10 



" But then," John said, " it is an excellent ventilator and there is 

 abundant fuel supply on the place. The rooms are easily ventilated 

 in summer, but in winter the fireplace will supply the demand, 

 besides adding greatly to the attractiveness of the rooms." 



r 



III. The Faem House After Improvements Are Made. 



When the June days come, John returns from college anxious to 

 see the changes on the old farm. A few trees with luxuriant foliage 

 wave in the sunlight, and give a grateful shelter with a sense of 

 repose and comfort. A dry, firm, grassy sod extends over the yard 



«..i i « , . <t>K. » . -{s-i i.i/ii-t',! 



Health, Jiospitality and refreshment. 



and comes to the edge of the gravel walk. The June roses, massed 

 at the side, are in full bloom, filling the air with a delicious frag- 

 rance. A wide veranda extends across the front of the house offer- 

 ing ease and hospitality. Doors and windows are flung wide open. 

 Mosquito netting and wire screens shut out the unwelcome fly. The 

 breezes play with the white curtains and waft into the house the 

 odor of honey-suckle and wild rose, — a grateful cliange from the 

 musty, stifling air of the old parlor. On the surface of the pond, a 

 little way from the veranda, cleansed of its slime and filth, fleeting 

 shadows of fish play fitfully, while on its surface are mirrored the 

 cat-tails and bushes which fringe the bank. The ducks dive among 



506 



