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The first year I did well enough carrying, but I never cared for it it was too slow; and, besides, I was always anxious when I was away from home. The second year I made a rise out of 'spuds', of all the things in the world. It was Mary's idea.
Nat held his tongue for a minute almost, and then broke out irritably: "To hell with this waiting!" His nerves were raw. Two minutes later a man on his right kicked awkwardly against his foot. It startled him, and he cursed furiously. "Hold hard, Spuds, my boy," said the man cheerfully; "you ain't Lord Wellington, nor his next-of-kin, to be makin' all the noise."
"What's all this about 'Spuds, I'd like to know?" "Oh, it's only that country chap we met several years ago, don't you remember?" Dick explained. "His real name, I believe, is Jasper Randall, though we have always called him Spuds, because he was digging potatoes when we first met him."
Waded with spear all over flats for rays. Did not get a shot at any. Very short commons. May 23. I miss the tea and tobacco. Dug last row of sweet spuds. Very patchy in size, but a perfect God-send just now. May 26. Last kerosene. No reading at nights now. He records catching a sting-ray and getting oysters. June 2. Not a sign of a ray. Have to live off potatoes a bit.
He turned toward the one attractive cottage in the settlement, and saw a woman's figure standing at the doorway talking to a diminutive boy. "Guess though you'll likely strike more profit diggin' spuds fer folk than you do scratching up loam and loose rocks the way you do," Smallbones went on sourly. Peter nodded. "Sure. You're a far-seeing little man. There's a heap of gold about Eve's home.
I inquired after 'is health from Retallick. "'Don't ask me, 'e says, sneerin' be'ind his silver spectacles. ''E's promoted to be captain's second supernumerary servant, to be dressed and addressed as such. If 'e does 'is dooties same as he skinned the spuds, I ain't for changin' with the old man.
"Did yuh send Casey Ryan after hootch, or was it mebby spuds er somethin'?" Casey retorted with heavy dignity. "Will yuh pack it in, Mr. Nolan, whilst I back the car in the shed, or shall I bring it when I come? It ain't so much," he added drily, "but it cost the trouble of a trainload." "I'll take it in," said Nolan. "If any one does come we want no evidence in reach."
We get up in the morning at 4:30. Sweep the streets of the camp! I'm glad to get up and sweep, for I'm near frozen long before daylight. Yesterday I peeled potatoes till my hands were cramped. Nine million spuds, I guess! I'm wearing citizen's clothes too thin, by gosh! and sleeping in a tent, on a canvas cot, with one blanket. Some life, I don't think! But I meant to tell you why I'm here.
"Faith, Tom, me bhoy," he would say to me, "Oi can't say howivver ye can go fur to do it, sure, a gossoon loike yersilf who's got a carrackter fur to loose; aye, an' fur sich a dirthy, nasty thing as thit, a- spillin' the tasthe ov good ghrub, so thit ye can't tell whither ye're aitin' spuds or pay doo.
"If they write and ask about spuds we come back with illustrated folders of potato crops and statistics of average yields and prices and all that. If it's dairy, we have dairy folders. And so on. It isn't any fraud there ARE sections of the country that produce almost anything, from alfalfa to strawberries. You know that," she challenged. "Sure.
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