MEMORIES OF THE 



merit, which was then having a great run at our house for all 

 ailments of man and beast. The liniment had something in it 

 that stimulated the inflammation and made my arms still hotter 

 and sorer, but I went to the cornfield and began work again, 

 thinking to tough it out. My arms grew worse and worse, and 

 the pain made me sick. Willard told me to put down my 

 sleeves, and that I should have begun in March if I wanted to 

 go bare-armed. The pain was so great that I soon had to quit 

 and go to the house and stay there for two or three days. The 

 arms became more inflamed, cracked and peeled in some spots 

 on the upper side, making quite angry, deep sores. I had to 

 sleep on my back, with my arms wrapped in cotton and greased 

 rags. I was not only ill and feverish, but chagrined and mor- 

 tified by the blackguarding which I got from the hired man and 

 the younger folks about the premises, who were always on the 

 watch for a good joke or take-down upon me, whom they con- 

 sidered a boy that needed frequent ''budding back." 



I carried the scars for years, and the lesson learned still 

 lasts — not to be too anxious to get out of one's own class or 

 too prompt in imitating the apparent virtues of others. 



^ ^ 5 



VACATION 



"If all the world were playing holidays, 

 To sport would be as tedious as to work." 



With the hoeing out of the way, there were sometimes a few 

 days in which no special work was pressing. But it was not a 

 vacation as now understood, for there was always the milking 

 and dairy work seven days in the week, except that no cheese 



70 



