104 MY TEN-ROD FAKM ; 



storm. After supper I sat down to add up the amounts 

 upon my flower cards, and ascertained that my sales at the 

 store had reached one hundred and eighty dollars, while I 

 had sold to persons who came to the door ten dollars' worth ; 

 making in all one hundred and ninety dollars for tho 

 month. 



The storm was so severe at ten o'clock that I called 

 Richard and gave him the key with directions to put more 

 coal on the fire, and see that the damper in the chimney 

 was nearly closed. Delegating to my servant such work, 

 instead of going out myself and seeing it done, was a fatal 

 mistake, that nearly caused my failure in business. When 

 the boy returned I asked him if* everything was all right, 

 and he said it was. During the night it cleared off and in 

 the morning a cold north-west wind was blowing. As soon 

 as I entered the plant-house it struck me as being very 

 cold. Going to the thermometer in the west house I found 

 the mercury down to 30. I touch eu the leaves of a 

 heliotrope. It was stiff, frozen. Going ta the east 

 house, I consulted the " glass again, 28. Opening the 

 violet house I discovered every plant completely frost- 

 bitten and the glass at 26. Returning to the shed, I 

 opened the fire door in the boiler. The fire was quite out, 

 and the pipes cold. Looking at the chimney I found me 

 damper wide open. The boy had not touched it, and, the 

 wind rising, had started the full draft, and the fire had 

 burned out. Utterly mortified, discomfited, and heart- 



