds.
While she was hoeing her cabbages
and kohl robes and wedding hersSitver-
skin onions, the cookie burrs and wild
g'ories were furnishing among
her sweet corn and potatoes.
She. worked early and late, however,
to eradicate the tenacious interlopers,
and finally succeeded in accomplishing
her task When 10. one unlucky night
Farmer Nubbin's pigs forced their way
broken panel of the fence,
and played havoc among the growing
crops.
Small wonder, indeed, if our heroine
lost her temper at last and pelted those.
pigs with clods, or whatever came
and even whacked one of
them across the snout with the hoe
handle.
But with all her efforts it was ,>te. in
the day when the last one of the ma
RAIDERS was disposed Of, and thesfence
patched up after a fashion.
Miss Ferobia's workmanship, if not
exactly artistic, was sufficiently in
genious to prevent further sinroads in
that direction.
But for some reason from that time
on the fates seemed to turn cold
to her efforts.
The rabbits Toasted or her early
York cabbages and marrowfat pease,
the striped bugs worked destruction on
her cucnm bers and Cassava melons, the
Colorado beetle devastated her pota-
toes, and the squash bugs ate up her
Boston marrows and patty pan
suuashes. The foxes, minks, owls and