232 THE FAT OF THE LAND 



over the crook in his elbow and listens to the 

 gurgle of the home-made ginger ale as it changes 

 from jug to throat. There may be joys in other 

 drinks, but for solid comfort and refreshment give 

 me a July hay-field at 3 P.M., a jug of water at 

 forty-eight degrees, with just the amount of 

 molasses, vinegar, and ginger that is Polly's secret, 

 and I will give cards and spades to the broadest 

 goblet of bubbles that was ever poured, and beat 

 it to a standstill. Add to this a blond head 

 under a broad hat, a thin white gown, such as 

 grasshoppers love, and you can see why the 

 emptying of the jug was a satisfying function 

 in our field ; for Jane was the one who presided 

 at these afternoon teas. Often Jane was not 

 alone; Florence or Jessie, or both, or others, 

 made hay while the sun shone in those July days, 

 and many a load went to the barn capped with 

 white and laughter. The young people decided 

 that a hay farm would be ideal no end better 

 than a factory farm and advised me to put all 

 the land into timothy and clover. I was not too 

 old to see the beauties of haying-time, with such 

 voluntary labor ; but I was too old and too much 

 interested with my experiment to be cajoled by 

 a lot of youngsters. I promised them a week of 

 haying in each fifty-two, but that was all the 

 concession I would make. Laura said : 



We are commanded to make hay while the 

 sun shines ; and the sun always shines at Four 

 Oaks, for me," 



