Year: 1868




saw how coarse and humble his quon-
dam clerkmate looked, and he knew
that Peter would hail him if they met
so he caught his companion by the
arm and lodged into a by-lane. Peter
saw the movement, and understood
it, but he only smiled.


By-and-by the snow was all gone
from the hillside. The wintry garb
was removed from that spot before it
left other places, for Peters lot lay on
the southern slope of the hill, and
thus had all the advantages of the
warm sun all day, without any of the
cold north and east winds. The youth
found his land vnrg rocky. but none
OF them were permanent; SO his first
move was to get off some of these OBJ
structions; and as Mr.. Stevens land
was not yet clear from snow, he was
able to give his young workman con-
siderable assistance. They took two
yoke of oxen and two drags, and went
at it, and in just five days every rock
was at the foot of the slope, and made
into a good stone wall. Peter then
hauled his hundred loads of manure
which he had bought for seventy-fve
dollars, and part Of it he ploughed in,
and part he saved for the top dress
ing.


Peter now worked early and late,
and much of the time he had help.


Mr.. Stevens was surprised at the
richness of the soil, but there was rea-
son for it. At the top Of the hill
there was a huge ledge. The rocks
which had encumbere1 the hill side
must at some former period, have
come tumbling down from the ledge
and the rocks lying there for ages,
perhaps, and covering nearly half the
surface of the ground, had served to
keep the soil moist and mellow.


The first thing Peter planted was
about quarter Of an acre of water
melons. He then got in some early
garden sauce. such as potatoes, sweet
corn, peas, beans, radishes, cucumbers,
tomatoes, and so on. And he got the
whole piece worked up and planted
before Stevens farm was free from
snow.


People stopped in the road and
gazed upon the hill side in wonder.
Why had that spot never been used
before? For forty years it had been
used as sheep pasture, the rocks
having forbidden all thoughts of cul-
tivating it. But how admirably it
was situated for early tilling; and
how rich the soil must bays -beep.with
joining hill shut off the east winds,
and the hill itself gave its back to
the chill north.


Peter had planted an acre of corn,
an acre Of potatoes and the rest he
had divided among all sorts of pro
duce. Then he went to work for Ste
venS again, and in a few weeks he had
more than paid for all the labor he
had been obliged to hire on his own
land.


In the meantime, again, Walter
Sturgis had been looking after employ
ment. His hundred dollars had been
used up to the last penny, and just
then he accepted a place in one of
the stores in the village, at a salary
Of three hundred dollars a year. He
still wondered how Peter White could
content himself in such business. Pc
ter used to be invited to all the little
parties when a clerk, but he was not
invited now. Walter Sturgis went
to these parties and was highly edited
by them. Also, when Peter was a
clerk, there were several young and
handsome damSels who loved to bask
in the sunlight of his smiles, and one
of them be fancied that he loved.


After he had got his hill side plant
ed he went to see Cordelia Hender-
son, and he asked her if she would
become his wife at some future period
when he was prepared to take such
an article home. She told him she
would think of it and let him know
by letter.


Three days afterwards he received
letter from her, in which she stated
that she could not think of uniting
her destinies with man who could
only delve in the earth for a liveli-
hood. Peter shed a few tears over
the unexpected note, and then he reas-
oned on the subject, and finally bless
ed his fate, for be was sure that such
a girl was not what he needed for a
wife.


When the first day Of July came,
Peter reckoned up his accounts, and
he found that Mr.. Stevens was owing
him just two dollars, and all he owed
in the world was seventy-five dollars
| for manure. -


On the third day of July he carried
to the hotel ten dollars worth of green
peas, beans and radishes and in three
days afterwards he carried twenty
eight dollars worth. Towards the
end of the month he had sold one
hundred and thirty dollars worth of
early potatoes, peas, beans, etc. Then
he had early corn enough to bring
him fifteen dollars more. Ere long
his melons were ripe, and dealer in
the city had engaged them all. He
had six hundred fine melons, for which
he received fourteen cents apiece by
the lot, making eighty-four dollars fol
the whole.


During the whole summer Peter was
1 kept busy in attending to the gather