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COUSIN LUCY
AMONG THE
MOUNTAINS.
AUTHOR OF THE EOLLO BOOKS.
A NEW EDITION,
REVISED BY THE AUTHOR
NEW YORK:
CLARK, AUSTIN & SMITH,
8 PARK ROW AND 3 ANN-STREET,
1854.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1842,
By B. B. MUSSEY,
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Massachusetts.
PREFACE.
This volume, with its companion,
Cousin Lucy upon the Sea-Shore,
is intended as a continuation of Lucy's
history, four volumes of which have been
already published. They present to the
juvenile reader an account of the gradual
progress made by our little heroine in
the acquisition of knowledge, and in the
formation of character, though in very
different scenes from those in which the
incidents of the preceding volumes have
been laid.
g
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I. PagB
Fording, £
CHAPTER II.
The General's, ii
CHAPTER III.
The Inspection, 3c
CHAPTER IV.
A Walk, 51
CHAPTER V.
Robert's Clearing, 64
CHAPTER VI.
Philosophy, 82
CHAPTER VII.
The Slab 96
8 CONTENTS
CHAPTER VIII.
Pago.
Shopping, 109
CHAPTER IX.
An Escape, 122
CHAPTER X.
Effect 133
CHAPTER XL
The Gap among the Mountains, 146
CHAPTER XII.
Pump-Making, 153
CHAPTER XIII.
The Return, 167
LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
CHAPTER I
FORDING.
One summer afternoon, in the fall of the year,
just after sunset, there was a chaise coming down
a long hill in the woods. The hill was steep, and
there was a rocky precipice on one side of the
road. There were lofty mountains all around.
In the chaise there were three persons — a gen-
tleman, a lady, and a little girl. The girl was
Rollo's cousin Lucy. The gentleman and lady
were her father and mother. They were taking
a journey.
The country was very wild and mountainous,
and the road desolate and solitary. If it had been
morning, Lucy would have been pleased with the
cliffs and precipices, and the towering summits of
the mountains. But now, as the sun had gone
10 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
down, it seemed lonely. In fact, Lucy was a
little afraid.
" How much farther have we got to go ? " she
asked.
" I don't know," said her father; "it must be
several miles."
" Hark ! father," said Lucy, again ; " I hear a
roaring."
" Yes," said her father ; " it is down in the
valley below us."
Lucy said nothing in reply to this ; but, if her
father could have seen her face, he would have
perceived that she looked anxious and pale. She
aid not know what that roaring could be.
" I presume there is a stream there," said her
father, — " perhaps a small river."
" O," said Lucy, " a river roaring. I didn't
know but that it might be — some — some wild
beasts."
Lucy was a little ashamed of her fears, and so
she spoke hesitatingly.
Her mother smiled faintly, and then immedi-
ately looked serious again. In fact, her mother
was a little afraid herself. She did not like cross-
ing rivers so late, in strange and wild places.
She was afraid that the bridge might break down.
Lucy's father, however, said that he presumed
FORDING. 11
that the bridge was perfectly safe, for he thought
they would have a good bridge on a road so much
travelled as that appeared to be.
He was, however, in error in all his calculations
on the subject ; for, as it happened, there was no
bridge at all. He learned this before he came to
the river ; for, when they had reached the bottom
of the hill, they met a man on horseback, and so
they stopped to inquire of him about their road.
They asked him if there was a good bridge over
that stream ; and he said that there was no bridge
at all, but that there was a very good place to
ford.
" O, I am afraid to ford," said Lucy's mother.
" So am I," said Lucy.
" Is the water deep ? " said her father to the
man.
" No, sir," replied the man, " not if you keep in
the right place, — just in the edge of the rips."
So saying, the man rode on.
Lucy's father then moved his horse slowly on
down the road, which gradually descended into a
ravine, where Lucy could hear the water roaring.
Lucy said that she was afraid to have the horse
wade through the river.
" So am 1," said her mother.
12 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
" I don't quite like the adventure myself," said
her father, " but there is no other alternative."
" Can't we go back ? " said her mother.
" Not very well. It is several miles back to
any place where we could spend the night* and
then we should have to come and ford this stream
to-morrow morning ; so that we shouldn't gain
much."
" Only it would be light," said Lucy.
" And perhaps we might find some other way, ,;
said her mother.
" We'll go down to the bank of the stream, and
see, at any rate," said her father. And he ac-
cordingly rode on. The rocks and precipices
were so high on each side of the road, and the
river itself so crooked, winding around among
them, that they could not see far before them.
At length, however, they came in sight of the
surface of the water, gleaming through the trees
before them ; and in a few minutes more, they
came down to the bank of a very broad stream.
"O dear me!" said Lucy; "I am sure I am
afraid to wade across such a big river as this."
Her father said nothing, but be stopped the
horse upon the sand of the shore, and began to
look up and down over the water.
FORDING. 13
" It looks very shallow," said he.
" What is shallow, sir ? " said Lucy.
" Wliy, not deep," replied her father.
" What did the man mean by the rips ?" asked
Lucy's mother.
" He meant the ripples in the water there, all
across the stream, just below us." So saying,
Lucy's father pointed, and showed Lucy and her
mother where the water was rough, being full of
little waves, which tumbled along, making a sort
of rippling noise. These ripples extended quite
across the stream just below where they were.
But above them, the surface of the water was
calm and smooth, like glass. This calm surface
also, like the ripples below, extended across from
shore to shore.
The sun had been set for some time, but still
there was a great deal of light in the western part
of the sky. This light shone upon the water, and
enabled them to see, pretty distinctly, the line
of the rips, where the man had said that they
must go.
" I wouldn't go through the waves, father," said
Lucy ; " I would go where the water is smooth."
" No," said her father ; " we'll follow the direc-
tions."
As he said this, he began to drive the horse into
2
14 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
the water. The bottom was covered with fine
pebble-stones, so that it was by no means as
smooth as the road which they had been travelling
in: still they got along very well. The water
gradually grew deeper and deeper, until it came
up to the step of the chaise. They were then
in about the middle of the river.
" O father," said Lucy, " what a wide river ! "
" Yes," said her father, " it is pretty wide, and
I believe I'll stop the horse a minute or two, and
let you look about."
So he pulled the reins a little, and said, whoa,
and the horse stopped ; while Lucy and her
mother looked up and down the river. Lucy
could see better than her mother, for she was
seated in the middle of the chaise, upon a low
seat. It was a little farther forward than the seat
which her parents were sitting upon, so that she
could see up and down the river very well. The
reflection of the clouds in the water was very
beautiful, and there were trees upon the banks,
hano;ing over into the stream. The river came
round between two high hills, a short . distance
above where they were, and there were crags,
and precipices, and high mountains, all around.
"1 see one house," said Lucy's mother.
" Where is it, mother ? " said Lucv
FORDING. 17
Her mother pointed towards the house. It
seemed to be pretty far off on one side of the
valley, far above where they were. They could
not see its situation very distinctly, because it was
so nearly dark ; but it appeared to be on an
elevated table of land, with high mountains be-
yond it.
" There are three houses there," said Lucy.
" I can see three."
" No," replied her father; " those are the barns,
I presume ; however, we must drive on."
He accordingly drove on. Lucy watched the
house as long as she could. It was not very large,
and was painted white, and there was an enormous
elm hanging over it, like an umbrella. The barns,
which Lucy thought, at first, were other houses,
were very large ; but they were partly hidden by
trees, so that she could not see them very distinctly.
And presently, when the horse drew near the
shore, the tops of some large pine-trees, which
grew upon the bank, came in the way, and they
lost sight of the house altogether. When the
horse reached the opposite bank of the river, he
walked up the ascent, and then came to a smooth
and pleasant road, through a level mowing field,
with groves of trees upon one side along the bank
of the river. The level field did not extend very
2*
18 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
far ; and when they came to the end of it, they
began to ascend a hill. A short distance before
them, they saw a man coming with a cart and
oxen.
" I believe I'll stop," said Lucy's father, " and
ask him how far it is to the next tavern."
" Yes," said Lucy ; " 1 would."
And just before they met the man, her mother
said, in a lower tone, " Ask him, too, whether
we shall have to ford another stream."
Just at that minute, they saw that the man was
driving: his team out of the road, in order to make
room for them to pass ; for the road here was
quite narrow. When they got opposite to him,
he stood among the bushes, with one arm resting
upon the yoke of his oxen, waiting for them to
pass. He nodded to them, with a frank and pleas-
ant expression of countenance.
"Will you tell me, sir," said Lucy's father,
" how far it is to the next tavern ? " t
"Why, it's — not far from five miles — equal
to ten."
"How so?"
" O, it's right up and down hill all the way."
" It will take us two or three hours to get there,
then," said Lucy's father to her mother. Then
he turned to the man again, and said, < —
FORDING. 19
" Shall we have any other stream to ford be-
fore we get there ? "
" No," said the man, " no other stream ; but
you'll have to cross this same one again about four
miles from here."
" Ah ! " said her father. — " Is it a pretty good
place to cross ? "
" Yes, very good," said the teamster.
" Better than it is down here, where we just
came across ? " said Lucy's mother.
" No," said the man, " not better than that ;
we don't call it any thing crossing there, when the
water is as low as it is now."
Lucy's mother said no more, and her father
was just about driving on, when he reined up
his horse again a moment to say, —
" Then there's no place nearer than five miles,
where we can put up to-night."
" Why, yes," replied the man, " there's the
General's. I presume you could get accommo-
dated up here at the General's."
" How far is it to the General's ? "
" O, about a mile and a half," replied the
man.
" Does he make a practice of entertaining
travellers ? " said Lucy's father.
" Why, no," replied the man, " he does not
20 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
exactly make a practice of it ; but, then, he's very
glad to see them when they come."
" And he makes a regular charge for it, does
he?"
" O yes," said the man ; " you needn't be con-
cerned about that ; he's very reasonable in his
charges."
" Well, sir, I'm very much obliged to you,"
said Lucy's father ; and he immediately began to
whip up his horse, as if he was in a hurry to go
along. At the same time, he turned his face
away from the man towards Lucy, and seemed to
be trying to keep from laughing. . Something ap-
peared to amuse him very much ; so much, in fact,
that it seemed to be quite difficult for him to keep
sober until he got by the man.
" What are you laughing at, father ? " said
Lucy.
Her father did not answer, but only laughed
the more.
"Father," repeated Lucy, earnestly, "what
are you laughing at ? I am sure I don't think we
ought to laugh at that man for telling us about
our way."
" No," replied her father ; " I was not laughing
at the man, but only at the queer mistake he
made."
FORDING. 21
" What mistake ? " said Lucy.
" Why, he thought I was afraid that the
General would charge too much for entertaining
us ; whereas all that I was afraid of was, that he
would not charge any thing at all."
" What do you mean by charge, father ? " said
Lucy.
" Making us pay," replied her father.
" Well, what do you want him to make us pay
for ? " asked Lucy.
" O, we shall all feel a great deal more at
home at his house, if he is going to receive pay
for entertaining us. I shouldn't like to go into a
farmer's house, and have him get us some supper,
and give us beds to sleep in, and then get us
some breakfast in the morning, and then not pay
him any thing for all that trouble. But the man
thought that I was afraid we should have to pay
him too much."
Lucy did not understand exactly what her fa-
ther meant by speaking of a farmer's house ; for
the house where they were going was a general's
house, she thought, and not a fanner's. However,
she said no more about it. Her father said that
he had forgotten to ask what the General's name
was, and her mother said that she thought the
General's house must be the one they saw up
22 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
among the hills, when they were corning across
the stream.
" Very likely," said her father, in reply ; and
there the conversation ceased. They were all
tired, and so they rode on for nearly half an hour
in silence.
The road was generally up hill, though it was
level sometimes for a short distance ; and some-
times it even went down a little way, and then
up again. It curved about also, winding along
around rocks and precipices, and sometimes up
narrow ravines. At one place there was a great
tree growing out from the brink of a precipice by
the side of the road, far above them ; and the
tree hung over so far, that Lucy was afraid that
it would fall down upon their heads. But her
father said that he thought there was no danger.
They could hear the river roaring through the
valley far below them on one side of the road,
and now and then they got a glimpse of the wa-
ter, which was bright by the reflection of the sky.
At length they came to ground which seemed
to be more smooth. There began to be a fence
of rails on one side of the road. Presently the
fence stopped, and a wall began. The wall was
made of rough stones piled up in a row. Pretty
soon there was a wall on the other side of the road
FORDING. 23
too ; and beyond the wall on one side was an
orchard, the trees growing among large rocks,
which were scattered about the ground. On the
other side were broad, level fields, which looked
pretty smooth, though Lucy could not see them
very well. Her father said that he thought that
must be the General's mowing.
As they drove along, they could see that they
were passing different fields, having corn and
grain growing in them. These fields appeared to
be quite large, and the walls seemed to grow bet-
ter and more substantial the farther they ad-
vanced. Lucy's father said he had no idea that
there could have been such a place for a farm
among those mountains. Lucy, however, said
that she did not see any farm, nothing but some
fields.
They soon began to draw near the house.
They did not see the buildings until they came
very near them ; for there were forests and lofty
mountains behind them, which looked dark, and so
the barns, and sheds, and granaries were concealed.
The house, too, did not show itself until they
got almost to it. Lucy saw it first by means of a
light from one of the windows. She did not see
the light very plainly at first, because it shone
through some trees which were in the way ; but
24 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
presently, when they came into full view of it,
they saw that it was a very bright light.
" They've got a good fire," said Lucy's moth-
er, " and I'm glad of it, for I feel cold."
" So do I," said Lucy. " I'm glad they've got
a good fire."
Just at this time, her father turned his horse up
into a large yard, which extended along by the
side of the house. There were various out-Luild
ings all around the yard, and the great elm-tree
hung over it like a canopy. The elm-tree was
very large, and it stood pretty near the house, so
that one half of the branches overhung the house,
and the other half the yard. Lucy's father drove
up pretty near to the door.
25
CHAPTER II.
THE GENERAL'S.
Just as the chaise stopped in the yard, Lucy
saw a boy coming in from the barn towards the
house, with a basket in his hand. He ran along
towards the chaise, and Lucy's father asked him
if the General was at home.
" Yes, sir," said the boy ; " won't you walk in ?
I'll hold the horse while you get out."
" No," said Lucy's father ; " we won't get out
fet. But will you be good enough to ask him
if he will come to the door a moment."
The boy said he would, and he went into the
house. Lucy expected to see a man dressed in
uniform, with a gun in his hand, or at least a
sword ; and also with a feather in his cap, and
an epaulet on each shoulder. Instead of this,
however, much to her surprise, the boy came
out a moment after he had gone in, conducting
a plain-looking man, who appeared just like a
farmer.
3
26 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
" Is that the General ? " said Lucy, whispering
to her mother.
" Hush ! " said her mother.
The General had a plain, farmer-like look ; his
countenance, however, was intelligent and ex-
pressive. He seemed very glad to see the trav-
ellers. He invited them to come in immediately,
— even before he heard their story, — and when
Lucy's father had told him what their circum-
stances were, he said, —
"Yes, yes, — I can accommodate you just as
well as not. I am very glad to see you."
Then he told the boy to hold the horse's head,
while he took Lucy out, and put her down upon
a great flat stone before the door. Then her
father and mother got out, and the General took
ofFthe trunk, which was strapped on behind, and
set it down also upon the stone. He also took
out the other baggage, and then told the boy to
lead the horse off to the barn, and said that he
would send out Joseph to help him take care of
him. Then they all went into the house.
Just as they were going in at the door, Lucy
said, in a very low voice, to her mother, who was
leading her by the hand, —
" Mother, I thought that a general was a kind
of a soldier "
the general's. 27
" Hush ! hush ! Lucy," said her mother.
Lucy, therefore, said no more, but went in.
She found herself in a Jarge room, with a very
large fireplace in one side of it. There were
a great many strange things, — that is, things
strange to Lucy, — all about the room. There
was a long wooden seat, with a very high back
to it, by the wall, upon one side of the fire.
There was a round-faced, happy-looking girl,
sitting on this seat, about as big as Joanna. She
was knitting. There was, also, a young man sit-
ting by a window ; this was Joseph ; and he got
up and went out when the party came in, in
order to go to the barn, and help take care of
the horse. , The General and his wife put some
chairs before the fire, for Lucy and her father
and mother to sit down and warm themselves.
Lucy sat down with the rest, but she was so
much amazed at the strange things before her, —
the great hearth, made of monstrous flat stones,
the black iron andirons, with the tops turning over
in a curl, and the bright, blazing fire, — that she
did not think much about warming herself.
Then Lucy began to look about the room.
The light shone brightly upon the floor, and un-
der the tables. Under one table there was a
large black dog stretched out straight, with his
28 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
chin upon his fore paws, and watching Lucy
with the eye that was turned towards her. And
every time he heard a noise, he would raise his
head, and prick up his ears, and, after listening a
minute, lay it down again. In a minute or two,
Lucy saw him lift up his head very suddenly,
and look quite wild. Lucy heard, herself, at the
same moment, a low and distant sound of whis-
tling, which seemed to be out in the yard. The
dog started up, and ran towards the door, and
stood there a moment, whining for somebody to
open it. An instant afterwards, a little girl, whom
Lucy had not seen before, came quick, and opened
the door, and let him out. Then she went back,
and took her seat again upon a cricket in the
corner. She seemed to be about as old as Lucy;
and Lucy thought. to herself, that she wished she
was acquainted with her, and then she would go
and play with her. "And at any rate," said
she to herself, " I wish I knew what her name
was."
Her name, in fact, was Ellen. Lucy learned
her name pretty soon ; for the General's wife,
who was Ellen's mother, called her, in a few
minutes, to go and show Lucy and her mother
the way to the bedroom.
" Shall I light a candle, mother ? " said Ellen.
29
" Yes," said her mother.
Lucy then observed that Ellen went to a sort
of open cupboard, by the side of the room, where
there were a great many dishes and tins in rows,
all nice and bright ; and she took down an iron
candlestick, with a short candle in it, and came
and lighted it by the fire. Then she conducted
Lucy's mother, and Lucy herself, out through a
door in the back side of the room. The door
led into a small passage-way ; and, from this
passage-way, Ellen opened a door which led into
a very pleasant little bedroom. There was a
bed in the back side of the room, and a little
trundle-bed under it, which Lucy supposed was
for her. The middle of the floor was covered
with a small carpet. The rest of the floor was
painted. There were two windows, with white
curtains hanging before them, and between the
windows a table, covered with a white cloth.
Over the table was a looking-glass ; and there
was a large pincushion hanging under the glass
There was also a lightstand in a corner of the
room, with a Bible upon it.
Lucy's father came in immediately afterwards,
bringing in some of the baggage ; and, while he
was putting it down, Lucy went and lifted up
the curtain of the window to look out.
3*
30 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
" O, what a strange-looking place ! " said Lucy
" I never saw such a strange-looking place. Come
and see, mother."
Her mother went to the window to see. Di-
rectly before them, under the window, there was
a little green yard, with a stone wall running
along the back side of it. Beyond the wall,
there were trees and bushes ; and the land
seemed to descend into a little valley, where
Lucy thought she could hear a brook tumbling
over stones. Beyond the brook there was a vast
forest, rising higher and higher up the declivities
of the mountains. The mountains were so high,
that Lucy had to move away more of the curtain
before she could see the summits. They were
steep and gray. Lucy could see them very
distinctly ; for the moon had come up, and was
shining upon them. In a place lower down,
there was a great, rocky precipice, which pro-
jected cut from among the trees. Lucy said to
herself, that she was glad Royal did not see it ;
for, if he did, she knew that he would want to
be climbing up to the top of it, and she should
be afraid that he would fall.
When Lucy went back into the great room
again with her mother, she found that there was
a round table set out in the middle of the floor,
THE GENERAL S. 31
and spread for supper. The girl, who was sitting
upon the great seat, beckoned to Lucy to come
and sit with her; and Lucy went. She put
down her knitting, and took Lucy up in her lap.
At first, Lucy was a little afraid ; but the girl
looked so good-humoredly and pleasantly upon'
her, that she soon began to feel at her ease.
" What is your name ? " said Lucy, looking
up into her face.
" Comfort," said the girl.
" Comfort ? " repeated Lucy.
" Yes," replied the girl.
" I never heard of such a name as Comfort,"
said Lucy.
" What is your name ? " said Comfort.
Lucy told her what her name was, and then
Comfort asked her various other questions about
their journey ; and, at last, Lucy and Comfort
became quite well acquainted. In the mean
time, Ellen was very busy helping her mother
get the supper. There was a round, flat cake
set up before the fire, in an iron thing called a
spider, to bake, and a pie put down in a corner
to warm. At length, Lucy looked up to Com-
fort again, and said, —
"Why don't you help them get supper?"
32 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
"O, I don't do the housework," said Com
fort ; « I spin."
" Spin ? " repeated Lucy ; " how do you spin ? "
"With my spinning-wheel," said Comfort.
" There it stands, in the corner."
Lucy looked in the direction where Comfort
pointed, and she saw a very curious-looking ma-
chine, with one great wheel, something like one
of the wheels of her father's chaise, only it was
up in the air, on the top of the machine. The
machine had three legs, too, to stand upon.
Lucy looked at it, wondering, when Comfort
asked her if she had never seen a spinning-wheel.
" No," said Lucy.
" And then you never saw any body spin ? "
" No," said Lucy.
" You shall see me, then, to-morrow. I shall
spin all day to-morrow. "
" I wish you would show me a little to-night,"
said Lucy.
"Well," said Comfort, "I will."
So Comfort put Lucy down, and led her to
the wheel ; and then she took up a long, slender
roll of wool, from a pile of such rolls, which was
lying across the forward part of the wheel, and
began to spin. The wheel made a loud, buzzing
noise, which seemed to Lucy to be very extra-
33
ordinary indeed. Lucy stood before the wheel,
with her hands behind her, looking on, with great
interest, at the spinning, and wondering what
made it buzz.
Presently, Comfort stopped, and led Lucy back
to her seat, saying, "To-morrow you shall see
me spin more."
" But I am going away to-morrow," said Lu-
cy, " with my father and mother."
Just then, Lucy saw that the supper was ready,
and they were putting the chairs around the table.
Not long after supper, Lucy's mother took her
into the bedroom, to put her to bed. While they
were in the bedroom together, Lucy said that she
wished her mother would stay there several days.
" No," said her mother ; " we must go on to-
morrow. But perhaps we shall stop again when
we come back."
"When are we corning back? " said Lucy.
" In about a week," replied her mother.
"Well, mother," said Lucy, "why can't you
and I stay here, and let father go on alone, and
call for us when he comes back ? "
" I should like that," said her mother. " I will
ask him."
"Well," said Lucy, with an expression of great
satisfaction. " Then I can see Comfort spin."
34 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS..
So, after Lucy's mother had put her to bed,
and was going out of the room, Lucy called out
to her, just as she was shutting the door, —
" You'll be sure and ask father."
" Yes," said her mother.
" And come back and tell me what he says."
" Perhaps so," said her mother. " Good night."
After her mother had gone, Lucy began talk-
ing to herself, as follows : —
" I hope we shall stay here ; then I can see
Comfort's lamb. Comfort says she's got a lamb.
I wish I had a lamb, — or a little spinning-wheel
— if a little one would only buzz. This is the
way it went : Buzz — buzz — uz — z-z — ."
And in a few minutes, Lucy buzzed herself to
sleep.
35
CHAPTER III.
THE INSPECTION.
Lucy's plan, of having her mother and herself
remain at the General's while her father went on
to finish his journey by himself, was adopted, to
her great joy.
Lucy stood under the elm-tree, and saw him
drive away, with great satisfaction, the next morn-
ing, soon after breakfast.
As soon as her father's chaise was out of sight,
at a curve in the road, where some large trees
intercepted the view, Lucy turned round to go
into the house. Ellen was standing in the door.
Her brother, the boy who had held the horse the
evening before, was standing pretty near, and, as
he turned to go on towards the barn, he said to
Ellen,—
'•' Ellen, is not this inspection day ? "
" Yes," said Ellen, after hesitating a moment,
" I believe it is."
" Excellent ! " said the boy. " We shall haFe
3b LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
some cakes. I am going to eat mine on my
clearing."
" Inspection ? " said Lucy to herself; " I won-
der what they mean by inspection."
But Lucy did not like to ask, though she
wanted to know very much. She did not feel
enough acquainted even with Ellen, to ask. She
thought she would go in and ask her mother.
She found her mother in the little bedroom,
arranging it. She had put a table before the
window, in a place where it would be pleasant
to sit. She had opened her trunk, and had ta-
ken out some paper and writing materials, so as
to be ready to write a letter. When Lucy came
in, she said, —
" Mother, there is going to be an inspection."
" Is there ? " said her mother.
Lucy waited a moment; but her mother did
not seem to be particularly interested in what she
had said, and asked her no questions about it, but
went on arranging some books upon the table,
just as if there was not going to be any inspec-
tion at all. At length, Lucy said, —
"What is an inspection, mother?"
" An inspection ? " said her mother, looking up,
" why, it is a kind of a review."
THE INSPECTION. 37
"A review, mother? I don't know what a
review is, any better than an inspection."
" Why, it is — a 1 don't know how to
explain it to you; — it is a sort of a training,
where several companies of soldiers come togeth-
er, and the general looks at them, and examines
their guns, and sees them exercise."
" What is it for, mother ? " said Lucy.
" Why, to see if every thing is in good order.
But is there really going to be an inspection
about here, Lucy?"
"Yes, mother, I am sure there is," replied
Lucy, speaking very emphatically, and looking
very positive, — " I am sure there is, for Robert
said there was."
"Is that boy's name Robert?" asked her
mother.
"Yes," said Lucy; "and he said there was
going to be an inspection. Do you think you
shall let me go and see it, mother ? "
" Why, that depends," said her mother, " upon
when and where it is to be. I can't tell you till
you find out something more about it."
"Well," said Lucy, "I'll go and ask Comfort:
[ am not afraid to ask Comfort."
So Lucy went out in pursuit of Comfort.
Lucy found Comfort at her spinning-wheel.
4
38 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
The wheel was in one corner of the kitchen, by
a window. It was a great way from the fire, for
the room was very large. Lucy was so much
interested, for a time, in seeing Comfort spin,
that she forgot about the inspection. Comfort
talked with her, and explained something about
the spinning-wheel, but did not stop her work
First she would whirl the wheel around one way
very fast for a few minutes, and then she would
stop, and then begin to whirl it the other way.
Sometimes she would draw out a long thread of
the yarn, and then the yarn would all run up on
the spindle.
" Why don't you turn your wheel always the
same way ? " asked Lucy.
" Because," said Comfort, " I have to turn it
one way to twist the thread, and then the other
to run it on the spindle."
Lucy did not understand the explanation very
well, and so she thought she would look on and
see how Comfort did it. But she did it so
fast that Lucy could not see. So, after she had
stood silently for some time, hearing the wheel
buzz, she asked Comfort if there was going to be
an inspection that day.
" Yes," said Comfort.
" When is it going to be ? " asked Lucy.
THE INSPECTION. 39
" Right after dinner," said Comfort.
•" How far is it," said Lucy, " from here ? "
"O, not far," said Comfort; "you shall e;o ;
I'll show you."
So Lucy ran back to her mother, and told her
that the inspection was going to be right after din-
ner, and that it was not far, and that Comfort
would go and show it to her.
" Well," said her mother, " you may go when-
ever Comfort goes ; but it is very strange that
they are going to have an inspection up here. I
am sure I don't see where the troops are to come
from."
" Well," said Lucy, " I know there is going to
be one, because Comfort said so."
Lucy was right. There was going to be an
inspection, but it was very different from the kind
that she had imagined. For that day, at dinner,
Lucy's mother asked the farmer about the inspec-
tion, and where it was to be, and he said, " O, we
generally begin at the barn, and so go all around."
" Why, what kind of an inspection is it ? " said
Lucy's mother.
" Why, it is not a military inspection," said the
farmer, laughing. " Did you think it was a mili-
tary inspection, Lucy ? " he added, turning to
Lucy.
40 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
" Sir ? " said Lucy.
" It is not a military inspection ; it is only an
inspection of my farm."
" An't there any soldiers ? " said Lucy.
" J\o," said the farmer, " no soldiers. We in-
spect the bam, and the sheds, and shop, and then
we come into the house and inspect the rooms,
and closets, and the cellar, to see if every thing is
in order. We cannot show you any soldiers."
" My mother said there were going to be some
soldiers," said Lucy.
" No," said Lucy's mother. " I said that I
supposed they meant an inspection of soldiers.
There may be an inspection of any thing."
Lucy was quite disappointed, when she found
that it was not to be an inspection of soldiers.
However, she concluded to go and see it, what-
ever it was ; and accordingly, after dinner, she put
on her bonnet, and went out to the door with El-
len, and waited there for the rest to come.
In a few minutes, she saw Robert coming from
a building between one of the barns and the shed,
with a sort of a box in his hand. The box was
somewhat similar to a knife-box m form ; and, as
in a knife-box, there was a handle in the middle,
coming up from the bottom of the box, which
Robert took hold of, and brought it by.
THE INSPECTION. 41
" What is that, Robert ? " said Lucy.
" This is the tool-box," said Robert.
"What is it for ? " asked Lucy.
" Why, I always carry about a tool-box at the
inspection," said Robert. " Because, sometimes
father finds something broken, that he can mend
at once upon the spot."
By this time he came up to where Lucy was
standing, and he put down the box upon the great
stone step, so that she could look into it. The
box was not very deep, and it was divided off,
inside, into several compartments. There was
one long compartment upon one side, which ex-
tended from one end of the box to the other. In
this were several tools. ' There were a hammer
and a gimlet ; and, besides, there ' were several
other tools, which Lucy did not know the
names of.
Besides this long compartment, there were
several small, square divisions, which had nails
and screws in them, of different sizes. Lucy said
she never saw so many different kinds of nails.
While she was looking at them, Robert began to
hear the rattling of wheels in the road, and he
exclaimed aloud, —
" O, here comes Eben."
Lucy looked to see. A wagon, with a man
4#
42 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
and a small boy in it, stopped opposite to the
house. The boy appeared to be very young —
younger than Lucy. His face was round, and
his cheeks were red and full. He looked very
sober ami anxious, for he was afraid that he could
not get out of the wagon, very well. The man
took hold of his arm, and helped him climb down,
Eben looked towards the ground with an anxious
expression of countenance, as if he thought it
was a great way down.
As soon, however, as his little feet touched the
road, his countenance changed very suddenly,
and he began to leap and scamper off towards
the house, with great glee.
" Well, Eben," said^llen, " and how do they
do at uncle's ? "
"Pretty well," said Eben. "I'm going there
again some day, and am going to stay there a
whole while."
Lucy smiled, and Robert laughed aloud, at
such an unauthorized combination of terms as
Eben's whole while. Eben, however, after look
ing at them in wonder a moment, said, —
" You needn't laugh ; I certainly am."
Just then the General came out, and the whole
party proceeded to the barn. The General
looked carefully all around, to see if every thing
THE INSPECTION. 43
was in its place, and in order. From the barn
they went into a sort of room in a shed adjoining
it, where there were harnesses and chains, and a
number of tools of various kinds. The General
looked about, and examined them all. There
were a parcel of ropes lying in a corner, and the
General asked where they came from. Robert
said that he found them up in the garret, and had
untied all the knots ; he was going to have them
for his sleds the next winter.
The General said that they ought to be hung
up ; and he took the hammer and some nails out
of Robert's tool-box, and drove up a row of nails,
just under a beam about as high as Robert's head.
Then all the children took up the pieces of ropes,
and hung them up, one piece on each nail.
" There," said the General, " now you can see
what you've got. They are out of the way there,
and when you want one, you can come and get
any length you like."
Every thing else in the harness room was
found in good order, and so they went into the
shed. There was a wood-pile there, and some
of the wood lay near the foot of the pile upon
the ground ; for this shed had no floor. One of
the logs had a wedge sticking into it. The log
44 LITCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
was cracked open a little, but not very far, and
the wedge was driven fast into it.
" How came this left so ? " said the Genera!.
" Why, father," said Robert, " I began to split
this log, but I couldn't."
While he was saying this, the General rolled
the log over; and he found two other wedges,
lying on the ground, under it, halC covered in the
chips.
" One wedge in the log, and two in the chips,
make three signs of a bad woodman," said the
General.
" Why, you see, father," said Robert, " that
the ring of the beetle kept coming off, and so
I couldn't split it."
The General then took an axe, which was
standing in its place pretty near where they were,
and with a few heavy blows he split the log, and
liberated the wedge which had been held in the
cleft. Then he told Robert to put the three
wedges upon their shelf, and to carry the beetle,
with the loose ring, into the shop, and to put it
with the tools that were to be mended.
" When is he going to mend it ? " said Lucy.
" The first rainy day," said Ellen ; " he always
sends off all the broken things to the shop, and
then he mends them some rainy day."
THE INSPECTION. 45
Before Robert got back from the shop, the in-
spection party had gone up a back stairway
which led into a kind of garret, over the kitchen
part. of the house. Here there were a great many
boxes and trunks, all, however, in good order,
There was a large shelf at one end, with a great
many herbs in bundles. Then they all went
through a narrow door into another garret over the
main body of the house ; and thence they came
down the front stairs. They found that the door at
the foot of the stairs would not shut very well ;
and the General, after looking at it a moment, said
that the latch was out of order.
" Yes, sir," said Ellen, " and I wish you would
mend it, for it troubles me every time I want to
come up stairs."
" Have you got a file among your tools,
Robert ? " said the General.
" Yes, sir," said Robert ; for Robert had come
back, before this time, from the shop, and was fol-
lowing them with his box of tools.
The General took out the file, and also the
hammer. First he filed the iron of the latch a
little ; then he hammered it a little, and thus very
soon put it in good order.
Ellen said that she was very glad.
46 LUCT AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
They then went into all the rooms of the house,
except the little bedroom where Lucy's mother
was. They opened all the closet doors too, and
looked into them, to see if every thing was in
order. When they came into the little room
where Ellen slept, there was a little chest in it,
where she kept her clothes ; and she opened the
lid, and asked them all to look in and see if her
things were not in order.
After they had thus examined the whole house,
they went out at the front door, and thence across
the yard into the garden. They walked up and
down all the alleys, looking at the beds and
borders, to see if all was in proper condition.
It was pretty late in the season, and there
were not many weeds growing. Ellen and
Robert both had some beds in one corner, where
they raised corn, and peas, and beans, for seed.
The General told them it was nearly time for
them to gather their beans.
When they came out of the garden, Robert
asked his father to look at the hinge of the gate,
which, he said, was coming off.
There was a narrow piece of board nailed upon
the post, and the hinges of the gate were nailed
to that. By some means or other, however, this
THE INSPECTION. 47
board had got split where the upper binge
was fastened to it, and so the hinge was loose.
Robert pointed it out to his father.
" Ah, yes," said he ; " I am glad you showed
me this ; very soon the hinge would have come off,
and then the lower hin^e would have sjot broken.
Now we shall save them."
The General then looked at the board, and
said it was split, and there must be a new one
made. So he took out some tools from Robert's
box, and took off the hinges very carefully. Then
he set the gate up by the fence on one side. Then
he took off the split board, and gave it to Eben.
" Can you carry that, Eben, into the shop ? "
Eben was a very small boy, but he was very
glad to help when he could. He took the board,
which was not very heavy, but was about as
much as he could well carry, and began lugging
it along.
" Now, Robert," said the General, " some
time this afternoon, I want you to saw out a
piece of board just the size of that, and get it
all ready to put on. When it is done, carry it
out to the gate, and stand it up there. Also put
a tool-box there, and an axe, so that every thing
will be ready, and then remind me at supper-time
to go and put it on. I can put it on in a moment,
48 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
if you get every thing ready. — And now the in-
spection is over."
So saying, the General went away, and Ellen
said, —
" Well, Robert, you put your tools away, while
I go and get the cakes."
" The caUes ? " said Lucy ; " what cakes ? "
" Why, mother always gives each of us a cake,
inspection day, so that we may not forget to re-
mind father of it."
Lucy followed Ellen into the house. She
supposed that she would go and ask her mother
for the cakes, and Lucy wished that she was
going to have one too. But Ellen did not go
after her mother. She went directly to a closet.
As she was opening the door of the closet, she
said, —
" Mother always puts our cakes here, on a
particular shelf — three of them, all in a row."
They went into the closet, and there they
found the cakes ; only there were four, instead of
three.
" Why, here are four," said Ellen ; " mother
has made a mistake."
" No," said Lucy ; " one must be for me."
"So it is," said Ellen, "I've no doubt. I'll
go and ask mother."
THE INSPECTION. 49
She accordingly went off to ask her mother,
and presently came back saying that the fourth
was for Lucy. And she accordingly gave her
one. It was a round cake, not very thick, but
it looked as if it was sweet. Ellen carried the
other two out, to give them to Robert and Eben.
Lucy went to show hers to her mother. She
found her taking a walk under the trees which
Lucy had seen from out the bedroom window.
Lucy took hold of her mother's hand with one of
hers, while she held the cake in the other ; and so
she walked along with her, and told her all about
the inspection.
Her mother listened with a good deal of in-
terest ; and when she had done, she said that she
thought it was an excellent plan to have an in-
spection.
" Yes, mother, and so do I ; and I wish you
would have one when we go home."
" I think I will," said her mother.
" Once a month, mother," said Lucy ; " it
must be once a month. The General has it once
a month."
" Yes," said her mother, " I should think that
about right. I can inspect your Treasury."
" Yes, mother," said Lucy ; " I'll keep it in
excellent order.
5
50 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
"Only you couldn't mend the broken thing3
about the house, very well," continued Lucy.
" No," said her mother ; " but, then, our in-
spection would not be just like a farmer's. We
should inspect drawers, and closets, and cup-
boards, and such places. I think it will be an
excellent plan."
" And a cake for me and Royal, at the end,"
said Lucy.
" Is that an essential part of the plan ? " asked
her mother.
" Essential ? " repeated Lucy ; " what is es-
sential ? "
" Why, necessary ; that is, is it an indispen-
sable part of the plan that there should be cakes
distributed ? "
« Why, yes," said Lucy ; " that is to make us
remind you of it. You see, you would forget
when inspection day was coming, unless we re-
minded you ; and so we must have a cake."
On reflection, Lucy's mother concluded that
this was, as Lucy represented, a very important
part of the plan ; and she pretty nearly concluded
that, when she returned home, she would adopt
the inspection system, for her part of the house,
cakes and all.
51
CHAPTER IV.
A WALK.
That evening, after the inspection, Lucy and
her mother went out to take a walk upon a high
hill back of the General's house, to see the pros-
pect. Comfort told them that they could get to
the top of it without going through the grass
at all.
" Why don't you want to go through the grass,
mother ? " said Lucy.
" Because there may be some dew upon it,
which might wet our feet," said her mother.
" But are you sure, Comfort," said she, " that we
can get up to the top without getting into the
grass ? "
" Yes," said Comfort, " I'm sure ; and I'll go,
if you wish, and show you the way."
Lucy's mother liked this plan very much ; and
so they set off together, about half an hour be-
fore sunset. They followed a cart-road down
into a little valley, and went across the brook ;
52 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
and then they began to climb up by a narrow
and rocky path among the trees. The path was
very steep, and it was much farther than they
had supposed. In fact, Lucy's mother soon be-
gan to be very tired. She was not accustomed
to climb up the hills.
Presently they came to a rocky place under
some cliffs, and Lucy's mother said that she be-
lieved that she would not go any farther.
" O mother," said Lucy, " I want to go to the
top very much."
" Very well," said her mother ; " you may go
with Comfort, if you wish to, and I will ramble
about here. If you don't find me here when
you come down, you may conclude that I have
gone home."
So she turned off, and began to walk along
under the cliffs, gathering blue-bells and other
flowers that grew among the rocks. Comfort
and Lucy left her, and went on up the steep
path.
" O, what a steep place ! " said Lucy.
" This is not very steep," said Comfort.
" There are paths up jhe mountains much
steeper than this."
" Then I don't see how you get up," said
Lucy.
A WALK. 53
" O, we climb along," replied Comfort , M we
step up from one stone to another."
The path was very tortuous ; that is, it turned
and twisted about a great deal among the rocks
and around the points of precipices. It was, in
fact, a very wild and desolate-looking place ; and
pretty soon Lucy began to be afraid. She did
not know exactly what she was afraid of, but she
began to wish that she had staid down below with
her mother.
She was not much accustomed to rocks and
mountains, and there was something frightful to
her in the ragged precipices, the gloomy thickets,
and particularly in a dark ravine, which she could
look down into in one place. Besides, she
thought that perhaps there might be some bears
there.
She did not, however, like to acknowledge to
Comfort that she was afraid. So, after they had
been walking along a little while, she said, —
" How much farther is it, Comfort ? "
" Not a great way. Why, are you tired ? "
" Why, no," said Lucy, " not exactly ; but I
wish my mother had come too."
" So do I," said Comfort ; " she would like the
prospect, I know. We can see away down to
the lower falls."
5*
54 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
K How far is that ? " said Lucy.
" O, it is several miles, down the valley."
" Is it as many as seventy miles ? " said Lucy
" No," said Comfort, " not quite seventy."
" Is it a hundred miles, then ? " said Lucy.
" Why, a hundred miles are more than seventy,
child."
While Lucy had been talking thus, she had
been lagging behind Comfort, and seemed reluc-
tant to advance. They had come to a steep
place, where they had to climb up a rocky ascent,
which turned, in a spiral manner, around the point
of a little precipice. There were bushes and
briers on each side, growing out of the crevices of
the rocks, and from the little patches of earth.
Comfort went up a few steps, and then stopped
for Lucy.
"Come, Lucy; why don't you come?" said
she.
" Why, I think, Comfort," said Lucy, " that
we had better not go any farther. I think we had
better go back and find my mother."
" O, your mother is safe enough, child."
" But I am afraid she'll get lost," said Lucy.
Comfort laughed at Lucy for being afraid that
her mother would get lost.
" She can't get lost," said she. " She can't go
A WALK. 55
but a very little way under the cliffs before she
comes to the end."
u The end of what ? " said Lucy.
" Why, the end of the level place where she
can walk," said Comfort. " After you go out
there a little way, the rocks go right down, as
steep as the sides of a house."
" Then I'm afraid that she will fall down
there," said Lucy.
Comfort told her there was no danger ; but Lu-
cy would not be convinced. The more she ar-
gued, the less possibility there seemed to be of
making any impression. The truth was, Lucy
was not really afraid for her mother, but for her-
self. And the reason which she offered for wish-
ing to return, was only the ostensible reason, not
the real one ; that is, it was a reason that she
chose to offer, not the one that she really felt. It
is of no use to attempt to reply to reasons that are
only ostensible, because they are not the ones
that really influence the mind ; and so, even if
you show that such reasons are not good ones,
the person is not convinced any more than before.
If Comfort had known that the real reason why
Lucy did not want to go any farther, was, that
she was afraid herself, perhaps she would have
said something to encourage her, and lead her to
56 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
go on. But while she was only arguing against
Lucy's supposed fears for her mother, she was
doing no good at all ; for this was not the true
reason. Wjen, therefore, we attempt to argue
against people's objections to any thing which we
propose, it is very necessary first to be sure that
the objections which they offer are real objections,
not merely ostensible ones.
Presently Comfort proposed to Lucy that she
should go up a little farther, and she would come
to a place where they could see the house.
" How much farther is it ? " asked Lucy.
" Only up to the top of this rock," said Com-
fort ; "come, I'll help you."
So saying, Comfort came down to where Lucy
was standing, and held out her hand to her.
Lucy was still somewhat reluctant to go ; but
Comfort told her that they could see the house
and the yard, and very likely they could see the
people walking about there ; and so Lucy, on the
whole, concluded to go. Comfort helped her up
from one step to another over the ragged stones,
and presently they reached the top.
Then they went through some bushes a little
way, and came out, a moment afterwards, upon a
sort of shelf of rock, where* they had a fine
view.
A WALK. 57
It was not a very extensive view, for the other
*ocks and trees, rising on each side, intercepted
the prospect, excepting in the direction which
was down towards the General's house. The
house lay almost beneath their feet ; 'and, as
Comfort had said, they could see all the build-
ings, and the yards, and the garden. Lucy saw a
large flock of sheep, too, coming up towards the
barn, from a green path behind it.
" There, Lucy," said Comfort, " is not this a
pleasant place ? "
" Yes," said Lucy, " and there's my mother
now, just going into the house."
" So she is," said Comfort ; " she has got tired
of waiting for us, and has gone in. Now, you
can go up to the top of the rock with me, for, you
see, she is out of danger."
Lucy looked steadily at her mother, and in a
moment she began to call out to her with a loud
voice, —
" Mother, look at us."
But just as the words were uttered, her mother
opened the door, and went in, and Lucy saw the
door close after her. Lucy's attention was next
arrested by seeing several cows come along a lane
behind the house. Comfort said that they were
coming from the pasture. Behind the cows were
5S LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
Robert and Eben. Lucy could see that Eben
had a long switch in his hand, and Robert had
an axe over his shoulder.
. " There are Robert and Eben," said Lucy, " I
verily believe."
" Yes," said Comfort, " they are driving home
the cows."
" So they are," replied Lucy ; " but Robert has
got an axe on his shoulder. What has he been
doing with his axe, I wonder ? "
" O, I suppose," replied Comfort, " that he has
been at work upon his clearing this afternoon :
and so, after he had done his work, he went and
got the cows."
The road in which the cows were coming, led
down through a valley, and it looked like a very
pleasant road indeed. Lucy asked Comfort
where it led to, and she said it led up to the
pasture. Then she asked Comfort what she
meant by Robert's clearing; and Comfort told
her that Robert was clearing a piece of land
somewhere up the road, but that she did not
know exactly where it was, or what sort of a
place it was.
"I mean to go down and ask Robert where
his clearing is," said Lucy.
A WALK. 59
• c Then you will not go up to the top of the
rock with me," said Comfort.
" No," said Lucy, " not this time. We have
come high enough for this time. I must go down
and find my mother. Perhaps she will want me."
"See," said Comfort, "she has just come to
the window of her bedroom."
Lucy looked down in the direction in which
Comfort pointed, and she saw her mother just
taking a seat at the window. Lucy called to her,
and waved her hand at her a great deal, but she
could not make her hear. She thought that the
reason was, because the cow-bells made such a
noise ; but Comfort told her that it was much
farther than it appeared to be.
Lucy stopped to gather a few flowers around
the spot where they were standing, and then she
and Comfort descended. Lucy was not at all in
a hurry to get home, for her fears of the strange
and wild scenery around them were much dimin-
ished, when she found that they were going to-
wards home. She kept constantly stopping to
gather flowers, and to pick up curious fragments
of the rocks ; and in one place she found some
beautiful red berries, which she wanted to gather
and carry down to her mother; but Comfort told
tier that she believed that they were poisonous.
60 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
They remained some time at the cliffs where
her mother had stopped, and Lucy found a curious
place under the rocks, which she called a den.
It was a rude fissure under the precipice, and it
\vas large enough for Lucy to get into. She said
that, if she should be caught out on the mountains
m a shower, she could get into her den, and it
would not rain upon her.
When they got home again, as they were pass-
ing along by the barn, they saw the cows stand-
ing in a little green yard, and Robert was just
bringing his milking-stool and a tin pail. He was
going to milk the cows. Lucy asked Comfort to
let her go in and see him milk, and she told her
she might go ; only she said that she must be
careful not to go too near the cows.
So Comfort went into the house, and Lucy
went through a little gate into the yard. Ellen
came in just after her, bringing a little milking-
stool, and pail too, just as Robert had done.
" Are you going to milk, too, Ellen ? " said
Lucy.
" Yes," said Ellen ; " I milk every night."
So Ellen took her seat near one of the cows ;
and began milking into her pail very fast.
" Why, how easy it is to milk ! " said Lucy
" I did not know that it was so easy."
A WALK. Gl
Lucy was mistaken in supposing "that it was
very easy. It is a general rule, that whatever we
see done skilfully appears to be done with ease ;
and as Ellen was a very good little milkmaid,
and the milk came down in fine large streams into
the pail, Lucy supposed that it must be very
easy.
" I wish you would let me milk a little," said
Lucy.
" I don't think you can milk," replied Ellen.
" O, yes, I can," said Lucy ; " I do harder things
than that."
" But I don't think your hand is strong enough,"
said Ellen.
Lucy held out her hand, and looked at it, and
thought it looked pretty strong.
" And, besides," said Ellen, "have you ever
learned to milk?"
" No," said Lucy, " I never had any oppor-
tunity."
" Then I'm sure you can't milk," said Ellen ;
li for nobody can milk till they have learned."
" But I wish that you would let me try, and
see," said Lucy.
Ellen concluded, on the whole, to let Lucy try ;
so she rose from the milking-stool, and let Lucy
take her place.
6
62 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
Lucy tried very hard, but the milk would not
come. She was very much surprised.
" Why ! " said she. Then she tried again ;
she tugged away with all her strength. " Why !
How do you do it ? " said she.
Ellen laughed; and the cow, perceiving that
some new and inexperienced hand was at work,
and not liking to be experimented upon, began to
move. Ellen had just time to catch up the pail,
when she walked quietly off, two or three steps,
and then stood still.
Lucy was frightened, and jumped up and ran.
Ellen took up her stool by its handle, and fol-
lowed the cow ; and, taking her seat again, went
on with her milking. Lucy walked off to Robert,
and asked him about his clearing.
She did not, however, have the opportunity to
get the information which she wished ; for just
then her mother, who began to think that it was
time for her to come down the hill, came to the
door to look for her ; and seeing her in the yard
amonf the cows, she called to her to come in.
When she got to the door, she asked her mother
if she was not willing to have her stay there a
little longer and see them milk.
" Is Comfort there ? " asked her mother.
" No, mother," said Lucy, " but Ellen is."
A WALK.
63
"I am afraid you may get hurt," said her
mother. " The cows may hook you."
Lucy assured her mother that there was no
danger; but her mother thought it best for her
not to go there again ; and so Lucy did not hear
any thing about Robert's clearing until the next
64
CHAPTER V.
ROBERT'S CLEARING.
In fact, Lucy forgot to ask Robert about his
clearing until the next morning, after breakfast,
when she was out in the yard, and saw him and
Eben preparing to go awa) .
She asked them where they were going.
" We are going to my clearing," said Robert ;
" and I wish you'd go too, and be our teamster.
Then you shall own part of my lamb."
" Have you got a lamb ? " asked Lucy.
" No," replied Robert, " not yet ; but 1 am
going to have one. As soon as I have got
my clearing done, father is going to give me a
sheep and a lamb ; and you shall own part of the
lamb, if you will go and be my teamster."
" Your teamster ? " repeated Lucy.
" Yes," replied Robert ; " I am swamper, and
Eben is ox, and we want a teamster."
"What shall I have to do? " asked Lucy.
" O, you'll only have to drive Eben, when he
is hauling the logs."
Robert's clearing. 65
" Eben can't haul logs," said Lucy.
" Yes he can," said Robert ; " he's a very good
ox ; only we want a teamster."
" Well," said Lucy, " I'll go and ask my
mother."
Lucy accordingly went in and asked her mother.
Her mother wanted to know how far it was to
the clearing; but Lucy could not tell. She then
wanted to know how long they were to be gone ;
but Lucy could not answer that question either.
Finally, her mother said that she might go and
ask Comfort if she thought that it would be safe
for her to go with the boys, and let her opinion
decide the question.
Comfort said there would be no danger if Lucy
was careful to keep out of the way of Robert's
axe. So they all set off together.
They followed the lane where Lucy had seen
the cows come down the evening before, for some
distance. It led, in a winding direction, up a val-
ley, with a brook upon one side of the road.
" What a pretty brook ! " said Lucy.
" Yes," said Robert ; " that is the brook that I
am going to float down my logs upon."
" Your logs ? " repeated Lucy.
" Yes," replied Robert, " the logs I get. off my
clearing. I cut them down, and Eben hauls them
66 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
to the edge of the brook ; and then, when there
comes a freshet, we're going to tumble them in,
and let them float down to the house."
" And then they'll go by," said Lucy, " and
down into the river."
" No," said Robert ; " I shall have a boom to
stop them."
" What is a boom 1 " asked Lucy.
" A long log of wood across the brook, to stop
my logs."
The brook which Robert said was £oin£ to
float down his lumber, was there a small stream,
tumbling over rocks along the valley. Presently,
however, they came to a place where the valley
widened a little, and there was a level piece of
ground on one side of it. On the other side, the
land descended steep to the very brink of the
brook. The low piece of ground was covered
pretty thick with tall alder-bushes, twice as high
as a man's head ; so that the stems of them, when
they were cut down, made pretty large poles.
There was one spot, where a considerable number
of them had been cut down. In the middle of
this spot, there was a pile of branches and tops,
heaped up pretty high. There were, also, near
the edge of the brook, some piles of the wood
whch Robert had got out, and which Eben had
Robert's clearing. 67
hauled to the bank. Robert went into this place,
and began at once to cut down one of the tallest
bushes.
Lucy watched the blows of his axe, until, at
last, the tree began to fall. It would have fallen
over upon her, had not Robert called upon her to
run away. When it was down, Robert cut off
the top and all the branches, and these he put on
the heap. Then he cut the long pole in two, in
the middle. This made two short poles of it.
Then Eben came up with a small chain which
he had in his hand, and w r hich he had brought
with him, and contrived to hook it around one
end of one of the poles, and then began to draw
it off towards the brook.
" Is that the kind of log you meant, that Eben
could draw ? " asked Lucy.
" Yes," said Robert.
" O. I thought you meant a large log."
« O J CO
" No," said Robert ; " we call these our logs.
We are going to get a great many piles of them
by the brook ; and then, when there comes a freshet,
we are coming up here, and going to tumble them
in, and let them sail away down home."
Robert cut Lucy a long stick for a goad-stick,
and then she drove Eben back and forth several
68 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
times, drawing the logs, as Robert called them.
At length, Lucy stopped, and said, —
" But, Robert, what do you mean by swamper 1
You said that you were swamper."
" Yes," said Robert ; " I'm swamper and chop-
per too."
" 1 don't understand what you mean by swamper
and chopper," said Lucy.
" Why, when they are cutting trees in the woods,
for timber, they always have a swamper, and a
chopper, and some oxen, and a teamster. The
swamper finds out which the good trees are, and
he makes a road to them, so that, when they are
cut down, they can haul them out. The chopper
cuts them down, and cuts off the top. Then the
teamster comes with his oxen, and hauls them off
to the river."
" Is that the way ? " said Lucy.
" Yes ; my father told me," said Robert.
" Why doesn't one man do it all ? " said Lucy.
"I don't know exactly," said Robert; "but I
wish I had some fire here, to set my heap on fire."
" Are you going to set that great heap on fire ? "
asked Lucy.
" Yes," said Robert, " when I get it big
enough."
Robert's clearing. G9
" I don't believe it will burn," said Lucy ; " it
is all green leaves."
et It will burn," said Robert, " if I could only-
get it well on fire. The trouble is, to set it
a-£oin£."
So saying, he and Lucy went up to look at the
great heap of branches which he had made in the
middle of his clearing. ' Robert said that, if he
could find some good dry wood somewhere to begin
it with, it would make a noble fire ; and he also
said that he meant to have brought some fire that
morning, but he forgot it. Finally, he said that,
if Lucy and Eben would go and get some fire, he
would find some good dry wood, and they would
have a burning.
Lucy was at first afraid to attempt to bring
any fire ; but Robert told her that Comfort would
give her a lantern, so that it could be brought
without any difficulty or danger. Then she was
afraid that she should not be able to find her way.
But Robert said that Eben knew the way ; and
so, at last, after much hesitation, Lucy concluded
to go. Accordingly, Robert went over, across the
brook, to the side of the hill, which was covered
with large trees, to see if he could find some old
dry log or stump, which he could cut to pieces,
and use to kindle his fire. He found one with-
70 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
out much difficulty. It was the ruins of an old
tree, which the wind had blown over about ten
years before. It was leaning against the other
trees, and was very much decayed. The limbs
had nearly all dropped off, and it looked so dry
that Robert thought that, if he could get it down,
and split it up, it would be excellent for his fire.
In the mean time, Lucy and Eben walked
along slowly towards the house. When they got
there, Lucy sat down upon a chopping-block in
the yard, while Eben went in to ask his mother for
the lantern. While he was gone, Lucy happened
to think that, perhaps, her mother would not like
to have her go and help make a fire in the woods,
and, at any rate, that she had better go and get
leave. She reflected that, if she went without
leave, she should feel uncertain and doubtful, all
the time, whether she was doing right or wrong ;
and that would destroy the pleasure of the fire.
So she got up, and went into the house to find her
mother.
She found her seated at a window in the kitch-
en, with the General's wife and Ellen, all par-
ing apples for an apple-pudding which they were
going to have for dinner.
" O mother," said Lucy, " let me pare some
apples."
71
" O, no, Lucy," said Ellen ; " you'll only cut
your fingers. It is harder to pare apples, than it
is to milk."
The farmer's wife then said that she had better
not attempt to pare any apples, but that she
might have some to eat ; and she gave Lucy
two. Just then, Eben came in, out of a back
room, with the lantern in his hand. This re-
minded Lucy of her errand, and so she told her
mother what Robert was going to do ; and she
asked her if she had any objection to her going to
see him.
" Why, this is a serious question," said her
mother. " I am afraid it would not be quite safe."
" Why, Eben says," replied Lucy, " that they
often make fires in the wood, and they never get
burnt."
" But you'd be in more danger than Eben,"
said her mother.
" Why, mother ? " asked Lucy.
" Because," said her mother, " in the first place,
you are not so accustomed to fires in the woods,
and wouldn't know so well where the danger
would lie. Besides, your clothes are of cotton,
and, if they should take fire, they would burn very
fast ; but Eben's are woollen."
Lucy looked at her clothes, and at Eben's.
72 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
Eben stood by, listening very attentively to what
was said, but he made no reply.
" I've a great mind to go with you, and take
care of you," said Lucy's mother. " I should
like to see the fire myself."
" Well," said Lucy, " that will do. Eben and
I will walk on, and you can come after us."
" Very well," replied her mother ; " run along."
Accordingly, Lucy and Eben set off together.
Eben had the lantern in his hand, and, after they
had gone a few steps, Lucy wanted to look in,
and see whether it had not gone out. It was not
quite out, but it burned very dimly. Lucy said it
was almost out.
" No," said Eben ; " that is the way it always
looks."
" Then it isn't a very good lantern," said
Lucy.
" Yes, it is a good lantern," said Eben. " It
makes a good light in our barn in the winter
nights."
" How do you know ? " said Lucy.
" Because," said Eben, " my father carries it
out ; and one morning I went out with him, and
we found some e££s with it."
" Where did you find them ? " said Lucy.
73
" O, on a beam. There were four eggs. My
father brought in three, and I brought in three."
" O Eben," said Lucy, " that is not right.
Three and three don't make four.' ,
"Then perhaps it was ten," said Eben.
" Yes, I believe it was ten."
" Why, no, Eben," said Lucy ; " it couldn't be
ten."
" Why not ? " asked Eben.
"Because," said Lucy, " three and three don't
make ten."
" What do they make ? " said Eben.
" Why, they make six," replied Lucy. " I'll
get a little stick, and make some marks upon the
ground, and show you."
So Lucy got a stick, and began making marks
upon a smooth place in the road, corresponding
with the number of eggs. On more mature re-
flection, Eben recollected that he brought in two
eggs, one in each hand, and that his father carried
in two in one hand, and one in the other. He
had one egg, he said, in the hand which held the
lantern.
" Then there must have been five eggs in all,"
said Lucy.
In order to prove this to Eben's satisfaction,
she msde two marks for the egsfs which he carried
74 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
in, and then two more for those which his father
carried in in one hand, and then, finally, she
added another mark, for the one egg which his
father earned in in his lantern hand.
" Now," said Lucy, " if you'll count them all
up, you'll see that it makes just five, — exactly "
So Eben began to count, —
" One — two — five — six — four."
" O dear me ! " said Lucy ; " why, that isn't
the way to count."
" That's the way /count," said Eben.
Lucy looked extremely perplexed, and did not
know what to say ; but just at that moment her
mother came up. She saw that the lantern
which Eben had put down upon the ground,
while he was listening to his lesson in arithmetic,
was leaning over to one side ; and she was afraid
that the light had got put out. So she took it up,
and looked into it.
" No," said Lucy, " it has not gone out, but
it burns very dim. What makes it burn so dim,
mother? " she asked.
" O, it burns very well. It looks rather dim,
but that is because it is bright daylight. A candle
burning in the daylight always looks dim."
Her mother then asked her what she was
making there in the road. Lucy told her tnat
77
she had been trying to explain to Eben that two
and three made five.
" But," said Lucy, in addition, " I cannot make
him understand it. He can't even count."
" Then, of course," replied her mother, " he
cannot understand. You are giving him your
instructions in the wrong order."
" How, mother ? " said Lucy.
" Why, you are trying to teach him addition
before he knows how to count. You perceive
that a boy who cannot count up to five and six
does not know what numbers the words jive and
six stand for; and, of course, he cannot tell
whether two and three make five, or six, or what
they make."
" Then I'll teach him to count," said Lucy.
" Very well," said her mother ; " only let us
all go along now, for I want to see the fire."
" O, yes," said Lucy ; " I forgot all about the
fire."
So they all went along together; only Lucy
and Eben walked on a little in advance, and Lucy
gave Eben some lessons in counting, while her
mother followed more slowly, looking for flowers
on each side of the way, as she came along.
In a short time, they arrived at Robert's clear-
7 #
78 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
•
ing. They found that he had made fine prepara
lions for the fire. He had cut down the old dead
tree, and chopped it up into short pieces ; and
he had pushed these in, under the pile. He also
had some strips of birch bark, which he was going
to kindle with.
Lucy came up to the place with the lantern,
and set it down at Robert's feet. Her mothei
came up, too, with a large bouquet of flowers in
one hand.
"That will make a good fire, Robert," said
she ; " only it seems to me that you have got the
wood in on the wrong side of the heap.'
" Why ? " said Robert.
" Because," replied she, "it ought to be put at
the side towards the wind. Then the wind will
blow the heat and flame directly through the
heap, and set it all on fire. There is not much
wind, but there is enough to do some good."
" We'll try this side first, now I've got it
ready," said Robert.
So he took one of his pieces of birch bark, and,
opening the lantern door very carefully, he put it
in, and lighted it. Now, birch bark, when it is
burning, makes quite a smoke ; and Robert put
down this burning piece near the place where he
had put his wood, in order fo see which way
79
the smoke would go. He found that it was drift-
ing off slowly away from the heap of bushes.
" Now, we'll try it on the other side," said he.
He tried to take up his piece of bark, but he
could not. It had curled itself up in a curious
manner, and was all enveloped in flame. So he
took another piece, and lighted it, and carried that
around to the other side of the heap. He put it
in just under the edge of the branches. The
smoke curled up among the branches and leaves,
and they were all very much pleased to observe,
that, instead of sailing off, as it had done on the
other side, away from the heap, it passed directly
through the centre ; and in a few minutes it rilled
the whole heap with smoke, which issued out all
over the top of it, as if it was all on fire under-
neath.
" Yes," said Robert, " I'll move my kindling
wood round to this side."
So he brought his logs round one by one.
They were pretty large, but, being much decayed,
they were not heavy. Robert piled them to-
gether in as close and compact a manner as pos-
sible ; for he said it was necessary to make a
solid (ire.
" Why don't you set the bushes on fire, just
as they are ? " asked Lucy's mother.
80 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
" Why, we can't make such brush as this burn
well, alone," said Robert. " It will catch fire a
little, and then go right out, unless we have a
good solid fire underneath it. Then it will all
get to blazing together."
" Let me try," said Lucy, * c with a piece of
your birchbark."
" I'll light it for you," said her mother.
So they took a large piece of birch bark, which
Robert handed them, and lighted it in the lantern.
Then they placed it under the heap, at a place
where the sprigs and branches of the bushes
were thickest. The bark soon began to blaze
up well, and immediately the leaves and branches
above it began to take fire.
" There," said Lucy, " it bums."
"Wait," said her mother; " let us see. how it
will work."
It blazed up finely very soon, making a bright
flame, nearly a foot high, and the wind blew the
smoke and sparks directly through the top of the
heap. Lucy, and, in fact, her mother, expected
that it would set the whole heap on fire.
Robert and Eben looked on in silence.
In a moment the blaze began to subside. It
burned fainter and fainter, and at last, after a few
minutes^ it all died away, leaving nothing but a
ROBERT'S CLEARING.
81
hole in that part of the heap, with the bright ends
of the twigs, which had been burned off all around,
pointing in towards the centre.
By this time, Robert was prepared to put fire
to his logs, and he soon got them well on fire.
He had pushed them in as far under the heap as
he could, and the wind carried the heat and
flame through the very heart of it. In a few
minutes, large volumes of white smoke came pour-
ing up, out of the top of the pile, in the most beau-
tiful manner. Flashes of flame soon began to
break out in the midst of this smoke, and in a
short time they all had to stand back from the
heat produced by the high, crackling flames.
After some time, they all went up upon a bank
near by, under some trees, and sat down upon a
small log, to watch the progress of the fire.
82
CHAPTER VT
PHILOSOPHY.
" What a noble great fire ! " said Lucy.
" Yes," replied her mother ; " in the night 1
think that that fire would make quite a spectacle."
" Would it burn brighter in the night ? " said
Lucy.
" No, it would not really burn any brighter, but
it would look brighter. It would illuminate the
whole sky. It is a fine fire now ; but it does not
make such a display in the daytime, as it would
in the night. Just like the candle in your lantern ;
you remember how dim it looked. That was be-
cause it was surrounded by daylight."
" I should think we could see things better by
daylight," said Lucy.
" We can, every thing but fires and lights,"
replied her mother. " Those we can see better
in the night."
" Why is it so, mother? " said Lucy.
" Why, the light of the sun and of the day is
so bright that we can't see the light of the fire."
PHILOSOPHY. 83
" I don't see why we can't see both, mother,"
said Lucy.
" Why, you see," said Robert, " it dazzles our
eyes, — the light of the sun does, — and we can't
see so well."
" I am sure I can see better in the day than in
the night," said Lucy.
" That's a mistake," said her mother.
" O mother ! " said Lucy.
" In one sense you can ; that is, you can see
more things, because there is so much more light ;
hut your eye is not so sensitive."
f What do you mean by sensitive 1 " asked
Lucy.
" Why, let me see," said her mother ; " how
shall I explain it to you ? "
Here she hesitated, and appeared to be thinking.
Lucy and Robert sat still, and did not interrupt
her. As for Eben, he began to be tired of this
philosophical discussion, and so he got off from
the log, and began to punch a stick down into a
hole under the root of a tree. He thought that it
was a squirrel's hole, and he wanted to make the
squirrel come out.
iC Suppose," said Lucy's mother, after a mo-
ment's pause, " that I had a small box, light all
around, excepting at one end, where there was a
84 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
small hole, just big enough to look through. Then
suppose that I should have a picture pasted against
the back side of the box opposite to the hole."
" We couldn't see it, mother," said Lucy ; " it
would be all dark."
" Yes, that's true," said her mother. " But now
suppose I should make another hole in the side of
the box to let in a little light."
" How could you make it, mother? " said Lucy.
" O, I don't know, — I could get Royal to bore
it for me with his gimlet."
" That wouldn't be big enough," said Lucy. ,
" Hasn't he got a big one ? " asked her mother.
" Yes," said Lucy, " he has got one, but it
does not make a good hole ; and then it almost
always splits the wood. I think it would spoil
the box to have him bore a hole in it with the
large one."
" O," said her mother, " it won't hurt the box ;
it is nothing but an imaginary box."
"An imaginary box ? " repeated Lucy.
" Yes," said her mother ; " it is only an ima-
ginary box, and it won't hurt it to bore an ima-
ginary hole in it."
Lucy laughed, and her mother went on with
the illustration
" Now, suppose," said she, " we had such a
PHILOSOPHY. 85
box, with a picture pasted on the back part, in-
side, and a small hole opposite to the picture to
look through. Suppose that there was also a hole
in the side of the box, to let in a little light. Now,
suppose that you were to bring your eye up sud-
denly to the eye-hole, in the daytime, and also in
the night ; in which case do you think that you
could see the picture most distinctly ? "
" I don't know," said Lucy.
" In the night," said Robert.
" Why ? " t asked Lucy's mother.
" Because," said Robert, " I can always see
down cellar better in the night than I can in the
Jaytime : and that is something like it."
" But I can see down cellar better in the day-
time," said Lucy.
"That is because our cellar is lighted with
windows," said her mother. " But yours, Robert,
is dark, I suppose."
" Yes, ma'am," said Robert ; " I never heard of
windows in a cellar."
" They sometimes have windows in a cellar,"
said Lucy's mother, in reply. " But where there
are no windows, and you have to take a light
down, it is much more difficult to see in the day-
time than in the night. So it would be in such a
box. If you were to come up to it suddenly in the
8
86 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
daytime, you would find that you could see but
very little. But if it were possible for you to come
to it in the night, and look in, and yet have daylight
shine in through the hole in the side, just as be-
fore, you would find that you could see much
better."
" I'm sure I don't see why," said Lucy.
" The reason is," said her mother, " that a
bright light changes the condition of the eye some
how or other, — I don't know exactly how, but I
know it changes it, — so that it is not so sensitive to
light. So, after we have been walking about in
the bright day, if we go down cellar with a candle,
we can't see very well. Our eyes have been
changed in some way by the great light of the
day, so that we can't distinguish the objects in
the cellar, which are illuminated only by the dim
light of the candle."
" If we stay down some time," said Robert,
" then we can see better."
" Yes," said Lucy's mother, " because then
your eyes become changed again, and adapted to
the faint light. They become more sensitive, and
then, of course, when you come out again into the
bright light of day, they are too sensitive, and you
are dazzled."
PHILOSOPHY. 87
" Yes, ma'am," said Robert ; " that is exactly
the way."
Lucy's attention was here taken up by watch-
ing Eben, who seemed very much interested in
looking into the hole which he had been punching.
He was trying whether he could see the squirrel
there. She jumped off the log, and went to the
hole, saying, —
" Can you see him, Eben ? "
" Yes," said Eben, " I believe I can see him."
" Let me look," said Lucy.
Lucy put her head pretty close to the hole,
and looked very intently.
" Can you see him ? " said her mother.
" I don't know," said Lucy, " whether I can
see him or not."
" If we had a dark closet here, where we could
shut you up a few minutes, then you could see
better down in the hole," said her mother.
" Won't it do for me to shut my eyes ? " said
Lucy.
" I don't know," replied her mother, " whether
that will produce the effect, or not. I don't know
what it is that causes the eye to change, — whether
t is the mere absence of light, or the effort we
make to see when looking in the dark. If it
were the mere absence of light, then it would
88 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
answer for you to shut your eyes. You can
try it."
The children all tried the plan. They shut
their eyes, and held their hands over them, and so
kept them as dark as they could for some minutes,
and then looked in. They thought that they
could see better. Robert said that what Eben
saw was only a root, and that he did not believe
that there was any squirrel there.
The children, therefore, presently came back,
and took their seats upon the log again ; and Lu-
cy asked her mother to go on.
" I think it likely that what I have explained
to you may be the reason why a fire or a light
does not appear so bright by day as it does by
night. The eye is accustomed to the glare, and
adapts itself to a strong light, and so becomes in
some measure insensible to a comparatively faint
one.
" That is the reason, I suppose," she continued,
" why we can't see the stars in the daytime."
" Yes, mother," said Lucy ; " I knew there
were stars in the daytime. Miss Anne told me."
" I saw a star one morning," said Robert.
" After it was light ? " asked Lucy.
" Yes," replied Robert ; " the sun was almor
up."
PHILOSOPn. . 89
" I presume it was the morning star," said Lu
cy's mother.
" What is the morning star ? " said Lucy.
« Why, you must know," said her mother,
" that there is one planet which goes round and
round the sun, pretty near to him — a great deal
nearer than we are."
" What is a planet, mother ? " said Lucy.
" Why, it is a kind of a world," replied her
mother.
" As big as this world ? "
'* No ; the planet which I was speaking ot is
not quite so big as this world, I believe ; but it is
very large. It goes round and round the sun ;
and, of course, when the sun rises, and goes over
the sky, and sets, this planet keeps with him, going
round and round him all the time."
Here Lucy turned her face up to the sky, and
began to look for the sun. She put her arm over
her eyes, to shade them from the dazzling light.
" O, you can't see it now, Lucy," said her
mother.
" Why not ? " said Lucy.
" Because," said Robert, " the sun will dazzle
your eyes."
" And besides," said her mother, " the general
light makes your eyes less sensitive than they
8*
90 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
ought to be to see a star. We never see this
planet by day, although it goes with the sun,
sometimes a little before him, and sometimes a
little after him, but never a great way off."
" What makes it sometimes before him and
sometimes after him ? " asked Lucy.
" Why, that's of course," said Robert.
" No, not exactly of course," said her mother.
" It might revolve around the sun in such a way
as always to appear to be at the same distance.
But, as it happens, it does not. It goes round in
such a way that sometimes it appears before the
sun, and sometimes behind it, and sometimes it is
directly between us and the sun. It passes for-
ward between us and the sun until it gets before
him ; then it turns and wheels away around on
the other side, and goes on until it gets behind the
sun. Then it comes round on this side again ;
and so it keeps going and coming.
" But, then," she continued, " we can very sel-
dom see it. There are only three cases in which
we can see it. One is, that when it is before the
sun, we can see it in the morning ; because, then,
you see, it rises first, and so we can see it before it
becomes quite light."
" But Robert said it was very light when he
saw it," said Lucy.
PHILOSOPHY. 91
" Yes, it was much lighter than it had been .
but it was not as light as it is at noon."
" No," said Robert ; " I only meant it was
broad daylight."
" It was much lighter than it was in the night,
I have no doubt," said Lucy's mother ; " so
light, in fact, that you could not see the other
stars. But this looks brighter than any other
stars."
" Why ? " asked Lucy.
" One reason is," replied her mother, " because
it is nearer to us ; and another reason is, that it is
very near the sun, and so is strongly illuminated
by his rays."
" But you said that the sun was not up."
" No ; but still he was where he could shine
on Venus." .
" Venus ? " repeated Lucy.
" Yes," replied her mother ; " that's the name
of it. It is very bright. It looks like a little
moon when you look at it through a telescope."
" Does it ? " said Lucy. " How big does it
look ? "
" That depends upon the power of the tele-
scope," replied her mother.
" I mean to get up to-morrow morning, and see
it," said Lucy.
92 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
" You said there were three ways to see it,"
said Robert.
" Yes, mother," said Lucy ; " what are the
other two ? "
" Why, sometimes," replied her mother, " Ve-
nus falls behind the sun, and then you can't see it
in the morning ; for when the sun rises, Venus is
still down behind the horizon ; and then it does
not come up until after the sun. Consequently,
by the time it gets up, the whole sky is lighted
up, and our eyes are much less sensitive, and so
we can't see it.
" But now," continued she, " if we wait till
evening, the sun, which sets first, will be in ad-
vance of Venus, and leave her a little way up
in the sky. To be sure, Venus follows directly
on, and sets in a short time ; but then it generally
gets dark enough before she sets to make our eyes
sensitive enough to see her. When Venus is in
that part of her path which makes her set after
the sun, so that we can see her in the evening,
we call her the evening star. When she is
before the sun, so as to be seen in the morning,
she is called the morning star. So, you see,
Lucy, it will not do any good to get up early in
the morning to look for Venus, unless we know
whether she is now before or behind the sun.
PHILOSOPHY. 93
If she should rise later than the sun, we could
not see her."
" Now, there's one more way," said Robert.
" Yes, mother," said Lucy ; " what is that r "
" Sometimes it happens," said her mother,
11 that, while Venus, after having been behind the
sun, is passing round this side of it to go be-
fore it, that it goes exactly between us and the
sun, and so we can see it pass across his face."
" How does it look ? " said Lucy.
" It looks like a little black spot," said her
mother — "a little, round, black spot, moving
across the face of the sun."
" What makes it look so black ? " said Lucy.
" Why, it is only the side which is turned to-
wards the sun that is bright, and the part that is
turned towards us, when it passes between us and
the sun, will, of course, be dark. Besides," she
continued, " I suppose that, strictly speaking, we
don't really see Venus in that case at all. We
are only prevented from seeing a part of the sun.
Venus stops all the rays from that part of the sun
which is exactly opposite to her, from coming to
us ; and it causes the appearance of a small, round,
dark spot, moving along over the face of the sun.
That is called a transit of Venus. But a transit
of Venus happens very seldom."
94 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
" I should think it would happen every time
Venus comes round," said Robert.
" So should I," said Lucy.
" No," said her mother.
" Because, you see," said Lucy, " that she
must go by the sun every time."
" Yes," said her mother ; " that is true. But
then sometimes she goes above the sun, and some-
times below it. It is very seldom that she goes
across, exactly opposite to him ; and it is only
then that there is a transit."
" I don't understand," said Robert, " how you
can see that little black spot on the sun, when it
does go across. I should think the light of the
rest of the sun would dazzle your eyes."
" Hark ! what's that ? " said Lucy.
Lucy listened, as if she heard a sound at a
distance.
" That's the horn," said Eben.
" Yes," said Robert, " the horn for dinner.
We must go home. But first I'll go and put my
fire together a little."
The fire had by this time nearly gone down.
It had burned out the whole middle of the pile,
leaving a circle of brands, ends of sticks, and
tops of bushes, all around. Robert pushed
them in to the centre, where they lay upon the
PHILOSOPHY.
95
burning embers, and soon began to smoke and
blaze again. Then he followed Lucy, and her
mother, and Eben, who were walking slowly
along. When he came up to them, he told them
that he knew where there was another heap of
brush to burn, and he wished they could come up
in the evening, and set it on fire, when they could
see the light in all its brightness. This they
agreed to do. Then they all went home to try
the apple-pudding.
96
CHAPTER VII.
THE SLAB.
About an hour after dinner, Lucy and Eben
went into a shed not far from the barn, where
there was a wagon ; and Eben proposed that
they should get into it, and play have a ride
" How can we get in ? " said Lucy.
" O, we can climb in," replied Eben.
Lucy thought that she could not climb up into
such a high wagon ; but Eben said that it was
very easy. So he went around to the front part,
and clambered in. Lucy then concluded to try,
and she found that she succeeded better than she
had expected. She sat down upon the seat of
the wagon.
" What a good seat ! " said Lucy. " This is
better than a chaise ; for a chaise tips down."
" Tips down ? " said Eben.
" Yes," replied Lucy, " when there is no horse,
in it."
" What makes it tip down ? " said Eben.
u I don't know," said Lucy ; " but it does, and
THE SLAB. 97
1 can hardly keep in the seat. But your wagon
does not tip down at all."
Just then they heard somebody coming. They
looked round, and saw that it was Robert.
"Come, boys and girls," said Robert, "jump
out of the wagon."
" Why can't you let us ride ? " said Eben.
" Because," said Robert, " I am going to put
the horse in."
" Are you going away ? " said Eben.
" No, but Comfort is."
" Where is she going ? " asked Lucy.
"I don't, know," replied Robert; and just
as he said so, he opened a door which led
out of the shed into the barn, and disappeared.
In a few minutes he returned, leading out a
horse.
He tied the horse to a ring, which was fastened
into a beam about as high as his head, and then
went into the harness-room after a harness.
While he was putting the harness upon the
horse, Lucy and Eben continued their ride ; and
presently he told them that they might stay, in
the wagon, and he would give them a real ride as
far as the door. Accordingly, when the horse
was harnessed, he backed the wagon out of the
shed, while Lucy and Eben sat in it ; and then
9
98 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
lie led the horse up to the door, Lucy holding the
reins, and making believe drive.
Robert fastened the horse to a post, and Lucy
and Eben, thinking that they would not get out
until they were obliged to, sat still. Presently
Comfort came to the door in a different dress
from the one which she had worn when she was
spinning, and with her bonnet on.
" Comfort," said Lucy, " are you going away
in this wagon ? "
" Yes," replied Comfort.
" Who is going to drive you ? " asked Lucy.
" I am going to drive myself," replied Com-
fort.
" Where are you going ? " said Lucy.
" I'm going a-shopping," said Comfort.
" A-shopping ? " said Lucy ; " I don't see
where you can go a-shopping. Only I wish,"
she added, after pausing a moment, " that my
mother would let me go with you."
" Well," said Comfort, " go and ask her."
Comfort helped Lucy down out of the wagon,
and she ran in to ask her mother. As she went
in, Comfort said, — >
" Tell her that I should like to have you go
very much."
Lucy came back in a moment, leading her
THE SLAB. 99
mother, who came out to see whether it was
really true that Comfort was perfectly willing to
have Lucy go. When she found that she was
willing, her mother consented. At first Eben
wanted to go, too ; but Robert persuaded him to
go with him. He was going off into the field
with a cart, and he said, if Eben would go with
him, he would let him ride in the cart. Eben, on
the whole, concluded that he would ride in the
cart ; and so he got out of the wagon, and went
away ; and in a moment after, Comfort and Lucy
went riding out of the yard together.
Comfort turned the horse in the opposite direc-
tion to the one from which Lucy had come with
her father and mother when they first came to
the General's. Lucy was glad of this, for she
wanted to go in a new road. After riding a
jhort distance along a smooth and level road,
they began to descend a hill which seemed to
be carrying them down into a dark and shady
valley.
The high mountains were all around them ;
and now and then Lucy had a view of water
down the valley far before them. Lucy thought,
too, that she could hear the noise of water tum-
bling over rocks down in a deep and dark ravine,
filled with forests, on the side of the road.
100 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
" How far is the place where you are going it-
shopping from your father's ? " said Lucy.
" It is about half a mile," replied Comfort.
" O, what a short ride ! " said Lucy. " I'm
sorry it isn't farther."
" O, it's farther from here," said Comfort. " It
is almost two miles from the General's."
" But I thought the General's was your fa-
ther's," said Lucy.
" No," replied Comfort ; " my father lives down
in the valley, about half a mile from the corner."
" Then why don't you stay there ? " said Lu-
cy. " I should think you would stay at home,
and not come and live at the General's."
" O, I come to the General's to spin," replied
Comfort.
" I don't see why you come to spin for him."
" Why, he pays me for it," said Comfort.
" O," said Lucy, " then I suppose you spin to
get the money."
" Yes," replied Comfort ; " that is it."
" Is your father very poor, then ? " said Lucy.
" No, he is not poor at all. My father has got
a good farm, and is quite forehanded."
" Forehanded ? " repeated Lucy.
" Yes," replied Comfort.
Lucy did not understand what Comfort meant
THE SLAB. 101
by forehanded; nor did she see why Comfort
should go away from home, to live at the Gener-
al's, to get money, unless her father was poor.
However, she was prevented from asking her any
more questions by something which here happened
to attract her attention.
For just at this time the road descended near
to the stream which Lucy had heard in the bot-
tom of the ravine ; and there was a large opening
through the trees, so that she could see down to
the water. It was foaming and tumblinsr like a
cataract, along a very rocky bed. The stream
was pretty broad, and there were several rocks
and rocky islands scattered about its bed. On
one of these islands, at a little distance from the
shore, they saw a little boy sitting alone ; and he
seemed to be crying.
" Only look at that boy," said Comfort. " I
wonder how he came there."
So saying, Comfort drew up the reins, and
stopped the horse, in the middle of the road.
The boy looked up and saw them.
" What's the matter, my boy?" said Comfort,
in a loud voice.
The boy answered something, but the roar of
the water was so loud that they could not hear
what he said.
9*
102 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
" Let's go down and see what's the matter,"
said Comfort.
" Well," said Lucy, " so we will."
Comfort got out of the wagon, and then she
helped Lucy get out. She led the horse to one
side of the road, and fastened him. Then she be-
gan carefully to descend the bank, helping Lucy
down, too. At length they got down to the shore,
opposite to where the boy was. He was on the
end of a little rocky island, or rather of a large
rock, which was out a few steps from the shore.
There were scattered rocks about it, and between
it and the shore.
" What's the matter, my boy ? " said Com
fort.
" I can't get off the rocks," said the boy.
The boy did not take any further notice of
Comfort and Lucy, than just to answer Comfort's
question, but sat still, and continued to cry, just
as before.
" How did you get on the rocks ? " said
Comfort.
" I don't know," said the boy ; " I have forgot
the place."
" Why, that's very strange," said Comfort,
— "such a little boy as this, out on these rocks,
and saying he don't know how he came there."
THE SLAB. 103
" He isn't bigger than Eben," said Lucy.
The water was very shallow in the stream,
and there were stones between where the boy
was, and the shore, almost near enough for step-
ping-stones. Comfort looked at them a moment,
and then she said, —
" Can't you step over on these stones ? "
" No," said the boy, " not unless they come
and help me."
" Who come and help you ? "
" Why, Roger and the other boy."
"Who is Roger?" said Comfort, "and where
is he ? "
" I don't know where he is," said the boy.
" He does not know any thing," said Comfort
to Lucy, in an under tone. In fact, Comfort was
almost out of patience with the boy, because he
could not give any better account of himself;
though she ought not to have been out of pa-
tience with him, for he was very small, and then
he was very much frightened, both at his situation
and on account of the strangers.
" Do you suppose, Lucy, that I could get over
on those stones, and help him off? "
" Why, yes," said Lucy, " perhaps so."
" I'm afraid' I shall fall into the water," said
104 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
Comfort. " Now, if I only had a slab." So say-
ing, Comfort began to look around on the shore.
" A slab ? " said Lucy ; " what is a slab ? "
Lucy had, in fact, never heard of a slab. Com-
fort did not answer her, for she went immediately
away, and began to look about for a slab, Lucy
remaining near the boy.
A slab is the outside piece, which is sawed off
first, when they saw up a log into boards. Of
course, it is round on one side, and flat on the
other. Sometimes, too, it is very irregular in
shape, on account of the logs not being regular in
form. Slabs generally lie in considerable num-
bers about mills, because they are not of much
value ; and then, when the freshets come, they
get washed away, and carried down the stream.
Many of them lodge along the banks, where they
get stopped by the trees, or wedged in among the
rocks ; so that they are often found lying along
the shores of such a stream as this was.
By this time, the boy had stopped crying ; and
he took up a slender little pole, which was lying
by his side, and laid it across his lap. Lucy
looked at him a moment in silence.
" What is your name, little boy ? " said Lucy
" George," said the boy.
THE SLAB. 105
" Well, don't be afraid," said Lucy. " Com-
fort has gone to get a slab."
George did not answer, but he seemed now to
be getting quite composed.
" What is that pole for ? " said Lucy, again.
" This is my fishing-pole," said the boy.
" Did you come a-fishing ? " said Lucy.
" Yes," replied the boy ; " and we caught
four."
Just at this moment, Lucy heard Comfort call-
ing out that she had found a slab. Lucy looked
in the direction from which the voice came, and
she saw Comfort beyond a rocky point, a short
distance up the stream.
" I've found a slab," said Comfort ; " but it is
too heavy for me to bring along, and so I'm going
to sail it down."
Lucy could see that Comfort was stooping
down, as if she was pushing something off the
shore. At the same instant, she heard other
voices in the opposite direction. She looked
down the stream, and saw two boys coming up
along the bank, half hid by the bushes and rocks,
with fishing-poles in their hands. They were
talking together, and did not see Lucy until they
got out of the bushes, and had advanced pretty
near to her. At the same time, Comfort came
106 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
down from above, guiding her slab along by a
little slender pole.
" O boys ! " said Comfort, when she saw them,
" is this little fellow your brother ? "
" Yes," said one of the boys, " he is my
brother."
" We couldn't think how he came here," said
Comfort.
" Why, we were fishing," said the boy, " and
we wanted to go down and just try a new place ;
and we told him we'd come back for him in a
few minutes, if we found a good place."
" O," said Comfort, " I was just getting this
slab, to help him off."
" What did you want the slab for ? " said
the boy.
"So as to get over where he is," said Comfort.
" O, there's no need of any slab," said the
boy. And so, without saying any thing more,
he stepped across from one stone to another, as
easily as if he had walked along the shore. The
other boy followed him, and one of them helped
George to the shore, and the other took up a
small string of fishes, which was lying in a crevice
of the rocks, where Lucy had not seen them.
" You've caught some fishes, then," said Com-
fort.
THE SLAB. 107
" Yes," said the boy ; " but they don't bite
very well."
" I hope they'll bite better down below," said
Comfort ; " and I wouldn't leave that little fellow
alone again ; it frightens him."
" Well, we won't," said Roger.
So saying, the boys all walked along together
down the bank, and soon disappeared
" I think he ought to be ashamed of himself,"
said Lucy. " I would have given him a good
scolding."
" That wouldn't have done any good," replied
Comfort.
" Yes it would," said Lucy. " It would have
taught him not to do so next time."
" No," said Comfort ; " that would only have
made him more likely to do so again."
" Let's make a bridge with your slab," said
Lucy, " and get out on that rock."
" No," said Comfort ; " we might get in, and
get our feet wet."
" Why, Comfort ! " said Lucy ; " I don't see that
there is any more danger of getting in now, than
if the boy was on the rock, and you were going
out to get the boy."
" Yes," said Comfort ; " but that was an object
worth running a little risk for. There's no use
10S LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
in running the risk for nothing ; so, instead of
making a bridge of the slab, we'll make a ship
of it."
As she said this, she pushed one end of the
slab outwards, to make it point out into the stream.
It turned slowly, and, when it was pointed in the
right direction, she gave it a long push, by which
it was sent, by a slow but steady motion, away
out into the current. The current immediately
turned it down the stream. It went swiftly along
the rapids, until presently the end struck against
a small rock, which happened to be in its course,
projecting a little above the surface of the water.
This stopped the force of the motion immediately,
and the upper end of the slab began to move
slowly round, and to drift sideways down the
stream. They watched it a few minutes, and
then they climbed up the steep, grassy, and rocky
bank, unfastened the horse, got into the wagon,
and rode on
109
CHAPTER VIII.
SHOPPING.
At the place where Comfort and Lucy had
found George on the island, the stream looked
like a brook, only it was very large for a brook.
It ran tumbling along among rocks just like a
brook. Lucy found, however, after they had
rode along a little farther, that it began to change ;
and in a short time it appeared to turn into a
smooth and beautiful river. This was the sheet
of water which Lucy had had an* occasional
glimpse of, higher up the valley. But now, at a
certain turn of the road, they came suddenly upon
a full view of it.
" O, what a beautiful river ! " said Lucy.
" That's the mill-pond," said Comfort.
" The mill-pond ? " repeated Lucy.
" Yes," replied Comfort.
" How did they make such a mill-pond ? "
asked Lucy.
" Why, they built a dam across the stream.,
10
110 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
down below here, and that stops the water, and
makes a pond."
" That's an excellent plan," said Lucy. " I
think it looks a great deal prettier."
" O, but they didn't do it to make it look pret-
tier," said Comfort.
" What did they do it for ? " asked Lucy.
" Why, to make the mills go. They almost
always have a pond to make mills go."
" 1 don't see how a pond can make mills go,"
said Lucy.
" Why, the dam makes the water rise very
high," said Comfort ; " and then they build a
mill on the bank just below the dam, and have
a great wheel down in the bottom of the mill,
and they let the water out of the pond against the
wheel, and that carries it round so as to make the
mill go."
" Do they have a hole in the dam right oppo-
site to the wheel ? " asked Lucy.
" Yes, they have an opening," replied Comfort,
" and a kind of a long box, to lead the water
from the opening in the dam to the wheel. That
is what they call the flume. I'll show you the
flume when we get to the mill."
" Are we going to the mill ? " asked Lucy.
SHOPPING. Ill
" Yes, we shall go over the bridge close to the
mill. The flume passes under one end of the
bridge."
Comfort and Lucy were now riding along a
beautiful road. The mill-pond was on one side,
with several islands in the middle, and with many
points and promontories extending into the water
from the shore, and crowned with trees. On the
other side was a great forest, covering the side of
a hill, and running higher and higher to the tops
of the mountains. On before them Lucy could
see a bridge, and a small village on the other
side of it. In about ten minutes, they reached
the bridge.
Lucy could see the dam very distinctly. It
was built of logs laid up like a wall, and extend-
ing entirely across the stream, from one side to
the other. A thin sheet of water was gliding
smoothly over the top, and falling upon the rocks
below.
" Why don't they build the dam a little higher,"
said Lucy, " and so stop all the water? "
"That wouldn't do any good," said Com-
fort.
" Yes," said Lucy ; " then they would have
more water to make their mills go."
" But they've got water enough," said Com-
J 12 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
fort ; "and, besides, if they should make the dam
higher, they could not keep the water from run-
ning over the top ; because, if they should do it.
it would only slop the water in the pond for a
little while ; it would rise higher and higher, and
so, pretty soon, it would run over the top again,
just as it does now."
The mill was on the farther side of the bridge,
and below it, while the dam was above. Lucy
asked where the flume was. Comfort pointed
out to her a sort of a large box or trough, made
of timbers and planks, which proceeded from the
end of the darn on the other side, and passed un-
der the bridge to the mill.
When they got opposite to the flume, Comfort
stopped the horse a moment to let Lucy look
at it. There was a kind of a grating at one end
of it, towards the mill, and the water was whirling
and boiling, among the sticks and slabs which
were lying before the grating. Lucy saw that
the water was running down through the grating,
in underneath the mill, and she supposed it ran
under the water-wheel, and turned it round.
" What makes them throw all those sticks and
slabs into the flume ? " said Lucy.
" They don't throw them in," said Comfort.
" Those things were brought down by the stream,
SHOPPING. 113
and came floating along into the flume, and the
grating stopped them. That is the reason why
they have a grating, — in order to stop all such
things."
" Why must they stop them ? " said Lucy.
" Because," replied Comfort, " they would go
through, and strike against the water-wheel, 1 sup-
pose, and break it."
After Lucy had looked at the flume long
enough, Comfort drove on. The horse ascended
a little hill, beyond the brook, and came into a
sort of village, though it was very small. It con-
sisted of only a very few houses and shops.
" Where are you going to do your shopping ? "
asked Lucy.
" I'm going to that store," said Comfort.
So saying, she pointed to a building in a corner,
not far from the mill, which was painted green.
It had a sign over the door, and some shawls
han<nn£ in the window.
" I shouldn't think there was much to buy in
that store," aid Lucy.
" O, yes," said Comfort ; " it is quite a large
store."
There were several posts before the store.
Comfort drove up to one of them, and got out
10*
114 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
and fastened the horse. Then she helped Lucy
out, and they both together went into the store.
It was a much larger and pleasanter store than
Lucy had expected. There were two pretty
large counters. One was at the back side of the
store. There were a great many goods, of all
kinds, upon the shelves. At the back corner of
the store there was a door, which seemed to open
out into a pleasant yard. There were one or
two chairs near this door. Comfort conducted
Lucy along to this corner, and gave her a seat in
one of the chairs.
" Now, Lucy," said she, " I expect it will take
me ever so long to do my shopping ; and you may
amuse yourself here as well as you can. You
can look about the store, or sit here, or go out in
the yard."
" Well," said Lucy, " I shall do very well, I
don't doubt."
Comfort then went away, and presently came
back with a piece of gingerbread, which she had
bought of the storekeeper, and gave it to Lucy.
Lucy was glad, both because she liked ginger-
bread, and also because she was a little hungry.
After she had begun to eat her gingerbread, she
thought she heard a peeping sound out in the
SHOPPING. 115
yard. Lucy stepped out upon the step to see
what it was. She found there, in one corner of
the yard, a hen and a whole brood of chickens.
The hen looked rather fiercely at Lucy when
she saw that she was coming near her chickens,
and so Lucy kept back a little. She observed,
however, that the hen had a little leather strap
around one of her legs, and by means of that and
a string, she was tied to a stake. There was a
small cask lying down upon its side, for her to go
into, with her chickens.
Lucy broke off a small piece of her ginger-
bread, and threw it down to the hen. The hen
seized it very eagerly, and broke it into crumbs
with her bill, and called her chickens to come
and eat it. They all gathered around her, and
picked up the little crumbs as fast as they could.
Lucy thought that they ate it as if they never
had had any gingerbread before.
Lucy looked about the yard. It was a very
pleasant yard, descending a little from the street.
There was a fence around it painted white ; but
as the fence was not very high, and as the land
descended somewhat towards it, Lucy could see
over it. She could see the^dam, and the bridge,
and the mill-pond, extending far away among the
islands and banks covered with trees. She could
116 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
also look right down the bank opposite to where
she stood upon that part of the stream which was
below the mill.
She watched the water gliding over the top of
the dam, and falling down in a shower upon the
rocks below, for a few minutes, when she heard a
door open behind her. She looked round, and
found that there was another door, besides the
one which she had come out of, in the same
building. There were also some windows. In
fact, it seemed as if the back part of the building
was a house, and only the front part a store.
At any rate, the door opened, and a girl, about
as big as Lucy, came out with a saucer in her
hand, and a spoon in it. Lucy saw at once that
she had come out to feed the chickens. Lucy
went towards her, to see her ; for before she had
gone to the front part of the yard to see the
prospect.
tf Are these your chickens ? " said Lucy.
" Yes," said the girl.
" They're beautiful chickens," said Lucy.
" Yes," said the girl, " only they came too
late."
While Lucy was considering what the girl
could mean, by saying that her chickens came too
late, the girl went on feeding them ; and after she
SHOPPING. 117
had done, she looked down to the stream which
ran off below the mill, and said, —
" Ah ! they've shut the gate."
■? What gate ? " said Lucy, looking ; " I don't
see any gate."
" The water-gate, I mean," said the girl ;
— " the gate that lets the water under the mill."
"How do you know that they've shut it?"
said Lucy.
" Because," replied the girl, " don't you see
that the water doesn't run under the mill?
When the gate is up, and they are grinding, the
water comes tumbling through, under the mill, in
a great stream."
Lucy looked, and saw that there was a channel
behind the mill, beginning under it, which passed
down a little way, and gradually turned, and at
length, at a short distance, came out into the
main stream. The bottom was rocky, and now
nearly bare, only there was a small stream, which
lan among the rocks, flowing out towards the main
current. There is generally such a channel below
a mill, by which the waste water is discharged,
after it has performed its duty of giving impulse,
in its descent, to the float-boards of the great
wheel.
At the place where this channel entered the
118 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
main stream, Lucy observed a large, flat surface
of rock, of a blue color, which seemed to be quite
level and smooth. There was a bird upon it,
hopping about. The main current was running
very swiftly along that end of it which was to-
wards the stream, and there was a little water, too,
on each side of it ; so that it was a sort of an
island.
" I wish I could go down on that great blue
stone," said Lucy.
" It is very easy to get there/' said the girl.
w I've been on it a hundred times."
" I mean to go and ask Comfort to let me go
down and get on it," said Lucy.
So Lucy went into the store, but in a moment
came out again. The girl asked what Comfort
said.
" She says I must not go now," said Lucy,
" but that, when she has done her shopping, she
will go with me."
" Is that the mill-pond up there ? " said Lucy,
pointing to the sheet of water above the dam.
" Yes," said the girl.
►" What a pretty little island ! " said Lucy.
While Lucy was looking at the island, she
happened to observe something upon the water,
very far off, ant she did not know what it was.
SHOPPING. 119
It looked like a little black line arawn upon the
water.
" What is that ? " said Lucy, pointing to it.
" What ? " said the girl ; " I don't see any
thing."
" That little black thing, very straight, in the
water, close by the island, where that great tree is."
" O, I don't know," said the girl ; " nothing but
a slab, or something floating down."
Lucy looked at it very intently, and said,-—
" I verily believe it is our slab ! "
Lucy ran into the store to tell Comfort. Com-
fort was standing before the counter, looking at
some calico. The counter was covered with
calicoes.
" Comfort," said Lucy.
" That, you say, is one and ninepence," said
Comfort, speaking to the storekeeper.
" Comfort," said Lucy, putting her hand gently
on Comfort's arm. " Here's our slab floating
down."
" And nine yards, at one and ninepence,-
comes to how much ? — let me see — "
" Comfort," said Lucy.
" Let me see ; nine shillings and nine nme-
pences is — wait a minute, Lucy."
Lucy stood still. The storekeeper drew out
120 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
a little slate from under the counter, and began
making figures upon it. Lucy saw that Comfort
looked perplexed, and was very busy ; so she
left her, and ran out into the yard again, to watch
the slab.
Lucy thought that the slab had not moved at
all, while she had been gone. It seemed to be
in exactly the place where it was before. In fact,
it did not move very fast, because the water in
the mill-pond was almost still. It was, however,
slowly descending towards the dam.
« Why don't it come faster ? " said Lucy.
" Why, the water does not run very fast in the
mill-pond," replied the girl ; " we can sail all over
it in a boat ; so that the logs and slabs come down
slowly."
" Where will it go to ? " asked Lucy.
" O, it will come down over the dam ; or else
it will run into the flume, and get stopped by the
grating."
" I mean to watch it," said Lucy, " and see."
"Then you had better go and stand on the
bridge," replied the girl. " You can see it better
on the bridge."
" I don't think Comfort would let me," said
Lucy.
" You had better go and ask her," said the girl.
SHOPPING. 121
" No," said Lucy ; " it don't do any good to
ask any body any thing when they are a-shopping.
They are always talking about ninepence and
tenpence."
The girl laughed, and then went into the house.
Lucy looked at the slab a short time, and then,
as it did not move much, she got tired of watch-
ing it ; and so she turned to look at the chickens.
She gave them a little more of her gingerbread,
and ate the rest. Then she went into the store,
and amused herself in walking about, and looking
at the things which the storekeeper had to sell.
In about three quarters of an hour from the
time when they came into the store, Comfort was
ready to go. She had completed her purchases,
and the storekeeper had put them all up in one
great parcel, with some strong and coarse brown
paper wrapped around it. Comfort put her par
eel into the wagon, and then told Lucy that she
was ready to go.
" Yes," said Lucy, " only you must go down
with me to the great blue stone."
" Well," said Comfort, " I will. You've been
very patient, and haven't troubled me at all."
So they walked along together towards the
bank of the stream below the mill.
11
122
CHAPTER IX.
AN ESCAPE.
They found some difficulty in getting down
the bank, it was so steep and rocky. There were,
however, little trees and bushes growing here
and there, which they could take hold of; and
there was a kind of a path, too, which was of
considerable service. The channel by which the
water came out from under the mill was almost
dry, so that they walked about all over it, step-
ing from stone to stone. They went up very
near the mill, so that they could see under it.
Lucy saw the great wheel, but it was still. She
said she wished they would let the water through
again, for she wanted to see it go.
u Why, Lucy ! " said Comfort ; " then the water
would come pouring down where we stand. And
I don't think that we ought to stay here much
longer, for they may hoist the great gate suddenly.
So let us go down to your blue stone."
They accordingly walked along over the rocks,
towards the blue stone. In the lower part of the
AN ESCAPE. 123
bed of the channel, the stones and rocks were
wet where they had been covered with water.
The higher ones were dry, showing that where
the water came through under the mill, they were
not covered by it. Comfort told Lucy to step
along on the dry rocks, for the wet ones were apt
to be slippery.
At length, they reached the great blue stone.
Comfort said that it. was a beautiful place to stop
and see the water. The middle part of the rock
was dry ; but it was wet all around the sides, and
there was a little water still standing on each side,
which they had to step over, in getting upon the
rock. There were several chips, and sticks, and
small pieces of board on the edges of the rock.
They had floated on when the water was high,
and had been left there.
Lucy amused herself a few minutes throwing
these pieces of wood off into the middle of the
current, and seeing them float away down the
stream. Comfort took up a long, crooked pole,
and pushed off some which were lying in places
out of Lucy's reach. After a little while, when
Lucy had thrown off all that were upon the front
side of the stone, she turned and went to the
back side, to find some more. Comfort happened
to be standing, at that moment, on the front side
124 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
of the stone, reaching out, and trying to push off a
small log which was partly floating, and partly
lodged upon a rock. Just as she succeeded in
pushing off the log, she heard Lucy exclaim, in a
tone of surprise, —
" Why ! why ! how wide the water is ! "
Comfort looked round, and dropped her pole
instantly, and said, —
" So it is ; the water is rising. The men have
hoisted the gate. We must get off this rock as
quick as we can."
Comfort and Lucy ran all around the rock,
trying to find a place to get off; but it was too
late. The water, on each side, was before so
wide that they could hardly jump over it, and the
surface of the rocks beyond, which formed the
bed of the stream, sloped off so gradually, that a
very little rise in the water made it considerably
wider.
" What shall we do ? " said Comfort ; " what
shall we do ? " As she said this, she kept going
round and round the rock, trying to find some
place where it would do to jump off; but she
could not. Lucy was very much frightened, and
began to cry.
" O, Lucy, don't cry," said Comfort. "You
needn't be afraid."
AN ESCAPE. 125
" O dear me ! " said Lucy ; " we shall cer-
tainly be drowned."
" O, no " said Comfort ; " there's no danger of
being drowned. We can stay on this rock, safe,
till we contrive some way to get off."
"O, no," said Lucy ; "the water keeps rising
more and more, and it will cover us all up."
" No," said Comfort ; " don't you see that the
top of the rock is dry ; and that proves it is not
covered when the gate is up, and the water runs
through as fast as it will."
Comfort looked at the water. It was rising
very rapidly ; and they could see a torrent of it
come pouring down upon them from. under the
mill, which threatened to raise it much higher.
Still Comfort was not afraid. She was confident
that it would not come higher than to cover that
part of the rock which was wet before, and so
that they were safe upon the dry part. And the
result was as she had anticipated. The water
continued to rise, but it rose more and more slow-
ly ; and when it arrived at the old high water
mark, — that is, the line where the rock had been
wet before, — it continued standing at that level.
, " There," said Comfort, " it won't rise any
11*
126 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
Lucy looked very anxious and unhappy. She
did not see how they could get off.
" We shall have to stay here all the time,"
said she, in a very sad and desponding tone.
" No," said Comfort; "there's one way we
can do, I'm sure. I can call out to the people in
the store, and they'll come and help us off."
" 1 don't see how they can help us off, if they
come," said Lucy.
" O, yes," replied Comfort ; " they can go and
shut the gate, if they can't do any other way."
" Then that will stop the mill," said Lucy ;
" and 1 don't believe they will be willing to stop
their mill."
" Yes they will," said Comfort. " I know
Mr. Jameson, that owns the mill. He'll stop it
for us, I know."
" Well, then," said Lucy, " why don't you call
them ? "
" Why, I want to look around, and think a
little, first," said Comfort. " If we call them,
they'll come and help us, I know ; but then Mr.
Jameson will laugh at me well, and I don't want
to be laughed at."
" I had rather be laughed at than be drowned,"
said Lucy.
AN ESCAPE. 127
" Yes," said Comfort ; " but we'll see. I want
to look around and think a little. I've heard
them say that, if your life is in danger, and you
have only got two minutes to save it, you must
take one of them to think what to do."
" If we only had a slab," said Comfort, look-
ing around. " And there comes one now, I de-
clare."
Comfort pointed towards the dam. Lucy
looked, and behold a slab was just appearing
over the edge of the dam. It rubbed along,
stopped, then rubbed along again, moving very
slowly, as there was scarcely water enough to
bring it over. At length, when it had advanced
so far that the projecting end was heavier than
the other, it fell slowly over, and came down with
a thump upon the rocks below. Lucy and Com-
fort saw all this, for they were standing so low,
and the bridge was so high, that they could see
the top of the dam under it. As the slab fell
down, its face was presented directly towards
them ; and Lucy said, —
" It is our very old slab, I truly believe. I
saw it floating down in the mill-pond, a good
while ago."
" I believe it is the very same," said Comfort.
12S LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
" Now, if I can only reach it with this pole when
it comes by us."
Comfort took up the pole again, and they both
watched the slab, as it came swiftly on towards
the bridge. It struck one of the piers of the
bridge, and then the upper end began slowly to
move round, just as it had done against the stone
where Comfort and Lucy first pushed it off.
" Yes," said Comfort, " it is coming round this
way."
The slab moved slowly, until it got into the
current again, and then it was swept along more
swiftly than ever. It came on towards the side
of the stream where Comfort and Lucy were
standing on the rock ; but Comfort was afraid that
it was not coming quite near enough. She
reached the pole out as far as she could, so as to
have it all ready, saying, —
" Now, Lucy, don't speak a word."
She just succeeded in resting the end of the
pole upon the forward end of the slab.
" There," said Lucy ; " now pull."
But Comfort knew better than to pull. It
would only have pulled her pole off, and let the
slab go down the stream irrecoverably. She
therefore only drew in the pole very gently, but
(
AN ESCAPE. 131
following, at the same time, the natural motion of
the slab down the stream. By this means, she
succeeded in bringing the slab round into a little
sort of bay of still water, below the great blue
rock.
" There/' said Comfort ; " now we'll make a
bridge."
Lucy was exceedingly rejoiced to see the slab
safe under their control. She was very ready to
help Comfort place it. They found some diffi-
culty, however, in doing this, though they suc-
ceeded at last. They drew the slab up into the
channel on one side of the great stone, where
there was a narrow place, and then they pushed
the farther end of it up a little way upon the
opposite shore. Then they lifted the end which
was towards them, and put it upon the rock ;
and thus they had a bridge.
" Now," said Comfort, " we must go over
carefully, for it is slippery. However, there is no
danger ; for if we get in, it is not very deep, and
we shall only get pretty well wet."
But they did not get in. Comfort walked
over first very carefully, leading Lucy by the
hand, who came behind her. Lucy jumped and
capered about upon the bank, when she found
132 LUC¥ AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
that she was free ; and they both went up the
bank as fast as they could go.
" We got some good by trying to help George
off, didn't we ?" said Lucy, when they were get-
ting into the wagon.
"Yes," said Comfort.
"It's very lucky, I think," said Lucy, " that
we went to get the slab for George."
" No," said Comfort ; " it was unlucky, accord-
ing to the old rule."
" What is the old rule ?" asked Lucy.
" Why, that it is unlucky to take pay for doing
a kindness."
As they drove down to come upon the bridge,
Lucy observed a young man coming along over
the bridge, from the other side. Comfort stopped
talking, and did not say any thing more until they
had passed him. He smiled when he met them,
and bowed to Comfort. Comfort nodded to him
in return.
" Who was that, Comfort ?" said Lucy, when
they got by.
" That is Mr. Jameson," said Comfort. " I
would not have had him know we got caught
down there on the rocks for half a dollar."
133
CHAPTER X.
EFFECT.
That evening Lucy and her mother set out
to go with Robert to his clearing, to build a fire
for the purpose of seeing how it would look in
the dark. When they were up there in the fore-
noon, Lucy had asked her mother to go up some
evening, as Robert said he had another heap which
he could burn. Lucy wanted very much to see
a fire in the night, and, in fact, her mother did,
too. They asked the General about it at supper-
time, and he said that there was no danger then
in making fires ; and so, a little after sundown,
Lucy and her mother set forth, Robert and Eben
coming along close behind them. Lucy carried
the lantern, and Robert his axe.
Lucy had given her mother an account of her
adventure with Comfort on the great stone ; and
so strong had been the impression which the affair
had made upon her mind, that she had several
times alluded to it afterwards. And now, as they
were walking along, her mother silently admiring
12
134 LUCY among the mountains.
the beauty of the evening, Lucy's thoughts were
away down by the mill, - her imagination being
busy, reproducing images of the great wheel, the
channel below the mill, the wet stones, the slab,
and the current of water.
At last she said, —
" Mother, what makes it unlucky to thank
people for doing a kindness ? "
" I didn't know that it was," replied her mother.
" Yes, mother," said Lucy ; " Comfort says
it is."
" It seems to me," replied her mother, " that
Comfort is a great authority with you these days."
" I don't know what you mean," said Lucy.
" Why, I think you quote Comfort pretty often."
" Quote her ? " repeated Lucy. " I don't know
what you mean: I never heard of quoting any
body."
"What was it she said about its being un-
lucky?"
" Why, she said it was unlucky to take any
pay for doing a kindness."
" People have a great many sayings," replied
her mother, "about what is lucky and unlucky;
but I haven't much faith in such notions myself."
" I don't see what they say so for, if it is not
true," said Lucy.
EFFECT. 135
" Perhaps they think it is true. Some people
think Friday is an unlucky day, and so they never
will begin any new undertaking on Friday, if they
can help it."
" Do you think that it is an unlucky day,
mother?" said Lucy.
" No, I don't think it is more unlucky than
any other day in the week. It is not a very good
day to begin any new undertaking, such as a
journey, because it comes so near the end of the
week."
" Is that the reason why they call it unlucky,"
said Lucy, " do you suppose ? "
" Perhaps it originated in that. Such notions
have generally something or other for a foun-
dation. Though I have heard it said that the
reason why Friday has such a bad reputation,
is because it was the day of the crucifixion of
Christ."
" Did they crucify him Friday ? " asked Lucy.
" Yes," replied her mother.
" How do they know ? " asked Lucy. " It
does not say so in the Bible. At least, I never
read any thing about Friday in the Bible."
" No," replied her mother ; " the account does
not mention that particular day ; but it says that
he was crucified the day before the Sabbath, and
136 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
that he rose from the dead the dav after the Sab-
bath."
"Then that would be Saturday," said Lucy.
"The day before the Sabbath is Saturday."
" Yes, the day before our Sabbath is Saturday,'
replied her mother; " but the Sabbath in the days
of Christ was on Saturday itself; so that the day
before was Friday. Jesus was crucified on Fri-
day, and he remained in the tomb over Saturday,
which was their Sabbath, and rose from the dead
on Sunday morning. So they changed the Sab-
bath from Saturday to Sunday, in order to have
it on the same day that he rose."
•'' Then that's the reason why they call Friday
an unlucky day?" asked Lucy.
" No," replied her mother; " I did not say that
that was certainly the reason ; only 1 have heard
it said that that might be the reason. There was
a time, a great many years ago, when people paid
a great deal more attention to particular days than
they do now, and celebrated a great many ; and,
perhaps, in those times, they considered Friday,
being the day in which such a sad event hap-
pened, an unfortunate or unlucky day."
" Well, mother," said Lucy, after a short pause,
" but I don't see, after all, why Comfort said it
was unlucky to take pay for doing a kindness."
EFFECT. 137
" Perhaps it would tend to make a person act
afterwards from mercenary motives," said her
mother.
" What does that mean ? " said Lucy.
" Why, suppose," said her mother, " that every
time you performed any act of kindness for me
or your father, I should pay you for it. Then,
after a while, when you did any such thing for
us, perhaps it would be for the sake of the pay."
" O, no, I shouldn't," said Lucy.
"Well, suppose, then, that Eben is the person.
Suppose that you had a great many sugar-plums,
and every time he helped you, or did you any
kindness, you should give him some of them.
Don't you suppose that in a short time, instead
of helping you out of feelings of kindness to you,
he would do it for the sake of getting the sugar-
plums ? "
" Why, yes," said Lucy.
" His motive, that is, the thoughts that would
lead him to do any thing for you, would be, not
honest kindness of heart, but a hope of pay."
" Yes," said Lucy.
" Now, when any person is led by hope of pay
to do what he ought to do for other motives, they
say he is mercenary."
" What does mercenary mean ? " said Lucy.
1>2*
138 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
" Why, that's what it means," said her mother.
" I've just explained it to you. It is seeking for
pay where we ought not to. Once there was a
lady who was sick, and a boy named Jerry, who
lived pretty near, came to the door, and asked how
she did, and wanted to know if he could do any
thing for her. Now, I suppose you would think
that that was a very kind, generous boy."
" Yes, mother, I should think so," said Lucy.
" He would have been so if his motive had
been as good as it appeared to be. But the fact
was, his motive was mercenary. He had heard
another boy say, that his mother sent him to ask
if he could do any thing for the lady, one day
when she was sick, and that she thanked him, and
gave him a cake. So Jerry thought that, if he
went, perhaps he should get a cake too."
" O," said Lucy, " what a boy ! "
" The spirit which he was acting under was
not a benevolent, but a mercenary one."
" Yes," said Lucy, " I thought he really wanted
to know what he could do for the sick lady."
" That was the appearance," replied her mother,
" but it was a false appearance. In fact, appear-
ances, in such cases, are often deceptive. Some-
times, for instance, children go and wish people
a merry Christmas, or a happy new year, when
EFFECT. 139
their motive is, not any real kind feeling, but a
hope of getting a present."
Lucy did not say any thing in reply to this.
She was silent a moment. She was thinking
whether she had not been influenced by mer-
cenary motives, sometimes, in wishing people a
happy new year.
" Now, it is very evident," continued her moth-
er, " that when a person takes pay for doing any
little act of kindness, that it may tend to make
them expect pay in future cases. Now, you hap-
pened, in this, case, to do George a favor. The
consequence was, that, after a time, the benefit of
what you did came back to yourselves. This is
very apt to be the case with acts of kindness ;
and perhaps it is right to tell children so, and
let it influence them in some degree ; but still, the
real reason, after all, which ought to influence us
in doing kindness to others, is simply the good it
will do them, and not the hope of having good
come out of it, somehow or other, or some time or
other, to us."
"Well, mother," said Lucy, "I'm sure that,
when we were getting the slab, to help George off,
we didn't think of ever getting helped off by it
ourselves."
" No, I presume not," said her mother. " But
140 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
is it not time for us to get to Robert's clearing?
Robert, how much farther is it ? " said she, turn-
ing round to speak to Robert.
Robert said it was not much farther; and Lucy,
who turned round, too, to hear his answer, observed
that the light of the lantern flashed upon the trees
on each side of the road very beautifully.
" How bright the light shines," said Lucy,
" now it is evening ! "
" Yes," said her mother, " and if the fire is as
bright in proportion, we shall have a splendid
illumination."
" O, there's our old fire," said Lucy.
She pointed to the spot where they had made
their fire in the morning. It had burned nearly
out. There was, however, one little flame coming
up from it. The party all gathered around it
to see.
" It's the old stump," said Robert.
In fact, Robert had thrown upon the fire, when
he went away in the morning, a large, old stump,
half decayed, and this had been slowly burning
all the afternoon. It was now nearly burnt out ;
but a piece of the root was blazing up a little.
Robert went up to it, and took hold of the part
which was not on fire, and then walked off with
the burning brand in his hand. He led the way
EFFECT. 141
to the other part of his clearing, where he had
another heap, and put the brand in under it. He
then took the lantern, and went into the woods
near by, to find some dry wood to help set the
fire to burning. He came back soon, and, in a
few minutes, the whole party, standing in a ring
around, were illuminated by a bright blaze. A
broad column of smoke csnd sparks ascended
into the dark sky, and the bright flashes of light
gleamed upon the trees around in a very splendid
manner.
" Isn't it a good bright fire? " said Lucy.
" Yes," said her mother ; " I want to walk
about a little, to see the effect on the trees from
different positions."
"The effect, mother?" repeated Lucy.
" Yes ; come with me, and I'll show, you what
I mean by effect."
So Lucy took hold of her mother's hand, and
they walked along back to the road. They went
up to the top of a little green bank very near the
road, and then turned around to look at the fire.
It was partly hid by a little group of small trees
which intervened ; that is, which came between.
The fire seemed to be in the middle of these trees.
The leaves and branches were brightly illuminated,
and in the midst of them they could see the flame
14.2 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
itself glittering through the little openings in the
foliage. There was a great column of sparks, too,
ascending above the trees and smoke, illuminated
by the fire below. The sparks were produced by
Robert and Eben, who remained at the fire,
punching it with long poles.
" You see what a beautiful appearance the fire
has here," said Lucy's mother. " Now, we will
go to some other place, where it will present a dif-
ferent picture, or, as people commonly express it,
where it will have a different effect."
So they descended the bank again into the
road, and walked along in it a little way into a
very bright place, where the light from the fire
shone broadly across the road. When they had
got into the middle of this bright place, they
stopped, and turned towards the fire. Every thing
in the appearance of it was changed. The great
glowing flame was full before them. There was
a sort of circle of trees, around the border of
Robert's clearing, which shone magnificently ;
and some rocks across the brook, half under the
trees, seemed to be edged with fire. They could
see Robert, and Eben too. Robert was behind
the fire, with his face towards them. One arm
was extended to push his pole into the fire, and
the other was held up over his face to shade it
EFFECT. 143
from the beat. He looked up to Lucy, and smiled ;
and Lucy was surprised to observe bow distinctly
she could see the expression of his countenance
and the movement of his eyes, so bright was the
illumination. Eben stood on one side banging
the fire with repeated strokes of his long pole, to
make the sparks fly.
* What's that great thing over beyond the
brook, mother ? " said Lucy.
Lucy pointed to something at some distance
across the brook, and beyond some large, scattered
trees.
" I don't know," said her mother ; " it looks
like a great heap of logs and stumps. Let us go
and ask Robert."
Robert told them that it was his father's great
heap of logs and stumps, that he had got out of
a swamp.
" Let's go and set it on fire," said Lucy.
" Will it do to set it on fire ? " asked her
mother, speaking to Robert.
" It won't burn," said Robert; " it has not been
piled up long enough."
" O, we can make it burn," said Lucy.
"Well," said Robert, "we can try."
" Are you sure your father will be willing to
have you set it on fire ? " said Lucy's mother
144 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
" O, yes, ma'am," said Robert, " I know he
will ; he wants it burned."
Robert pulled out a large brand from the (ire,
and gave it to Eben to carry.
" Give me one, too," said Lucy.
" And me," said her mother.
Robert got brands for them all, and they
marched along in a fiery procession towards the
great heap. They put the brands all together in a
hole under the heap, and then went back for
more. In this way they soon got quite a little
fire burning under the great heap; but still Rob-
ert said that he did not believe the heap itself
would burn. He said that the logs and stumps
were very wet when they were taken out of the
swamp, and that they had not had time to dry.
The children, however, worked upon it some time,
and then left it, and went to the other fire ; and
after a while they returned to the great heap
again. But they found, as Robert had predicted,
it did not appear to burn very well. There was
a great smoke coming up out of the middle of it,
but they could not decide whether it was going
to burn, or whether it was going out. They
pushed under some more dry wood, and then
waited some time longer. But, at length, Lucy's
mother said that it was time to go home, and they
EFFECT. 145
must give up the great heap, and try it some other
time.
Lucy was unwilling to leave it, and w r anted to
go and get some more dry wood ; but it was hard
work to get it, for the heap was in the middle ot
the swampy part of the ground, from where the
materials had been taken, and so they had to
bring the dry wood from some little distance, out
of the woods on the higher land around them.
The ground on which the heap stood was not,
however, wet and swampy then. It was dry and
hard ; for Robert's father had dug a drain leading
right through the middle of it down to the brook.
They were, accordingly, obliged to leave the
great heap, though they resolved to come up m
the daytime, when they could get dry wood;
and then, as Robert said, they would keep crowd-
ing dry logs under till they made it burn.
\
146
CHAPTER XI.
THE GAP AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
The next morning, when Lucy got up, the first
thing she did, was to go to the window and look
out. Her mother was sitting at the table, writing
a letter.
" O dear me ! " said Lucy ; " now if the clouds
haven't all gone away ! "
" The clouds ? " repeated her mother ; " what
clouds ? "
" Why, last evening*" replied Lucy, in a de-
sponding tone, " there were some clouds, and a
circle round the moon, and Robert said that it
was going to rain. And now they have all gone
away, and it is going to be pleasant."
" Well," said her mother, " and don't you
want it to be pleasant ? "
" No," said Lucy ; " I want it to rain."
" Why, Lucy," said her mother, with surprise,
" what do you want it to rain for ? "
" Why, to make a freshet on the brook, to bring
THE GAP AMONG THE MOUNTAINS. 147
down the logs. And besides, I want my garden
to be watered."
" Your garden ! " repeated her mother. " I
did not know you had any garden."
" Yes," said Lucy ; " Ellen gave me one, and
my flowers are all dying, because it does not rain
on them."
It was true that Lucy had a little garden. It
was a small place in Ellen's garden, where Ellen
had planted six hills of corn. She had broken
off all the ears of corn which had grown there, to
roast, and so the stalks which were left were not
good for any thing. Ellen, accordingly, pulled
them up, and gave them to the cow : and she told
Lucy that she might have the place for her gar-
den. So Lucy had hoed it over, and raked it,
and put flowers in it, which she and Eben gath-
ered from a field. She had been out the after-
noon before, to see her garden, and the flowers
were wilted. The reason was, that they had
no root ; but Lucy thought that it was becauso
they had not been watered by rain.
As the sun rose, it became more and more evi-
dent that she was to be disappointed in her
wishes for rain. Never was there a finer prospect
for a beautiful day. So pleasant was the morning,
148 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
m fact, that, at breakfast, the General proposed
that Lucy's mother should go and take a ride,
and see the country around them.
" You and Lucy might take the wagon and
Hero," said he, " and have a good ride before
dinner."
" Yes," said Comfort ; " they might go up
through the Gap, and so round by Emery's Pond."
" O, I wouldn't go there," said the General's
wife. " It's all rocks and mountains on that road.
I think she had better go down to the corner, and
out on the Greenville road. There are beautiful
farms that way."
" Well, mother," said Lucy, "let's go."
" I don't know as I should be able to manage
Hero," said her mother. " I'm not much ac-
customed to driving."
" No difficulty about that," said the General.
" Hero is a good traveller, but you can manage
him as easily as you could a dog, with reins or
without reins. Or you may take Robert; he'll
drive .you," continued the General, after a mo-
ment's pause. " Robert, couldn't you rig up a
seat for yourself in the forward part of the
wagon ? "
Robert said he could, without any difficulty;
THE GAP AMONG THE MOUNTAINS. 149
and finally, after some further discussion, the plan
was agreed upon. Robert harnessed Hero, and he
put a box in the wagon, in front, for himself to
sit upon. They concluded to go arouftd through
the Gap ; for both Lucy and her mother wanted
to see the rocks and the mountains, rather than
smooth farms. Just as they were going to set off
from the door, the General's wife brought out a
tin pail with a cover upon it, and put it into the
wagon.
" What is that ? " asked Lucy.
" Something for you to eat," said she, " so that,-
if you like your ride, you can stop and have a
little luncheon some whe r e, and so not come back
until the middle of the afternoon."
When they drove out of the yard, Robert
turned the horse in the direction which led to the
fording-place, where Lucy and her father and
mother had crossed the stream.
" Why, this is the way we came ! " said Lucy.
" Yes," said her mother. " You won't have
to cross the ford, shall you ? " said she to Robert.
" No, ma'am," said Robert ; "we are going to
turn off pretty soon."
Accordingly, after they had gone on until they
had passed by the smooth fields of the General's
farm, they came to a road which turned off to-
13*
150 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
wards the mountains. As they were turning into
this road, Lucy saw a beautiful blue flower, grow-
ing under some rocks.
" O mother ! " said she, " see what a beautiful
blue flower 1 "
" Yes," said her mother ; " I should like to get
it. We will stop and get it when we come back.
It would wilt and fade away before we get home,
if we take it now."
"But we shall not come back this way," said
Robert, at the same time stopping Hero. " So I
had better get it now."
Robert jumped out, and brought the flower, and
handed it to Lucy. Then he climbed up into
his seat again, and drove on.
" Which way shall we come home ? " asked '
Lucy.
" Why, we are going round by Emery's Pond,
and we shall come out by the Valley district, and
so home by the road that leads by my clearing."
" Where is the Gap that your father spoke of? "
asked Lucy's mother.
" O, it's on here a few miles among the moun-
tains," replied Robert. " This road leads through
the Gap. Father says it would not be possible to
make a road here if it were not for this Gap."
The country grew more and more wild, as they
advanced. The road was very winding, and it
ascended and descended by turns. They were,
however, on the whole, gradually rising, as they
found by observation, every now and then, that they
had a more and more extended view of the great
THE GAP AMONG THE MOUNTAINS. 151
valley behind them, at the top of each succeeding
ascent to which they attained. It was only occa-
sionally that they had such views, for generally
they were entirely shut in by hills, forests, and
precipices. Before them they saw nothing but
vast piles of mountains, rising higher and higher,
and covered with trees nearly to the summits.
Lucy did not see how they could possibly get
through them or over them. In fact the Gap,
through which they were to pass, was not to be
seen by the traveller until he had entered it.
Once, as they were coming down a little hill,
where the road took a sudden- turn, they heard
the voice of a man echoing amon£ the forests
before them.
" What's that ? " said Lucy. In fact, Lucy
was a little afraid ; and it must be confessed
that the aspect of the whole scene was rather
wild and gloomy.
" That's somebody driving a team," said
Robert.
11 How shall we get by ? " said Lucy's mother.
" It seems to me the road is very narrow."
" O, we can find a place to get by," said Robert.
Just then, the turn of the road, as they came
down the hill, brought a bridge into view, — a
small bridge, but very high, leading across a brook.
They had passed several similar bridges before,
only this was higher than the others, and looked
more uneven. There were large logs laid along
the edge, on each side of it, for a balustrade
152 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
"Why, there's a hole in the bridge," said
Lucy's mother.
" Yes, ma'am," said Robert ; " there are two or
three. But it's no matter. Hero will look out
for the holes.".
Hero took them over the bridge very carefully,
stepping with much deliberation over each hole,
or else, where there was room, going entirely on
one side of it. Just as they had crossed the
bridge, they saw the two heads of a yoke of oxen
and a man driving them, coming into view, from
a turn in the road, at the top of a little ascent
beyond. A large pair of cart wheels followed
the oxen. Under the axletree of the wheels was
one end of a great log, held up to the axletree by
chains. As the team came on, Lucy could see
that the other end of the log rested upon the
ground, and was dragged along by the oxen.
" Why," said Lucy, " what are they going to
do with that great log ? "
Her mother looked up to the team with a
countenance of great anxiety, for it seemed to be
coming directly down upon them. Her fears
were, however, in a moment relieved ; for the man
who was driving the oxen, turned them out to
one side of the road, so as to make room for the
wagon to go by. One of the great wheels went
away down by the side of the road, so that Lucy
exclaimed, —
" O dear me ! the log will get tipped over."
The teamster, however, did not seem at all
THE GAP AMONG THE MOUNTAINS. 153
concerned about his log, for he stood leaning
against his oxen, and looking at the persons in the
wagon, with an expression of great interest and
curiosity upon his countenance. He could not
think who it was that was coming. He at
length nodded slightly to Robert, just as he
was going by. He recollected that he had seen
him somewhere.
After they had passed, Lucy said to Robert, —
" What is he going to do with that great log? "
" Why, that's Mr. Emery," said Robert ; "he's
getting out some boards to cover his house."
There were two things very perplexing to Lucy
in this answer. One was, that she did not see
any thing like boards. She thought Mr. Emery
was getting out a monstrous great log, and not
boards. And the other was, she did not know
what Robert meant by covering his house.
" Where is Mr. Emery's house," said Lucy.
" O, it's up this way, pretty near his pond,"
said Robert. " We shall come to it pretty soon."
" Then he's going the wrong way," said Lu-
cy. " He's lost his way."
" No," said Robert, laughing ; " he's hauling
that los: down to mill, to get it sawed up into
boards."
" O," said Lucy, " yes, that's the way he's
going to get his boards."
" Yes," said Robert, {; that's the way they
always get boards."
" That isn't the way my father gets boards/
said Lucy
154 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
" How does he get them, then ? " asked Robert.
" Why, he buys them."
" I should think he had better get out the logs
himself," said Robert, "if he's got any growing
on his land."
" My father hasn't got any land," said Lucy,
" only just his garden."
" Only his garden ? " said Robert.
" No," said Lucy, — " and the yards ; nor
any oxen."
" Hasn't your father got any oxen, either ? "
asked Robert.
" No," said Lucy.
" Well," said Robert, " then I don't know
what he will do. My father says it's a great deal
cheaper to get out the boards yourself, than it is
to buy them ; but, then, you must have oxen."
By this time, they began to enter the Gap.
The mountains and precipices had been growing
more lofty, and seemed to draw nearer and nearer
to the road, until now they appeared to overhang
the valley all around. Sometimes they would
pass under a towering cliff of rocks, with trees
clinging to the sides, and growing out of the
crevices.
From one such precipice Lucy saw water
dripping down from a great height, and falling
upon some stones by the side of the road.
" O mother," said Lucy, " see the water com-
ing down."
" Yes," said Robert ; " that's where the great
icicle was last winter."
THE GAP AMONG THE MOUNTAINS. 155
" Was there a great icicle there ? " asked
Lucy.
" Yes," replied Robert, K a monster. 'Twas
as tall as the steeple of the meeting-house."
" O, what a big icicle ! " said Lucy. " I should
like to see it."
" If you come here next winter," said Robert,
" I expect you can see it."
Strictly speaking, it was not an icicle that
Robert had seen hanging down on the face of the
rocks, the last winter, though it looked like one.
It was caused by the freezing of the water, as it
dripped down from a vast height. It looked very
much like a monstrous icicle clinging to the rock.
Here they came suddenly upon another bridge.
Lucy was surprised to see so many bridges.
" How many brooks there are ! " said Lucy.
" O no," said Robert, " only one brook. All
the bridges that we have come to, are over one
brook. It is the outlet of Emery's Pond."
" What is an outlet ? " asked Lucy.
" I don't know," said Robert, " exactly.
They always call it the outlet."
" What is an outlet, mother ? " said Lucy.
" Why, ponds among the mountains," replied
her mother, " generally have little streams run-
ning into them, coming down from the little
valleys, and from springs. And this water must
run out again, so that there is generally a place
where the water runs out, and that is called the
outlet."
156 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
"And is this brook the outlet to Emery's
pond ? " asked Lucy.
" Yes," replied Robert ; " and all the bridges
which we have come across, are over this same
brook."
" What do they have so many for ? " asked
Lucy.
" Why, they must have a bridge every where,
where they want to cross," replied Robert.
" The banks are too steep and rocky to ford."
" But why need they cross so many times ? "
asked Lucy's mother. " Why not keep on one
side, or on the other, all the way ? "
" Because," said Robert, " they can't make
the road. They keep going back and forth across
the brook wherever it's easy to make a road.
Besides, it is not much work to make a bridge."
" How do they make it ? " asked Lucy.
" Why, they cut down a couple of large trees,
for stringers, — string-pieces, — or else three. I
believe they generally have about three."
" What do you mean by string-pieces 1 "
" Why, pieces to go across the stream from one
bank to the other, to put the planks om"
" Do they generally have three ? " asked Lu-
cy's mother.
" Yes, ma'am," replied Robert, " I believe they
do. Then they split up some logs for plank, and
so cover it."
" That makes me think," said Lucy, " of what
you said about Mr. Emery's house. You said he
THE GAP AMONG THE MOUNTAINS. 157
was going to get some boards to cover it up.
What is he going to cover his house up with
boards for ? "
Robert laughed aloud at this question.
" You needn't laugh," said Lucy. " You said
that he was going to cover his house up."
" No," replied Robert. " I said cover his
house : not cover it tip."
« Well," said Lucy, " I don't think there's
much difference. Besides, I'm pretty sure you
said cover it up. Didn't he, mother ? "
" Let us hear what Robert says he meant,"
replied her mother.
"Why, I meant, cover his house," replied
Robert ; " that is, nail boards on it, to keep out
the wind and rain."
" Hasn't he got any boards nailed on his
house ? " asked Lucy.
" Yes," said Robert, " he's got one room
covered in, and he lives in that. He's trying to
finish the rest this fall."
It was in vain that Lucy attempted to form a
distinct conception of the appearance which Mr.
Emery's house would make, with one room
covered in, as Robert called it, and the rest wait-
ing for boards yet to be sawed. She said no
more, however, but rode on, feeling great curiosity
to see the house, and asking Robert to show it
to her, as soon as they should come in sight of it.
14
158
CHAPTER XII.
PUMP-MAKING.
In about a quarter of an hour, they emerged
from the Gap, and came out into an open, circular
valley, surrounded by lofty mountains. They
here crossed the stream again by a log bridge,
and rode along afterwards upon ics bank ; the
stream being on their left hand, and woods upon
the right.
" Now," said Robert, " we shall soon come to
Emery's opening."
" What do you mean by his opening ? " said
Lucy.
" Why, his farm," answered Robert.
While Lucy was considering why they should
call a farm an opening, she obtained a glimpse of
a small sheet of water before them. It was a
little pond, shut in among the mountains. They
very soon reached it. Lucy saw where the brook
came out of the pond. They rode along a little
way, by the shore of the pond. On the other
side of the road, there was what Lucy called a
field of corn and stumps. A little farther on,
just in the edge of a group of forest-trees, which
remained standing, Lucy saw a small house.
" There's Mr. Emery's house," said Robert.
Lucy looked at the house with great attention,
PUMP-MAKING. 159
as they gradually drew near to it. It was small
One end, the nearest end, as they rode towards
it, was covered with boards, which looked new.
The other end was, as Lucy said, all timbers.
" Yes," said Robert ; " he hasn't covered bui
one room yet. That's what he wants to gel
some boards for now, to put on the rest of it."
Lucy saw several small buildings around the
house. They were made of logs and slabs.
There was a large haycock behind the house,
with a roof over it, supported at the corners by
tall poles. In front of the house, there was a
man at work upon a great log. The log was
lying in a horizontal position, each end being
blocked up from the ground ; that is, each end
was supported by blocks and logs put underneath.
"What are they doing with that great log?"
said Lucy's mother.
" I guess they're going to make boards, of it,"
said Lucy.
" No," said Robert ; " they're boring it. I
expect they are going to make a pump."
" I did not know that they could make a pump
out of a log," said Lucy.
" Yes," said Robert ; " don't you see he's bor-
ing a hole through it ? "
' Lucy now observed that the man who was
working at the log, stood at the end of it, and that
he had a tool in his hand, that looked like an
auger. He held the handle of it, and kept con-
tinually turning it round. The iron part entered
into a hole in the end of the log, and Lucy saw
160 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
that he was boring a hole into it. She thought,
however, that he certainly could not bore in but a
very little way.
There was a little boy sitting upon the other
end of the log. Lucy could not imagine what he
was doin£. She thought that he was too small a
boy to help make a pump ; and yet he seemed
to be doing something very busily. As the
wagon drew nearer, Lucy observed that he was
playing horse. He had mounted upon the farther
end of the log, and had tied a string round the
end for a bridle, and was playing that the log
was his horse. He had a stick in his hand,
and was whipping his horse severely, to make
him go.
When the wagon had advanced nearly opposite
to the house, Lucy said, —
" Mother, let us stop a moment, and see the
man make his pump."
" Well," replied her mother, " Robert may
stop a moment, if he pleases."
So Robert stopped his horse opposite to the
end of the log, where the man was at work boring
the hole.
" You've got almost through, John, haven't
you ? " said he.
" Yes," said the young man, " I've only got to
go about a foot farther."
Lucy looked at John, surprised that Robert
should address him so familiarly ; but she observed
that, though he was nearly full grown, and looked
like a man, yet he appeared in his countenance
PUMP-MAKTNG. 161
quite young. She thought it probable that he
was one of Mr. Emery's boys, almost grown up.
Just at this moment, a woman, very plainly
dressed, came out of a back door in the house,
with a water-pail in her hand, and walked along a
path which led down a descent beyond the house.
She looked at the wagon a moment as she went
along, but did not stop. Lucy followed the
direction of the path with her eye, and she saw
that it led down to a little brook not far from the
house. There was a log across the brook where
the path reached it, and a deep place in the
water, just above the log. Lucy saw very plainly
that the woman w r as going to get a pail of water.
Lucy meant to watch her, to see her dip up
her water. In fact, she was afraid that she would
fall off the log. She was, however, prevented
from watching her, by having her attention
attracted suddenly to John and his boring ; for,
just before the woman reached the brook, John
began to draw out his auger. .
He walked backwards, keeping hold of the
handle of the auger with both hands, and drawing
it out as he receded. It was a long iron rod,
which kept coming out more and more, the far-
ther he went back, till Lucy began to think that
the end of it would never come.
" O, what a long borer ! " said Lucy.
In fact, the borer was as long as the log. It
would do no good to have a log for a pump
/onger than the auger to be used in boring it ; for
in that case the hole could not be bored through.
14*
162 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
Accordingly, Mr. Emery had cut off his log a
little shorter than his auger, in order that it might
go through. After John had got the auger out,
he did something to the end of it, and then put
it in again.
"When are you going to set your pump?"
said Robert.
"Father is going to bring up the "boxes to-
night," said John, " and then we shall set it as
soon as we can get it ready."
" Have you got your well dug ? "
" Yes," said John ; " there it is."
So saying, John pointed to a place by the side
of the house, where there was a heap of Iresh
earth, with a hollow place in the middle, and
some short boards laid close together in the hol-
low place.
" We are going to build our barn out beyond
there, and so the pump will be handy for the
house and the barn too. It is very hard water-
ing the cattle m the brook in the winter, it
freezes up so much."
" And, besides," said Lucy's mother, " it is a
great way to bring up water to use in the family."
" Yes, ma'am," said John.
Lucy looked down towards the brook, and saw
that the woman was coming back, with her pail
rilled with water. Lucy had just time to see her ;
for Robert drove on, and the woman was soon hid
behind one of the little buildings. Lucy was, how-
ever, very glad to see that she had not fallen in.
" I don't see how he is going to make a pump
of that great log," said Lucy.
PUMP-MAKING. 163
"Why, when he gets it bored," said Robert,
" he will finish off one end of it like a pump, and
then they'll let the other end down into their well,
and board up close all around it, so that people
shall not fall in. Then he'll make a handle."
" I should think it would make rather a rough
pump, after all," said Lucy's mother.
" No, ma'am," said Robert ; " he'll make a very
good pump of it. He's a very good workman."
"I don't see what makes the water come up in
a pump," said Lucy.
" The boxes," replied Robert.
" What are the boxes ? " asked Lucy.
" Why, they're — they're — little things in the
pump. Didn't you ever see boxes ? "
" Yes," said Lucy, " a great many times."
Lucy meant common boxes, not pump-boxes.
" Well," said Robert, " you know the little
clapper."
" No," said Lucy ; " I don't remember any
clappers."
" Why, yes," said Robert, " a little clapper
made of leather."
"No," said Lucy ; " there is not any clapper
in any of the boxes I ever saw."
" Then you never saw any pump-boxes," said
Robert.
" Why," said Lucy, " are they different from
any other kind of boxes ? "
" Yes," exclaimed Robert, emphatically, " al
together different. There is a little leather clap-
per, that lets the water up, and then keeps it from
going down again."
1^4 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
But Lucy could not understand how any thing
could be contrived to let the water come up, and
then keep it from going down. Robert told her
about the upper box and the lower box ; but he
did not succeed in making it plain to her. In
fact, it requires considerable skill in the art of
describing and explaining, to communicate any
clear idea of the internal construction and working
of a pump. Lucy could not get any idea of it
whatever. She asked her mother to explain it to
her ; but her mother said that she did not under-
stand it very well herself. So Lucy said she did
not know what she should do.
The road led them, for a time, along the shores
of the pond, and generally not much above the
water. And, as they passed along, they could
see the water on one side of them, and sometimes
they had forests, and sometimes steep rocks, on
the other. At length, they came to a place where
Lucy proposed that they should stop and eat
their luncheon. It was a place where a brook
flowed into the pond. The road crossed the
brook by a bridge, just above its juncture with
the pond ; so that, when they were on the bridge,
they could see the pond below them, between
the steep banks of the ravine, through which the
brook flowed. One of the banks was an almost
perpendicular cliff of rock. The other was not
quite so abrupt, and it was covered with trees
They could see that down upon the shore of the
pond, there was a smooth, sandy beach, extending
along the shore on each side of the mouth of the
brook. Lucy proposed that they should stop here.
FUMP-MAKING. 1 65
" Well,' 7 said her mother, "I think it will be a
very good plan."
" Yes, ma'am," said Robert ; " there is plenty
of good grass about here, too, for Hero."
Lucy had not noticed the grass ; but now she
observed that, on each side of the road, and near
the banks of the brook, above the bridge, there
was plenty of grass. So they all got out.
Robert* began to unharness the horse, after
driving him a little way out of the road. Lucy
stood on the end of the bridge, looking at him.
Her mother began to descend the rocks, below
the bridge, in order to get down to the bed of the
brook, intending to follow it along to the pond.
Lucy wanted to go with her mother, and she a!so
wanted to see Robert take care of the horse.
" Mother, wait for me," said Lucy.
" I'll go along slowly," said her mother.
"But, mother," said Lucy, "I can't get along,
unless you help me."
" Yes," said her mother, " I think you can.
At any rate, if I find any place where I think
you can't get along, I will wait for you."
Robert went on unharnessing his horse. He
put the several parts of the harness in the wagon
as he took them off, and at last nothing remained
but the bridle.
" Robert," said Lucy, " are you going to fasten
him to a tree? "
" No," said Robert ; " he couldn't eat the
grass, if I should."
" What are you going to do, then ? " said Lucy.
" I am going to let him go where he likes "
166 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
" O Robert," said Lucy, " then he'll run
away."
" No," said Robert.
Robert then unfastened the throat-lash, and
took hold of the bridle, at the top of the horse's
head, and drew it over his ears, and off before ;
and then the bits dropped easily out of his mouth,
and the horse, understanding that he was liberated,
drew his head away. He walked off a few steps,
and then lay down to roll, while Lucy stood
laughing heartily at the awkward figure he made,
with all his four heels, as she called them, in the air.
" J believe he'll run away," said Lucy.
" No," said Robert ; " he won't run away."
" And, besides, I don't believe you can catch
him, and put his bridle on again."
" Yes," said Robert ; " I've got some salt in
my pocket, on purpose."
Lucy had heard of catching birds by sprinkling
salt on their tails, and she stood bewildered and
perplexed, trying to imagine how this method was
to be applied to Hero, when she heard her moth-
er calling her. So she turned away from Robert,
and began to descend the bank, towards her
mother, calling out, —
" Yes, mother ; I'm coming."
Robert carried the bridle to the wagon, and put
it in ; and then he pushed the wagon entirely
out of the road, so that, if a team were to come
by, it would not run against it. After doing that,
he followed Lucy and her mother down the bank
of the stream.
167
CHAPTER XIII.
THE RETURN.
They found a very pleasant place, indeed, for
their luncheon, under some shelving rocks, at the
angle between the ravine of the brook and the
shore of the pond. They could see the whole
surface of the pond, and the woods and mountains
beyond. There was only one house in sight, and
that was Mr. Emery's. The unfinished end was
turned towards them. Lucy took out a mug
from the tin pail, and went to the brook to c3i p up
some water, to see if it was cool. Her mother
told her, before she went, that she had no doubt it
was cool. Lucy found it as her mother had said.
It was very cool indeed. She dipped up her
mug full from a little, deep place among some
stones covered with green moss. It looked very
cool, and it proved to be so on tasting it.
Lucy brought a mug of it to her mother.
" Mother/' said Lucy, li how did you know it
was cool ? "
" Because," said her mother, " brooks become
warm when they flow for a long distance across
an open country exposed to the rays of the sun.
But this brook comes directly down from the
mountains, flowing through the woods all the way ;
so that I think the water could not have had
time to get warm."
168 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
" Where does it come from, at first ? " said
Lucy.
" It comes from a spring," said her mother, " I
suppose. Some springs break out of the ground
from under a rock."
" What makes the spring ? " asked Lucy.
" Why, the water in the mountains above," re-
plied her mother, " presses down in among the
rocks, and wherever ihere is a crevice in the rock
near the surface of the ground, the water comes
out."
" But what makes there be water in the moun-
tains above? " asked Lucy.
" It comes from rains."
" Then I should think that, when it had done
raining, it would pretty soon stop coming out in
the spring."
" No," said her mother ; " it takes a great while
to drain off. The earth, and the moss, and the
roots, and the stones, hold the water like a great
sponge. It slowly soaks down, and gets into the
crevices and fissures, and so runs out in a steady
stream, wherever a fissure or any opening of the
rock comes out to the surface. Still, if it has not
rained for a very long while, the springs begin to
grow low, and some of them stop running
entirely."
They staid at this place more than an hour.
After they had eaten their luncheon, they rambled
about among the rocks, and along the shore,
gathering flowers. Lucy amused herself in pick-
ing up pebbles and throwing them into the water.
THE RETURN. 169
Robert pointed to a patch of green leaves which
Were floating upon the water at some distance
from the shore, and said that that was a field of
lily pads.
" Lily pads," repeated Lucy ; " what are lily
pads ? "
" Why, that is where the pond lilies grow,"
said Robert. " We come out here sometimes,
and get them."
" I never saw any pond lilies," said Lucy.
" Are they pretty ? "
" O, yes," said Robert, " beautiful. They are
white, and just like a star; and when they are
open, they are as big as the palm of my hand."
" I wish I could get one," said Lucy.
" I would go and get you one," said Robert,
" if it was the right season. But it is too late ;
they are all gone now."
" How could you get them," asked Lucy's
mother, " if there were any now ? "
" O, we've got a raft," said Robert, " along the
shore here a little way. The boys made a raft,
and we come and go out on that."
" Boys 1 " said Lucy's mother with surprise.
" I shouldn't think that there would ever be any
boys here."
" O, yes," said Robert, " there are a great
many boys live about here."
" Why, where? " said Lucy's mother. " Ex-
cepting Mr. Emery's house, 1 have not seen any
signs of inhabitants at all. It is all desolation."
There were, however, a great number of farms
IS
170 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
lying on the various by-roads around, and Lucy's
mother did not know from how wide a circle boys
would gather to get lilies from a pond.
Lucy asked her mother to let her walk along
the shore with Robert, and see his raft.
" How far is it, Robert ? " asked her mother.
" Only a few stops," replied Robert. " But,
then," continued he, " if you would rather not
have her go away, I can bring it along here."
" How ? " said her mother.
" O, I can push it right along," said Robert.
" Well," replied Lucy's mother, " that will be
the best plan."
So Robert went off after his raft, around a
point of land, which made out a little way into
the pond, while Lucy continued rambling about
upon the sandy beach, near her mother.
A few minutes afterwards, as Lucy was stoop-
ing down to pick up a singular piece of wood,
which had been curiously worn and bleached by
the water, she heard her mother calling to her, —
" Why, Lucy ! look at Robert."
Lucy looked up, and saw Robert just coming
into view, with his raft, around the point of land.
" Why, he's sailing on the raft," said her moth-
er. " I did not know he meant to come in that
way. I thought he was going to push it along
by the shore."
Robert said that he was going to push it, it is
true ; but he meant, push it by means of a pole,
with himself upon it. Lucy and her mother
were both a little atraid that he might get in ; but,
THE RETURN. 173
as he seemed entirely at his ease, and uncon-
cerned, they gradually dismissed their fears, and
watched his progress as he slowly approached
them. Lucy was very much interested in the
examination of the raft, as it drew near. It' was
made of logs which the boys had cut from the
woods, with smaller pieces laid across and pinned
on, to keep it all together. On the whole, they
concluded that it was a very strong and substan-
tial raft. Robert sailed about upon it for some
time.
Lucy wanted him to go out to the lily pads, to
see if there might not be, possibly, one left ; but
her mother was afraid to have him go out where
\t was so deep. Besides, Robert said that he
was sure that not a single lily could be found, for
it was altogether beyond the season of them.
While Robert was sailing about upon his raft
in the shallow water, Lucy had a long conversa-
tion with her mother about springs, brooks, and
ponds. Her mother told her that ponds were
occasioned by there being a natural hollow place
among the mountains, surrounded by high land
on all sides, so that the water which ran into it
from brooks and springs, could not run out until
it rose high enough to run over at the lowest
place in the surrounding land ; and that that was
the outlet. She also explained to her how it
happened that some brooks ran very swiftly,
tumbling over rocks, and others flowed deep and
smooth, and almost still. At length they con-
cluded that it was time to go home. So she took
15*
174 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
%
the pail, and Lucy and her mother went back
up the ravine to the road, while Robert sailed
back on his raft behind the point of land ; for he
said that he must put the raft away where it
belonged.
Robert did not come back to the mouth of the
brook again, but he climbed up the bank into the
road, at the place where he fastened the raft.
Lucy and her mother sat down upon the end of
one of the great logs, on the side of the bridge,
and waited for Robert to catch the horse, and
harness him. The horse was grazing by the side
of the road, at a little distance from the bridge;
but not on the side where Robert was coming.
Robert therefore had to go across the bridge, to
catch him. As he was passing by Lucy and
her mother, he put his hand into his pocket, and
took out something folded up in a piece of brown
paper.
" Is that the salt ? " said Lucy.
" Yes," said Robert.
So Robert opened the paper, and began to call
out to the horse, —
" Hero ! Hero ! Hero ! Hero ! "
Hero paid no attention to the call, but went
on quietly cropping the grass.
" Hero ! Hero ! Hero ! Hero ! " said Robert,
walking alon£ towards him.
Hero lifted up his head, turned it deliberately
towards Robert, looked at him a moment, and
then put it down again. He took two more
THE RETURN. 175
#
moulhfuls of grass, and then turned around,
beginning to walk. towards Robert.
Robert stopped on the end of the bridge, and
waited for him, holding out the paper in his hand.
When Hero got near, Robert stooped down, and
poured out the salt upon the plank floor of the
bridge. To Lucy's surprise, the horse came to
the place, and began to lick up the salt with his
great tongue. While he was doing it, Robert put
the bridle on. Then he stood still, and let the
horse finish eating the salt, and then led him
away.
" I shouldn't like to eat so much salt," said
Lucy.
Robert harnessed the horse into the wagon, and
then they got in, and drove away. They rode
an hour or two by a way which went winding
around among forests and mountains, sometimes
opening before them, so that they could see wide
prospects, and sometimes shut in by rocks, and
towering trees, which overhung the road^ and
made it sombre and solitary.
After a time, they began to ascend a pretty
sleep and winding road, shut in by the forests and
mountains. Sometimes they had by their side, as
they travelled slowly along, a noisy brook, some-
times a morass, covered with cedars and firs ; and
sometimes an impenetrable thicket growing out of
steep slopes of land covered with moss, and rocks,
and trunks of fallen trees. All this time they
weie constantly ascending. Still, althougn they
were gradually gaining a high elevation, they had
176 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
no prospect ; for tbeir view was shut in by the
forests and mountains all around them. At length,
they came to a piece of road which was level.
The horse began to trot. It was the first time
that he had trotted for nearly half an hour.
'*' Here is some level road/' said Lucy. " I'm
glad of it, for now we can go faster."
" Yes," said Robert ; " we've got to the height
of land."
" What is that ? " said Lucy.
" Why, the highest place. Pretty soon, we
shall be going down again."
They came to the end of the level road pretty
soon, and then began to descend a little ; and
presently, at a turn of the road, they came out to
a place where they suddenly had a very extensive
and magnificent prospect opened before them.
" O mother," said Lucy, " how far we can see ! "
" Yes," said her mother. " Stop a minute,
Robert, and let us look at this prospect.
" Why, Robert," said she again, in a moment,
" there is your father's house ! "
She pointed to a house away before them, very
far down the valley.
" Yes," said Robert ; " we can always see it
from here, very plainly. And I can see this rock
from our yard."
Robert pointed to a great rocky precipice by
the side of the road, and he said that they once
came and built a fire upon it, and his mother
could see the smoke at their door, very plainly.
Lucy was very much surprised to see how low
THE RETURN- 177
down in the valley the house appeared. They
could see the stream beyond it, and Robert
pointed out to them the fording-place, where they
had crossed on their way, when they first came to
the General's. The General's house seemed
now to be nearly down upon a level with the
water. This was an illusion, occasioned by their
high position. They could see the mill-pond,
too, and the bridge ; and Lucy showed her mother
the green store where she and Comfort went a-
shopping. She tried also to see the great sto#e,
where they got caught by the water from the mill ;
but it was not to be seen. Lucy thought it was
hidden by the mill.
They gazed around upon the prospect for
some time, and then Robert began to move on
towards home. In fact, it was getting near the
evening ; and they saw some clouds in the west,
whicK made them think it was possible that there
might be a shower cominsr.
The road was now generally descending ; so
Robert made Hero go pretty fast. The clouds
behind them, however, increased. At last, one,
blacker and larger than the rest, appeared to be
coming up, and Lucy's mother said that she
believed that there was £om£ to be a shower.
But she was mistaken. It rose higher and higher,
and for a time appeared threatening; but, after
all, it brought nothing with it but a gust of wind.
After this had passed, the sky was somewhat
clearer, though the sun had set, and the twilight
was fast coming on. Lucy suddenly discovered
178 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
n very bright star in the middle of a large opes
place among the clouds ; and she exclaimed, —
" O mother, see that star ! "
" Yes," said her mother ; " that's Venus, I
really believe. Yes, it must be Venus."
" The evening star ? " said Lucy.
" Yes," said her mother ; " see how bright it is ;
and yet you cannot see any other star in the sky."
Lucy looked all around, but no other star was
to be seen. The sky was somewhat obscured by
clouds ; but in the spaces between the clouds
there were no stars to be seen.
" You see, Lucy," said her mother, " that it
would not have done any good for you to have
got up early to see the morning star ; for Venus
is the evening star now ; the sun is before her."
:( Yes, mother," said Lucy.
" And so, being before her," continued her
mother, " the sun goes down, and leaves Venus a
little way up in the sky. Of course, when he
rises in the morning, he leaves Venus a little
below the horizon, where she is out of sight."
" How fast Venus goes ! " said Lucy.
" No," said her mother ; " it is the motion of
the clouds which makes it look as if Venus was
going fast. But yet she is going down slowly.
If you notice how high she is now, and then
again when we get home, you will see that she
has gone down considerably."
Lucy said that she meant to watch Venus.
But she did not watch her very long, for her at
;ention was attracted by a large light, some dis-
THE RETURN. 179
tance before them. It was in the direction of the
General's house. Lucy and her mother both saw
it at the same time. Lucy thought it was a beau-
tiful light, but her mother was frightened. She
was afraid that it was the General's house on fire.
" No," said Robert ; " it is not our house. It
is this side of our house. It must be some fire in
the woods."
" But who should be building fires in the
woods this time of the day ? " asked her mother.
" I don't know," replied Robert ; " only I know
that there often are fires about."
As they went on, the light grew broader and
brighter. Presently they thought they saw the
flash of a flame, and then some sparks ascending.
" What can it be ? " said Robert. " It looks
as if it was near my clearing. There ! " he ex-
claimed again, after a moment's pause, " I know
what it is. It is that great heap which we tried
to set on fire."
" That heap ? " said Lucy
" Yes," said Robert ; " I've no doubt it's that
heap. The fire has been working under it all
day, heating it through, and now these gusts of
wind have set it a-going."
Robert was right. Lucy's mother could hardly
believe that fire could have remained inactive
under such a heap of combustibles, and finally
break out, after so long an interval. But it was
really so. The wood which they had put under
it, had set some of the lower parts of the heap on
fire, and they had burned away slowly ; while the
180 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
hot air and gases, rising up through the heap, had
been gradually drying it ; and now the wind had
fanned the whole up into a flame. The light of
the fire grew brighter and brighter as they drew
nearer, although they could not get a distinct
view of it, on account of trees which intervened.
At length, however, when they reached the part
of the road which was opposite to it, the whole
burst at once upon their view, blazing, crackling,
and roaring, in a manner almost terrific. Lucy's
mother said it was quite a conflagration. The
whole heap was a burning mass from top to bot-
tom. The forms of all the crooked logs and
stumps were yet preserved, but they were all of
the brightest red ; and the flames curled and flashed
above in the most furious manner. If Hero had
not been an uncommonly docile horse, he would
have fled in terror. A vast column of smoke
and sparks ascended from the heap, far up into
the dark sky.
They looked at it a few minutes, and then
drove home. When they got out of the wagon,
and were going into the house, they stopped a
moment on the door-step, to look back at Venus
and the fire. Venus was just going down, and
the bright glow of the fire was very distinctly
visible behind a hill.
THE END,