Mary Erskine

ing the mistress of her own independent home we

as placed near the brook, in order that Albert might have a watering-place at hand for his horses and cattle when he should have stocked his farm. In felling the forest Albert left a fringe of trees along the banks of the brook, that it might be cool and shady there when the cattle went down to drink. There was a spring of pure cold water boiling up from beneath some rocks no

d cutting down any of the trees from the dell, or from around the spring, and in cutting down those which grew near it, he took care to make them fall away from the dell, s

to secure the useful end. But his kind and playful co-operator, nature, would always take up the work where he left it, and begin at once to beautify it with her rich and luxuriant verdure. For example, as soon as the fires went out over the clearing, she began, with her sun and rain, to blanch the blackened stumps, and to gnaw at their foundations with her tooth of decay. If Albert made a road or a path she rounded its angles, softened away all the roughness that his plow or hoe had left in it, and fringed it with grass and flowers. The solitary and slender trees which had been

ure for her. Mary sat with him, usually, at such times, knitting by the side of the great, blazing fire, made partly for the sake of the light that it afforded, and partly for the warmth, which was required to temper the coolness of the autumnal evenings. Mary took a very special interest in th

on calling her Mary Erskine just as before-"it is rather hard to make you wait so long for these conveniences, especially as there is no necessity fo

in debt for the

hat debt by the profits of the farming. I ca

e hundred dollars for something else than to pay old debts with. We will build a better house than this if we want one, one of t

with a large flat stone for a hearth in front of it. This hearth stone was very smooth, and Mary Erskine kept it always very bright and clean. On one side of the fire was what they called a settle, which was a long wooden seat with a very high back. It was placed on the side of the fire toward the door, so that it answered the purpose of a screen to keep off any cold currents of air, which might come in on blustering winter nights, around the door. On the other side of the fire was a small and very elegant mahogany work table. This was a present to Mary Erskine from Mrs. Bell on the day of her marriage. There were drawers in this table containing sundry conveniences. The upper drawer was made to answer the purpose of a desk, and it ha

d made white curtains for this window, which could be parted in the middle, and hung up upon nails driven into the logs which formed the wall of the house, one on each side. Of what use these curtains could be ex

ins. In the other corner was the place for the loom, with the spinning-wheel between the loom and the bed. When Mary Erskine was using the spinning-wheel, she brought it out into the cent

r clothes in a trunk; but Al

came, the new articles which Albert had made for her, and to explain to them the gradual progress of the improvements. Mary Bell herself was very fond of going to see Mary Erskine,-though she was of course at that time too young to go alone. Sometimes however Mrs. Bell would send her out in the morning and let her remain all day, playing, very happily, around the door and down by the spring. She used to

ys put on my working frock wh

ame to the farm. Her own dress was taken off and laid carefully away upon the bed, under the curtains. Her shoes and stockings were taken off too, so that

, for fear that she might get lost in the woods, nor go out of sight of the house in any direction. She might build fires upon any of the stumps or logs, but not within certain limits of distance from the house, lest she should set

g frock, at finding a great hole or hollow under a stump, which she immediately resolved to have for her o

kine! Mar

ound of the spinning-wheel in the house, and she wondered w

,-but with no better success than before. At last she got up and walked along toward the house, swinging in her h

got to the door of the house, "di

aid Mary

not you come?"

said Mary Erskine, "and now I

y Bell's countenance was changed immediately into one of surprise and pleasure

t shall your p

ant me for?" as

you to see

an oven?" aske

nder a stump. I have got some w

Mary Erskine, "g

he dipper, so completely was it worn out: but this made it all the better for a fire-pan, since the air which came up through the holes, fanned the coals and kept them alive. This dipper was very valuable, too,

nto the house, and Mary Erskine, raking open the ashes in the fire-place, took out two large coals with the tongs

ry Erskine, "and then if you fall do

, which she found scattered about the ground, and put them upon the coals to make the fire. She stopped now and then a minute or two to rest and to listen to the sound of Mary Erskine's spinning. At last som

he, "I almost forgot a

"I hoped that you had fo

said Ma

Erskine, "I don't l

Mary Bell, very positively, "an

er spinning, "for me to have to give you two potatoes to roast in your oven?

," said

pail out in the stoop. But you must wash them first, before

gers smutty," said Mary Bell, "at my

ary Erskine. "You can go down

k, too," sai

" said Mary Erskine; "only

he margin of the water, and she determined to push it in and sail it, for her ship, putting the two potatoes on for cargo. After sailing the potatoes about for some time, her

oes in, and then after covering them, over with the sand, she went to the

ided the garden to be watered was not too far from the brook: for the shower

y for the roasting. Her little feet sank into the sand at the margin of the water while she held the potatoes in the stream, one in each hand, and watched the current as it swept swift

ry Erskine, with an endless variety of childish imaginings. Her working-frock became in fact,

en, while Mary Erskine had lived at Mrs. Bell's, very much interested in a young man named Gordon. He was a clerk in a store in the village. He was a very agreeable young man, and much more genteel and polished in his personal appearance than Albert. He had great influence among the young men of the village, being the leader in all the excursions and parties of pleasure which were formed among them. Anne Sophia knew very well that Mr. Gordon liked to see young ladies handsomely dressed when they appeared in public, and partly to please him, and partly to gratify that very

rs. Anne Sophia was a very capable and intelligent girl, and as Mr. Gordon thought, would do credit to any society in which she might be called to move. He became

s of recommendation which he obtained from the village people, he obtained a large stock of goods, on credit, in the city. When buying his goods he also bought a small quantity of handsome furniture, on the same terms. He hired a store. He also hired a small white house, with green trees around it, and a pretty garden behind. He was married nearly at the same time wi

was very good. He paid for his furniture, and bo

brought her in a chaise as far as to the corner, and she walked the rest of the way. She was dressed very handsomely, and yet in pretty good taste. It

id she, "but I have been so busy, and we have had so much company. But I want to see you very much indeed. We have a beautiful house, and I have a great desire to show it to you. I think you ha

y well. The real reason why she liked it so much was one that Anne Sophia did not consider. The reason was

and when Mary Bell was only four or five years old. Phonny and Malleville, as well as a great many other children, had grown up from infancy s