OUR COUNTRY LIFE 



state facts. I know that the thought of that silent 

 house hidden away in the heart of the woods gives me 

 longings unspeakable; that my spirit fairly sings with- 

 in me through all the discomforts of the dirty station 

 and the ill-smelling, overheated trains; that the ride in 

 the darkness on wheels or runners is filled with happy 

 anticipations, and that once in the beloved home, all 

 and more than my imagination could compass of peace 

 and felicity has come to me. 



The days, instead of being long, pass like a flying 

 shuttle, and the early evening gives one more apprecia- 

 tion of the flames upon the hearthstone, the glowing 

 light behind one, the cushioned chaise-longue, and an 

 interesting tale. For in order fully to enjoy all one's 

 pleasures one must not be prodigal, so I save my novels 

 for the evening. 



The simple fact of awakening in the morning at no 

 especial time, with no appointments, is in itself so pleas- 

 ing a feature of country life that I should think it 

 would commend itself to all city folk. The utter 

 ignoring of time, the scorn of man's invention, the 



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