The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1916-10-23
CHAPTER III.
My Money Goes and My Farmer
Comes.

1
Three days later | closed the
deal, took an inventory of the
farm implements which went with
the place, made a few hasty ar
rangements for my permanent
coming, and fastened back to col
lege.
There / remained only lone
enough to see that the faculty had
a competent man to fill my unex-
pired term, and to consult the col
lege botanical department. Pro-
fessor Grey of the department, as
signed his chief assistant at the
gardens to my case. He took me
to Boston and, armed with my
inventory, in one day he spent ex-
actly $641 of my precious saw
ings.
"There!" he cried at p. m.
Now you can make a beginning
| told 'em not to ship your small
fruits-raspberries, etc.-till you
ordered 'em to. You won't be
ready for some weeks.
You're damn cheerful about
it," | cried. You talk as IL ]
were a millionaire, with nothing
to do but spend money!
That's about all you will do,
for the next twelve months" he
grinned. ~ s.
This was rather disconcerting,
and the next morning 1 left col.
lege forever. As Il
landed at Bentford station,
hired hack, and drove at once
to my farm, and my first thought
on alighting was this: ,rt
Good Lord, l never realized
the frightful condition of this or
chard! More expense!"
Its a dollar up here" said
the driver of the hack.
l paid him brusquely, and he
drove away. Milt Noble had gone,
So had my enthusiasm.
heard my horse stamping in
the stable, and saw my two cows
feeding In the pasture. A post
card from one Bert Temple, my
nearest neighbor, had informed
me that he was milking them for
me-and, gathered, for the milk.
Well, if he didn't, goodness
knew who would! | never felt so
lonely, so hopeless, in my life.
tossed my suit case into the
barn. and began a tour of inspec-
ton over my 80 acres.
There was tonic in that turn!
Twenty of my acres lay on the
south side of the road, surround
ing the house. The other ten, be-
hind the barn, were pasture. The
old orchard led down a slope half
an acre in extent to the brook.
That brook ran south close to the
road which formed my eastern
boundary, along the entire extent
of the farm.
walked down through the or
chard, and as / followed the
brook into the naples and then
into the sudden hushed quiet of
my little stand of pines, / thought
how all this was mine-to de-
velop, to walk in, to dream in!
My spirits rose like the songs
OF the sparrows from the road
side trees beyond.
l continued to my western
boundary, where my acres met
the cauliflower beds of my neigh
Dor, Bert Temple.
A single green pine stood at
the stone wall, just inside my
land. Then and there saw my
book plate, with the pine in black
on the key block!
Then / reflected how l stood on
soil which must be made to pay
me back in potatoes for the out
lay-and dreamed of book plates!
Somebody ought to get amuse-
ment out of this!" l said aloud,
as / set off for the barn, gathered
up my suit case, and climbed the
road toward Bert Temples.
II | live to be a hundred, / can
never repay Bert Temple. Bert
and his wife took me in, treated
me as a human, If helpless, fellow
being, not as a Getty man" to be
fleeced.
After supper Bert took me In
hand. First thing fer you to
dos to git a farmer and >carpen-
ter" he said. II kin git yer both
II yer want should, an not sting
yes. Most moo folks tibet come
here gifts stung." - "a.
I'm clay in your hands. said
II.
"Wall, yer don't exactly know
me intimately" said Bert with a
laugh, so yer'd better git bit O.
granite into yer system. Meow, e7
to q farmer-there's Mike Finn
He lives bout quarter OF mile
from your corner. He'll come an
his son'll help out with the heavy
work, such ez plough, which
you'd better begin tomorrow
Well walk down and see him
meow, Of yer like"
i i liked, and we set off down
the road.
j wal, then, ez to carpenters
-"--' continued. "thar's Hard CT