"The Lord has appointed to each of us our three-score years and ten, and it behooves us to be mindful that the end of all things is drawing nigh," he remarked soberly.
"Look here, Elder Witham," the old lady exclaimed with growing impatience, "you are here haying to-day, not preaching! I'm going to lay that load of hay if there are men enough here to pitch it on the cart to me." Jim and Asa snorted; Theodora's efforts to keep a grave face were amusing; and with queer little wrinkles gathering round the corners of his mouth the old Squire, who had finished his luncheon, rose hastily to go out.
We went back to the south field and plied our seven rakes vigorously for an hour and a half.

Then Asa went to get the horses and the long rack cart.

That day, I remember, Jim laid the loads.

Halstead helped him to tread down the hay, and Elder Witham and Asa pitched it on the cart.

The old Squire had mounted the driver's seat and taken the reins; and Addison and I raked up the scatterings from the "tumbles." In the course of two hours four loads of the hay had gone into the barn, and we thought that the thirty-three tumbles that remained could be drawn at the fifth and last load.