Year: 1877

Ter Vi uu dCre vi WuleInSlOnSs Iie luell
got in some early garden sauce-such as
potatoes, sweet corn, peas, beans, rad
ishes, cucumbers, tomatoes and so on.
And he got his whole piece worked up
and planted before Stevens farm was
free from snow.


He then planted an acre of corn, an
acre of potatoes and the rest he had
divided among all sorts of produce.
Then he went to work for Stevens 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 were used
and he accepted a place in the village, at
a salary of three hundred dollars year.
Peter used to be invited to all the little
parties, when he was clerk, but he was
not invited now. Walter Sturgis went
to these parties, and he was highly
edited by them. When Pater was
clerk, there were several handsome
damsels who loved to bask in the sun
light of his smiles, and one of them he
fancied he loved. After he had got his
hillside planted, he went to see Cordelia
Henderson, and he asked her if she
would become his wife at some future
period when he was prepared to take
such an article to his home. Three
days afterward he received letter from
1. =. 4. Il, Il -, Al H.
not think of uniting her destinies with
q man who could only delve in the earth
for a livelihood. Peter shed few tears
over the unexpected note, and finally
such girl was not what he needed for
wife.


On the first of the next November he
had cleared seven hundred dollars for the
season over and above expenses.


One morning after the crops were all
in Peter found man walking about
over the land, and as the young man
came up the stranger asked him who
owned the hillside.


'Itis mine, SIR replied Peter.


The man looked about, and then went
away, and the next day he came with
two others. They looked over the place,
and they seemed to be dividing it off into
small lots. They remained about an
hour and then went away.


On the next morning Peter went out
upon his land, and as he reached the
upper boundary and turned and looked
down, the truth flashed upon him. His
hillside had gentle, easy slope, and the
view from any part of it was delightful.
A brook ran down through it, from an
exhaustless spring up in the ledge, and
the locality would be cool and agreeable
in summer and warm in winter. At the
foot of the hill, to the left, lay small
lake, while the river ran in sight for
several miles"


"Of course" soliloquized Peter "they
think this would make beautiful build
ing spots. And wouldn't it? Curious
that never thought of it before. And
then when the railroad comes here,
people from the city want their dwell
ings here. But this land is valuable.
1t is worth-let me see-say six hundred
dollars year. ] can easily get eight
or nine hundred for what L can raise
here, and l know that two hundred
dollars will pay me good round price
for all the labor 1 perform on it. And
then when my peach trees grow up, and
my strawberry beds increase-ho-it's
more valuable to me than it could be tc
any one else"


When Peter went home, he could not
resist temptation to sit down and calcu
late how many house lots his land would
make; and he found that his hillside
would afford fifty building spots, with o
good garden to each one. But he didn't
think of selling.


Two days afterward, six men came tt
look at the land, and after travelling ovel
it, and sticking up some stakes, they
went away. That evening Peter Wen
down to the hotel, and the first thing III
heard was


Aha, Pete, you've missed it,"


How so ?" asked Pete.


" Why, how much did you gel, TO
your hillside y'


What do you mean 2"


6 Haven't you sold it Yn


No, sir.n


"Why, there was man here looking
at ita week or so ago, and to-day h
came and brought five city merchant