258 Old and New Homes. 



to love another home as we had loved this. But my father, sanguine as 

 ever, and not much given to sentiment, continued to cheer us with the 

 prospect of that " better time coming," whereof so much has been said 

 and sung. 



As two days were to be allowed for the transportation of our goods, my 

 mother and myself, with the two younger children, went to pay some fare- 

 well visits to the neighbors ; while my father and elder brother accompanied 

 the baggage to the nearest station, whence it would be shipped direct to 

 Burlington. Our move had been so unexpected, and we had kept our plans 

 so quiet, that the neighbors had not yet recovered from their surprise ; for, 

 in that old-fashioned region, the new ideas of horticulture which had so 

 impressed my father had not penetrated very deeply into the popular mind. 

 They wished us all success in our new field; but the wise ones shook their 

 heads mysteriously, and prophesied that next spring would probably see 

 us back again. They even fancied it better to continue turning our plough- 

 shares into pruning-hooks against the stout rocks of Connecticut than to 

 throw away our labor altogether on what they called the dry and sandy 

 plains of Central New Jersey. But all their exhortations went for nothing 

 this time ; and, on the day appointed, we set forth on our journey to the 

 new home. 



It was the first time that either my mother or myself had seen the city 

 of New York. As we passed through the busy, ever-hurrying crowd to the 

 railroad-wharf, we felt inwardly thankful that this was not to be our tarry- 

 ing-place : the quiet of the country was more to our simple tastes. But 

 steam shortens every journey ; and we were quickly landed at the end of 

 this, where, waiting on the platform, my father stood watching for our 

 expected appearance. 



Our new farm lay within a moderate distance of the town ; but as the 

 day was far advanced, and the house not altogether in readiness, we quar- 

 tered ourselves for the night at an excellent hotel. Next morning was any 

 thing but a promising one for our plans. The rain had fallen heavily dur- 

 ing the night, bringing with it a cold wind, that made us shiver even within 

 doors ; but we set out from the hotel in the direction of our new home. The 

 road, notwithstanding the recent rain, was hard, smooth, and compara- 

 tively dry. It was one of those beautiful gravel turnpikes for which this 



