CHAPTER LV 



THE OLD TIME FARM-HAND 



WITH all my industries thus increasing, the 

 necessity for more help became imperative. 

 French and Judson had their hands more than 

 full in the dairy barns, and had to be helped out 

 by Thompson. Anderson could not give the 

 swine all the attention they needed, and was 

 assisted by Otto, who proved an excellent swine- 

 herd. Sam had the aid of Lars's boys with the 

 poultry, and very efficient aid it was, consider- 

 ing the time they could give to it. They had to 

 be off with the market wagon at 7.40, and did 

 not return from school until 4 P.M. Lars was 

 busy in the carriage barn ; and though we spared 

 him as much as possible from driving, he had to 

 be helped out by Johnson at such times as the 

 latter could spare from his greenhouse and hot- 

 beds. Zeb took care of the farm teams ; but the 

 winter's work of distributing forage and grain, 

 getting up wood and ice, hauling manure, and so 

 forth, had to be done in a desultory and irregu- 

 lar manner. The spring work would find us 

 wofully behindhand if I did not look sharp. 

 I had been looking sharp since January set in, 



z, 337 



