258 HAPPY HOLLOW FARM 



farm credit and such-like as if they were deeply 

 interested. The conference has left a clean, 

 wholesome after-taste. It's bound to show 

 some of the results we've been hankering for. 

 The project was undertaken rather doubt- 

 fully; its backers were afraid that folks 

 wouldn't care enough about it to turn out more 

 than a handful of listless listeners. The farm- 

 ers fooled them. 



It isn't only in the first stage of conference 

 that the farmers are getting action hereabouts. 

 We have something for a sign at our own doors. 

 They're making a real road out of the old 

 Huntsville trail. 



Do you remember what I told you about how 

 that trail struck us when we first drove over it, 

 six years ago, coming to look at the farm? It 

 stood for one of the ancient ways of travel; it 

 was rough and unkempt; picturesque enough, 

 but not very serviceable. It was impossible to 

 haul a real load over it. 



To be sure, a part of the county road tax 

 was spent upon it once in a while, in that queer 

 way which used to be called "improvement." 

 You know what that amounted to. The road 

 would merely be mussed up a little. It was 

 the custom for the farmers to gather on the 



