Homesteading 



and joining in our examination, we gathered 

 round him to hear his experienced verdict. ' 



He rubbed out a number of ears in the heavier ; 

 parts of the field, then, shaking his head dolefully, > 

 remarked in a Scotch accent " A vara bad job ; \ 

 it must ha' been caught in the bloom by that 1 

 touch of frost we had in July, and there's some ' 

 rust in it, too, from all that wet weather." 



A look of disappointment came over our friends' ? 

 faces, and ours too, in sympathy with them. \ 



" But surely there was no frost to hurt then," ' 

 said Bob. ' 



" Well, ye see," answered McBlair, " it was a \ 

 bit late, and a vera little touch is enough when \ 

 in bloom." 



" Oh ! cheer up ; always merry and gay, that's \ 

 my motto," said Sunny Jim. \ 



" It may be a wee bit better up there on the \ 

 hill," went on McBlair, " but aw'm thinking it i 

 be a poor year all round for a lot of us." 



" Looked so good, too, one time," said Bob. 



" That rain has made the stuff grow," con- 

 tinued McBlair, " but ye see there was too much 

 of it, and it kept on growing instead of ripening. 

 Then we have had no real hot weather to ripen 

 it off, and it does not look like it now. We 

 must start cutting soon," he continued, " but 

 it's not fit." 



io8 



