Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1891-09-25

the soil and plant the crops, full of hope
and confidence. With the return of the
bright spring sunshine, came back the
grand expectations that ever buoy up
the hearts of honest, struggling NOR
tails, and the faces of the pioneers shed
the cloud of fear and doubt that had
hung over them like dark mantle.
John Green was among the more in
dustrious and persevering of all the
farmers in his section. He began work
early, and every day he was in his field
blowing and planting. He had a double
incentive to work, for his family must
live and that debt on the farm must be
paid. He went at it cheerfully, and as
he trudged to and fro across the field in
the long burrows, singing blithely, no
one would have guessed what pangs of
trouble had racked his soul all through
the long, tedious winter. He was not
of brooding disposition, and even I'M
der the most trying circumstances he
| could feel cheerful so long as there was
ever SO dim ray of light before him.
He had work to do now, and there was
prospect of good results, SO he felt
| confident once more, and in the thought
of the bright future which his fancy
painted he lost sight of the hardships of
the present.
at is a long lane, Mary" he some
times said, that has no turn, and be-
lieve in our case the turn is near at
hand. We have had long siege of mis-
fortunes, but think we have about
reached the end of the list. The pros
poets are f1attering for an abundant
crop, and with the amount of stuff I
have in cultivation we only want fair
yield to enable us to pay off the mort
gage and have plenty left to tide us
over the year. We'll come out all right
yet, and within u short time be COM
fortably fixed with a good home and
plenty of everything to live on. Why,
what's n little hard times, anyhow? 1t
don't amount to anything and is soon
over, and it don't hurt us any, but only
makes us appreciate our good fortunes
all the more when they do come. In
side of two years we can look back on
the past few months and laugh over
| our privationS and wonder what it was
we frctted about. Well come out all
right"
And John went off to his work sing
ing as happy as a king, and Mary
looked after him smilingly, equally as
confident as he.
Paul, too, applied himself to his work,
and as he plodded after the pillow he
dreamed of the future, of the time when
he should be a doctor and have a coy
little home with Louise for it's mistress.
Ambition or love ought either to be suf-
ficient to urge u man on to his best en-
deavors; but when they combine, 4 as
they did in Pauls case, there is no tell
ing what strength they will put into a
mans arm nor what determination into
his heart.
Thus it was that among all the set
tiers on that great level plain there
were none that devoted themselves
more sedulously to work than John and
Paul, and as the season advanced and
the spring months gave place to
those of summer, there were no fields in
all the settlement that looked more
lourishing or promising than theirs.
And each of these men, sanguine ma
tured as they were, counted the victory
won, and each in his way made his
plans for the future and constructed in
Vulnerable castles in the air.
Every Sunday now Paul came to
John Green's house, for it was distinct
" understood all around that Paul and
though not a word relative to the mat
ter had passed between their parents
Often the young people read from the
same book, as they sat on a bench out
side the house, and on such occasion
they seemed to have vast amount OF
difficulty in making out the words, fol
!, they brought their eyes close down tc
the page, their faces almost touching,
: and the words they sometimes pro
nounced were not printed on the page
at all. But every person who has
courted knows how that is.
One day Paul and Louise went for &
stroll on the prairie. 1t was a clear
; calm Sabbath, such as summer Sab
baths usually are, and a misty haze
! danced about near the green earth
They walked on and on, mile after
mile, and at last coming to the roat