258 HAPPY HOLLOW FARM 



farm credit and such-like as if they were deeply 

 interested. The conference has left a clean, 

 wholesome after-taste. It's bound to show 

 some of the results we've been hankering for. 

 The project was undertaken rather doubt- 

 fully; its backers were afraid that folks 

 wouldn't care enough about it to turn out more 

 than a handful of listless listeners. The farm- 

 ers fooled them. 



It isn't only in the first stage of conference 

 that the farmers are getting action hereabouts. 

 We have something for a sign at our own doors. 

 They're making a real road out of the old 

 Huntsville trail. 



Do you remember what I told you about how 

 that trail struck us when we first drove over it, 

 six years ago, coming to look at the farm ? It 

 stood for one of the ancient ways of travel; it 

 was rough and unkempt ; picturesque enough, 

 but not very serviceable. It was impossible to 

 haul a real load over it. 



To be sure, a part of the county road tax 

 was spent upon it once in a while, in that queer 

 way which used to be called "improvement." 

 You know what that amounted to. The road 

 would merely be mussed up a little. It was 

 the custom for the farmers to gather on the 



