The Naturalizing of a City Man 
Editor’s Note:—The author of this narrative—begun in the December number— had refused to write the story of 
his experiences in going from business life to a farm. His objection was that the published account taken from 
his closely written diary would contain nothing of the joy and inspiration he felt in getting close to Nature, and 
would be'merely a matter-of-fact list of happenings with their message lost. He finally consented to "write it in his 
own way, allowing memory and imagination to lend color to those days of struggle which are now cherished recol¬ 
lections.' He preferred to hide his identity under the disguise of another person, but the essential facts are true 
and full of practical information. This installment sums up the successful results of the first year on the farm. 
W HAT with the seemingly numberless things to be done, and 
the shortening days in which outside work could be ac¬ 
complished, early winter passed so rapidly that Thanksgiving 
had come and gone and Christmas—their second Christmas in 
the country—was upon them almost before they were aware of it. 
The Squire always had a full house at Christmas, but the Man- 
tells persuaded him to take Thanksgiving dinner with them. And 
a grand feast it was—doubly enjoyed because practically all of it 
was from their own garden, fields and poultry yard. It was Mrs. 
Mantell's custom in keeping the company’s accounts to charge to 
“the house’’ all vegetable and “truck” at wholesale prices; as a 
matter of fact, this four course meal, for six people, cost them 
less than one dollar and a half, including the “trimmings.” 
No dinner had ever tasted so good to Mantell. All morning 
he and Robert had caught whiffs and glimpses of it, as they had 
brought in wood or vegetables, or assisted at such unskilled labor 
as cutting up the pumpkins or cracking the nuts. It was two 
o’clock and every appetite was whetted to a feather’s edge, by 
the time they finally sat down and the Squire’s big voice boomed 
out a simple but heartfelt blessing. 
And how good things tasted, all so clean and fresh. The 
chickens, plump and brown and done to a turn, with the savori¬ 
ness just oozing from them, were as good as any turkey,that ever 
pointed his drumsticks heavenward. And most bountiful help¬ 
ings of the other things disappeared with the white and brown 
slices of tender meat. There was no ban on having “some more” 
at that table. The heaped up plates would have quite shocked 
some of Mrs. Mantell’s former fastidious friends. The Squire 
was in the best of humors and regaled them constantly with his 
remarks and reminiscences. He had proved indeed a splendid 
neighbor, and helped them through many a difficulty which would 
have proved more serious than it did but for his timely and gen¬ 
erous advice and assistance. 
After the dinner they spent the rest of the afternoon and early 
evening—no one wanted any supper—in general conversation 
and in taking turns trying to beat the Squire at checkers, but 
he won every game as usual. Mrs. Mantell declared, when time 
to retire had at last arrived, that it was the most genuine Thanks¬ 
giving they had ever spent, and in her opinion they had more to 
be thankful for than ever before—a statement which received 
the unanimous endorsement of every member of the Mantell 
household. 
Severe weather early in December made the ice crop ready 
much earlier than it had been the year previous. The old ice 
house had about gone to pieces and so they had built a new one, 
nearer the house. A steep bank north of the woodshed had been 
taken advantage of, and the ice house was built into this in such 
a way that the ice, after the first two or three layers, could be 
put in through a door on the upper side, so that there was no 
lifting up of the cakes except for the last few layers. The ice 
house and other repairs and building used up almost all the lum¬ 
ber they had cut out for the previous winter, but a good supply 
of logs lay waiting in the woods to be converted into more raw 
building material, and it was a very pleasant feeling to know that 
they would not have to draw upon the still slim bank account 
to replace what they had used. 
Christmas, the anniversary of their flight to the country, or 
of their “landing upon the island” as Mrs. Mantell put it, passed 
with no special excitement. They had a wonderfully good time 
and many, of -course, were the reminiscences of the Christmas 
before, when for awhile everything had looked so black, espe¬ 
cially to the older people. 
For the week before New Year’s the head of each “department” 
spent most of his or her spare time making out a report, and 
Mrs. Mantell had her hands and head full of figures to be given 
out or taken down. They celebrated New Year’s day by having 
a “directors’ meeting.” Not the least interesting thing to an 
observer of the group gathered about the table would have been 
the change in appearance of the several persons present. Mr. 
and Mrs. Mantell both looked decidedly more rugged, but 
younger than they had. The year’s hard work, plain food and 
fresh air had very perceptibly rebuilt them physically. Mrs. 
Mantell was heavier by some fifteen pounds than she had been 
and her husband had lost more than that amount. Robert and 
Helen had changed quite completely; from comely, but rather 
delicate and aristocratic looking youngsters of the normal city 
type they had grown to a sturdy, tanned, wholesome and happy 
pair with infinitely more of character, resolution and self- 
reliance in their faces. Raffles, from the unshaved and somewhat 
seedy and dejected personage of a year ago, had metamorphosed 
into a steady, self-respecting and respect-compelling member of 
the firm—and of society. Thus, even in a twelve-month, had 
their new and more natural way of living been reflected in 
themselves. 
Of the several reports submitted, Raffles’ was the most com¬ 
plicated and interesting. Space does not permit a list of the 
many items of which he had kept separate track, but the sum¬ 
mary of the receipts of the Garden Department was as follows: 
Greenhouse. 
Potted plants and other bedding plants. $ 37-75 
Vegetable plants . 98-37 
Vegetables (mostly lettuce). 35 - 10 
$171.22 
Garden. 
Onions.$116.00 
Cabbage . 35-00 
Lettuce . 46.50 
Beets . 22.00 
Miscellaneous . 86.50 
$306.00 
This made a total of $477.22 for the Garden Department. The 
Farm Department showed $75 for potatoes, $64 for pigs and $27 
from miscellaneous sources. The Poultry Department showed 
a net cash profit of $30.60, of which the “firm” received, however, 
only 80 per cent, or $24.48, the rest belonging to Robert and Helen. 
So the total cash receipts, including the $500 which Mantell had 
been able to put into the business, came to only $1,173.82, and 
their payroll, not counting the extra plowing, etc., came to $1,300. 
But, of course, it had not been a cash payroll. Raffles had taken 
out considerably less than half of his salary, and the rest hardly 
anything except for working clothes and Robert’s and Helen’s 
tuition at the Academy. Besides, they had on hand still over 
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