284 ROOF-TREE. 



labor at so much per day, with me it was a passion- 

 ate pursuit ; the enthusiasm of the chase venting it- 

 self 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 particular 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 sur- 

 passes 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 character. 



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 contain 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 

 trees before they were cut, and took a hand in sawing 

 them down and hauling them to the mill. One bleak 



