104 HAPPY HOLLOW FARM 



It has cost us about eighty-five cents a cord to 

 cut this wood and bring it down to the house 

 from the hill $8.50 a year. In getting out 

 this supply we're cleaning up the woodlot, tak- 

 ing out the dead-and-down, the broken and the 

 too-old trees, leaving the young and thrifty 

 timber to grow. That is increasing the value 

 of our woods many times more than the work 

 is costing; but let that go. Say we're saving 

 $150 a year on fuel. That makes a total sav- 

 ing on the three principal cost-of -living items 

 of $1,350 a year. Mind you, we were living 

 better than we had ever been able to live on 

 that amount of outlay. 



And then there's the matter of health. We 

 had always been tolerably sane livers, and none 

 of the family had any leaning toward invalid- 

 ism ; but in town I was always paying doctors 

 for something or other. I don't remember 

 what those bills amounted to in the course of a 

 year, but they came in as regularly as the gro- 

 cery bills. As nearly as I can figure it, $100 

 a year would be about right. That was cut off 

 short when we came to the farm. What they 

 say about fresh air, fresh food, vigorous exer- 

 cise and sound sleep must be true. For two 

 solid years there wasn't a doctor on the place, 



