ght and twenty-six respectively; experience four and three
years in creamery and dairy work; references, good; the couple wished to
work together to save money to start a dairy of their own. I was pleased
with the letter, which was an unusual one to come from native-born
Americans. Our people do not often hunt in couples after this manner. I
telegraphed them to come to the city at once.

It was late in April when I first saw the Frenches. The man was tall and
raw-boned, but good-looking, with a frank manner that inspired
confidence. He was a farmer's son with a fair education, who had saved a
little money, and had married his wife out of hand lest some one else
should carry her off while he was building the nest for her.

"I took her when I could get her," he said, "and would have done it with
a two-dollar bill in my pocket rather than have taken chances."

The woman was worthy of such an extreme measure, for she looked capable
of caring for both. She was a fine pattern of a country girl, with a
head full of good sense, and very useful-looking hands and arms. Her
face was good to look upon; it showed strength of character and a
definite object in life. She said she understood the creamery processes
in all their niceties, and that she could make butter good enough for
Queen Victoria.

The proposition offered by this young couple was by far the best I had
received, and I closed with them at once. I agreed to pay each $25 a
month to start with, and explained my plan of an increasing wage of $1 a
month for each period of six months' service. They thought they ought to
have $30 level. I thought so, too, if they were as good as they
promised. But I had a fondness for my increasing scale, and I held to
it. These people were skilled laborers, and were worth more to begin
with than ordinary farm hands. That is why I gave them $25 a month from
the start. Six hundred dollars a year for a man and wife, with no
expense except for clothing, is good pay. They can easily put away $400
out of it, and it doesn't take long to get fore-handed. I think the
Frenches have invested $500 a year, on an average, since they came to
Four Oaks.

It is now time to get at the dairy-house, since the dairy and the
dairymaid are both in evidence. The house was to be on the building
line, and both Polly and I thought it should have attractive features.
We decided to make it of dark red paving brick. It was to be eighteen
feet by thirty, with two room