58 ADVENTURES IN IDEALISM 



town surrounded by farms, consisted then of just a 

 railroad station, one house owned by an old couple, 

 and a shanty across the track. All this was so thickly 

 surrounded by woods as far as the eye could reach 

 that I remember we always feared the children might 

 stray away and become lost therein. A single track 

 of the West Jersey Railroad passed through, and the 

 main occupation of those who lived nearby was wood- 

 chopping, although there was also an occasional farmer. 



Of the six-roomed houses quickly erected, my hus- 

 band chose one for his home. He then bought thirteen 

 big straw hats and thirteen pairs of overalls, and with 

 his twelve pioneer farmers began to measure off the 

 woods. In this undertaking he had the expert help 

 of the surveyor from Dennisville, the nearest village. 

 Those were real pioneer times! With just a blanket 

 and pillow under each one, all thirteen slept right on 

 the floor. Certainly nobody could accuse my husband 

 of being an aristocrat or behaving like one ! 



He was scrupulously careful of every cent he was 

 obliged to spend of the Fund's money. He always 

 felt that money spent carelessly might deprive another 

 immigrant of the chance of becoming a farmer. While 

 traveling about, looking for land, he and his three asso- 

 ciates economized even on their food. Instead of 

 taking their meals at a hotel, they would buy a few 

 sandwiches and milk from a neighboring farmer. 



In a few months new applicants began to arrive. By 

 November and December, 1891, there were sixty, all 



