Mary Erskine

advantages cannot be enjoyed, it is astonishing how far a little ingenuity, and resolution, and earnestness, on the part of the pupil, will atone for the deficiency. No child need

resolute, and determined. It is only the irresolute, the incompetent, and the feeble-minded that are dep

of the ironing-board, which was a long and wide board, made very smooth on both sides. This board Mary Erskine placed across two chairs, having previously laid two blocks of wood upon the chairs

had placed a small thin board which she found in the shop, and by the side of it a piece

looked, as it lay upon the desk, as if it were perfectly new. Mary Erskine had kept it very carefully in her work-table drawer, as it was the only picture-book that Bella had. She was accustomed to take it out sometimes in the evening, and show the pictures to Bella, one by one, explaining them at the same time, so far as she could guess a

k which Mary Erskine had prepared for

u going to study?

have my work to do, all the day, and so I shall not begin my studies until the ev

he pen," said Mary Bell. "Yo

ine. "I am going to

. "We always learn to read,

nking about it, and I think that will be best. I have got the plan all formed

"I will. The first copy

e my name. I shall never have any occasion to write straight

gin with writing your

nly Mary. I want you to write me two copies, one with the l

it into the inkstand. The inkstand had been placed into the chair which Mary Bell's end of th

stood by while she wrote, examining very attentively her method of doing the work, and especially her way of holding the pen. When the copy was finished, Mary Erskine cut it off

when this was done. "I have got my work befo

aking the first two, a and b, for her first lesson. Mary Bell made copies of those two letters for her, with the chalk, upon the top of the

ake your board and your chalk out to the door and sit upon the step. You must spend all the time in making the letters on the board, and you may say a and b while you are making th

and there was always an abundant supply of chips in it, from Albert's cutting. The basket, it is true, was quite small, and to fill it once with chips, was but a slight punishment; but slight punishments are always sufficient for sustaining any just and

egin now?"

wait, if you like, till Mar

ng to draw," said Mary Be

said Mary Erskine. "I am very sorry th

he leaves, to find, as she said, the picture of a house. She should think,

that the house alone should be the lesson. There was a pond near it, with a shore, and ducks and geese swimming in the water. Then there was

ne of it is, and look at all those little lines, and those, and those," continued Mary Erskine, pointing to the different parts of the chimney. "You must examine in the same way all the other lines, in all the other parts of the picture, and see exactly how fine they are, a

as explaining these things to Mary Bell, and then said

mother, "you mu

e letters than it is to

er mother, "I

t the littlest scholar ought to

ose things were not done that seemed best to the s

Bell, "why must no

, and said she acknowledged that the ch

begin; because when you once begin, you must

he children,

n," said M

ary Erskine went on with her own regular employment. The silence continued unbroken f

! I can't

ket of chips," s

" said Bella, "I hav

f your board," she continued, "and every time you speak put down another

pick up as many baskets of chips as should be indicated by the line of chalk marks. She, therefore, resumed her work, inwardly resolving that she would not sp

the letters which had been assigned her for her lesson, and calli

ompared it very attentively with the original in the picture-book, and observed several places in which Mary Bell had deviated from her pattern. She did not, however, point out any of these faults to Mary Bell, but simply said th

mpared them with the letters which Mary Bell had made for patterns, and also with specimens of the letters in the books. Bella took great interest in looking for the letters in the book, much pleased to find that she knew them wherever she saw them. Her mother, too, learned a and b very effectually by this examination of Bella's work. Mary Erskine selected the two b

finished she cut the part of the paper which it was drawn upon off from the rest, and ruled around it a neat margin of double black lines. She obtained a narrow strip of wood, from the shop which served her as a ruler. She said that she meant to have all h

children and put them to bed. By this time it was nearly nine o'clock. The day had been warm and pleasant, but the nights at this season were cool, and

y familiar with the forms of them; so that she not only knew exactly what she had to do in writing the letters, but she felt a strong interest in doing it. She, however, made extremely awkward work in her first attempts at writing the letters. She, nevertheless, steadily persevered. She wrote the words, first in separate letters, and then afterwards in

give up till I am beaten. I will write an hour every day for six months, a

y which the drawing was made in the book, with great attention and care, in order that she might imitate them as precisely as possible. She succeeded very well indeed in this second attempt. The swing made even a prettier picture than the house. When it was finished she cut the paper out, of the same size with the other, drew a bo

: that was the r. All the rest of the letters, however, were new, and she had to practice writing the word two evenings before she could write it well, without looking at the copy. She then thought that probably by that time she had forgotten Mary; but on

and those three were very easy to write. In fine, at the end of the four days, when Mary Be

nd how useful her daughter had been. She was particularly pleased with her drawings. She said that she had been very des

l. "I think that Mary Erskine is a t

too," said

Bell to carry home, and Mrs. Bell then asked Mary if s

r me to sell the farm, and the new house, and all the

eemed to be thinking whether th

go to school from h

the school-house. I find that I can learn the letters faster than Bella can, and that without inte

r move into the village. Half the money that the farm and the stock will sell for, will buy you a very pleasant hous

t of my money, as I should if I were to buy a house in the village with it to live in myself. I can earn enough here too by knitting, and by spinning and weaving, for all that we shall want while the children are young. I can keep a little land with this house, and let Thomas, or some other such boy l

and dollars!"

skine, "if I have c

k the farm and stock will

ary Erskine. "That put out at interes

Bell, "but that makes onl

of my own earnings, especially when Bella gets a little b

said M

enty-five dollars a year. Which will be at

rs. Bell, "that mak

rs I should be able to sell this house and the land around it for a hundred

r two thousand doll

plied Mar

ose you a

y Erskine, "of course that breaks up all my p

sfaction upon her countenance, "I can't advise you. But if ever I

rs. Bell called her daughter, and t