I don’t think a winter, in our town, ever passed more quickly or more pleasantly than this winter. The months flew by like weeks and the weeks like days. When the first warm melting days came in late April everyone began to get impatient. It seemed as though the snow would never leave the ground, and many didn’t wait for this before plotting out their crops and digging up samples of soil to send to the agricultural school. Seeds were bought and tested and farming tools brought out and put in order. It’s good to be in the country in the spring. It was my first experience and the change took place like a miracle. I saw trees that looked as dead as fence posts start to life with the stirring sap; I saw little green grass blades appear among the brown waste of dead blades; I saw all manner of living things awake and creep out of their winter hiding places until the earth looked almost as though the resurrection trumpet had blown. Spring means a great deal more to us farmers than it does to city folk. She comes like a partner returning from a winter vacation, takes down the shutters, sweeps the store clean and stands at the door ready for business. She comes with unlimited capital which is furnished everyone for the asking. If men will have none of it even then she does not stand idle, but for the sake of the housewives and the children proceeds on her own hook to make the world as beautiful as possible; sprinkles the trees with blossoms and perfume, scatters the ground with flowers, sweetens the air with song. You can’t escape her bounty if you will. This year, however, she couldn’t complain of lack of coöperation. Hardly had the frost fairly left the ground when there was an unprecedented demand in our town for horses and plows. There were not enough to go around. I let Hadley go in order to take the many jobs that were offered him, but with every plow and horse in the neighborhood in use I saw much land that would be late for seed. If tangible evidence was needed of what the Pioneer Club had already accomplished it was in this state of affairs. There had been no difficulty the year before. One Sunday Holt and I scoured the surrounding towns for men and horses and secured six teams on the promise of at least a week’s work for each. They were willing enough to come, even though in doing so they neglected their own work. It was the old story of their being willing for five dollars a day cash in hand to jeopardize a future ten. However, that was their own lookout and I quieted my conscience with the thought that if we made as good as we hoped to do the influence of this would spread to the neighboring towns. They were mighty curious as to what was going on. “What’s got into you people, anyhow?” asked one man. “We’re getting ready for the planting,” I said. “Well, something must have happened to make you so all-fired busy down your way,” one of them answered. Even among neighboring towns our village had a bad reputation.