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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