THE COUNTRY HOME [CHAPTER 
asked her if she would be willing to go back to her 
former method of life. ‘Not on any account what- 
ever! Why, just think of it! Not one dollar for 
rent! We own our house — built it ourselves — 
put our own notions into it. We are no longer eat- 
ing and sleeping in other folks’ houses. Then we 
have our own eggs, chickens, and fruit. Why, 
down in that cellar are twenty-four barrels of our 
own apples — Northern Spys, Greenings, Gilli- 
flowers, Spitzenburgs, and we never paid a cent for 
them. And there are splendid fresh vegetables all 
summer long — peas, potatoes, and beans and cab- 
bages, and bushels of them for winter. Dear me! 
the idea of ever again going around the corner to 
buy a half-peck of peas! Miserable, half-dried 
things! But we didn’t know any better then; we 
do now. Then there are little Joe and Ned! It 
would be just positive cruelty to shut them up in 
city life — houses and streets! But here they go it all 
the day long, playing, helping, romping, happy 
and healthy, and out of bad influences. See 
there; just look in there!” 
room, dark but for a narrow window. “Do you 
shut them in there when they are bad?” I said. 
“What a question! No, sir. Just look again!” 
[372] 
I saw a snug little 
