IN THE POULTRY YARD. 1S 
out to me a deed of the property, and agreed to give me possess‘on 
as soon as the necessary arrangements could be made. I must 
confess that I felt no pleasure in my new property. Although it 
was certain that I would gain by it in a few years, yet when I saw 
the deep sorrow which settled over the family when they found 
themselves obliged to give up their beautiful home, any satisfaction 
which I might otherwise have, felt was destroyed. In order to 
relieve Mrs. Brown’s mind as far as I could, and infuse a hope 
which might console even if upheld by a very slender prop, I 
agreed to restore the place to them at any time within three years 
on payment of the ‘original mortgage and interest to the date of my 
taking possession, the rent after that time being considered a full 
offset for the interest. 
It is unnecessary to enter into further details. of the change. IT 
have given these facts in order to explain why it was that I came 
to select such an expensive place for a poultry experiment: I did 
not select it; it selected me, and though now, after some years, 
neither Brown nor myself have much cause to regret the change, 
yet at the time it was a pretty severe trial. As I have already told 
my readers, Brown was a man of great ability, and in his new posi- 
tion he rapidly made himself invaluable to his employers. Rival. 
firms were not slow to see that the great success of the new man- 
agement was due entirely to Brown, and so persistent were their 
efforts to secure his services that the firm he was with admitted 
him to a partnership, and he is nowa very wealthy man. He occa- 
sionally visits us and enjoys his old home. The best of feeling 
exists between us, as may be readily supposed, and although he 
was well able to buy back the place before the limit of time had 
expired, he did not consider it wise to do so. He could not return 
to it and live in it without making an altogether disproportionate 
sacrifice; to rent it would be to allow it go to the dogs, and as for 
selling it, that was yet out of the question. There is therefore no 
danger that my possession will ever be disturbed. 
There were quite a number of useful animals and articles on the 
place which were now of no use to the original owner. In order 
to get at a valuation of these we made out a complete inventory, 
