Hiram the Young Farmer

's hands. On Wednesday a pair of spinster ladies came to l

w keepers of the house were to take possession in a week. Not until then were the boarders informed of Mother Atters

re wasn't one of them, from Crackit down the line, who could not easily rem

ged hands, the boarders were up in arms. There was a wild gabble o

ny cattle to the highest bidder. Ungrateful-right down ung

as learned to give me my hot water at just the right temperature," and he took a sip of

e stays," declared Crackit, shaking his head wisely. "She's got nothing

bles. "Just as soon as I really get settled down

Atterson's for nearly ten years. Only O

the mistress's new move. Indeed this evening Mr. Camp said noth

e was still sitting at the table

lates when she saw the old man sitting there despondent in looks and attitud

r, and there was Sister, sniffling and occasionally rubbing her wrist in

ropping her supper on the floor. "There's Sister-and

nt with Mother Atterson; he had agreed to go to the place and begin work, and take care of the stock and all, "choring for himsel

to care for the Atterson place, and money to pay

well as poor old Uncle Jeptha did,

k barrel, ham and bacon of the old man's curing, and

r, who was a widow and lived with her married daughter some half-m

nd for the chickens and the horse. The old man didn't make much of a

rrowed some of the old man's tools when Uncle Jeptha

r to bring things back. He says it's bad enough to have to borro

re she married-she was a Stepney-as ever walked in shoe-leather. And I

lost a child once-four year ago. That's the only time I remember of seeing Sarah Step

on't have no trouble there, for there ain't a house on his place

hey calls 'gentlemen's estates' out o' them. A family named Bronson-Mr. Step

n't live but a mile or so along the Scoville road. You passed the place-whi

it," said Hi

or the like. The girl's going to school and she ain't got no mot

ore. Them hens! Well, I'd se

ptha couldn't fuss with chickens, and he didn't raise only a smitch of 'em last year and the year

ore you use it. It's stood sinc

ngs he borrowed. You'll need 'em, p'r'aps, if yo

he went out to look over the pasture fencing, which was to be his first repair job. He wo

rkshop in Uncle Jeptha's time, and found a heavy claw-hammer

nce, which was likewise the pasture fence on the w

were loose. The claw-hammer fixed these like a charm. Slipping the wire into the claw, a sing

along. The pasture partook of the general confor

re was sufficient shade. But he did not come to th

ade an elbow at the corner of the pasture-the lower south-west co

s shaded by a great oak that had stood there long befor

ole at a tangent, and recrossed to the west bank of the outflowing branch a few yards

posts. And after a little Hiram traced the line of old postholes wh

recent arrangement-so recent indeed, that the young farmer believ

I am afraid," thought Hiram, as he mo

e timbered land with Henry Pollock, and now he struck into the open woods again, digging into the soil here and there with his heavy boo

ed Hiram. "A sawmill set up in here could cut many a hundred thousand feet

et on its ugliest part. The cleared fields along the road had nothing but

er visit to the back end of the farm, he found a certain clearing

btained a far-reaching view of the river valley as it lay,

there than on this side, lay several cheerful looking farmsteads. The white

rs to let their cattle run in the pastures even so early in the

in Hiram's ears. Beyond a fir plantation, high on the hillside, the sharp

e! And yet people want to build their houses right on a

nearer prospect of wood and hillside. The sun now lay warmly up

tudinous voices of the wood, descried the silvery n

e half-bared roots of a monster beech, and fell over an outcropping boulder into a pool so clear th

ding put his lips to the water. It was the sweetest,

the river, crossed the open meadow again where they had built the campfire the morning before, and foun

rell tract was entirely wooded, and when he reached the uplands he kept on i

and the yellow, deeply-rutted road lay at his feet. T

overhung the road and Hiram lingered here, lying on its broad trunk, face upward, with his

as well as the utility of the soil. It was so pleasing to the eye tha

" determined the boy. "I'll get ahead. If I work for the benefit of other people

his ear-a jarring note in the peaceful murmur of th

ic and rapid pounding of hoof-beats which came on with such startling swif

wung himself out upon the lowest branch of the leaning tree whi