210 HAPPY HOLLOW FARM 



as his cattle, but his unfailing visions kept him 

 buoyantly cheerful. 



I liked the old chap ; but I couldn't manage 

 to match his cheerfulness with those cows wan- 

 dering over the place. When their own pas- 

 tures grew short, they'd visit us two or three 

 times a week. Always the old man was full 

 of gentle sorrow; always he promised that it 

 wouldn't happen again; but it kept right on 

 happening until one day we shut the beasts up 

 and sent our neighbor word that he must pay 

 for the damage done. I was just hot enough 

 to insist upon it when he came over to see 

 about it. He was genuinely distressed. He 

 had no money, he said, but if I'd let him take 

 his cows home he'd "work it out" on the farm. 

 He worked for half a day at a couple of odd 

 jobs, then borrowed a couple of dollars for 

 some pressing need at home and the next day 

 the cows were back again. 



We stood for that sort of annoyance so long 

 as the easy-going folk of the old school were 

 about us. It didn't hurt us any. It was good, 

 human discipline. We came through those ex- 

 periences on friendly terms with everybody, 

 though we never got used to their ways, nor 

 they to ours. That isn't necessary, is it? The 



