rden and chopped those clods of earth until the merry voice of the
farmer called them to supper.

At supper there was a profusion of flowers which, the kind lady of the
house explained, were there to cheer the soldiers. She had noticed they
were sad, and hoped that this little attention would cheer them. But the
thing the soldiers most needed to enliven them was more to eat. They
were not feeling romantic at all.

After the supper the whole family adjourned to the parlor and were
entertained with some good old-fashioned piano playing and homespun
duets and solos. The veterans added their mite to the entertainment in
the shape of a tolerably fair tenor and an intolerable bass. Singing in
the open air, with a male chorus, is not the best preparation for a
parlor mixed quartette.

When the war ceased the negroes on the farm had left their quarters and
gone out in search of a glorious something which they had heard
described as "liberty," freedom, "manhood," and the like. Consequently
the "quarters" suggested themselves to the farmer as a good place for
the new field hands to occupy for sleeping apartments. They were carried
to an out-building and shown their room, ten by fifteen feet,
unplastered, greasy, and dusty. The odor of the "man and brother" did
cling there still. A bench, a stool, an old rickety bedstead, and a bed
of straw, completed the fitting out of the room. Save for the shelter of
the roof, anywhere in the fields would have been far preferable. The
first night disclosed the presence of fleas in abundance, and other
things worse.

While it was yet dark the farmer, still somewhat embarrassed by the
possession of the new style of laborer, began to call, "Time to get up
bo--gentlemen!" "Hallo there!" bang, bang, bang! After a while the new
hands appeared outside, and as they looked around noticed that the sun
was looking larger and redder than they remembered it and too low down.
The morning air was chilling, and grass, bushes, everything, dripping
with dew.

The farmer led the way to the stable yard, and pointing to a very
lively, restless, muscular young bull with handsome horns and glaring
eyes, said he was to be yoked and hitched to the cart. If he had asked
them to bridle and saddle an untamed African lion they would not have
been more unwilling or less competent. So the farmer, telling them the
animal was very gentle and harmless, proceeded to yoke and hitch him,
hoping, he said, that having once see