CHAPTER XVI 



WINTER WORK 



THE new year opened full of all sorts of inter- 

 ests and new projects. There were so many things 

 to plan for and to commence at the farm that we 

 often got a good deal mixed up. I can hardly 

 expect to make a connected narrative of the vari- 

 ous plans and events, so will follow each one far 

 enough to launch it and then leave it for future 

 development. 



Little snow fell in January and February '96. 

 The weather was average winter weather, and a 

 good deal of outdoor work was done. On the 

 2d I went to the farm to plan with Thompson 

 an outline for the two months. I had decided 

 to make Thompson the foreman, for I had 

 watched him carefully for five months and was 

 satisfied that I might go farther and fare a great 

 deal worse. Indeed, I thought myself very for- 

 tunate to have found such a dependable man. 

 He was temperate and good-natured, and he had 

 a bluff, hearty way with the other men that 

 made it easy for them to accept his directions. 

 He was thorough, too, in his work. He knew 

 how a job should be done, and he was not satis- 



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