The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-09-22

| mentS cost him one hundred dollars
more. He had been fortunate in Sc
curing tract whore the sagebrush had
been burned over, or was thinly scat
tered over the land, and grubbing and
a hundred dollars. The furniture for
the house they already had; in fact
! too much for their tiny farm house
and as Mary Russell was IN exception
| ally careful housewife, the surplus fur.
niturc was almost as good as new. This
she sold at n good figure, investing the
proceeds III thoroughbred poultry, and
! feed enough TO last them through the
! season.
When everything was figured up they
had their little home erected, their
tract ready for culture and between
four aAd FIVE hundred dollars IN the
bank with which TO purchase supplies
for the year.
The ground had been broken too
late TO allow successful cropping that
year, bur Mrs. Russell bad her truck
garden. AS they lived in a tent while
their little home was under constrnc.
tion, and thus the houscwork. outside
OF cooking, was small. she spent many
happy hours taking care of her truck
and watching il grow. She often said
camping out, and that she enjoyed il
quite as much as the three weeks they
were in the habit Of spending in the
mountains.
It was in her poultry, however, that
she took the greatest pride and pleas
urc, and she gave them paiDstaking
care. She started in with twenty-five
single.combcd Rhode Island Red hens,
and ended the season with over q hum
1rnH Er,H rhr al l..
stock. When it became known that her
bens were thoroughbred, the country
people came for miles for eggs for
Matching purposes, and she sold all she
could spare at an average of fifty cents
dozen. This, and the disposal of her
surplus cockerels and a few pullcts,
caused her to end the season with fifty
dollars over the cost Of their keep. AS
John proudly told her. she had made
full hundred per cont on her invest
mont, besides giving them all the eggs
q chicken dinner for Sunday.
Though planted late, the garden was
a success, and the autumn found them
with four times as much truck as they
could consume. Tho surplus WAS mar.
keted, bringing them little over fftv
dollars. AS John said, in speaking of
their first years farming. it was Mrs
Russell who had done it all, and he had
only played second fiddle
This was hardly fair, however He
wrought better than he knew. lie de.
spised unsightlv weeds, and instead of
allowing them TO get toothold, as was
the case on many nelghboring tracts,
he kept his one horse harrow going as
soon as they appeared above the sur
face. This, with one thorough soaking
of the land and later moistening,
placed the tract in the best possible
condition for the next years crop. and
gave him start that led to his later
success
Some time in the latter portion of
August he received a visit from his
John on the condition of his tract, and
advised him 10 begin planting an or
cbard. Russel had never heard of fall
planting. but, rclving on the expert
ence of the other, he determined to fol-
low the advice gwen, The result was
another inroad upon mis- pau5 account,
and the setting out of an acre Of APP
pies. The saphngs. still following the
advice OF his friend, were secured
from the teeth Of tho rabbits by the
use of wire netting, and the year $
work was ended.
One evening late in the fall. as John
and Mary were attending to their poul-
try for the night, two strangers drove
up to their home. The men did not
wait, but at once stated the nature of
their errand, 1t was nothing less than
to purchase their little farm as it
stood. John had not the remotest in
tention of selling, but wishing to learn
the value they placed upon the tract,
led them on to an offer. The convc,
satlon ended by the men making them
oh .fFa 80 l.
dred dollars for the bare land and im-
provements.
That night the old bookkoeper did a
little figuring. Their cellar was filed
with enough vegetables to last them
until next season, his wife had cleared
safe hundred dollars on her poultry,
and the entire outlay in money had
been less than fourteen hundred dol.
lars. After deducting the interest on
his Investment, and the interest on the
amount still due on the land had he
accepted the offer just made he woulo
have been ahead good thousand dol
lars, sum greater than he had cleared
in any one year of his life. and there
remained four months winter vaca-
ton, thing he had never dreamed of
III his old plodding city DAYS
tMary, dear" he said, looking up
from the paper upon which he had been
figuring. there is only one thing lack.
ing, or | would be the most contented
man In the United States. We are only
beginners, / know. and have many
things to learn. but 7 feel that the sun
has already risen upon our way"
eyes, love-" she answered with .
OF her sunny smiles. land somehow I
feel that the one thing will vet be
ours. I dreamed OF her last night
dear, and she told me she was coming
home
The following winter was an impor.
tant one in the life OF John Russell, II
was a restful one as well. for with the
exception of couple of visits to the
city. one just before Christmas aud a
few days at a farmers institute, he
and his wife spent all of their time at
home. Neither he or Mary were idle
however. Far from it. His business
training had been too thorough tc
make him feel satisfied to plod along
in haphnzard fashion in his new call
ing He applied to the head of the ap
rlcUltural c0lIppp fo man ON; b,r