170 THE COMICAL CHEBEC 



Since conditions differ in every new place, 

 I have long kept a list of " must-have's," and 

 before leaving home have provided against 

 them, so as to be prepared for whatever 

 might confront me in the new place. There 

 were wedges to put a check upon rattling 

 windows, and light sticks to hold up the 

 sash ; mosquito-bar to protect against the 

 singing hosts, with tacks and hammer to 

 fasten the same ; towels to supplement the 

 gauzy product of the country ; soap that one 

 dares to use ; vases of different sizes to hold 

 the indispensable wild flowers ; of course all 

 conveniences for writing, including the most 

 important a really good ink. 



These are the only indispensables, for, hap- 

 pily, it is a firm article of my creed to have no 

 " notions "as to diet ; to satisfy myself at 

 the table that satisfies my hosts, mindful of 

 the saying of some wise man, that " a little 

 philosophy and a good digestion make all 

 living endurable." With a solitary excep- 

 tion, I have always been able to do so. 



Having settled these all-important matters 

 and propped the lower window-sash prob- 

 ably for the first time in its history squarely 



