CHAPTER V 

 Red Letter Days 



RED Letter Days or events to be remembered 

 in the life of the country boy of other days 

 might be indexed thus : 

 His first ''Circus Day." 

 When he first wore red-topped long boots. 

 When long trousers were first donned. 

 When he first went forth to plough alone. 

 This list is, of course, far from complete, but is 

 sufiScient for this occasion. 



FIRST "CIECUS day" 



I shall never forget my first "Circus Day" for 

 good and distinctly remembered reasons. I had 

 only one eye to see the elephant, although, ordi- 

 narily, I am blessed with dual vision. That July 

 morning my father was cutting grass with a 

 scythe, from the corners of the old snake-fence 

 that surrounded our hayfield. **The hired man 

 who worked for pa" drove the mowing machine 

 and I was engaged in the delectable and pleasur- 

 able effort of discovering young bob-o '-links in 

 the clover and locating bumble-bees' nests in the 

 fence-corners. There were many of these to be 



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