52 THE DAILY LIFE OF OUR FARM. 



her precious charge, until they were able to crawl 

 about pretty respectably of themselves ; when they 

 were moved, lest the over-fondness and nursing of the 

 children should annihilate them ; as, when once they 

 had found out her retreat, which we kept a secret as 

 ^ong as we could, there was no end to the interruptions 

 they gave them ; yet all amiably received, as we should 

 scarcely have expected, by the mother. It is astonish- 

 ing to see how dumb animals will allow children to 

 interfere with them — disarmed, it would appear, by 

 their very artlessness. That above-mentioned Shet- 

 land, tricky enough towards the full-grown, will yet 

 allow any treatment — the handling of her heels, the 

 pulling of her tail, and all other torture which their idea 

 of grooming may suggest — without moving a muscle, 

 as though mesmerised by their touch. Bless their 

 little hearts ! they'll grow rather expensive in a while 

 though. The thought appals, and I desist once more. 



April,, 1S66. 



Alas ! my Reader, how sad I always am to meet you — 

 not but that I believe you to be uncommonly pleasant 

 company : rather doth my sorrow arise from recollec- 

 tion of the irrecoverable weeks and months which waste 

 away t)etween the periods of our correspondence. 



First a^nd foremost amidst my thoughts there ap- 

 peai'eth a vision of that bright treasure (of which I made 

 mention in my last) — the unexpected spring we dis- 

 covered beside the foldyard. Alas ! it hath not proved 

 altogether an unmixed good ; for a branch line, which, 

 in sinking our well, we failed to encircle and intercept, 

 has worked a bolt-hole by a treacherous seam into the 

 basin of the foldyard, which we had hitherto fondly 



