WORK ON THE HOME FORTY 161 
rounded with ploughs and scraper, and then 
covered with gravel. The open slope intended 
for the lawn was now to be treated. It com- 
prised about ten acres, irregular in form and 
surface, and would require a good deal of work 
to whip it into shape. A lawn need not be per- 
fectly graded, — in fact, natural inequalities with 
dips and rises are much more attractive; but we 
had to take out the asperities. We ploughed it 
thoroughly, removed all stumps and stones, lev- 
elled and sloped it as much as pleased Polly, 
harrowed it twice a week until late August, 
sowed it heavily to grass seed, rolled it, and 
left it. 
Polly had the house in her mind’s eye. She 
held repeated conversations with Nelson, and was 
as full of plans and secrets as she could hold. 
By agreement, she was to have a free hand to the 
extent of $15,000 for the house and the carriage 
barn. I never really examined the plans, though 
I saw the blue prints of what appeared to be a 
large house with a driving entrance on the east 
and a great wide porch along the whole south 
side. I did not know until it was nearly finished 
how large, convenient, and comfortable it was to 
be. A hall, a great living-room, the dining room, 
a small reception room, and an office, bedroom, 
and bath for me, were all on the ground floor, 
besides a huge wing for the kitchen and other 
useful offices. 
Above stairs there was room for the family 
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