OF HARVEST, WAGES, IMPLEMENTS 43 



cost I must inquire of the lumber merchant. 

 Mindful of my neighbour's solemn warning, I 

 impressed on him the fact that I must have the 

 estimate for the finished work, and would have 

 nothing to do with a time arrangement ; and that 

 when the veranda was completed I wanted two 

 granaries built, each to hold a thousand bushels ; 

 also I needed some odds and ends in the house, the 

 estimate for which he could give me when the 

 veranda was finished. To my utter astonishment 

 the estimate came out at thirty- five dollars. 



" But are you quite sure about the sum ? " I 

 asked. " It is considerably less than I anticipated." 



" If the measurements are correct, that estimate 

 covers it," he answered. 



I inquired how long it would take, and he said 

 about two or three days, and that if I could send out 

 for the lumber in time for him to start on the 

 following Friday he would come out with his men, 

 start them, and discuss the estimate for the other 

 matters. 



On the Friday he arrived at about eleven o'clock 

 with three men. To my astonishment, as so far 

 I had considered the Canadian casual in labour, 

 they started at once, putting in a good hour's work 

 before dinner, and by evening the west end of the 

 veranda was an accomplished fact, and the greater 

 part of the flooring in the south side was laid. 

 I poured out my admiration of this Canadian method 

 and scale of charges to my neighbour as he sat on 

 the newly erected flooring waiting for his milk-pail 

 to be filled. 



" The charge is all right," he said, " but look 

 out that he doesn't charge you time ; although if 



