Hiram the Young Farmer

turdy withal, the excited horses would have broken away from

and struck fire from the stones of the street with their shoes. He dragged them forward, the car

t 'em!" exclaimed the ge

was more than a little hoarse. But there was no quiver of excitement in it. Indeed, h

iced her terror. Now Hiram heard her say,

boy, Daddy. Spea

e frightened team with one firm hand while he fum

d," announced the gentleman. "Here, son, w

mporium," replied Hir

ard. You're the kind of a boy I

youth stepped nearer to reach it, the impatient horse

, but missed the card. It fluttered into the excavation in th

Hiram would have taken it to search for the lost card. For

ht be a prosperous farmer. And, being a farmer, he might be

am in touch with the man. And he seemed

earily toward the boarding house. "Well! I don't know that I'll ever see either of th

lier than usual the next morning and hurried to work by the way

ose sand, perhaps, rattling down from the sides of the excavation during the night, had buri

m one task to another. The other clerks got a minute's time to themselves now and th

ut ten o'clock, and Hiram had a request to

What do you mean, boy?" roared the prop

rand," replied

?" snarled the ol

er. I can't tell you," r

good. I don't see why I s

overtime for you, Mr.

nt. You knew you'd have to when you came to wor

tick to yours?" deman

at?" cried Mr. Dwight, glaring

promised that, if I suited after six months, you would raise my

d just that. He had got the boy cheaper by so doing. But never before had he hire

l, w

t came to his mind. He actually smiled. When Mr

id I?" he snarled. "Well, you don't suit me. You never

Another boy might have expressed his anger by fla

the frugal, country-bred person. He had saved little. He had no prospect of another job

uietly, after a minute's silence, "I

en cents for it," d

ed Hiram, and he walked into the back room,

nybody else who could tell him of prospect of work for the coming season. It was early yet for farmers to be looking for extra hands; but Hiram

ht, as he approached the open space devoted by the City of Crawberry to a market for

market-place, or would be preparing to drive home again. The hucksters and push-cart merchants were picking up "seconds" and lot-ends of ve

rket were strange to him. Several farmers he spoke to about work; but they were not hiring