Year: 1871

The youngest son stood with his fail


bride upon the threshold of the old farm.


house. He was the last of four brave


boys who had gone forth from that hum


BILE roof to work their way up manfully


to a place OF honor and usefulness in the


world. Perhaps there was little dim


ness in the old mans eye, and may be 4


little tremor in his voice as he spoke


the farewell words. But he took from


the old side-cupboard his parting gift; q


bright, new hoe-and as he placed it in


the hand of the youth, the accompany
ing admOnition sounded cheerfully on
his ear, "Hoe out your row.


1t was the fourth time a similar pre-
sentation had been made in the old
homestead.


Everybody will find his row to hoe
in this world, George-and sometimes
it's mighty tough one; but it is only
towards that shirk it. whatsoever thy
hand findeth to do, do it with thy might
and never forget to look up


The old man wrung the hand of his
son, and stopped down to kiss the cheek
of his fair, new daughter; while mother
busted herself with the dozen "last
things" which every one but mother
forgets. The lingering farewells were
said at last, and the old coach rolled
away with the two hopeful, sunny hearts
just entering life's bright and beautiful
summer.


The old homestead seemed deserted
and drear as last years nest. The aged
pair sat down by their own hearthstone
alone as when they began life together.
How these old walls hal rung to the
sound of childhood's mirth, and child
hoods step, and in later years had
echoed with the tread of manly feet.
Now they must live more in the bur-
led past.


But to George and Ellen life seemed
all one bright future, with the rainbow
of hope arching all their plans and pro-
iects.


Their Western home was humble
one, and plenty of work for willing
hands within it. The young farmers
chief capital was his strong arm and
stout heart, and the sound working-day
principles he had been taught from
Sometimes he grew discour-
aged at the prospect of paying for the
place he worked-but he was sure to
meet with hearty encouragement and
words of cheer from Ellen; glance,
too, at the parting gift of his father, as
it stood on the mantle in the family
room, was as good as = sermon any day.
There it stood very ready to give encour-
agement or admonition, as the case
might be. Strangers might think it a
curious ornament for chimney-piece,
but it was soon regarded as one of the
treasures. Dust nor rust were
never suffered to mar its brightness.


"Ellen, it is no use trying" said George
one evening, quite despondingly, as he
turned away from some figures he had
been making on a scrap of paper, 81 can't
make out the payment this week, and
may as well give it up


Ellen looked up cheerfully from her
work and nodded toward the mantle.


81 haze hoed and hoed, but this row is
90 much for me. The wool will pay
next installment, and the crops the next
but where this fifty dollars is to come
from, that | need in addition to what
can make ont, is more than l can see."


"Sell the COW. George" advised Ellen
'you were offered sixty dollars for her,
you know


"But what can We do for butter, and
;ream in our coffee, and all that?


'Do without for a time, dear. A
home is a great deal more important to
is now than any table luxury. Besides,
you shall not suffer. These little self
lenials, you know, are almost unavoida-
Die, if We would fairly hoe out our
row.


George, like sensible man, took his
vife's advice; and the satisfaction he
felt,as he paid down the money prompt
y and took his receipt, far exceeded
hat which any table enjoyment could
,fford him.


Ellen ransacked her memory for eco
nomical sauces and gravies, to take the
place of old Debby's golden butter and
yellow cream,a and she never forgot to put
Well-beaten egg into the pot of coffee,
90 improving its richness that George
missed the favorite luxury.


Steadily onward he hoed his row un-
til the place was all his own. The old
home had put on 4 new face outdoors
and in. There were shrubs and rose
bushes in abundance in the once tangled
and briar-grown door-yard, and fine
young orchard was blossoming on the
sunny slope toward the south.


There were files of agricultural papers
on the broad shelf of the little library,
and choice selection of miscellaneous
books above them. There were little |
tasteful appointments here and there,
about the cheerful sitting-room, but the
bright hoe was never displaced by any
gem or crystal. The pretty shcll-framed
pictures might look down upon it, if they
chose; it could not be looked out of



George was respected and known by
all his neighbOrs, and the stranger, who |