Part 6 (1/2)
”As soon as I had established a business I left the stea first taken to wife the daughter of ood wife she hasher over to see you, Mrs Ashton; but you ood wives of this province
Forhousewife, when helps were beings not to be procured for love or money The station of life which I then occupied was different to what I now fill, but e her style of dress or living with our change of circuht appear out of place In fact, ar, and is essentially free fro the sketch ofthat what my brother and I did, hundreds of others have done in this province, and thousands more will do if they will practise self-control, labour industriously in whatever station they are placed, and be ready to step into any opening whichfor strength and guidance above”
CHAPTER TEN
Although the Canadian winter iricultural operations, there is plenty of work to be done both out-of-doors and in-doors, especially on a newly-cleared faroes on, and if the brushwood has been collected before the snow falls, the huge trunks can be dragged together and piled in heaps to be burnt off It ood ti rid of what curound; besides which, the ashes very much assist to fertilise it The Ashtons, however, found that they could dispose of theirs at the newly-erected saw-s there Not a tree could be moved, however, by any force they could cos then were dragged down over it on to the ice, where they were easily formed into a raft and floated across the lake to the
The first fall of snow had entirely disappeared, and the lake had becoain, however, by a far thicker coat than before, and equally ser to have an ice-boat, and they persuaded Philip, in spite of his reat point was to have good runners
These should have been ot sohtly curved up at the ends, served admirably The boat had, therefore, what Harry called two keels This was thebox with seats across it The rudder, which was an oar fixed in the stern, had a sharp iron blade which would dig into the ice
The craft was rigged as a schooner, and had a very creditable appearance A long pole with an iron head helped to steer her and to put her about
With eager haste she was launched on the glass-like expanse ”Let us stand across to D'Arcy and astonish him,” cried Harry ”We can carry him the invitation to spend Christmas-day with us” There were no dissentient voices Philip took the heled the head-sails, Charley the main The as on the quarter The sails could not be hoisted till they were ready to start, as the ice offering no resistance, she would either have blown over, or run away before the wind Philip was not quite so sanguine of success as his brothers The as given--Harry shoved round the head of the strange-looking craft, and far enough off to allow the rudder full play The sails were hoisted--the sheets hauled aft--a fresh breeze filled theht of her architects, away she shot in splendid style She answered her helm ad hove in sight Philip fired off his gun to draw his friend's attention to them, and they had only time to haul down their sails before, with the i-place, and sent the forward, as she made a bold attempt to run up the bank, only prevented by Harry with his iron-shod pole
D'Arcy required no great pressing to embark with theers, with their fur caps, flaps over their ears, and bearskin and buffalo-skin coats, kept in by sashes or belts The settlement was first to be visited Such a craft as theirs had never been seen there, and created no little interest; though on Lake Ontario, before Toronto, ice-boats of a ant construction are constantly used when the ice will allow of it before the snow falls
The store was visited, and commissions, the list of which filled two columns of Philip's note-book, were executed, and then, with a considerable addition to their lading, they once ot under way
They had now to beat back; but the boat lay closer to the wind than if she had been in water, and though she made some lee-way, they beat back in a wonderfully short space of tihted with their sail that they could scarcely keep out of their boat The whole circuit of the lake was visited, and they talked of taking her into Lake Huron, when, perhaps fortunately, down caress over the ice iain returned to their more serious occupations
The snow became every day harder, till a crust for over it where it was not beaten down, both difficult and painful Sohbourhood for the purpose of trading with the pale faces, and obtaining food and clothing
Two of the frath, with net-work filling up the inner portion What they could be, none of the younger uess, till the Indians fastened one to each of their feet and began toover the snow on the lake ”Snow-shoes!
snow-shoes!” cried Charley; and forthwith a bargain was struck for several pair The squaws brought sohter construction for the ladies of the fa them also to take the exercise so necessary for health Bravely Sophy and her sisters faced the cold, bitter and biting as it was, and with their brothers made their first attempt to walk in snow-shoes on the lake
They were all thus engaged, laughing and shouting and enjoying the amuse theh-bells floated up to theh the calm air ”Bravo--excellent!--that is what I like to see We should hear nothing of sick headaches in Canada, if all the young ladies would put their pretty little feet on to snow-shoes, and step over the country as you are doing, or rather will be doing before long, for you are on the ice just now,” cried Mr Norh which drove up to them The horses' harness, surmounted by a belfry, as Harry called the fraht-coloured braiding, and rich skins filled the sleigh itself and hung over the back Fro them a lady's head was seen ”Allow me to introduce my wife,” continued Mr Norman ”She has just told me that she has already fallen in love with you all; but do not let us bring you in--ait for you at the house”
Sophy, however, soon began to find that she had had snow-shoeing enough for one day, and the rest of the party discovered, when they took the shoes off, that their insteps ached more than they had ever before done
Still they were all ready to try again the next day Mrs Norman proved to be exactly the sort of person her husband had described her; though hoarity, and as she had lived all her life in Canada, she possessed and was glad to ie amount of information most valuable to Mrs Ashton and Sophy She proive theenorant
”It's a pleasure, s,” she remarked to Mrs Ashton; ”you take them in so kindly, and don't seem to fancy that your oays are better, and that you knowyou, as some people do”
The winter passed by pleasantly and usefully There were some days when even the o out; this hen there was a strong northerly wind and an intense frost, and the finer particles of snoere carried through the air and struck the face like so ed by an army from that far-famed land of Liliput There was, however, abundance of work to be done in the house, and plenty of hard exercise in sawing up logs for the stove fires These, while the severer frost lasted, were never allowed to go out, and no one had reason to complain of the want of warmth inside the house; indeed, the walls were so thick, that they retained the heat in the way an ordinary brick or plank building could not have done Old and young declared, that in spite of cold and snow, they had never spent a happier or pleasanter winter Probably the happiness of the elders arose fro their children contented and well employed around them There was one absent--Leonard, the ive up the sea, and coested that he should do so, though his necessary allowance took away a large portion of the slender income on which the family hadof the high character he was gaining for himself D'Arcy was a frequent visitor; he would have beenat home Occasionally Philip went over to help hiave them The winter passed away so rapidly that they could scarcely believe that spring had really corass appeared, the leaves burst forth, the flowers bloorance to the air, the birds warbled forth their notes of joy, and all nature see the months of winter, it flew by still more rapidly nohen there was so much to do that every moment of the twenty-four hours was fully occupied, a very s devoted to sleep; but then, as Harry declared, they all slept very fast, so that they really got as much as they required They were all up at dawn of day, and but a short time was allowed for ht of their home-made candles, the most social and pleasant ht indoor occupation could be engaged in Even then there was no light or frivolous conversation; constant steady work had sobered their minds, and they had no taste for as not real and earnest Generally Mr Ashton or Philip read so book, the subject of which was afterwards talked over, while coenerally made as they proceeded
It is not necessary to describe the various occupations in which the fa and not the least iar-bush or round They were surprised at the large a collected in wooden troughs placed under the spouts fore cauldron, where it was boiled, and then turned out to cool and crystallise They were in this way able to obtain an a fruits, and for their puddings during the year
The demand for it became considerable, when, as the summer advanced, all sorts of wild fruits were found in the woods, and strawberries and raspberries in prodigious quantities
The Canadian spring soon es into full-blown summer The boat had been for so as captain, with Sophy and their ers, and Harry as crew, started in her to pay their visit of welcome to D'Arcy'sThe Ashtons were very much pleased with them
They were just what they expected D'Arcy's relatives would be Sophy had not been to the clearing for some time; D'Arcy invited her to accoe almost completed
D'Arcy produced a plan ”That is what it will look like when it is finished,” he observed ”For whom is this?” asked Sophy ”For my mother and sisters,” was the answer ”Then who is to inhabit your house?” asked Sophy, though the moment she had uttered the words she wished that she had kept silence ”I shall be very miserable, if you are not its mistress,” said D'Arcy
They were the first couple married in the new church at the settlement, mainly built by Mr Ashton's exertions He had hitherto, from his first arrival, conducted a service at his own house, open to all ould attend