222 Turning Over a JSTew Leaf. [Nov., 



" If we gel all the potatoes in, it is not much matter about the 

 fence." 



" What is the reason it isn't? Who wants the cattle making 

 mortar of the meadow? Come on." 



They got into the wagon which had been brought to the door 

 before breakfast, and Hendricks drove off at a rapid rate, making 

 a great clattering of the loose boards in the wagon, and rendering 

 it somewhat difficult for Mr. Butler and Saul, to keep themselves, 

 or rather the board on which they sat, in place. 



" What has got into John?" said Mrs. Butler, pausing from her 

 efforts over the butter bowl, and watching the rapidly disappear- 

 ing wagon. 



"I don't know," said Lizzy softly. Now she had better not 

 have made any reply to the question, for it was not asked with 

 any expectation of a reply. I say she had better not have an- 

 swered it, for I am not sure but that she strained the truth a lit- 

 tle in so doing. Some passages which had taken place between 

 John and herself as they came home from meeting together on 

 Sabbath evening, and sat in the " front room" together, till the 

 roosters crowed, were in fact the causes of the turning over of the 

 new leaf in the management of the farm. 



Before night the fence was put up, in the most substantial 

 manner, and the potatoes all put in the cellar. 



The next morning when they were all at breakfast, John in- 

 quired, " Is Holmes to work for you to-day?" 



" He promised to come and do what he could towards finishing 

 the buckwheat. He thinks it m ill take him a day and a half to 

 finish cradling it." 



" Well, you don't want him to-day. Send the cradle home, 

 and tell him it is cradled." 



"Cradled! who did it?" 



" I did it." 



" When?" 



" This morning." 



The look of astonishment and admiration with which Mr. But- 

 ler regarded John, was not unobserved by Lizzy, and led her to 

 meditate on the propriety of another retreat to the pantry. She 

 adopted hovv'ever, the expedient of holding a coffee cup to her 

 lips for a very unnecessary length of time. 



" What shall we go at to-day after we have shocked up the 

 buckwheat?" said Hendricks. 



" I don't know; what do you think we had best do?" 



" Have the rye in where we took the corn off." 



" Well, we will go at that then." 



In like manner John's advice was asked daily and followed; 

 so that bclbre winter set in, the farm presented a very different 



