The barn had a shop with a bench and tools, big wooden planes, curious things for mending wagons and harness, a shoe maker’s bench with a draw filled with wooden pegs and shoe lasts. There was room for almost every thing you could think of in the barn, and room enough too for almost every kind of a game you could think of to play rain or shine, and then when you were tired of play to come upon a family of pretty kittens in a hidden corner was a happy surprise. [Illustration] The big barn door faced the road to town but the small door opposite it looked out into the orchard and the lakes beyond. A vista of alluring temptations, fruit trees, berry bushes kitchen garden, flowers and last but not least the lakes with boats and fishing and sandy beach, not forgetting the big swing in the big oak tree. The ice house was under the big oak. You could play that goblins lived in it, goblins that could fly out the door so high up and who didn’t need any windows (there weren’t any windows) It was hard to decide just what to play first down at the lakes. The big red boat, the middle sized white boat or the little green punt were such fun and the wharf that didn’t reach out into the water deep enough and had to have a plank added to the end, a plank that teetered with too many on it. [Illustration] The sand beach and the clear cool lake were perhaps most tempting of all the temptations. Hours and hours of happy splashings and moulding of sand castles and sailing of ships with the sun shining hotly and the water swishing cool and clean around ones feet. To fall in all over was not that wrong, but rather a clumsy accident, and in winter when thin ice proved a temptation to daring skaters and the ice gave way it was also considered an act of very poor judgement. The chilly bath scalding ginger tea and bed were enough punishment. The swing in the oak Tree was so near the lake that a big push would make it go out over it. The pusher could run down the bank to the water and it wasn’t easy to keep from running right in To swing higher and higher out over the water until your feet could touch the branches of the oak tree. then to let the old cat die and your turn was up. [Illustration] Learning to row a boat with heavy oars was safest with the anchor out. It wasn’t hard to learn and then there were coves to explore and thrilling adventures out of sight of house and farm. The toot toot toot of a real Fourth of July horn was the call to hasten home. Pulling oars on the home stretch was not so easy as going on the adventure. [Illustration: LEARNING TO ROW WITH THE ANCHOR OUT WAS SAFEST]