A VINE -DRESSER'S PLIGHT 97 



with tears in his eyes, 'she was just so good in the 

 vineyard as one man, and he might just so well have 

 lost his horse.' He got a second wife, but she was of 

 hasty temper, and gave the old man as good as he 

 sent. Finally, she told him if he would give her five 

 dollars, she would leave him, and never see him more. 

 'Give you five dollars!' said the old man: 'I will do 

 no such thing; but if you go and never come back, I 

 will give you ten dollars.' The money was paid, and 

 the old man was relieved of that trouble; but one that 

 he deemed greater came. I have heretofore said, that 

 after being my tenant ten years, he was ruined by sel- 

 ling his share of the crop for eight hundred dollars. 

 He cleared out; went to the north part of the state; 

 bought land, and planted a vineyard. The location 

 was too far north. His vines were killed, and he came 

 back a poor man, and began a new vineyard on a farm 

 of mine, adjoining his old one, on which his son-in- 

 law has resided since he left it. This year his vine- 

 yard came into bearing, and the old man's heart re- 

 joiced to think that he should again be able to sit 

 under the shade of his favorite tree, and enliven his 

 heart with wine of his own making. But, alas! the 

 rot came, and blasted his prospects. He became dis- 

 pirited; which, the cholera discovering, a few days 

 since, seized his victim. He was taken to the house of 

 his son-in-law (for he lived alone, and I could not 

 prevail on him to take a Frau for the third time), 

 when they urged him to take medicine, but he refused. 

 He was told if he did not, in a few hours he must die. 

 'What I care?' said the old man, 'I take none. What 

 I want to live for ? My grapes all rotten ! ' A few 

 hours, and he was no more. Peace to his ashes." 



