The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1898-12-21

Mr.. Holcombe started to spt ak, but
the little fellow was all aglow, and said:
''Now please let me 90 on and finish.
That little lake will be Just lovely
fringed all around with trees and bush
es. It'll cover about two acres. | in.
tend to make that private fish pond,
the privileges of fishing in it to he let
out at 80 much an hour-a dollar, |
guess. Then l am going to clean up
the banks all along and | shall have to
fix places for the big fish TO live in,
and keep them separate from the little
ones. We will have the upper mead
ow for nursery, and then up toward
the mountain, where it runs so swift,
and there are so many water falls, am
going to have the pools widened and
deepened; and there are three places
where little labor will make some of
what that woman from Philadelphia
last summer called the sweetest tarns
in the world l had to study good
while before l sensed what she was
driving at. Now ! shall have some
'tarns' on the mountain sides, and
there, in the depths of the pines and
spruces, l will let the old fellows live.
l want to buy 800 big ones and put in
there this coming April. But then l
am almost Scot sure you will say no."
But Mr.. Holcombe did not. 81 guess
there IS no doubt that you are Holcombe
all over" he said. "You make the
case pretty clear, and / can see you've
set your whole heart on the project;
and it is pretty good one, III say.
But you must keep right quiet about 1t.
You know there are good many
brooks on these mountain farms as
good as the Beaver, and GU"
"I'm not goin' TO call it the Beaver
brook; Pm giving il new name-that
is, if | have it. As soon as we come 10
terms"-he spoke like an old man of
business-"I shall dub it with new
name-'Tne Brook of Fortune"
"Let us hope that it will prove so,
my boy" Mr.. Holcombe spoke heart
lily.
81 didn't mean to interrupt you,
father; you were just saying something
that wanted very much to hear"
"Well, let's see. OIL l was going to
ask how much money you would need
to start with. You must go careful
And, yes; this is great point. Keep
the whole affair entirely to yourself, tor
! if you succeed at the end of three years
your rivals will have to wait aud you
will have little monopoly. Now for
the capital, and don't try to 60 in toe
steep at first"
81 shall need just SIS; and l intend
to put it all in fish this first year, and
then if you will let me, next spring
shall put in all that can earn at odd
jobs this summer"
"Well, that's modest enough, / should
say" replied the father. "Tll give you
just 800, as you may need little mar.
gin. But you must give me demand
note. This is to be real business, you
know, and l shall want six per centP'
"I'l sign as soon as l see the money
said David rapturously.
He was happy boy from that day
His playmates had been few, as the
farm was some distance from the homes
of the children whom he met at the
district school down under the hill. But
he suffered no more for want of occu
patton, and an occupation which KEEP
his mind in whirl. No Speculation
could have builded more allurine
dreams OF wealth than did this little
business man of the white hill.
Nearly everyday he threaded his way
along the banks of the stream, which
he delighted in calling "The Brook OF
Fortune" 1t was an ideal little stream
and was capable, as we have heard Da
vid tell his father, of being made into
an excellent breeding place and home
for the fnny race of "speckled beau
ties" Its course of two miles ran over
diverse region, now creeping slowly
over the fiat meadows, and again rip
ping and gurgling over the stones Of
the hillsides, or lost in the hush of the
forest, where the quiet pools reflected
the leaves and foliage above, and the
fish found sequestered homes under
rotted logs and stumps. 1t had always
been a good brook, although a short
one, 1t emptied into the Ammonoo
sue river, which races from the base Of
Mt. Washington and pays its tribute tC
the Connecticut at Woodsville.
There had been time when it was
filed with trout, and an hours fishing
would give to any one good string Of
the beautiful, luscious denizens of the
hillside stream. But no attempt haC
ever been made to preserve the grounds
against the inroads of the summer Wis
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