Hidden Treasure: The Story of a Chore Boy Who Made the Old Farm PaySimpson, John Thomas
Science
Hidden Treasure: The Story of a Chore Boy Who Made the Old Farm Pay
Simpson, John Thomas
Farm life
"What are you planning to do this winter, Bob, now that the concrete
work is practically all done?" she asked.
"Well, I was thinking, Aunt Bettie, now that Brookside has shown its
earning capacity, that we might get the pipe ready for the overhead
irrigation system in the field over by the main road, and build a pump
house down near the pond. The more I read and think of intensive
cultivating, the more I believe there's a lot of money can be made by
this method. Of course, if we don't want to raise potatoes, we could
easily raise celery or other vegetables, and you know we can get four
crops a year off the ground instead of one, if we plant it right, and
fertilize it heavy enough."
"We'll do no work to-day, Bob, for this is a holiday, so we'll just
have a good time. Did you get your new clothes from the tailor?"
"Yes, I got them last night. Maybe I'll dress up to-day just to see
how they look," he added, smiling back at her.
"Why are we having such a large table for Christmas dinner, Aunt
Bettie?" he asked a little later in the morning, as he passed through
the dining room and saw the table extended to an unusual size.
"I didn't know but some one might drop in for dinner on Christmas,"
said his aunt evasively.
"Why, is there some one coming, Aunt Bettie?" he asked.
"You just wait and see," spoke up his uncle, who came into the room.
"All right," said Bob; "I guess I'll have to wait."
"That reminds me," said his uncle, winking at his wife. "I forgot
something in town that I was to bring out. John White asked me to stop
around at the bank, so I'll have to go back--guess I'll have time to
get in and back again before dinner."
"We won't have dinner to-day until 12:30, Joe," said his wife, "so if
you start now you ought to be back easily by that time," she added
smiling.
When the new house at Brookside was planned, a small room had been
built on the first floor to--be used as a sort of an office. In this
room a flat-top desk with drawers had been placed and a bookcase to
contain all their bulletins and other information had been built at
one end in a convenient place. The set of books containing the cost
accounting system of the farm was kept in this desk. In this room Bob
also kept a small draughting board and his instruments. At odd times
he sketched new buildings and other things for the improvement of the
farm. He now went to this room and began work again on the designs of
some garden furniture, which they were planning to place on the
sloping ground in front of the house the following spring. He was busy
at work when his attention was attracted by the sound of an automobile
coming up the driveway. He looked out of the window as the car flashed
past; he recognized some of the faces, and rushed out to the porch to
great them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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