during the first years (a taxing job) and by continuously im-

proving the fence in recent years, – I managed to rescue

a number of trees, – until now with careful nurturing they

had begun to bear fruit, – and the children, – in particular

Arnold, – derived great pleasure from them; – and then the

hare arrives – that swine – and chews all the bark

off the trees, so that they stood there so unbearably barefoot

in the snow, that I couldn’t bare the sight of it, and

chopped them down the first day, I was capable of rising

out of bed. All that damage, the hare has caused

me cannot be calculated in money, – even though it

amounts to a couple of thousand in direct losses alone, – what

is worse is the time; – one gets older and ex-

pects to reap the fruit from the labour of one’s youth, – and then

all is destroyed in a couple of nights, – just because

a little opening had been made in the fence, –

incidentally the hare jumps over all sorts of fences, once

it has gotten a taste of something good; – I ^have

on the other hand finally convinced the municipality to declare

it "an outlaw" for all the destruction it wreaks in fields,

meadows, vegetables, fruit trees and young forests (especially pine).

If only I knew of a place at a more southern latitude,

where one for a reasonable price might purchase a plot of land,

then I would build there and abandon this place, – or

only make a trip here during the spring and summer. Well now

I have as usual bothered You with so much nonsense. You

must say hello to Höst – Engel sends her warmest greetings (she

has a bad cold) With best wishes

Your devoted Astrup

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