If Youre Going to Live in the Country | Page 9

schedules; a five or ten minutes' drive sees him outside
the city limits, and another twenty or thirty may find him rolling into
his own driveway. Smooth sailing between office and home depend
only on a reliable car and good roads.
One should make sure the latter are passable in the winter at all times.
For instance, are the Town Fathers liberal with the snow plow? Can its
cheery hum be heard even at midnight if a heavy fall of snow makes it
necessary? Does it come down the little dirt road where your modest
acres are located? These are questions all commuters should ask

whether their journey cityward is made entirely by automobile or partly
by train. Further, whatever means of transportation are used, the
monthly cost should be reckoned carefully. It is one of the largest
single items involved in this scheme of living in the country and
working in the city.
There is also the question of food and other household supplies.
Granted one no longer expects to run around the corner for a loaf of
bread or a dozen eggs that may have been left off the morning shopping
lists, just how far away is the nearest grocer? Is he at all receptive to the
idea of making an occasional delivery in the outlying districts? How
about the rubbish collector, if any; the milkman; the purveyors of ice,
coal and wood? Are there a lighting system in the vicinity, telephone
facilities, and so forth? These last need not be deciding factors, all other
things being equal. They are simply matters to investigate. It is then for
the family to decide whether to do without any or all of them if
necessary.
Besides in a wisely chosen location, these, though lacking at first, are
soon added as the demand grows. When we began our own experiment
in country living, it was with difficulty that we got even a telephone
installed. Instead of electricity, our evenings were lighted by candles or
kerosene lamps and our meals were cooked on an oil stove. Grocers
and other tradesmen didn't even know how to get to the little area. Yet
within three years enough other people like us had moved into the
vicinity to warrant extension of electric service through the
neighborhood, and a milk route, rubbish service, deliveries of laundry,
food, ice, and other household needs were soon added. The Fuller brush
man has for years known the way to our door and now even our Sunday
newspapers are delivered, although we are six miles from the nearest
news stand.
This brings us to the question of neighborhood, which is important.
Beware of a place too near a small factory settlement. The latter is apt
to grow and destroy the peace you have come so far to get. Besides,
your property value will decline in direct ratio. We once knew a
charming place set high on a hill with neat hedges, shrubs, and arbors

reminiscent of England, birthplace of the man who built and developed
it. The family that bought the property forgot to look down at the foot
of the hill. If they had, they would have seen a large and efficient
looking factory and could have read the signs accordingly.
The disadvantages of a country home located close to a hamlet
inhabited by old native stock families that have degenerated should be
weighed carefully. Such people resent what they consider unwarranted
intrusion by newcomers and have many underhanded ways of
expressing their antagonism. Of course, if these settlers are merely
tenants and the region shows distinct signs that a number of city
pioneers are about to buy property there, it may be a gamble worth
taking, since one can always buy property cheaper before a boom than
after it has set in. Also, these settlements are frequently located in the
most beautiful sections of the country. Some of the houses are quaint
farm cottages that only need a thorough cleaning and a little intelligent
restoration to make them attractive homes for any one.
Again, some of the most picturesque and desirable locations are off on
by-roads. They are much to be preferred to property directly on the
main highway since they are well away from the roar of traffic; and if
there are children or pets, one need not be constantly on the alert to
keep them from straying off the premises. However, half a mile off the
main highway answers the purpose as well as a longer distance and one
must be sure that half mile is passable at all times of the year.
We have in mind one young couple who bought a place in Vermont. It
stands well up on a hill and the view is worth going many miles to see.
A picturesque dirt road winds