A SUMMER DRIVE IN THE LAKE COUNTRY. 209 



our inquiries of a man coming out of a blacksmitli shop, 

 we were told to " go a certain distance and turn to the 

 left." As this would take us back again, I innocently 

 inquired, " Why not turn to the right?" The burly man 

 straightened himself up and shouted, " Turn to the right 

 if you wish to ; what the d— 1 to you s'pose I care 

 which way you turn ? " " But I wish to go to Batavia," 

 said I. " Then why didn't you say so ? " returned he, a 

 little mollified. 



The further we proceed east, the better appear the 

 crops. In the town of Alabama, and in this of Oak- 

 field, the wheat fields are extensive, and present a fine 

 appearance. 



During the past two days we have been stopping 

 with our friend, the Captain, proprietor of the "Old 

 Orchard." The orchard is still full of objects of inter- 

 est. A part of it is as wild and leafy as the primitive 

 forest. This morning I found in blossom the largest 

 white violets, and the little geranium, and I counted 

 fifteen species of wild flowers usually found in the 

 woods. The orchard is full of singing birds. The pur- 

 ple finch, warbhng vireo, gold finch, cat-bird, and robin 

 have all sung this morning in the tree under which I 

 am writing The squirrels are more plentiful than 

 ever, and three or four have appeared together in one 

 tree ; they chitter and cackle, bark and squeal as they 

 scamper up and down after one another, or sit erect 

 eating the young apples, which they hold to their 

 mouths as would a child. The good old gentleman 

 will not have any of them killed, although they make 



