ups,” from the bit of stick to which the line is attached, falling over when the fish bite. The largest pickerel caught here, are said to weigh about six pounds.
Wednesday, 19th.—The great spring house-cleaning going on in the village just now, and a formidable time it is in most families, second only as regards discomfort, to the troubles of moving. Scarce an object about a house seems in its proper place—topsy-turvy is the order of the day; curtains and carpets are seen hanging out of doors, windows are sashless, beds are found in passages, chairs are upside down, the ceiling is in possession of the whitewash brush, and the mop “ has the floor,” as reporters say of Hon. M. C.’s. Meanwhile, the cleaners, relentless as Furies, pursue the family from room to room, until the last stronghold is invaded, and the very cats and dogs look wretched. Singular as it may appear, there are some active spirits in the country—women spirits, of course—who enjoy house-cleaning: who confess that they enjoy it. But then there are men who enjoy an election, and it was settled ages ago that there is no arguing upon tastes. Most sensible people would be disposed to look upon both house-cleaning and elections, as among the necessary evils of life—far enough from its enjoyments. One would like to know from which ancestral nation the good people of this country inherit this periodical cleaning propensity; probably it came from the Dutch, for they are the most noted scourers in the old world, though it is difficult to believe that such a sober, quiet race as the Hollanders, could have carried on the work with the same restlessness as our own housewives. We are said to have taken the custom of moving on May-day, from our Dutch forefathers, and I believe there is no doubt of that fact; but then we may rest assured that a whole town
