Mrs. Peterkin was much pleased with the old-fashioned porch and
low-studded rooms, though the sleeping-rooms seemed a little
stuffy at first.
Mr. Peterkin was delighted with the admirable order in which the
farm was evidently kept. From the first moment he arrived he
gave himself to examining the well-stocked stables and barns, and
the fields and vegetable gardens, which were shown to him by a
highly intelligent person, a Mr. Atwood, who devoted himself to
explaining to Mr. Peterkin all the details of methods in the
farming.
The rest of the family were disturbed at being so far from the sea,
when they found it would take nearly all the afternoon to reach
the beach. The advertisements had surely stated that the "Old
Farm" was directly on the shore, and that sea-bathing would be
exceedingly convenient; which was hardly the case if it took you
an hour and a half to walk to it.
Mr. Peterkin declared there were always such discrepancies
between the advertisements of seaside places and the actual facts;
but he was more than satisfied with the farm part, and was glad to
remain and admire it, while the rest of the family went to find the
beach, starting off in a wagon large enough to accommodate
them, Agamemnon driving the one horse.
Solomon John had depended upon taking the photographs of the
family in a row on the beach; but he decided not to take his
camera out the first afternoon.
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