Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1888-07-13
MR.. PERKINSS FARMING
BY CLARA AUGUSTA.

"Life in the country is a dream
OF perpetual happiness" So read
the newspaper extracts that Harry
Perkins was pondering over; and
he was so much impressed by it
that he read it aloud to his wife
along with the half-cOiumn of SIM
liar sentiments which followed it.
Evidently, the writer had become
lenamored of farm-liie, in theory if
not In practice.
"Now, Anna" said Mr.. Perkins,
crossing his legs and thro wing him
self back in his chair, as he invaria-
bly, did when he was commencing
an argument, "that sounds prom
isingl That fellow knows what he
is talking about. And you know
how we have always thought we
should enjoy the country. Fresh
milk that has not passed through
the milkman's manipulatiOns but
ter, golden as buttercups straw
berries every morning for break
fast; chickens of ones own rails
ing; honey fresh from the comb /;
pure air and water; natural so.
clety, no gossip. Anna, the expe.
riment is worth trying"
"But, Henry, you have a good
situation, and the children are at
school, and you don't know any.
thing about farming~
"Do you take me for a fool, Anna
Perkins 7" cried her husband, in
dignantly. "Don't you suppose l
have got brains enough to learn, if
indeed there is any thing to learn J
Don't you think | am as bright a
man, naturally, as old Ducy, who
brings US our cabb&ges, or the red
haired milkman, who brings butter
and eggs and charges five per cent.
more for them because he knows
they are fresh 7 Humph fresh If
he knows they are, it is more than
we know when we come to use
them"
"Oh, of course, Henry; you know
enough In your way" said his wife.
"But it don't seem to me that you
can know much about farming, hay
ing never had any experience"
"I can learn. Anybody can learn
in two weeks time as much as any
OF those old rural clodhoppers
know, and l have a mind to try it.
1t would be good Tor the children.
The change of air would benefit my
lungs, and you would get fat, An
ma, on the new milk and the good
things generally"
Mrs. Perkins shook her head
doubtfully, but Perkins was san
guine, and that very day he saw a
real-estate agent who had for sale
a farm so nearly approaching the
condition of the Garden of Eden
before it became infested with
snakes that Perkins went out to
lonk at it and concluded to invest
fogr thousand dollars in it.
Zeal estate" SAID the agent, 'fs
by all means the safest of invest
meDts. Railroad bonds are tick.
lish, savings-baDks are risky be-
cause Canada is so near, and il
takes a small fortune to buy hun
dred dollar Gov vernment bond; and
as for mining stOcks-why, a man
must be mad as a March hare tC
think of them But real estate, my
dear sir, real estate is right there
every timeI 1t can't be stolen, and
you have got it where you can sec
it. And farm ing is the nOblest and
most indeper. dent life in the world ,
Mr.. Perkins became the proprie
tor of WalD ut Dell farm and took
his family thither. Why it was
called "Walnut Dell" it would have
puzzled a philosopher TO determine
since the nearest approach to 6
walnut-tree on the premises was a
horse chestnut which looked as il
the "sere and yellow leaf" had over
taken it in its prime. 1t had a dis
cOursged appearance, and so had
everything else abOut Walnut Del
farm. But this was owing, Mr.
Perkins informed his wife, to the
tact that, since the owner died, two
years ago, the place had been rent
ed, and it was well-knOwn trutf
that nobody ever took much inter
est in a place which was hired.
"We'll soon slick it up and MAKE
things bOOmp said Perkins, rub
bing his hands. "You'Il have
, wer-garden on the lawn, Anna
and l shall raise peas and cucum
bers and celery and-by George
we'll send some in to Brown
Brown has laughed at the idea o
my turning farmer, and 1 shal
make him laugh on the other sid
of his face :"
4 1t was early In April when Mr.