Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1901-11-16
CHAPTER ".


Just before commencing the house Mr..
Hardy heard that a sale of stock was to
take place at an estancia about twenty
miles to the west He was likely to be
away five days. The boys were to do
what work they judged best in his alb
sence. They determined to set about
brick making Fortunately, Hans was
accustomed to the work. A piece Of
ground was cleared of grass, and was
leveled for the reception Of the bricks
when made; then some planks We're
knocked together so as to form a rough
table. Two brick molds were made. The
soil was dug up, and the poems drove the
bullocks round and round upon it, tram
ping it into a thick mud, some water be-
ing thrown in when necessary
AS it was sufficiently trampled Terence
carried it in a trough and emptied it on
to the table close by, where Hans and
Seth fashioned it in the molds. turning
the bricks out on to a plank foot wide
and six feet long. When this was full
the boys took each an end and carried it
off to the prepared ground, where they
carefully removed the bricks with two
little slabs of wood. and placed them on
the ground to dry. By the afternoon Of
the fifth day they had made quantity
which would be ample for the constrUc-
ton Of the partition walls of their house.
The boys haG just deposited the last
brick upon the drying ground, and were
moving away, when Hubert cried, Stop,
Charley, don't move STEP
Startled by the suddenness and sharp
ness of the cry, Charley stood without
moving, and was surprised to see his
brother pick up one of the wet bricks in
both hands, and dash it upon the ground
Immediately in front of where they We're
walking.
give killed him. Hubert cried tri-
umphantly; and Charley, looking down,
saw snake of about three feet long
writhing in the grass, his head being COM
.pletely driven into the ground under the
force of the lump of wet clay. Two or
three stamps of their heavy boots COM
Dleted the work And the men coming up
to see what was the matter, Hans said
that Charley, who would have trodden
upon the reptile in another instant, had
not his brother called out, had had very
narrow escape, for that the snake was
the viyora de la cruX, SO called from a
mark like a cross upon his head, and
~
It was a pretty snake, with bands Of
red, white and black upon his body.
Charley grew very pale at the thought of
the narrow escape he had had, and wrung
his brother very hard by the hand, while
Hubert was half-inclined to cry at the
thoughts of what might have happened.
Mr. Hardy was very much pleased at
the sight of the long rows of bricks ly-
ing in front Of the house, and gave great
credit to all for the amount Of work
which had been done during his few days
absence In a fortnight's time the walls
were finished, and the bullock carts were
dispatched to Rosario to fetch lime, as
Mr.. Hardy had determined to plaster the
inside walls. By this time a considerable
extent of land was plowed up and this
was now planted with maize, yam or
sweet potato, and pumpkins; small por-
ton, as Gn experiment, was also planted
with potato seeds, but the climate is al
most too warm for the potato to thrive.
Upon the return of the carts with the
lime the partition walls were built with
the bricks The walls finished, all hands
went to work at the roof 1t was exactly
two months from the date of their arrival
at the farm that the doors were hung and
the finishing touch put to the house, and
very pleased were they all, so they gave
three cheers for their new abode.
The same evening Mr.. Hardy told the
| boys that he should start the next day
| to bring up their mamma and the girls,
who were all getting very impatient in
deed to be out upon the pampas. He ex-
| planned to them that he should bring up
iron bedsteads with bedding, but that he
relied upon them to increase their stock