The sun., 1908-12-06


and Whistle. The day on which the new
number Of 'PickWicl' would be on the
road was ascertained. its arrival waa
watched, and on the precious Rrint being
handed to its owner he was accompanied
by an eager escort up the town and along
the road to our house and so into the hall.
There 'Plokwick' was torn up into as many
sheets as the number consisted Of.
sThe first page, together with the illus
trations, was handed with just oonsidera-
tion. to its owner. AS soon as the first page
had been read IL was passed on 70 senior
boy, who commenced his study Of 1t. while
the second page was passed TO the original
proprietor; and 80 In the course Of twenty
devouring Pickwick' piecemeal, in deep
silenc0, broken every now and then by
bursts OF laughter. was small and thus
had my patience sorely tried in waiting
my turn, which sometimes did not come
till night had passed away
At tho age Of 1s Pell entered Trinity
College. Cambridge, Football was then
unknown at Cambridge. Pell introduced
the game there
Rugby" he writes. was famous
for the game, and when left it was con-
sidered that the school field had lost
a rather distinguished player. l loved
the rough game as much as or more than
cricket and missed its excitement and
conflict sadly. 1t seemed that there
were other outcasts like myself. Some
too heavy to hunt or row. some too poor,
some who, not having been at public
schools, were fretting life away in con-
stitutionais. An inspiration reached me
that there was here an opportunity for
getting up football.
1T was said that such proposal could
not be entertained among men; boys
might hack each others shins and cling
like leopards to the necks of their oppo-
nents without offence, but not 80 uni
versity men, sPell, however. got some
men together and established football
at Cambridge.
After Cambridge Pell took farm in
the Harrow Vale, twelve miles from Lon
don. This seems a strange picture Of
farming, only twelve miles from London
upon ground now we'll built over, to be
written by a man who died last year
The staple product was hay for the
London market. but there were about
twelve acres Of impervious clay under
tho plough. producing a modest yield
OF the finest wheat in the kingdom for
-four. The .ploughing was done by a
wooden plough, with wooden breast
drawn by three horses at length. The
seed was sown broadcast. Threshing
was done by the fail. The dressing Of
the grain was much as it had been in
Saxon times.
The whole operation was tedious and
expensive. think the threshing alone
cost five shillings quarter Of eight
bushels. and probably the dress
ing up eighteenpence more. The ma
chinery or implements employed might
have been bought for forty or fifty
shillings.
sThe thresher made his own fail. Time
was kept and marked in primitive way
A crack in the barn doors when these
we're set back admitted beam Of sunlight
on the jamb; across this notches were
cut with a knife at different distances.
When the full ray reached one mark it
was luncheon time; another illumination
on a lower mark indicated dinner time"
From this time on Pell became an
enthusiastic and scientific farmer. He
took in hand the family estate at Wilbur
ton in Cambridgeshire. and his accounts
of the primitive state Of things IN the Fens
not long after he left Cambridge Uni
versity are deeply interesting. In reading
these pages, and indeed throughout the
volume, one gets pictures Of old time
English country life which make one
wonder how in the comparatively short
space Of less than seventy years nearly
every trace OF that life can have dis
appeared. The English country Of PeR's
young days seems little removed from the
days Of -Merrie England
Here is a picture OF haymaking on his
farm in the Harrow Vale, twelve miles
from London, which shows Pell, who,
makes no pretence to fine writing. al
his best. except perhaps in the passages
where he describes the mail coach drives
OF his boyhood:
"The hay was made in a more careful
and studied fashion than nowadays.
No machines ratified in the meadows. nor
was mechanical assistance called in at
the building Of the rick. At first not even
hand drag was in use.
Early, very early. in the morning.
while the dew wetted the grass. the strong,
enduring mower entered the field. He
took a sup Of ale from his wooden bottle
and then charmed the still. misty air
with the music OF the milestone on his
scythe. The patient team rested mean
while and gathered flesh and strength
undisturbed against the day of the hay
cart. No such rest now; out Of the mo-
notonous cutter they are yoked into the
horse rake. out of the horse rake into
the cart shafts.
sThen, with their throats moistened
and their scythes whetted. the leading
men Of the gang swept down with a swish
the first swaths. The next followed,
and so on in diagonal procession, two,
three, four. in their white shirts. sleeves
turned up and straps buckled arotnd their
middles to hold their fustian breeches
in position. Their ample calves swelled
the home made stockings. and the whole
was supported in patriarchal hobnail
laced boots.
aIhis powerful and somewhat solemn
procession, with legs apart, was carried
irresistibly forward till the edge was
taken OF the blade and a halt was called
for whettng. TheB up went the gilt
tering blades in the air, a lock OF grass
was picked from the ground to wipe them,
back into the loins went the hand to with
draw the milestone from the leather
sheath. Then again the music of the
scythe at tBe far end Of the field announced
the sad fall Of buttercups. ox-eyed daisies.
iady's smocks and meadow grasses.
-MeanYhile the sun rolled up on the
horizon or over the wood, higher and
higher, and the dazzling light and summer
heat cleared away the moist dew. The
cut became dry and harsh. the whet-