An Old English Home

ives nothing, whereas from the lord of the manor come the loan of land, of house, and of farm-buildings, for which loan the tenant pays a rent, that is to say, so much interest on so much capit

ses our gentry rebuilt their houses, and rebuilt yet again, as fashions changed, so

l take a plan and give a drawing of that of Anseremme on the Meuse near Dinant. This has t

tyard. The other sides are occupied by farm-b

stable and cowstall manure has missed his vocation. But everything in its place, and the unfortunate feature of this paving of manure was that it adhered to boots and entered the house. This mattered little when halls

t in which the cattle can run, and where better

omes contaminated. It is really amazing how many centuries have rolled by without people discovering the fact that such proximity produces contamination, and such contamination leads to diphtheria, or typhoid fever. But stupidi

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among the hills was brought into this village, an

rate. If I don't I cannot be called upon for it. I will get all my water from the well

h century will act like this, is it a marvel that our forefathers, who w

cted them; how else is it possible that they were not all swept away

and to what they assimilated, and our forbears got into the way

urn to the

ld be death to all other creatures, is the nucleus and treasury, the cream of the whole farm. Having considered the plan of the Walloo

d not ask to have a view of distant horizons from his windo

ay have been driven into the pen for the night, about the masters house. His court was his kraal. But that was long, long ago, when there were wolves and cattle-lifters in the land. In ordered times only ewes at lambi

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s were driven to the stables to be there milked, and these cowhouses were so deep in manure as to dirty th

den time. Sir Thomas Overbury, in his "Character of a Milkmaid," says: "She dares go alone, and unfold her sheep in the night, and fears no manner of il

st for the country, where it is no less admired than a giant in a pageant: till at last it grows so common there, too, as e

r's play, The Coxcomb,

'en home with me,

e is so

ery good woman,

merrily, and da

. Our wake sha

wake is?-we have

Isaac Walton and his merry

eeing the country-maids milking their cows there, they being there now at grass; and to see with what m

bleak win

s can spri

ds that

sant an

all cand

the to

ith her

so dead

t is

hose t

frost

eeks th

the milki

I can remember, in 1845, seeing Jack in the

minster; on the way meeting many milkmaids with their garl

rated with silver cups, tankards, and salvers, borrowed for the purpose, and tied together with ribbands, and ornamented with flowers. "Of later years, the plate, with other de

34, is a picture of a milkmaids' May dance; but in London it had become a chimney-sweeps' performance in place of on

is imitated from the uniform of a French field-marshal, and is sown over with flowers and ornaments of gilt paper. Over his right shoulder hangs a red silk band, to which a wooden sword is attached. His knee-breeches and sto

sant leaps and twirls, and finally falls about her shoulders like that of a fury. She wears a low dress and short sleeves of white very transparent texture reaching to her calves, and exposing below rather massive feet, which are wound abo

here is great difficulty in getting any girl to work. They want to go to

er, the reaper and thr

d strewing the corn to right and left from the wooden seed-lap carried in

b and shore it down. That is no more. The grass is mown in the meadows by the mechanical mower, and on the lawn by a contrivance whose movements are anything but musical. In former days also t

l ripe, and the

he earth, O we

early the reap

fields for to

s first in the

h a laugh, my la

a row! then

e will sing bo

the catchpole, b

sh edge and a sh

nds back for t

ellow's, bring the

fellows, pare up

resh edge, and a h

l of a r

through the he

ome binding, al

'll bind, we will

il the last sh

enjoyment w

sing, Brother

l of a r

s done, to the fa

supper and dri

d farmer all bl

health, and as

grain for next

e arrish we'll s

l in a r

instead of attacking in row, they surrounded, shouting "A neck! a neck!" and of this the last sheaf was fashion

r neighbourhood, and long after the custom had been abandoned, he was wont on every harvest thanksgiving to produce one of these

EX FAR

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and how to wield the flail. The steam thrasher travels from farm to farm and thrashes and winnows, relieving

three farms into one, and let this conglomerate to a man reputed warm and knowing, then it did seem as if the "leather pocketed" farmer was doomed to ext

er, on arable land in the plains, is an anxious, worn man, who falls into the hands of the Jews, almost inevitably. Our farmers, well fed, open-hearted, hospitable, yet close-fist

ebate was whether it were expedient on returning from market to tumble into the ditch or into the hedge, and if

oard of Guardians, and on that Board t

guardgins. Lork a biddy! I've been in two counties, in Darset and Zummerset, as well as here. Guardgins be guardgins whereiver they be. A

ns, of which Lord P. was chairman. Now Mrs. Tickle died, and so for a week or two the farmer did n

loss you have been called on to endure. Mr. Tickle, the condolence that we offer you is most genuine, sir. We feel, all of us, that the severance which you have had to undergo is the most painful and supreme that falls to man's lot in this vale of tea

ed his chin, then his florid cheeks, and seemed thoroughly nonplussed. Presently

rd and genl'men, I thank y' kindly all the same, but my ou'd woman-her wor a terr'ble

and up in the morning before daybreak? We complain that he does not advance with the

rers, who are well paid, to hold forth in village schoolrooms on scien

one occasion a farmer was induced by the rector or the squire, as

er! You've told us a terr'ble lot about various soorts o' gins, oxegen and so on, I can't mind 'em all, but you ha'nt mentioned the very best o' all in my 'umble experience, and that's Ply

hat chap, he's traveller for some spirit merchants, as have

indly turn, he sent invitations to all the farmers in the neighbourhood who were within the purlieu of the bor

on, however, was much discussed at the ordinary, and the myst

kes 'em out to mane

addressed, "tes what we're to ate at

ch a vule as to have two mates on table to once. Sure enough

at's the truth," came in a

foreign colonial competition I cannot believe. He is a slow man to accommodate himself to changed circumstan

at Law," Lady Daberly says to her son Dick

supports his family, and serves his country by his industry. In thi