Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1897-11-08
COST OF Fl HIRED MAN.


XHTHEN Mr.. Williams was hurryng
w past Mr.. Welles' house he found
Henry, Mr.. Welles' hired man, eliminat-
ing plantains from the front lawn. Mr..
Williams called them plantains, al
though possibly that is not their bo-
tancal name. Whether correctly or in
correctly denominated, they are a hardy
sort of weed, with large, flat-lying
leaves and tall masts on which the seeds
for next years crop grow in such away
as to make the stalks look like rat-tail
files. As one weed of the present year
offers in evidence a spawn which prom
ises a thousand-fold multiplication for
the ensuing summer they are thing to
be dreaded by all suburbanites who love
the patch of green which fronts their
houses. Mr.. Williams had been worried
about the plantains for several days,
and seeing Henry engaged in the worthy
pursuit of discriminating them he en-
gagged him in conversation on the gem
eral subject of caretaking, wedding,
lawn trimming and the Like.
Henry said: why, you don't take
my boy, Mis'r Williams, an haf him
take care dem place all time? He's II
year old an work good. Chop wood an
turn ice cream freezer Make garden
an ten fires. Do everything. let him
go to you for $50 year, you board him."
They had some further conversation
concerning Joe and the good thing it
would be for Mr.. Williams to engage
him as man of all work, and the suburb
ante went down to his house half an
hour afterward with brilliant new
idea to unfold to his wife.
I'm tell you," he said, this business
of me running clothes and losing time in
digging up the weeds and riusing off
the lawn is great mistake when Nou
/ come to think of it. With that big boy
of Ilenry's at $50 year you and could
have ten times as much leisure to spend
together as we have now. Pshaw!
get up in the morning, and while wait
ing for breakfast go out and mend the
sidewalk. And when | come home from
the city at night l have to 9allop to the
lawn hose so as to get the place well
sprinkled before the policeman comes
around to say it's time toquit using the
water for that purpose. We haven't had
a ride on the wheels for ever so long,
have we?"
No" Mrs. Williams answered, "aud
think it's shame-ths nice weather.
You're always sputterng in the garden
or propping up the trees or flushing
the drain or trimming the vines. Fifty
dollars a year would be just nothing
and you see you would be exempt from
all that kind of thing? hate TO see
you pushing an old lawn-mowcr up and
down when you ought to be sitting back
in a rocking chair on the porch telling
me about town."
"But, do you think" Mr.. Williams
pursued, that we would have enough
work to keep Henry's boy busy all the
time? AS it is. just the little bit of lawn
moving and the odd jobs would not
amount to much. There would be no
economy in keeping a big, husky fc!-
low around only for that. ! thought
that perhaps if we hired Joe we might
rs well get that horse we have been
talking about for so long time. Jua
would have plenty of time to take care
nr horse and keep one sleek and nice.
Mud whenever you'd want to go riding
sll you'd have to do would be to call the
man and in a minute he would covIc
around with the rig as big as life. You
could come down 20 the train and meet
me-"
Pint the depot is only three blocks
away"
That's all right. Aliens wife meets