Show HOW I 1 A it was getting dark eliut through alio lushes along the muddy road 1 could a house ahead and I 1 limped toward it I 1 had liopo that tho people there would receive inc ahi how discouraged hungry and footsore I 1 was that night 1 acry step wa torture if I 1 had had my choice to livo or die honestly think I 1 would have preferred alio latter it was alow ono satorv lioma weather beaton and dilapidated two of tho front windows acro boarded up and alic other two had the glass panes broken out alio left waisa still moro dilapidated barn tho great of which acra cil up not only the yard fence but all alio fences in eight were aud falling down abo place diw at a second glance ans and from the forest of tall dry whistles thistles es leforc tho house door I 1 judged that it biad not been occupied for a long time arlel at I 1 thought I 1 shall not bo denied a nights lodging here there was a fireplace in alio llio rear of he room and after shouting to nuke turo eliat no one was about to object I 1 built a prodigious lire and going to alio barn fetched in 0 old straw there and mado a bod for myself I 1 was h agry yet still more tired and after a time 1 fell asleep i CUIE brnoit in the spring of 1874 I 1 wa as homeless aud houseless as anybody in boton bo ton I 1 was nineteen sly mother was dead ancl my father n crippled sailor was an inmate of a charitable institution J lio previous summer I 1 biad driven nn ice cart and had saved enough to carry roe partly ough tho winter aut I 1 could not get another job if there is anything in this whole world which will try ones soul U is to hunt a job week after week and month abut and lio met always by that one cold reply not wanted by february my monay was all spent up to that time I 1 had not alio least idea of leaving the city and trying alio country for 1 knew nothing of it hut I 1 luew n brakhman named on ho maine who had nil undo living in tho town of 11 up in new hampshire aliis uncle leaven said wanted a hand on his farm and lio thought I 1 could gel the place iio yi c man linn to himi and got me a free ride on tho night freight with laira to from excer I 1 walked to II 11 but alien 1 armed alio wasHl led knowing what to do I 1 went on inquiring for work and biad been wandering two days I 1 camo to the old deserted bouso during the night my waking was not cry alio I 1 was wretchedly cold and it I 1 biad been faint and hungry the bight I 1 was hungrier now tho we allier too biad turned foggy and wet drearily and not without somo pain I 1 got up and looked about the inside of the old bouso the bare smoked and rooms were alio picture of desolation no wonder I 1 thought that tho previous inhabitants had abandoned alic place though ans little inducement du cement to anit longer there wib still lc s to go on tec becking king work no aijo wanted to hire and for tho first timo the idea of staying hero entered my mind this was what I 1 thought hero is a house and hero is a farm they arc if nobody caw wants them why cannot I 1 have theiu and make a homo of them SIV FIK it JOB IS THE COUNTRY bait whether I 1 lived here or not I 1 wanted something to eat and I 1 set off along alio road to a lirra house painted red As I 1 drew near a clatter of forks and spoons assured mo that tho folks acro at breakfast the outer door was ajar I 1 stepped up and tapped at it come in somo ono called out I 1 entered and said bood morning but no one responded DO on wish to hiro any help I 1 asked addressing myself to tho man of the honc hi you tho chap that had a lire in the old down below hero last night alio mail inquired yes I 1 said do you know alio owns it haid telling ho answered there last atut old man smith to had a morl gigo of it and I 1 guess tho mortgage hs got it by this time do you think this sir smith would cairo if I 1 were to stop tharo nw hilo cant say replied the man I 1 asat awhile and asked them whether they would not sell mo a peck of or four quarts of corn ibcal and let me work in payment 1 I will wik all day for cither one I 1 and will try to do a good days work aul neither the man nor woman answered I 1 eat ten minutes perhaps fc lang anything but comfortable and then bade morning aal out while I 1 stood hesitating road a boy came out into tho yard the old man boz you can go to sawing ibis arc allo of wood ho to mo night I 1 was tho owner qt e peck 0 potatoes anil the day after I 1 wont to several of the neighboring farmhouses obtaining from a man damoil fawcett ft job to pick up two acres of stones on a new clover piece for chii I 1 received four dollars in potatoes pork and joeil and completed it in civo days ill TO oin KANS meantime I 1 inquired niad learned moro 0 old man smith 0 hoston and in u few days I 1 aoto the following letter to him r man in bl twentieth recently or ll onton i our A N it ho win lu carch work on a farm annl anino to tho oil fortnight hiro clo to tny annl th ho went in airl ani been horo ever kino working lhnn ho billil rol ft job from tb pomplo ii loul man like to TO on for a while thoro localio lin m bolher pl ici llo bakr tho arm 01 you lor the coining chinn or 1 tho form li alc liy 11 it alm palco not 00 oo ini kiy for it n goin annl in all tt 1 I nm iho nuovo referred to annl my namo U cn inar ui A 1 aitor I 1 received alio llio following deltor trommer smith I 1 hll o yom which you om lo 10 nm amolo olo i of h u cm mo iver oron one wiy nn lint anny mail who will pir 1111 i bun ire 1 annl lafty for it roby hm o iti if not suppose you hire 1 l alil 1 any rii hilt it li not much 11 0 o for ano anler tiiu T for wl 1 I lo 10 anlo ikc iho tn talle lle dicome ip u annl yu ot nn I 1 I 1 di hut so ro nacil charles plant aal kiil to junr alili cr annl ann cnn tho lafty tho oll enrin H anil it you anro in I 1 ilona belloi 0 I 1 kiili you yokim ivio C SMITH whenever I 1 felt I 1 icil to get that liaro i danli SV mattic MOt tIC the nebout acero now doan anil and I 1 borrowed 1 neighbors 0 team to plow thred acres of stubble grou in I 1 use of alio cam by my own libor it aiu all binl work ertry fair day was a day of toil I 1 niad tu sleep like n log there in my straw ant somehow beenu to H alio world looked brighter after iny chopi acro in alio ground I 1 mended the fences about alitt fieldi and alio llio and I 1 out and fiot tor the broken windo vvs I 1 sol oh rainy davs ly june the about had begun to ireal mo ai a friend and neighbor indeed they commenced laughingly to call mo their new neighbor at birst coming among lliam ai a i I 1 did they distrusted me hut when they saw eliat I 1 was not afraid lo 10 take huld and and that I 1 mally meant business they nebout and treated mo like a fel low citizen I 1 was shown a great miny kindly favors HOf ann braying irA YING it waa no task to do my own work m hoeing ind WAS ablo to wor out to a sot of haying nouh consisting of fork and 1 ikc for there wai tolerably crop of gris in alio adds and lown in alio meadow ivsich 1 resolved curo to alie basl straw I 1 began my laying on tho liesl day of july for birce weeks I 1 worked early and lite I 1 ad no team for drawing alie hav into ho barn every pound 0 it I 1 in on a little rack which I 1 rigged upon n pair of old carriego car ringo wheels hat I 1 found abandoned beside the road n these tarco weeks 1 got in about nine tons seven tons of aliis hay I 1 sold tho ol lowing winter in tha nine miles below for siv dohara I 1 did every stroke of lie work alono and and after that I 1 worked out nt haying ciglio damsat adoll irand a quarter per day my were now ready to harvest this occupied me a week ami alien alie threshing machine caan into the neighborhood about a fortnight liter I 1 hid my crop threshed out after deducting abri toll I 1 had sitty nino bushels I 1 llian made a miah mr cummings nud traded sixty bushels of oili for buo ouo of li n cows and mrs C throw into the bargain 1 milk pail anil four tin pans this wai my first investment in live stock after eliat I 1 had plent of nm milk and also butter which 1 dinv inv lf in a earthen pot kilt I 1 did not lut nicy one see nor know of my dairying process on the twenty fourth daiy diy 0 september I 1 bagan digging my poLi toas and from my well dressed field I 1 dug a hundred diio bushels of achand tomo arly hose potatoes as one would wih to sec I 1 picked out a barrel of alie very acl and sent them to old man smith in boston tick ami in january I 1 chopped ten cords of wood for mr and in payment had his o belm to draw my iny down to alic village I 1 marketed it after receiving llie money I 1 brolo again to mr li telling him that I 1 was now ready to make a payment 01 seventy live dollars on the faim aliu business of doing aliu writings is they call it in alio country was entrusted on his pirt to a lawyer in alie village named to him 1 paid aliu money and received a decd of the farm but gai c my note secured by a mortgage for alio second payment of seventy live dollars doll irs in aim acir iliac a motive in writing this plain little narrative in now in new york slate and in the ast them yos hundreds and thousands of abandoned farms one I 1 came to my first night in A to tho hundreds of lio melosa person young and old in alio cities deserted farms olter homes and they may bo improved during the second year I 1 paid my note for avo dollars with alio llio interest and took up alio llio mortgage G E winder in youths companion |