Not many days after that the father was surprised to see, instead
of the dingy old fence, a perfectly white one gleaming in the sun-
shine and making the whole place look cleaner. It had been white-
washed, and in each corner had been planted, far enough back to keep
the cattle from destroying them, hollyhocks, sunflowers and dahlias
alternately. The feat was performed under great difficulties, be-
cause a rail fence is not an easy article to treat to a coat of white-
wash, and these workers were only amateurs. But they had discov-
ered that white fences added immensely to the effect of the place,
and they proposed to whiten everything they possibly could. Un-
sightly stones were gathered together in one heap, and left until enough
could be secured to make a rockery. Mother knew exactly how to
make a rockery, and the eagerness with which even the youngest of
the children gathered stones, and the hard struggles the older chil-
dren had with the large rocks, was a pleasant recompense to the
mother. The rockery was made, the vines were tangled over it,
and in the shaded situation in which it had been placed the water-
plants flourished ; and it was the chief ornament of the yard before the
summer was ended. Of course trees do not grow in a day, nor
flowers in a week, but long before the strawberries were ripe in the
garden, the improvements made had astonished friends and neighbors
who had watched the work going on, never dreaming it was being
accomplished by a mother and her children.
It was amusing to see the interest these young people came to
take in a place they had dreaded to see, and how indifferent they were
to holidays so long as the improvements were going on.
A view of the homely interior of the poultry yard was seen from
the dining-room window, and this eye-sore had been the theme at
many a rainy day chat. Finally it was agreed to ask father to con-
sult with them, and hear how he would screen the view. Mother
had a plan all her own which she had not broached to them, knowing
they were unequal to the task, and she it was who suggested that
their father might like to help them. When he heard of the project
he seemed not surprised, and when their mother gave them her
THE MOTHER IN THE HOME.
355
idea, which was to plant two rows of young maples half around the
yard, with a summer-house formed of two rows of trees closely
planted at the lower side of it, they surmised that she had pre-
viously prepared him, as she had done, for the plan she offered.
This would make a delightful walk, she said, and seats could be
arranged in the summer-house, which should be quite around the
corner, so that it would not be seen until one was almost in it,
and be a great ornament to the place. The idea was a splendid
one, and the father could not set up any opposition to the plan.
Who to get to dig the trees, and do the laying out and planting was
the next question. The wife quietly eyed her husband and said that
she should vote that he either stayed at home and do the work or hire
a man in his stead. He laughed at the ideas, but was prevailed upon
by his impulsive children to promise to look into the matter and do
one or the other. The point was carried, and the walk was made by
him and the hired man.
Page 232
Presented as published in 1883. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Not many days after that the father was surprised to see, instead of the dingy old fence, a perfectly white one gleaming in the sunshine and making the whole place look cleaner. It had been whitewashed, and in each corner had been planted, far enough back to keep the cattle from destroying them, hollyhocks, sunflowers and dahlias alternately. The feat was performed under great difficulties, because a rail fence is not an easy article to treat to a coat of whitewash, and these workers were only amateurs. But they had discovered that white fences added immensely to the effect of the place, and they proposed to whiten everything they possibly could. Unsightly stones were gathered together in one heap, and left until enough could be secured to make a rockery. Mother knew exactly how to make a rockery, and the eagerness with which even the youngest of the children gathered stones, and the hard struggles the older children had with the large rocks, was a pleasant recompense to the mother. The rockery was made, the vines were tangled over it, and in the shaded situation in which it had been placed the waterplants flourished ; and it was the chief ornament of the yard before the summer was ended. Of course trees do not grow in a day, nor flowers in a week, but long before the strawberries were ripe in the garden, the improvements made had astonished friends and neighbors who had watched the work going on, never dreaming it was being accomplished by a mother and her children.
It was amusing to see the interest these young people came to take in a place they had dreaded to see, and how indifferent they were to holidays so long as the improvements were going on.
A view of the homely interior of the poultry yard was seen from the dining-room window, and this eye-sore had been the theme at many a rainy day chat. Finally it was agreed to ask father to consult with them, and hear how he would screen the view. Mother had a plan all her own which she had not broached to them, knowing they were unequal to the task, and she it was who suggested that their father might like to help them. When he heard of the project he seemed not surprised, and when their mother gave them her
THE MOTHER IN THE HOME.
idea, which was to plant two rows of young maples half around the yard, with a summer-house formed of two rows of trees closely planted at the lower side of it, they surmised that she had previously prepared him, as she had done, for the plan she offered. This would make a delightful walk, she said, and seats could be arranged in the summer-house, which should be quite around the corner, so that it would not be seen until one was almost in it, and be a great ornament to the place. The idea was a splendid one, and the father could not set up any opposition to the plan. Who to get to dig the trees, and do the laying out and planting was the next question. The wife quietly eyed her husband and said that she should vote that he either stayed at home and do the work or hire a man in his stead. He laughed at the ideas, but was prevailed upon by his impulsive children to promise to look into the matter and do one or the other. The point was carried, and the walk was made by him and the hired man.