36 NATURE IN A CITY YARD 



him. While we talked together, he strolled 

 to and fro. Noticing the stars, it was 

 after nine o'clock at night, he said that 

 he often did his tramping after sunset in 

 summer, " because it was n't so hot then "; 

 and in spite of his years, his short legs, his 

 basket, and his calls, he occasionally made 

 twenty miles in a day. Of all men, to his 

 mind, the farmers were the best off, be- 

 cause, while the rich might lose every- 

 thing in a bad season, the farmer had his 

 roof, his fire-wood, and his food. With 

 these he could defy the fates. He wanted 

 little of cities. He had seen a building 

 thirteen stories high, and "they wanted 

 $8 a month on the top floor, while out in 

 Jersey you can buy a house, sheds, well, 

 patch of ground, and orchard for $600." 

 He reported some adventures with dogs, 

 but few of them exciting. One night, 

 while sleeping in an arbor, he was awak- 

 ened by the arrival of another man, who 

 passed a few words with him, and likewise 

 lay down to sleep on a plank. In the 

 morning he discovered that his quondam 

 neighbor was richly dressed, and sported 



