the fruit of our own toil. Paradise
Plantation became the admiration of all the darkey and Cracker farmers
for miles around, and it was with the greatest delight that Hope would
accompany any chance visitor to the remotest corner of the farm,
unfolding her projects and quoting Henderson to the open-mouthed
admiration of her interlocutor.

"Have you looked at the peas, lately, Hope?" asked the Pessimist one
lovely February morning.

"Not since yesterday: why?"

"Come and see," was the reply; and we all repaired to the seven-acre lot
in company. A woeful sight met our eyes--vines nipped off and trampled
down and general havoc and confusion in all the ranks.

"Oh, what is it?" cried Merry in dismay.

"It's de rabbits, missy," replied old man Spafford, who was looking on
with great interest. "Dey'll eat up ebery bit o' greens you got, give
'em time enough."

"This must be stopped," said Hope firmly, recovering from her stupor of
surprise. "I shall have a close fence put entirely around the place."

"But you've just got a new fence. It will cost awfully."

"No matter," replied Hope with great decision: "it shall be done. The
idea of being cheated out of all our profits by the rabbits!"

"What makes them look so yellow?" asked the Invalid as the family was
looking at the peas over the new close fence some evenings later.

"Don't they always do so when they blossom?" asked Hope.

"How's that, Spafford?" inquired the Pessimist.

"Dey ain't, not to say, jis' right," replied that functionary, shaking
his head.

"Why, what's the matter?" asked Hope quickly.

"Groun' too pore, I 'spec', missis. Mighty pore piece, dis: lan' all
wore out. Dat why dey sell so cheap."

[Illustration: "IT'S DE RABBITS, MISSY."]

"Then won't they bear?" asked Merry in despairing accents.

"Oh yes," said Hope with determined courage. "I had a quantity of
fertilizers put on. Besides, I'll send for more. It isn't too late, I'm
sure.--We'll use it for top-dressing, eh, Spafford?"

"I declare, Hope, I had no idea you were such a farmer," said the
Invalid with a pleasant smile.

"And then, besides, we don't depend upon the peas alone," continued
Hope, reflecting back the smile and speaking with quite her accustomed
cheerfulness: "there are the corn and the cabbages."

"And the potatoes and cucumbers," added Merry as we returned slowly to
the house by way of all the points of interest--the young orange trees,
Merry's newly-transplanted