where we burned it before. This morning we just had the little stone boat but it took such a small load that Dad. nailed a couple of boards to it and we found we could put more than twice as much on but when we started up the brush caught on the ground and the stone boat pulled out from under it, but Dad. got another board and put down the middle so there was no space for the brush to stick in the ground and it went all right. Huby and I went up with every load one on each side with a bar jammed into the brush for a lever to hold it on. We put on big loads and packed them well by taking the long iron bar and putting it accross the top of the load every now and then and one got on each end of the bar and bear down with all our weight and every now and then Huby would walk up the load and tramp on it. By to-night we had nearly all the brush which was separated from the big limbs cleaned up, spare moments Huby painted the places on the trees where he cut big limbs off and has got over most of the trees. Alfred paid us a visit this after noon he had come up the gully with a fish spear on a "wild goose chase" so he said and just stopped in on his way home. By today's paper we see that the Mexican war with the U.S. has started. The Americans have taken the Vera Cruz custom house with only four of their men killed and about 200 Mexicans. Canon Hicks died yesterday with pneumonia so Dick told us. It has been a lovely sunny day with a drying breeze.

Thursday April 23rd

We finished the orchard up to-day, it looks very nice and neat. We got the brush all hauled up by noon but are going to leave it till Saturday if it is a nice day so Lila can see it. We hauled the big limbs up and piled them between the old house and the woodshed. We also hauled the old stump of the dead tree that we cut down last winter up to the house and to-night before we took old Harry of the stone boat Huby and I hauled the old shoes which have been in the garret over the old house since the days of Titus up to the brush pile and dumped them. There was an awful pile of them. Huby brought over some suckers with him this morning that Quint caught and Frank went fishing after school to-night and caught seven perch down at the pier. They are about the first he has got since he has been here. Enah got a letter from Louise to-day inviting her down next Wednesday night to hear the new organ in St. Pauls cathedral. It is supposed to be the best organ in America and they are having the best payed organist in the world to play it so it ought to be good. Of course she said she couldn't go but there is no reason what ever why she can't as so I guess she will