OR, WITH BRAINS, SIR. 237 



or south side. On entering the house we found it neatly 

 but plainly furnished. Uncle Jacob had evidently been a 

 man of refinement, if not of wealth. After inspecting 

 everything, we sat down by the warm, sunny window 

 to rest and admire the charming view. On the opposite 

 side of the road, wide-spreading fields extended toward 

 the village, whose tall spires and chimneys peered over 

 the low hill beyond the fields. Beyond the village, 

 Mount Arenac. To the right we could see far down the 

 Hoosensacken valley, till the hills on either side were 

 lost in the blue distance. To the left, thick woods. 



" Charming view, is it not ? " 



" Yes ; but it must be very lonely here." 



" That is true," said I ; " yet I should enjoy living here 

 during the summer months." 



" And I, too. It would do me a world of good to 

 spend a short time in this breezy mountain region." 



"Why not do so? Why not shut up our city house, 

 take a vacation, and stay here until the middle of April? 

 By that time you will be so much better you can return 

 to your desk with renewed strength and health. We can 

 manage to picnic in this box of a house for a few weeks 

 very comfortably. Then, too, we shall escape the raw 

 east winds of the coast. It will do us both good, I am 

 sure. Besides, it will be cheaper living here than at 



