Herbert Carter's Legacy; Or, the Inventor's Son
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CHAPTER XIV
HERBERT’S NEW UNDERTAKING
To be willing to work, and yet to be unable to find an opportunity, wascertainly a hardship. Herbert was a boy of active temperament, and,even had he not needed the wages of labor, he would still have felt itnecessary to his happiness to do something.
In the course of his walks about the village, he stopped at the houseof a carpenter, who bore the rather peculiar name of Jeremiah Crane.Mr. Crane owned about an acre and a half of land, which might have beencultivated, but at the time Herbert called, early in April, there wereno indications of this intention. The carpenter was at work in a smallshop just beyond the house, and there Herbert found him.
“Well, Herbert,” said Mr. Crane, in a friendly manner, “what are you upto nowadays?”
“Nothing profitable, Mr. Crane; I am wandering about in search of work.”
“Can’t you find any?”
“Not yet.”
“Have you been to Squire Leech?”
“Yes.”
“I should think he might find something for you to do.”
“There is a little difficulty in the way.”
“What is that?”
Then Herbert told Mr. Crane about the squire’s wish to purchase theircottage, and his vexation because they were not willing to sell.
“Seems to me that’s unreasonable in the squire. He acts as if it wasyour duty to oblige him.”
“I don’t know but we shall have to come to his terms,” said Herbert,rather dejectedly. “We certainly shall if I don’t find anything to do.”
“I wish I could help you; but, if you were to learn my trade, youwouldn’t be worth any wages for nigh a year, and you couldn’t afford towork so long without pay.”
“No, I couldn’t.”
“Besides, in a village like this, there isn’t more than enough work forone man. Why, there isn’t more than one new house built a year. If thesquire wants to provide Mr. Banks with a house, why doesn’t he build himone? He might just as well as not.”
“It would cost him more than to buy our place at the price he offers.”
“So it would. Your place must have cost fifteen hundred dollars, landand all.”
“So I did, but the squire laughed at the idea. All he offers is elevenhundred.”
“Don’t you sell at that price. It would be too much of a sacrifice.”
“We won’t unless we are obliged to.”
“I hope you won’t be obliged to. A man as rich as Squire Leech ought notto try to get it under price.”
“I suppose he wants to make a good bargain, no matter if it is at ourexpense. I wish you had a farm, Mr. Crane, so you could give me work onit.”
“I’ve got more farm now than I can take care of.”
“Don’t you have a garden?”
“I’ve got the land, but no time to work on it. My wife often wishes wehad our own vegetables, instead of having to buy, but you see, afterworking in the shop, or outside, all day, I’m too tired to work onland.”
“How much land have you?”
“About an acre that I could cultivate, I suppose.”
“Engage me to take care of it. I’ll do all the work, and your wife canhave her own vegetables.”
“Really, I never thought of that,” said the carpenter. “I don’t know butit might be a good idea. How much pay would you want?”
“I’ll tell you,” said Herbert, who had a business turn, and who hadalready matured the plan in his own mind. “If you will pay for plowing,and provide seed, I will do the planting, and gather it when harvesttime comes, for one-third of the crop.”
“You mean, you will take your pay in vegetables?”
“Yes,” said Herbert, promptly. “If there is more than you need, I cansell the surplus. What do you say?”
“It strikes me as a fair offer, Herbert. Just wait a minute, and I’ll goand ask my wife what she thinks of it.”
Mr. Crane went into the house, leaving Herbert in the shop. Hereappeared in five minutes. Herbert, to whom the plan seemed everyminute more desirable, awaited his report eagerly.
“My wife is all for your plan,” he said. “She says it is the only wayshe knows of likely to give her the fresh vegetables she wants. Besides,she thinks well of you. So, it’s a settled thing, if you say so.”
“I do say so,” Herbert replied, promptly.
“Now, when will you have it plowed?”
“I shall leave all that to you. I haven’t time to make arrangements. Youcan engage anybody you like to do the plowing, and I will pay the bill.”
“Then, as to the seed?”
“There, again, I trust all to you. You can buy what you find to benecessary, and the bill may be sent to me. You may ask Mrs. Crane whatvegetables she wants.”
“All right,” said Herbert.
“Please understand,” said the carpenter, “that I will do what I havesaid, but I don’t want to be worried about the details. You are aboy, but I shall trust to your judgment, as you are interested in theresult.”
“Thank you,” said Herbert, rather proud of the confidence reposed inhim. “I will do what I can to justify your confidence. I’ll go right offand see about the plowing.”
“Very well.”
Whatever Herbert did was done promptly. He knew of a man named Kimball,a farmer on a small scale, who was accustomed to do work for neighbors,not having enough work of his own to occupy his whole time. He went tosee him at once.
“Mr. Kimball,” he said, “I want to know if I can engage you to do someplowing for me.”
“For you!” repeated the farmer, opening his eyes. “Why, you haven’ttaken a farm, have you?”
“Not yet,” said Herbert, smiling; “but I’ve agreed to cultivate a littleland on shares.”
“Sho! you don’t say so! What land is it?”
“It’s the field behind Mr. Crane’s house.”
“So he’s engaged you, has he? Well, I’ve often wondered why he didn’tcultivate it. Might as well as not.”
“It’s my idea. I proposed it to him. Now, when can you come?”
“Wait a minute,” said the farmer, cautiously; “who’s a-going to pay me?”
“Mr. Crane. He told me to engage somebody, and he would pay the bill.”
“That’s all right, then,” said the farmer, in a tone of satisfaction;“Crane’s a man that always pays his bills.”
“I hope I shall have the same reputation,” said Herbert. “I hope youwill, but you’re only a boy, you know, and I couldn’t collect of aminor. That’s the law.”
“I shouldn’t think anybody’d be dishonest enough to bring that as anexcuse.”
“Plenty would do it, so I have to be careful What time do you want me todo the work for you?”
“As soon as you can.”
“Let me see, I guess I can come to-morrow. There ain’t anything verypressing for me to do then.”
“That’s good,” said Herbert, with satisfaction. “You’ll find me there,and I can ride the horse to plow if you want me to.”
“I should like to have you.”
“Well,” thought Herbert, as he started for home to tell his mother whathe had done, “I’ve made a beginning.”
“I suppose you haven’t found any work yet, Herbert,” said his mother, ina tone of resignation, as he entered the little cottage.
“Yes, I have; though I shall have to wait some time for the pay.”
“What is it, Herbert?”
“I’m going to cultivate a garden on shares, mother; so next fall andwinter you can have all the vegetables you want.”
“How is that, Herbert? Tell me all about it.”
When Herbert had detailed the contract he had entered into, he was gladto find that his mother approved of it. She declared that it would bevery satisfactory to her to have an abundant stock of vegetables, butshe said, doubtfully: “Do you think you know enough of farming to attendto all the work?”
“If I don’t I can easily ask
some farmer,” said Herbert, confidently. “Iam not in the least afraid to undertake the job.”
He went to bed that night feeling that at last he had obtained somethingto do.
The reader will perhaps recall the statement in our first chapter thatthere was a little land connected with the cottage, which was used forthe growth of vegetables. This, in fact, supplied nearly all that wasrequired by the widow and her son, and the probability was that Herbertwould be able to send to market nearly all his share of vegetablesobtained under his new contract, and thus obtain payment in money, ofwhich they were so much in need.