Mary Erskine

poor, and lived in so secluded and solitary a place, that Mary had no opportunity then to go to school. She began to work too as soon as she was able to do any t

ell the day that she went to live with her, that she did not even know any of the letters, except the round one and the crooked one. The ro

the people of the family and the neighbors gradually fell into the habit of calling each of them by her full name, in order to distinguish t

en she was in company. When Mary Bell became old enough to run about and play, Mary Erskine became her playmate and companion, as well as her protector. There was no distinction of rank to separate them. If Mary Bell had been as old as Mary Erskine and had had a younger sister, her

he had a great deal of pride and independence of spirit; and she was very unwilling to go to school-being, as she was, almost in her teens-and begin there to learn her letters with the little children. Mrs. Bell ought to have required her to go, notwithstanding her reluctance, or else to have made some other proper arrangement for teaching her to read and write. Mrs. Bell was aware of this in fact, and frequently resolved that she would do so. But s

nized him, immediately, as a young man whom she called Albert, who had often been employed by Mrs. Bell, at work about the farm and garden. Albert was a very sedate and industrious young man, of frank and open and manly countenance, and of an erect and athletic form. Mary Erskine liked Albert very well, and yet the first impulse was, when she saw h

Mary Erskine,

Albert," said

to walk along slowly,

ere for you more than

n to beat, and she was afraid to say any thin

to the village, and I wanted to

lked along, but

ching two months for you to go t

ch to the village,

e of a few minutes, w

my walking along with you

Mary, "no

arm. I am thinking of buying a lot of land, about a mile beyond Kater's corner. If I will do it, and buil

Bell what took place at this interview, th

down, and the evening was beautiful. Mrs. Bell was sitting in a low rocking-chair, on a little covered platform, near the door, which they called the stoop. There were two seats, one on each side o

Erskine to Mary Bell. "I am going to talk with your m

h at the side of Mrs. Bell, though rather behind than before her. There was a railing along behind th

something to say to her, so after remarking that it was a very pleas

ell," s

said M

ary Erskine did not kn

nger and then making a

me to go and l

ll. "And where does he

f buying a farm,"

said Mr

is about a mile fr

han child that she had taken under her care so many years ago, had really grown to be a woman, and must soon, if not then, begin to form her own

lections like these, Mrs. Bell r

what do you thi

said Mary Erskine, t

y young," sa

; and afterwards, when my mother died, I was very young to be left all alone, and to go

hteen?" aske

ne, "I was eighteen th

beyond Kater's Corner," said

ot afraid of lonesomeness. I never ca

to work very hard,"

any more than I am of lonesomeness. I began to work when I wa

I shall do with my Mary when you have gone away. Y

nd still keeping her face averted from Mrs. Bell, she went in by the stoop door into the house, and disappeared. In about ten minutes she came round the corner of the house, at the place where Mary Bell was playing

cres of land, all in forest. A great deal of the land was mountainous and rocky, fit only for woodland and pasturage. There were, however, a great many fertile vales and dells, and at o

s and bushes had been cut away so as to open a space wide enough for a sled road in winter. In summer there was nothing but a wild path, winding among rocks, stumps, trunks of fallen trees, and other forest obstruc

set them on fire. He chose for the burning, the afternoon of a hot and sultry day, when a fresh breeze was blowing from the west, which he knew would fan the flames and increase the conflagration. It was important to do this, as the amount of subsequent labor which he would have to p

ned ascended a little from the road, and presented a gently undulating surface, which Mary Erskine thoug

ell had come in with them to see the fire,-to a little

that beautiful? Did you

can see that it will be a beautiful place for a farm. Why

t of the ground, and a wild brook which came tumbling down from the mountains, and then, after running across the road, fell into the larger stream, not far from the corner of the farm. The brook and the stream for

through the whole length of the clearing, look

er, Mary," said Albert. "I don't know but t

xpress the cordial interest which she felt in Albert's plans;-but, then, on the other hand, she did not like to say any thing which might seem to

ary Erskine's coming to live here? She can't come an

thoughts and plans to pay any attention to Mary Bell'

wished to ascertain whether she could do any good by coming at once, or

will be a great deal better for me to live here, in order to save my traveling back and forth, so far, every night and morning. Then this winter I shall have my tools to make,-and to finish the

kine. "I would rath

eat satisfaction. "Then I will get the house up n

llars of his own, and enough besides to buy a winter stock of provisions for his house. He had expected to have gone in debt for the sixty dollars, the whole price of the land being one hundred and sixty; but to his great surprise and pleasure Mary Erskine told him, as they were comin

t will be quite en

nt a great deal. We shall want a table and

ed," sai

will not cost much, and you can get some straw for me. Next sum

nives and forks, and

think fifteen dollars will get us all we need. Besides the

put out at intere

urniture that we shall need, this winter. I shall have

veral men at a time, as for example, the raising of heavy logs one upon another to form the walls of a house. In order to obtain logs for the building Albert and his helpers cut down fresh trees from the forest, as the blackened and half-burned trunks, which lay about his clearing, were of course unsuitable for such a work. They selected the tallest and straightest trees, and after felling them and cutting them to the proper

ntally, for she could not write, of the articles which it would be best to purchase. She formed and matured in her own mind all her house-keeping plans. She pictured to herself the scene which the interior of her dwelling would present in cold and stormy winter evenings, while she was knitting at one side of the fire, and Albert was b

y to get moved to it, was put in; and early in August Mary Erskine was married. She was mar