XIV 



DOES our farming pay? It's hard for us to 

 put sentiment aside in considering the ques- 

 tion. When we talk things over between our- 

 selves, Laura and I, sentiment is never left 

 out; for to us that is the substance of what 

 we're doing. It's no more than fair to you, 

 though, that we should get right down to hard, 

 practical bedrock for a while and "talk 

 turkey." The veriest sentimentalist on earth 

 must have something to eat now and then. 

 Maybe having three square meals a day makes 

 him all the better sentimentalist. Our home 

 at Happy Hollow would be a queer sort of 

 place if the storerooms and pantries and cel- 

 lars were empty. It's practical farming that 

 keeps them full. 



So let's try to stick to the very practical 

 question of the farm and what it's giving us 

 that's good to eat and fit to wear and meant for 

 tangible enjoyment. Sooner or later we must 

 come down to that ; for if the farm isn't able 



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