. In God's out-of-doors. Natural history. Pleiades take a stroll over my farm looking at it intently; but what they see justifies a long journey. The sun walks on the south line of my farm in winter, and straight across my farm in summer. A public high- way goes along the east and just the same on the west of said real estate, and on the north 1 run a domestic highway, which is, 1 may say, how- ever, "eloquent with ; Nothing keeps away from this farm. This, 1 think, creditable to the place—for instance, the road on the west crowds rather rudely on my ground, ostensibly because
. In God's out-of-doors. Natural history. Pleiades take a stroll over my farm looking at it intently; but what they see justifies a long journey. The sun walks on the south line of my farm in winter, and straight across my farm in summer. A public high- way goes along the east and just the same on the west of said real estate, and on the north 1 run a domestic highway, which is, 1 may say, how- ever, "eloquent with ; Nothing keeps away from this farm. This, 1 think, creditable to the place—for instance, the road on the west crowds rather rudely on my ground, ostensibly because the hill is so steep, the road must make the ascent by angles; actually because 1 have such inviting shade that the road panting hot in long summer days urges its tired way under my spreading trees to rest like a school- boy tired with climbing. More things than 1, love my farm, so that 1 conclude good taste is really prevalent. The sportsmen come to my wooded hill, though 1 like not the art of killing. But my neighbors do have the courtesy to come and send a cloud of powder smoke along my fields or in my woods, and a flock of quails whirrs by on startled wing, and —more 's the pity—sometimes one flutters out of his com- pany and falls dying in the grass, or on the leaves. The rabbit frequents my cornfield, which 1 take as a compli- jment, though he is a costly visitor, because he persists in dining off the bark of my apple orchard, and 1 have a scuffle all winter long with him and his to teach them manners; ' but any way, all hospitality is costly, and the man must not sulk if his bills are heavy when his friends are many. Friends are cheap whatever they cost. 1 would not have my farm deserted of these neigh- borly folk, squirrel and jay and quail and rabbit and crow. Burns v/as right, I think. The mouse is worth his board. From such a tenant we lose a little and gain a great deal. What were a hundred fields in their loss of grain matched with Burns's poem o
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectnatural, bookyear1902
