He felt sure she would disapprove of his running away , and would probably insist upon his going straight back to Upton or , at least , informing Aunt Harriet of his whereabouts . No , he could not tell her . Clemantiny was an early riser , but when she came into the kitchen the next morning the fire was already made and Chester was out in the yard with three of the five cows milked . `` Humph ! '' said Clemantiny amiably . `` New brooms sweep clean . '' But she gave him cream with his porridge that morning . Generally , all Miss Salome 's hired hands got from Clemantiny was skim milk . Miss Salome 's regular hired man lived in a little house down in the hollow . He soon turned up , and the other two men she had hired for harvest also arrived . Martin , the man , looked Chester over quizzically . `` What do you think you can do , sonny ? '' `` Anything , '' said Chester sturdily . `` I 'm used to work . '' `` He 's right , '' whispered Clemantiny aside . `` He 's smart as a steel trap . But just you keep an eye on him all the same , Martin . '' Chester soon proved his mettle in the harvest field . In the brisk three weeks that followed , even Clemantiny had to admit that he earned every cent of his wages . His active feet were untiring and his wiry arms could pitch and stock with the best .
When the day 's work was ended , he brought in wood and water for Clemantiny , helped milk the cows , gathered the eggs , and XXXXX on his own responsibility a round of barns and outhouses to make sure that everything was snug and tight for the night .
came earned gave hired made pitch proved running said think