The nearer she approached the place the happier she felt. It was autumn,
which meant a busy time with a round of duties. It must have been all
these varying duties which prevented home from ever being monotonous.
All along the way the farmers were digging potatoes, and probably they
would be doing likewise at her home. That meant that they must begin
immediately to grate potatoes and make potato flour. The autumn had been
a mild one; she wondered if everything in the garden had already been
stored. The cabbages were still out, but perhaps the hops had been
picked, and all the apples.
It would be well if they were not having house cleaning at home. Autumn
fair time was drawing nigh, everywhere the cleaning and scouring had to
be done before the fair opened. That was regarded as a great event--more
especially by the servants. It was a pleasure to go into the kitchen on
Market Eve and see the newly scoured floor strewn with juniper twigs,
the whitewashed walls and the shining copper utensils which were
suspended from the ceiling.
Even after the fair festivities were over there would not be much of a
breathing spell, for then came the work on the flax. During dog days the
flax had been spread out on a meadow to mould. Now it was laid in the
old bath house, where the stove was lighted to dry it out.
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