Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1893-03-06

"Wen," a little reluctantly, 'syou
know the Laurels? Mrs. Laurel wants
to trade young new milch COW, with
the calf, for twenty four yards of
that new ingram carpet of our, and as
I have already carpet enough, besides
that to cover all the floor we shall use
for year or SO, have accepted the
offer. That is COW No. 1, eh?'
"Cow No. YES"
"Uncie Bemis has taken a fancy to
me COW and a hog of the female
persuasion for it, and as the watch is
useless to me in our present circum-
stances, have made up my mind to
close with him. See there is COW No.
2. and aforesaid pig"
The deacon opened his eyes.
"'Pon my word, Priss, you're born
trader. But what about the chickens?'
IT have bought five-four hens and
one rooster-of the Bowers, on tick
as'they say. The hens are wanting to
set, and [ shall send you to Neighbor
Tootle for eggs to set them with. Too
tie charges fifty cents per dozen for
eggs, but his are an extra kind of large
fowl that can be made to bring four
dollars per dozen as early spring
chickens by the first of June. [ can
have at least thirty or forty chicks
for the June market and the proceeds
therefrom will take up certain note
of yours. In the meantime the butter
shall pay our household expenses as
we go along. There shall be no butch
er's bill, nor any other kind of bill,
run up for future settlement. The
calves we will fatten and sell this fall,
me to keep the litter of pigs until
next year, when they will fetch us
something over hundred dollars.
The eight acres of ground, for the use
of which we pay forty dollars, must
be planted with corn, and I have al
ready selected the seed. AS the land
is particularly clean and of uncommon
good soil, the yield should be not less
than seventy five bushels to the acre,
which, if corn comes down to an un
precedentedly low figure, will still pay
all expenses for seed, rent, tillage, land
leave us enough to fatten our hogs af-
ter all.'
The deacon was silent from aston
ishment.
II shall raise as many chickens as
possible through the heat Of the COM
ing summer; SO that the next spring
[ shall have eggs by the quantity when
the market reports quote good price,
with supply less than the demand"
"You talk like a farmer, Priss,"
calculated the dazed deacon, "When
did you learn so much, wonder?"
'tDon't ask me questions, but prom
ise me-" giving him tight squeeze.
1T PROMISE
She shook himself loose from him,
and poured out for herself cup of
hot tea.
every we'll; go to work and make
me some chicken coops and hen
house, and fetch home my hens to-
morrow, land this fall will show square
accounts with some folks I know Of"
In the course Of time the cows were
driven home, the chickens roasted in
the deacon's hen house, and the ''fe-
male" hog, with her seven children,
occupied the attention of the deacon's
daughter. OF morning Prissy went
h. SHY cd nd
strained, and churned, land outside the
deacon himself, with the spade and
ak made good time among the stumps,
thereby saving hired help and the ad-
ditionaI cost of a wood pile.
The deacon had lived all his life un-
der a lazy cloud. He couldn't cut
wood, he said, because it made him so
tired. He couldn't work at farming,
because the weather was either too
hot or too cold, or too wet or too dry.
He couldn't stay all the while at his
place of business Che was photogra
pher) and wait for customers, because
he wanted to get out and stretch his
legs" But suggest the idea of an i'm
possible enterprise to him, or ask him
to invest in lottery ticket, or talk
travel, and directly the deacon was
your man.
He was utterly and abominably lazy
and selfish. He forced Prissy to pinch
and save a dollar, while he would
squander fifty, and have nothing to
show for what he had paid out. Such
is man-that is, SO much of it as went
by the name of Deacon Dodge.
One of the things the strong mind
ed girl got him to do was to make
fence, which she insisted should be
hedge. A hawthorne hedge. she de-