2 Old and New Homes. 



produced its usual consequences, and the poor creatures are covered with 

 (leas, they are glad to take refuge in some kindly mud-puddle, whose cooling 

 depths may perchance rid them of some of these tormenting companions. 

 At all events, my father was resolved to test the theory ; and, so far, it had 

 worked well. The huge mother, with her seven young ones, were all as 

 clean and white as if newly washed ; and there was little to complain of 

 about the pen. Occasionally, the premises were treated to a good wash- 

 down ; and the unclean creatures seemed to enjoy their fresh bed of straw 

 as much as if they were not swine. 



It was a vast relief to my mother and myself that there was no large dairy 

 to attend to. We had so long been accustomed to this work, — making 

 butter and cheese for the market, until we almost loathed the sight of either, 

 — that now, when we had but one cow to milk, and only butter for our own 

 use to be done, it seemed quite a release from toil ; and, after the in-door 

 work was finished for the day, we found time to arrange the flower-beds 

 in front of our house, and train the young vines and roses, which were 

 needing attention. Some day, when the new piazza should be built, we 

 should want all these vines to train around its posts ; and, in the mean time, 

 they would be increasing in size and value. By our exertions, the little 

 lawn had begun to look quite attractive, while the clean white front of the 

 house was certainly very neat and cheerful. Our barn and cow-shed were 

 also whitewashed ; and I really believe, that, had we been disposed to sell 

 our farm at that time, it would have brought us several hundred dollars 

 more than we gave, on account of those cheap improvements. 



We had been settled in our new home just two months when the straw- 

 berry-crop began to ripen. It was a busy season; and, from the gathering 

 of the first fruit (about the 20th of May) until the middle of June, we were 

 occupied in preparing the product for market. A few weeks beforehand, 

 we had received a visit from several agents, or middle-men as they are 

 commonly called, who desired to engage all our season's fruit, to be shipped 

 by railroad to New York or Philadelphia. The offer was to buy the crop 

 at the regular market-prices at the time of shipment, to return safely all 

 empty boxes and chests, and to make a cash remittance once a week for 

 all the fruit sent. Upon consultation with our neighbors, who had formerly 

 dealt with one of these men, my father agreed to employ him ; and, as soon 



