COUNTRY AMUSEMENTS AND OCCUPATIONS.
Frank and Fanny were permitted to keep pigeons. They had a pigeon
house at the back of the barn, with windows opening into the yard,
which could be entered by going up into the hay loft, and opening a
little door. Fanny often went up there to look at the eggs, and play
with the young pigeons. Indeed, the old ones were quite tame, and not
at all afraid of her.
[Illustration: FANNY IN THE PIGEON HOUSE.]
All the various occupations of the neighboring farmers were observed
by these children with great attention; because they were desirous of
gaining information by their own observation. The ploughing of the
ground in the spring, and the breaking of it up with the harrow, to
prepare it for receiving grain, such as barley, rye, and wheat, were
operations which interested them very much, as well as the sowing of
the wheat, and harrowing it so as to cover the seed.
[Illustration: HOEING CORN.]
Then, again, the culture of Indian corn, or maize, was another curious
operation. They saw the farmer, after ploughing up the ground, making
it into little hillocks with his hoe; each hillock, or hill, as he
called it, received a shovel full of manure, before the corn was
dropped in, which last operation, Frank and Fanny sometimes assisted
their neighbor, Farmer Baldwin, to perform. Afterwards they saw the
farmer hoe the corn, loosening the soil round the plant, and cutting
up the weeds with his hoe. In summer, they often enjoyed a feast of
green corn, roasted or boiled, and when it was gathered, in autumn,
they assisted the farmer in husking it.
[Illustration: SHEEP WASHING.]
Farmer Baldwin's sheep were objects of great interest to the children,
and the little lambs they very justly regarded as types of purity and
innocence. When the season of sheep washing and shearing came, they
went over to the farmer's, and witnessed these amusing operations with
great delight.
[Illustration: SHEEP SHEARING]
Very sorrowful were they when they heard of the disaster which
happened to the good farmer's flock, by the great snow storm. The
sheep were in a pasture quite distant from the village, late in
autumn, when just before night there came up a sudden and violent
storm of snow, and Farmer Baldwin and his hired men got the flock home
with some difficulty, losing several lambs in the snow.
[Illustration: FARMER BALDWIN'S DISASTER.]
When the season for harvesting the grain arrived, the children's
services were sometimes required by the farmer, to carry the dinner to
the reapers, out in the field where they were reaping the wheat with
sickles, and binding it into sheaves. An expedition of this kind was
quite delightful to Frank, who always felt proud of being useful, and
never neglected an opportunity of rendering good service to the
farmer. His good conduct in this respect, not only gained him the
respect and good will of Farmer Baldwin, but it was well requited,
when the apples and pears were gathered, when the potatoe crop came
in; and when the festive occasions of Thanksgiving day, Christmas, and
the New Year, served to remind the worthy farmer, that a brace of
fowls, or a turkey, might be acceptable to Frank's grandmother. Very
light was Frank's step when he carried the reapers their dinner.
Sometimes he was accompanied by his sister on this useful errand, but
he went oftener alone. But before he returned home, he made a point of
picking up a few dry sticks for kindling wood, which he brought home
on his shoulder.
[Illustration: REAPING.]
[Illustration]
This was not the only service which Frank rendered to the farmer. He
often ran of errands for him when out of school, and the farmer was
kind to him in return. He predicted that Frank would turn out a useful
and industrious man. He was also useful to his parents. One of his
regular occupations was to drive the cow to pasture, early every
morning, and to drive her home again in the evening, after school was
done.
[Illustration]
Farmer Baldwin had a large hop field, which, when the hops were in
full bloom, was a very beautiful sight. Here the children were allowed
to wander about at pleasure, their favorite resort being under a
spreading oak in the hop field. Here they often spent a Saturday
afternoon, reading, or making rush baskets, or wreaths of flowers, and
listening to the sweet singing of the redstart, whose nest was in the
top of the oak. Very sweet and plaintive was the music of the
redstart.
[Illustration: THE REDSTART.]
When the season for hop gathering came, the children had a grand
frolic, as this kind of labor, in which they took a part, was a real
pleasure to them. The hops were so light and fragrant, and the picking
of them was such fun, and so many men and women assisted at the work,
and the long summer day was closed with such a grand rural
entertainment, when the great table was spread in the farmer's
orchard. Frank and Fanny wished that there might be a dozen hop
picking frolics every year.
[Illustration: HOP PICKING.]
[Illustration]