OUT-OF-TOWN PLACES 



want provision for a salad on Easter Sunday; 

 and if you could contrive me some cheap fash- 

 ion of a cold grapery to try my hand upon, I 

 should be thankful; only let it be so situated 

 that I may (if grapes fail) turn it into a win- 

 ter room for my hens. I want you to tell me 

 what I can do with the rock I must blast away 

 from the edge in the corner of the potato- 

 patch. I want something I may call a lawn 

 — to satisfy my wife's pride — and a bit or two 

 of shrubbery in it. But above all, I want at 

 least a third of the land in good wholesome 

 greensward, with no encumbering trees — 

 whether fruit or exotic — where I may turn 

 my mare for a run, or play at base-ball with 

 my boys, or cut a bit of hay, or— if the hu- 

 mor takes me— try my hand at a premium 

 crop of something." 



Upon this I made a little study of Lack- 

 land's plot of land, and furnished him with 

 this design. 



And I furthermore said to him, your ledge 

 (which I have marked ^) is one of the most 

 picturesque features about your place; so I 

 have thrown it boldly into your garden, in 

 such way that it will be in full view from the 

 gate, and I advise you to cherish it — to plant 

 columbines on its ledges, and your Tom 



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