THE TIM BUXKEll PAPEltS. 107 



an acre devoted to apples, and some of the trees, I guess, 

 are a hundred years old, for they have been old trees ever 

 since I can remember. Then there are perhaps twenty 

 old pear trees, and a good many younger ones, just begin 

 ning to bear, to say nothing of the dwarfs that Josiah has 

 just put out. All the small fruits, currants, gooseberries, 

 strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries, have their ap 

 propriate place. Grape vines run along the sides of the 

 barn, and on arbors built on purpose for them. Plums 

 seem to flourish here, the soil being a little clayey. The 

 peaches have declined, though there are the remains of 

 famous trees, at least forty years old. There are cherries 

 and quinces in abundance, and along under the wall, pie 

 plant and asparagus enough to stock the neighborhood. 



I learned, from Josiah, that his predecessors had been 

 in the habit of doing this, the parsonage garden being a 

 sort of free nursery for the parish. Seeds of flowers and 

 vegetables, and grafts, and young plants of the smaller 

 fruits were freely distributed every spring ; so that almost 

 every garden in the parish had its mementos from the par 

 sonage. It was a literal sowing of good seed on good 

 ground, for it almost always bore fruit to the minister s 

 advantage, as well as to the people s. The whole region is 

 noted for its good frait, mainly originating from the par 

 sonage. The finest peaches I have ever seen in any of the 

 markets came from Shadtown. The parish has always 

 been remarkable for its peaceful character, and for its reli 

 gious prosperity. The unselfish example of the minister 

 seemed to be contagious, and there was a &quot; provoking to 

 love and good works,&quot; not always manifest among good 

 people. The minister took an interest in the bodies of his 

 people as well as their souls, and diligently looked after 

 their temporal prosperity. All appreciated these labors, 

 and somehow, what he said on Sunday struck in all the 

 deeper for what he did on week days. The children might 

 not understand his theology, but they did understand his 



