234 FARMING IT 



acquaintances, and popular in a jovial, good- 

 fellow-sort of way with the girls. While he had 

 taken them to dances and entertainments, called 

 on them, serenaded them with close-harmonied 

 quartettes and glee-clubs, he had never shown 

 any serious preference for any particular girl, 

 and always when talking with me of his girl 

 acquaintances had been frank and confidential. 

 He was emphatically a boy to trust in such mat- 

 ters, and I felt very confident that he would never 

 make a fool of himself over any girl or woman. 



On this day I was feeling remarkably at peace 

 with the world. Business had been good, and 

 fairly remunerative, the farm was prospering. 

 I had eaten strawberries from my own patch 

 until I could eat no more, raspberries and cur- 

 rants from my OWTI bushes, all the early vege- 

 tables in season. My hens had laid wonderfully 

 well, and the young cockerels were beginning to 

 crow, my homing pigeons and black, smooth- 

 legged tumblers had been prolific. In fact, a 

 season of unprecedented peace and prosperity 

 had enveloped my little farm as a garment. 



The afternoon mail came, and I lazily looked 

 it over. There was little of importance save a 

 letter from Dick. I put that aside for a. moment 

 while I dictated replies to the business letters, 

 and then, while the click of the typewriter in the 

 inner room disturbed the summer silence, I leaned 



