Tied to his store by reason of his inability to afford a competent assistant, the farming operations were carried on in haphazard fashion by neighbours who were willing to liquidate their store debts with odd days' work at times most convenient to themselves, but not always most seasonable for the crops.
Hence in good years, none too good with such haphazard farming, the farm was called upon to make up the deficiency in the financial returns of the store.

In bad years notes had to be renewed with formidable accumulations of interest.

But such was Mr.Gwynne's invincible optimism that he met every new embarrassment with some new project giving new promise of success.
Meanwhile during these painful years his brave little wife by her garden and her poultry materially helped to keep the family in food and to meet in some degree the household expenses.

She was her own servant except that the Widow Martin came to her aid twice a week.

Her skill with needle and sewing machine and a certain creative genius which she possessed enabled her to evolve from her husband's old clothes new clothes for her boy, and from her own clothing, when not too utterly worn, dresses for her two little girls.