258 SIGNS AND SEASONS 



it was hard labor at so much per day, with me it was 

 a passionate pursuit; the enthusiasm of the chase 

 venting itself with the bar and the hammer, and 

 the day was too short for me to tire of the sport. 



The stone was exceptionally fine, both in form 

 and color. Sometimes it seemed as if we had struck 

 upon the ruins of some ancient structure, the blocks 

 were so regular and numerous. The ancient stone- 

 cutters, however, had shaped them all to a particu- 

 lar pattern, which was a little off the square ; but in 

 bringing them back with the modern pitching-tool 

 the rock face was gained, which is the feature so 

 desirable. 



I like a live stone, one upon which time makes 

 an impression, which in the open air assumes a 

 certain tone and mellowness. The stone in my 

 locality surpasses any I have ever seen in this 

 respect. A warm gray is the ruling tint, and a 

 wall built of this stone is of the color of the bowl 

 of the beech-tree, mottled, lively, and full of char- 

 acter. 



What should a house of undressed stone be 

 trimmed out with but unpainted wood? Oak, ash, 

 cedar, cherry, maple, why import pine from 

 Michigan or Maine when nearly all our woods con- 

 tain plenty of these materials? And now that the 

 planing-mills are so abundant, and really do such 

 admirable work, an ordinary-priced house may be 

 trimmed out mainly in hard wood for nearly the 

 same cost as with pine. 



In my case I began at the stump; I viewed the 



