The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1916-10-28
ssTHE TDYL OF Twin FIRES
By Walter Phad Eaton Copyright 19415 by Doubleday Page Co.
"Shea Irish Brigade" by Randall Parrish

season showed O different result.
Having two cows and Q small
family, / managed to dispose OF my
surplus milk and cream TO . farmer
who ran O milk route. This brought
me in y78 q year, As further
saved at least 800 BY not having
to buy milk, and $50 by Peters ef-
forts at the churn, and could reckon
q further profit from manure and
calves, my cows were worth be-
tween $500 and $500 q year to me.
Now that we had hens and chick
ems, we could reckon on another
800 saved In egg and poultry bills.
To this total I was able TO add at
the end of the summer more than
$500 received from the sale of fruit
and vegetables, not only to tho
market but to the hotels. also
supplies the inns with peas. cauli-
flowers and tomatoes.
Thus the farm was actually pay
ing me In cash or saving at least
81 900 a year-indeed. much more,
since we had no fruit or vegetable
bills the year thru, Mrs. Pillig be-
ing an artist in preserving what
would not keep In the cellar. But
we will call 1t $1,000.
To offset this I paid Mike $500 q
year, and employed his son Joe at
$1.75 a day for 20 weeks. This left
me a profit of about 5000 on my
first season at Twin Fires, which
paid my taxes and bought my coal.
Out of my salary, then. came p,
rent, no bills for butter, eggs. min,
poultry, nor vegetables. had to
pay Mrs. Pillig her $40 month
therefrom, I had to pay the upkeep
of the place. and grocery and meat
bills (the latter being comparative
ly small In summer.)
But with the great item of rent
eliminated, and my farm help pay
ing for itself, It was astonishing to
me to contemplate what a beauti-
full, comfortable home we were
able to afford on an income which.
in New York, would coop us in an
Upper West Side apartment.
We had 30 acres Of beautiful
land, we had a brook. a pine grove,
an orchard, a not-too formal gar
den, a lovely house In which We
were slowly assembling mahogany
furniture which fitted 1t.
We had summer society as
sophisticated as we cared to mix
with, and winter society to which
we could give gladly OF our own
stores Of knowledge or enthusiasm
and find Joy in the giving. We
had health as never before. and
air and sunshine and a world of
beauty all about us to the far blue
walls of hills.
Il MARK ONLY SUNNY
HOURS"
reads the ancient motto on our
dial-plate, and, az I look back on
the years of Twin Fires genesis.
or forward into the future, the
hours that are not sunny are In
deed not marked for me-
am writing now at . table. be-
meath the pergola. II 10 June
again. The lawn is q thick, rich
green. The path still wanders into
the pines-pines larger now and
more murmurous of the sea.
Somewhere down that path. my
wife is wandering, and she is not
alone. A little form sleeps beside
her, while she sits, perhaps, with
sewing In her busy fingers, or
more likely still with hands that
stray toward the sleeping child
and ears that listen to the sea.
shell murmur of the pines, whis-
pering secrets Of the future.
l see the white dial post focus
sing the sunlight once again on
the green lawn, and the thought
comes over me. not that possess
these 80 acres of Twin Fires, but
that they possess me. that they are
mine only in trust to do their bid.
ding, to hand them on still fairer
than I found them to the new gem
Grafton of my stock. They are the
Upton home-forever.
THE END