The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1911-04-19

thing to eat. He looked at the widow,
and she looked at him, and he present.
ly said:
'If you were man you could turn
tramp and do better than farming. l
passed here last summer, and / saw
you were having hard time Of it."
did you stop on purpose to tell me
thatY was queried in reply.
"Oh, no. l just felt like Ginning a
little. You didn't know much about
land when you bought this, guess"
"And what do you know about the
land yourself?"
"Well, a little bit. Mebbe / wasn't
always a tramp. This farm was being
worked a hundred years ago. The soil
is exhausted and dead. 1t wants bring
ing back. Here's a ten acre lot that
would raise near a thousand bushels
of taters IL treated right"
"An' the tarnel bugs would eat up
every vine as soon as it showed above
the ground" replied the grouchy Wild
ow.
"Um! I'm! Woman, let's talk. Let's
talk business. Let's talk of thou
sand bushels of taters."
They talked for an hour. The widow
had been cozened once and was very
chary, but the tramp talked straight,
and she finally became interested.
From that she came to believe. There
must be some money raised for work
ing capital. She mortgaged the team
of old horses and agreed to board the
tramp for his work and divide any
profits with him in the fall. 1t was to
be ten acres of potatoes and nothing
else but little garden truck.
As soon as spring opened the ground
was prepared. The tramp had silver
watch he had picked up" somewhere.
1t went toward getting the field ready.
The last of the widows money went
for seed There were a great deal of
laughter and ridicule over that part
nership. That soil would grow null
leins and thistles, but as for potatoes,
nix, so all the passing farmers said.
The potato bugs came along in dpe
time. 1t was the seventh. year. Some
farmers had forgotten the date, while
others had laid in proper store of
paris green. The tramp had said that
none would be needed on the ten acres.
Not pound was bought. Dire disaster
was predicted. The bugs were number
less. They swept over half the state,
and they hit Colfax county worst Of
ALL Farmers drew the green powder
for ten miles, and their women and
children sowed it on to the vines by
daylight and by moonlight, but the
bugs seemed to reyel in it, No vine got
six inches above the ground.
When the word went forth that the
ramp farmer was not using single
,unce of preventive and that not a
lozen bugs could be found in his big
ield there were callers in plenty. He
vas offered as high as $50 for his
secret, but he smiled and kept on with
his work. When he made any reply
1t all 1t was that luck happened to be
With him. With hoe in her hand, the
widow worked beside him, finishing
Ter row at the same time he did.
Sometimes they talked as they worked;
gain they had nothing to say for half
day at a time. They had said it was
o be a business partnership, and they
tuck to it,
In time that ten acre field attracted
more public attention than the new
ounty courthouse, Potatoes were
My 80 cents bushel before the bugs
anne. Then they went to 80. When
he first were fit for market they sold
or 70 cents. When it was known
hat the state crop was a failure the
rice jumped to ST. Then one day
peculator came along and offered
rice for the tubers in the ground 1t
7as accepted 1t was greater sum
han any farmer in the state had made
rom all his crops put together. The
-idow could lift the chattel mortgage
u the horses, renew and repair and no
niger scrape the bottom Of the -four
ariel
There was an even divide Of the
loney at the kitchen table. The
amp took the $50 and put it away
nd laid the balance on the widows
lie.
Fifty win last me for hundred
ears to come" he said.
"But you must take your half" was
"You can be my banker till / come
Ifs way again. Just wanted to see
| had become entirely worthless to
lie world and myself, and as a stu
mt OF agricultural chemistry want
! to experiment with old Mother
arth once more. I've got the wan
,rlust strong on me again, and it's
,odby."
The widow wanted to say many
nd words to him, for he had been
'nslderate. strong and Industrious
ID in every way reliable. but when
e had prepared his supper and look
for him he was not TO be found, nor
I he come auafn NTH the nasain0