THE COUNTRY HOME [chapter 



asked her if she would be willing to go back to her 

 former method of life. ** Not on any account what- 

 ever! Why, just think of it! Not one dollar for 

 rent ! We own our house — built it ourselves — 

 put our own notions into it. We are no longer eat- 

 ing and sleeping in other folks' houses. Then we 

 have our own eggs, chickens, and fruit. Why, 

 down in that cellar are twenty-four barrels of our 

 own apples — Northern Spys, Greenings, Gilli- 

 flowers, Spitzenburgs, and we never paid a cent for 

 them. And there are splendid fresh vegetables all 

 summer long — peas, potatoes, and beans and cab- 

 bages, and bushels of them for winter. Dear me! 

 the idea of ever again going around the corner to 

 buy a half-peck of peas! Miserable, half-dried 

 things! But we didn't know any better then; we 

 do now. Then there are little Joe and Ned ! It 

 would be just positive cruelty to shut them up in 

 city life — houses and streets ! But here they go it all 

 the day long, playing, helping, romping, happy 

 and healthy, and out of bad influences. See 

 there; just look in there!" I saw a snug little 

 room, dark but for a narrow window. " Do you 

 shut them in there when they are bad.^" I said. 

 *'What a question! No, sir. Just look again!" 



[372] 



