FROM A NEW ENGLAND HILLSIDE. 277 



hope it may ever hold again. The roof had 

 not been quite completed when the rain 

 began, and the temporary drains upon the 

 ungraded slope proved insufficient for the 

 emergency, so that a more than ample 

 supply was delivered through the cellar win 

 dows. But otherwise the building had not 

 suffered, and it was a small matter to open 

 the permanent drain already planned, and 

 draw off the accumulation, which fur a 

 time formed a mountain torrent in the fore 

 ground. The carpenters were stimulated to 

 renewed exertions by the warning, and set 

 to work iii good earnest to close the gap in 

 the roof (the stable-door, as it were), a 

 labour which they had just completed upon 

 the coming of another heavy shower in the 

 afternoon. 



The new grass has sprung up freely over 

 the field, and its fresh green gives a pleasant 

 overtone to the brown earth, which it does 

 not yet, but soon will, cover. 



The day after the storm I placed in my 

 brooder twelve downy little youngsters that 

 had just been hatched, and sent the mother 

 off to attend to other business. It was my 

 first experiment with the brooder, though 

 I had kept it heated for several days to test 

 its temper. One of the infants had not 



