CHAPTER XII
LORD EDWARD AND THE TREE-MAN
It was winter at Rudder Grange. The season was the same at other places, but that fact did not particularly interest Euphemia and myself. It was winter with us, and we were ready for it. That was the great point, and it made us proud to think that we had not been taken unawares, notwithstanding the many things that were to be thought of on a little farm like ours.
It is true that we had always been prepared for winter, wherever we had lived; but this was a different case. In other days it did not matter much whether we were ready or not; but now our house, our cow, our poultry, and, indeed, ourselves might have suffered—there is no way of finding out exactly how much—if we had not made all possible preparations for the coming of cold weather.
But there was yet a great deal to be thought of and planned out, although we were ready for winter. The next thing to think of was spring.
We laid out the farm. We decided where we would have wheat, corn, potatoes and oats. We would have a man by the day to sow and reap. The intermediate processes I thought I could attend to myself.
Everything was talked over, ciphered over, and freely discussed by my wife and myself, except one
131
