"Ye git yer loon, pluck an' draw it,
let it soak overnight in vinegar an' water, vitriol vinegar they
say is the best. Then ye put it in the pot an' let it simmer all
day."
"Yes?" queried the perfectly innocent Nan.
"Then ye throw off that water," Toby said, soberly, "and ye put
on fresh water an' let it cook all the next day."
"Oh!"
"An' then ye throw in a piece of grin'stone with the loon, and
set it to bilin' again. When ye kin stick a fork in the
grin'stone, the loon's done!"
Nan joined in Toby's loud laugh at this old joke, and pretty soon
thereafter they came to the hummock on which the Vanderwillers
lived.
Chapter XXII
ON THE ISLAND
In the winter it was probably dreary enough; but now the beauty
of the swelling knoll where the little whitewashed house stood,
with the tiny fields that surrounded it, actually made Nan's
heart swell and the tears come into her eyes.
It seemed to her as though she had never seen the grass so green
as here, and the thick wood that encircled the little farm was
just a hedge of blossoming shrubs with the tall trees shooting
skyward in unbroken ranks. A silver spring broke ground at the
corner of the paddock fence. A pool had been scooped out for the
cattle to drink at; but it was not muddied, and the stream
tinkled down over the polished pebbles to the wider, more
sluggish stream that meandered away from the farm into the depths
of the swamp.
Pages:
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180