News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1896-03-05
TRIAL BY FIRE.


born Englishmen who come to Califor
MIA with younger sons portion and a
small monthly allowance and hope to
make fortune on vineyard or wheat
ranch. The plan always looks feasible in
England, and the agent assures his vic
tim that the thousand pounds will buy
ten acre plot, plant vines, build de-
cent bungalow and tide the owner over
until the vines shall bear and bring him
harvest of good American gold.
The major was going the way of many
of his English friends. The 81, 900 legacy
was gone, and the monthly allowance Of
$40 (Which, viewed from distance,
seemed large) always grew painfully
small as it neared California and the
debts it was supposed to cover. The
majors little mountain vineyard had
been destroyed by phylloxera, and be
was living on the uncertain promise OF
a number of green shoots, called, re-
spectfully, "the olive orchard" But
the major was not unhappy. When he
was not tilling the soil, he sat on his lit
tie veranda, with his brier wood pipe be-
tween his teeth and studied the long,
narrow, picturesque Napa valley far be-
low.
1t may be that the major S failure to
succeed in the grape business was not
the fault Of the country, but that his
genial, impractical nature was the true
obstacle to success. The major was, in
fact, the most helpless Englishman who
ever came to California to take care of
himself. The poor fellow became so con-
WINGED of this after a short trial that i,
engaged man to act as valet to him
self and incidentally cook the meals for
both.
The major was a solitary bachelor
then. The gods alone know in what I'M
propitiOus moment he picked up Pete to
hang about his neck, milestone of in
efficiency. Pete's poverty must have
been his recommendation and the ma
iors poverty the excuse for keeping him.
Pete had about as much knowledge Of
laying out and caring for a man s ward
robe as the major had of running a
ranch. The consequence was that the
major often presented himself at his
friends houses in the most surprising
garb--a combination Of white duck
trousers, black frock coat and russell
hunting boots being one of Pete's mas.
terpieces. In his capacity as cock Pete
was not one whit more efficient and Of
ten suffered mental agony over the pom
derous directions Of the majors French
cook book, which were like the hero
glyphics Of the ancients to his clouded
intellect. Considering the diet Of sour
bread and timed meats which Pete pro-
vided, it is only less than marvellous
that his benefactor was still alive.
When the major married Ellie Smith,
pretty San Francisco girl, Pete was
promoted to be manager Of the ranch
and expended his grooming talents on
the pet mule. The majors wife was
'artistic. She had studied sketching
and did some really clever bits. Her ad
miring husband was sure that she pos
sessed the divine aflatus, and conse-
.quently much time was devoted to art
and little time to ranching.
But this was not without protest from
one individual. Not that he was disturb
ed by lack of work, but poor Pete was
oftener than not the unwilling model
for Ellie's clever studies. One day Pete
posed for 'I eMan With the Hoe. I" His
temper was particularly tried Oh that oc
.casion, for he had taken up his tool with
the honest intention of wedding the
primitive We ,etable garden. Though be
had scudded through the back yard anG
climbed the rear fence he had not count
ed on meeting his young mistress in the
barnyard. He began to wrestle with the
weeds and pretended not to see her. His
education, however, had not included {
sight of Millet's picture, or he would
have fed down the mountain side il
utter despair.
"Stop, stop, Peter, right there. Dom
move an inch," called the sweet voic,
that drove him to madness. Kenneth, )
Ellie called to her husband, "look. Ism
it wonderful? The lights, the pose, thu
very landscape like
"'The Man With the Hoe, F." shouted
the major gleefully. "I'll get you
paints, Ellie. Hold on, Pete!" And be
fore that honest son of toll had time Il
collect his scattered senses, he foun(
himself posing in very uncomfortabl,
attitude, with the Napa valley lying a
his feet and the majors familiar phrase
ringing in his ears-''fine pose-joll.
good subject-deliciou coloring."
After Pete had posed for hundred O
more Indifferent works of art withou
names, he began to think Of desertin,
his master and leaving him to a just ant
awful fate. But this stupendous blow
was averte9 by the arrival of Bromptol
Edwards, another Englichman, who ha'
come to learn practical ranching unde
the direction of his fathers old friend
the major.
After a week had been given up t.
driving his protege about the valley ant
introducing him to the English colony
the major returned to his daily routin
of pruning olive trees and digging on
worm eaten grapevines. Ellie soon dis
covered in the young man s clean Gu
features and fine, athletic figure an ell
itirsly new field for art study, and Ed
wards found the time pass more pleas
NhiIdPan GFv for