254 
RURAL HOURS. 
Saturday, \^th . — Decided change in the weather; theiinome- 
ter 62, with cool, north wind. This sort of atmosphere is very 
unfavorable to the scenery ; it lowers the hills, narrows the lake, 
and altogether, the famiUar objects of the landscape do not look 
half so well as when a soft haze hangs upon the hills. The nat- 
ural features of the country are not on a scale sufficiently grand to 
rise superior above such accidents of light and shade. Most sum- 
mers, we have a touch of this sort of weather — sometimes in July, 
sometimes in August — this sort of cool, matter-of-fact atmosphere, 
when things look imenjoyable without, and people feel cross at 
having to close their doors and windows, and sometimes light a 
fire. 
Saw a large flock of barn-swallows hanging in clusters upon 
the mullein-stalks in a waste field. They are thinking of mo^dng. 
Monday, 2\st . — Very pleasant again. Walked some distance. 
The grain harvest is now over, very genei'ally, and cattle are seen 
feeding among the stubble on many fams. 
In this part of the world, although Ave have once seen a woman 
ploughing, once found a party of girls making hay Avith the men 
of the family, and occasionally observed women hoeing potatoes or 
coni, we have neA^er yet seen a sight A'ery common in the fields of 
the Old World : we have nev^er yet met a single gleaner. Prob- 
ably this is not entirely owing to the prosperous state of the coun- 
try, for there are many poor among us. “ The poor ye have Avith 
you always, and whensoeA’er ye will, ye may do them good.” In 
the large toAvns, Avho has not seen the wretched creatures who 
pick up the filthy rags from the rubbish and mud of the streets ? 
Where human beings can earn a livelihood in this way in the 
cities, gleaning in the fields of the country ouglit not to surprise 
