News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1891-07-23

But Miss FerObia was not to be
discouraged.
'"There's plenty of men making a
livin' at it, an why not me?' she
asked. ''Ive got a little money laid
by to start on. An I've got stout
pair of arms, an never was sick a
day in my life sowhy should l make
a failure of it?"
But Timothy only shook his head
and remarked, vaguely, that it was
"onpracticable, and she would find
out" and declined to commit himself
further. And the conference was cut
short by their arrival at the cottage.
1t was lonely place, but Miss Fe-
'robia was blessed with strong nerves,
and solitude had no terrors for her.
She had accumulated a few odds
and ends of furniture from time to
time, the gifts of various friends and
relatives, which went a good way
toward furnishing her diminutive
dwelling.
And when they were arranged to
her satisfaction, and a square of
bright rag carpet tackled down in the
centre of the room, Miss Ferobia felt
as happy as king.
She was too tired after her days
work to do more than take a cup of
tea and retire to rest. But a COM
Portable nights sleep on the old-fash-
ioned square-posted bedstead restor-
ed her energies, and for the next few
days she was as busy as a mailer over
her preparations.
Lem Dodson was hired to pillow the
''truck-patch," a COW with young
calf was bargained for, and few
fowls of the Plymouth Rock and
DOrking species were purchased and
were soon cackling vigorously around
their new quarters.
After little more help from neigh
Dor Dodson and a vigorous use of the
hoe ON Miss Ferobia's part the ground
was in readiness for planting, and the
ambitious n1arket-gardner sat UP till
long past her usual bed time 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 cucum bers, summer squash
es and nutmeg melons would be bet
ter out of the ground than in it for a
few days to come.
But beets and lettuce, spinach and
marrowfat peas and rutabagas would
stand anything short of a regular
freeze, and might be safely planted at
once.
And, late though she sat up, the
first pink flush of early dawn did not
find Miss Ferobia mapping the next
morning, nor for many mornings to
come.
She was up with the birds, and af-
ter a hasty breakfast out she sailed,
and hoed and raked, weeded and
transplanted, till her back ached and
her fingers grew sore and her nose
freckled and her cheeks tanned. But
gardening is hard work, at best, and
though Miss Ferobia labOred with a
will, the grass and weeds would creep
in here and there in spite of her vigi-
lance. The purslane-'pusly'' she
called it-Uhe horse-nettlesg grew faster
than her butter-head lettuce or white
spine cucumbers.
Then the weather was not altogeth-
er propitious, and her first planting
of sugar corn and earl y rose potatoes
rotted in the ground.
But Miss Ferobia, 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 little woman declared a 'tussle''
between herself and the weeds.
While she was hoeing her cabbages
and kohl robes and wedding her sill
ver-skin onions. the cookie burrs and
wild morning glories were flourishing
among her sweet corn and potatoes.
She worked early and late, however,
to eradicate thetenaciOus interlopers
and finally succeeded in accomplish
ing her task. When lol one unlucky
night farmer Nubbin's pigs forced
their way through broken panel of
the fence, and played havoc among
the growing crops.
Small wonder indeed, if our heroine
lost her temper ut last, and pelted
those pigs with clOds. or whatever
came handest, and even whacked one
of them across the snout with the
hOe-handle.
But with all her efforts it was late
in the day when the last one of the
marauders was disposed of, and the
fence patched up, after fashion.
G will say here, in parenthesis, that
do believe a woman could vote, and
even make laws, and execute them,
too, as well as a man, under some
circumstances. When | say "under
some circumstances" | mean if she
were not hampered by prejudiced and
and unreasonable colleagues. But
when it comes to patching rail fences,
! the least SAID about Woman's capa-
bilities the better.
However, Miss Ferobia's workman
ship. if not exactly artistic was sutfi
GENTLY ingenious to prevent further
inroads in that direction.
But for some reason from that time
on the fates seemed to turn a cold
shoulder on her efforts.
Therabi feasted on her early York
cabbages and marrowfat peas, the
striped bugs worked destruction on
her cucumbers and Cass va melons,
the Colorado beetle devasted her po-
tatoes, and the squash bug ate up
her Boston marrows and patty-pan
squashes. The foxes, minks, owls
and hawks, to say nothing of opos-
sums and weasles, thinned the ranks
of her young porkings and Plymouth
Rocks; and, to make matters worse
her COW turned out to be ''jumper"
and brought disgrace to herself and
trouble to her mistress by daily raids
on farmer Nubbins cornfield. This
was the last straw and, like the myth
zeal camel, Miss Ferobia broke down
under it.
"There amt no use a-tryin' as |
see, she lamented dolefully, as she
set out her one cup and saucer in