WATER WORRIES. 119 



the dwelling-house. But it was nearly three weeks 

 after that before we were able to press the mountain 

 stream into our service. That done, we filled our tank 

 by means of a hose from a stand-pipe which tapped 

 that stream, or rather the iron pipe from it. Just 

 below the reservoir the ground had frozen to a depth 

 of more than three feet ! In the meantime, until we 

 did get our tank into operation, we had the daily task 

 of hauling water from the lake up to the greenhouses 

 in a barrel fixed on a sleigh and drawn by the horses. 

 Of course, we did not require anything like the quan- 

 tity then that we needed in the hot, thirsty days of 

 the height of the summer, so that the task was not 

 such an onerous one. We were devoutly thankful 

 that we had suffered no worse scathe. Thanks to our 

 radiators, and, above all, to our open hearth, where 

 we took care to maintain a big fire of wood and coke, 

 we suffered no personal harm, and not much real 

 personal discomfort once the wind dropped. We 

 blessed our stars we were not in Winnipeg, with its 

 thermometers down to — 72 deg. Fahr., or 104 deg. 

 of frost ! 



A few days after the cold " snap " broke up an 

 agent of the Canadian Pacific Railway " 'phoned" 

 to me out from Nelson : 



" How about your young fruit trees? Have they 

 suffered any damage from the frost? " 



I went and made a thorough examination, came 

 back, rang him up, and reported, "No: I do not see 

 the slightest damage — not a tree hurt. And in due 

 course I shall have peaches to sell." 



