"Wait till I get my shoulder under it," was a favorite expression with him, and I am frank to say that when this conjunction took place there was apt to be something doing. Thompson is still at Four Oaks, and it will be a bad day for the farm when he leaves. "Thompson," said I, "you are to be working foreman out here, and I want you to put your mind on the business and keep it there. I cannot raise your wages, for I have a system; but you shall have $50 as a Christmas present if things go well. Will you stay on these terms?" "I will stay, all right, Dr. Williams, and I will give the best I've got. I like the looks of this place, and I want to see how you are going to work it out." That being settled, I told Thompson of some things that must be done during January and February. "You must get out a great lot of wood, have it sawed, and store it in the shed, more than enough for a year's use. The wood should be taken from that which is already down. Don't cut any standing trees, even though they are dead. Use all limbs that are large enough, but pile the brushwood where it can be burned. We must do wise forestry in these woods, and we will have an unlimited supply of fuel. I mean that the wood lot shall grow better rather than worse as the years go by. We cannot do much for it now, but more in time. You must see to it that the men are not careless about young trees,--no breaking or knocking down will be in order. Another thing to look after is the ice supply. I will get Nelson to build an ice-house directly, and you must look around for the ice. Have you any idea as to where it can be had?" "A big company is getting ice on Round Lake three miles west, and I suppose they will sell you what you want," said Thompson, "and our teams can haul it all right." "What do you suppose they will charge per ton on their platform?" "From twenty-five to forty cents, I reckon." "All right, make as good a bargain as you can, and attend to it at the best time. When the teams are not hauling ice or wood, let them draw gravel from French's pit. It will be hard to get it out in the winter, but I guess it can be done, and we will need a lot of it on these roads. Have it dumped at convenient places, and we will put it on the drives in the spring. "Another thing,--we must have a bridge across the brook on each lane. You will find timbers and planks enough in the piles from the old barns to make good bridges, and the men can do the work. Then there is all that wire for the inside fences to stretch and staple; but mind, no barbed wire is to be put on top of inside fences. "These five jobs will keep you busy for the next two months, for there'll be only four men besides yourself to do them. I am going to set Sam at the chicken plant. I'll see you before long, and we'll go over the cow and hog plans; but you have your work cut out for the next two months. By the way, how much of an ice-house shall I need?" "How many cows are you going to milk?"