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+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 12260 ***
+
+Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this
+      file which includes the original illustrations.
+      See 12260-h.htm or 12260-h.zip:
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+      or
+      (https://www.gutenberg.org/1/2/2/6/12260/12260-h.zip)
+
+      Images of the original pages are available through the Florida
+      Board of Education, Division of Colleges and Universities,
+      PALMM Project, 2001. (Preservation and Access for American and
+      British Children's Literature, 1850-1869.) See
+      http://fulltext10.fcla.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=
+      juv&idno=UF00001875&format=jpg
+      or
+      http://fulltext10.fcla.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=
+      juv&idno=UF00001875&format=pdf
+
+
+
+
+
+JONAS ON A FARM IN WINTER.
+
+BY JACOB ABBOTT
+
+Author of the Rollo Books
+
+MDCCCLI.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: Jonas stopping at the house of Mr. Edwards.]
+
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE.
+
+
+This little work, with its companion, _Jonas On A Farm In Summer_,
+is intended as the continuation of a series, the first two volumes
+of which, _Jonas's Stories_ and _Jonas A Judge_, have already been
+published. They are all designed, not merely to interest and amuse
+the juvenile reader, but to give him instruction, by exemplifying
+the principles of honest integrity, and plain practical good sense,
+in their application to the ordinary circumstances of childhood.
+
+
+
+CONTENTS.
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+Morning
+
+CHAPTER II.
+Commanding And Obeying
+
+CHAPTER III.
+Franco
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+Dog Lost
+
+CHAPTER V.
+Signs Of A Storm
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+The Rescue
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+A Fire
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+The Carding-Mill
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+Difficulty
+
+CHAPTER X.
+A Surprise
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+The Snow Fort, Or Good For Evil
+
+
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+
+MORNING
+
+Early one winter morning, while Jonas was living upon the farm, in the
+employment of Oliver's father, he came groping down, just before
+daylight, into the great room.
+
+The great room was, as its name indicated, quite large, occupying a
+considerable portion of the lower floor of the farmer's house. There was
+a very spacious fireplace in one side, with a settle, which was a long
+seat, with a very high back, near it. The room was used both for kitchen
+and parlor, and there was a great variety of furniture in different
+parts of it. There were chairs and tables, a bookcase with a desk below,
+a loom in one corner by a window, and a spinning-wheel near it. Then,
+there were a great many doors. One led out into the back yard, one up
+stairs, one into a back room,--which was used for coarse work, and which
+was generally called the kitchen,--and one into a large store closet
+adjoining the great room.
+
+Jonas groped his way down stairs; but as soon as he opened the great
+room door, he found the room filled with a flickering light, which came
+from the fireplace. There was a log there, which had been buried in the
+ashes the night before. It had burned slowly, through the night, and the
+fire had broken out at one end, which now glowed like a furnace, and
+illuminated the whole room with a faint red light.
+
+Jonas went up towards the fire. The hearth was very large, and formed of
+great, flat stones. On one side of it was a large heap of wood, which
+Jonas had prepared the night before, to be ready for his fire. On the
+other side was a black cat asleep, with her chin upon her paws. When the
+cat heard Jonas coming, she rose up, stretched out her fore paws, and
+then began to purr, rubbing her cheeks against the bottom of the settle.
+
+"Good morning, Darco," said Jonas. "It is time to get up."
+
+The cat's name was Darco.
+
+Jonas took a pair of heavy iron tongs, which stood by the side of the
+fire, and pulled forward the log. He found that it had burned through,
+and by three or four strokes with the tongs, he broke it up into large
+fragments of coal, of a dark-reddish color. The air being thus admitted,
+they soon began to brighten and crackle, until, in a few minutes, there
+was before him a large heap of glowing and burning coals. He put a log
+on behind, then placed the andirons up to the log, and a great forestick
+upon the andirons. He placed the forestick so far out as to leave a
+considerable space between it and the backlog, and then he put the coals
+up into this space,--having first put in a slender stick, resting upon
+the andirons, to keep the coals from falling through. He then placed on
+a great deal more wood, and he soon had a roaring fire, which crackled
+loud, and blazed up into the chimney.
+
+"Now for my lantern," said Jonas.
+
+So saying, he took down a lantern, which hung by the side of the fire.
+The lantern was made of tin, with holes punched through it on all sides,
+so as to allow the light to shine through; and yet the holes were not
+large enough to admit the wind, to blow out the light.
+
+Jonas opened the lantern, and took out a short candle from the socket
+within. Just as he was lighting it, the door opened, and Amos came in.
+
+"Ah, Jonas," said he, "you are before me, as usual."
+
+"Why, the youngest hand makes the fire, of course," said Jonas.
+
+"Then it ought to be Oliver," said Amos,--"or else Josey."
+
+"There! I promised to wake Oliver up," said Jonas.
+
+"O, he's awake; and he and Josey are coming down. They have found out
+that there is snow on the ground."
+
+"Is there much snow?" asked Jonas.
+
+"I don't know," said Amos; "the ground seems pretty well covered. If
+there is enough to make sledding, you are going after wood to-day."
+
+"And what are you going to do?" said Jonas.
+
+"I am going up among the pines to get out the barn frame, I believe."
+
+Here a door opened, and Oliver came in, followed by Josey shivering
+with the cold, and in great haste to get to the fire.
+
+"Didn't your father say," said Amos to Oliver, "that he was going with
+me to-day, to get out the timber for the barn frame?"
+
+"Yes," said Oliver, "he is going to build a great barn next summer. But
+I'm going up into the woods with Jonas, to haul wood. There's plenty of
+snow."
+
+"I'd go too," said Josey, "if it wasn't so cold."
+
+"It won't be cold in the woods," said Jonas. "There's no wind in the
+woods."
+
+While they had been talking thus, Jonas had got his lantern ready, and
+had gone to the door, and stood there a minute, ready to go out.
+
+"Jonas," said Josey, "are you going out into the barn?"
+
+"Yes," said Jonas.
+
+"Wait a minute, then, for me, just till I put on my other boot."
+
+Jonas waited a minute, according to Josey's request, and then they all
+went out together.
+
+They found the snow pretty deep, all over the yard, but they waded
+through it to the barn. They had to go through a gate, which led them
+into the barn-yard. From the barn-yard they entered the barn itself, by
+a small door near one corner.
+
+There were two great doors in the middle of the barn, made so large
+that, when they were opened, there was space enough for a large load of
+hay to go in. Opposite these doors there was a space floored over with
+plank, pretty wide, and extending through the barn to the back side.
+This was called the barn floor. On one side was a place divided off for
+stables for the horses, and on the other side was the _tie-up_, a place
+for the oxen and cows. There was also the bay, and the lofts for hay and
+grain; and at the end of the tie-up there was a door leading into a
+calf-pen, and thence, by a passage behind the calf-pen, to a work-shop
+and shed. The small door where the boys came in, led to a long and
+narrow passage, between the tie-up and the bay.
+
+They walked along, Jonas going before with his lantern in his hand. The
+cattle which had lain down, began to get up, and the horses neighed in
+their stalls; for the shining of the lantern in the barn was the
+well-known signal which called them to breakfast.
+
+Jonas clambered up by a long ladder to the hay-loft, to pitch down some
+hay, and Josey and Oliver followed him; while Amos remained below to
+"feed out" the hay, as he called it, as fast as they pitched it down. It
+was pretty dark upon the loft, although the lantern shed a feeble light
+upon the rafters above.
+
+"Boys," said Jonas, "it is dangerous for you to be up here; I'd rather
+you'd go down."
+
+"Well," said Oliver, and he began to descend.
+
+"Why?" said Josey; "I don't think there's any danger."
+
+"Yes," said Jonas, "a pitchfork wound is worse than almost any other. It
+is what they call a _punctured_ wound."
+
+"What kind of a wound is that?" said Josey.
+
+"I'll tell you some other time," said Jonas. "But don't stay up here. You
+don't obey so well as Oliver. Go down and give the old General some
+hay."
+
+The old General was the name of a large white horse, quite old and
+steady, but of great strength. When he was younger, he belonged to a
+general, who used to ride him upon the parade, and this was the origin
+of his name.
+
+Josey, at this proposal, made haste down the ladder, and began to put
+some hay over into the old General's crib. He then went round into the
+General's stall, and, patting him upon the neck, he asked him if his
+breakfast was good.
+
+In the mean time, Oliver opened the great barn doors, and, taking a
+shovel, he began to clear away the snow from before them. The sky in the
+east was by this time beginning to be quite bright; and a considerable
+degree of light from the sky, and from the new-fallen snow, came into
+the barn. Josey got a shovel, and went out to help Oliver. After they
+had shoveled away the snow from the great barn doors, they went to the
+house, and began to clear the steps before the doors, and to make paths
+in the yards. They worked in this way for half an hour, and then, just
+as the sun began first to show its bright, glittering rays above the
+horizon, they went into the house. They found that the great fire which
+Jonas had built, was burnt half down; the breakfast-table was set, and
+the breakfast itself was nearly ready.
+
+The boys came to the fireplace, to see what they were going to have for
+breakfast.
+
+"Boys," said the farmer's wife, while she was turning her cakes, "go and
+call Amos in to family prayers,--and Jonas."
+
+"You go, Oliver," said Josey.
+
+Oliver said nothing, but obeyed his mother's direction. He went into the
+barn-yard, and he found Amos and Jonas at work in a shed beyond, getting
+down a sled which had been stowed away there during the summer. It was a
+large and heavy sled, and had a tongue extending forward to draw it by.
+
+"What are you getting out that sled for?" said Oliver.
+
+"To haul wood on," said Jonas. "We're going to haul wood after
+breakfast, and I want to get all ready."
+
+There was another smaller and lighter sled, which had been upon the top
+of the heavy one, before Amos and Jonas had taken it off. This smaller
+sled had two shafts to draw it by, instead of a tongue. Jonas knew by
+this, that it was intended to be drawn by a horse, while the one with a
+tongue was meant for oxen.
+
+"Oliver," said Jonas, "I think it would be a good plan for you and Josey
+to take this sled and the old General, and go with me to haul wood."
+
+"Well," said Oliver, "I should like it very much."
+
+"We can all go up together. You and Josey can be loading the horse-sled,
+while I load the ox-sled, and then we can drive them down, and so get
+two loads down, instead of one."
+
+"Well," said Oliver, "I mean to ask my father."
+
+"Or perhaps," continued Jonas, "you can be teamster for the oxen, and
+Josey can drive the horse, and so I remain up in the woods, cutting and
+splitting."
+
+"No," said Oliver, "because we can't unload alone."
+
+"No," said Jonas; "I had forgotten that."
+
+"But I mean to ask my father," said Oliver, "to let me have the old
+General, and haul a load down when you come."
+
+So saying, the boys walked along towards the house. The sun was now
+shining beautifully upon the fresh snow, making it sparkle in every
+direction, all around. They walked in by the path which Oliver and Josey
+had shoveled.
+
+"Why didn't you make your path wider?" said Amos. "This isn't wide
+enough for a cow-path."
+
+"O, yes, Amos," said Jonas, "it will do very well. I can widen it a
+little when I come out after breakfast."
+
+When they got to the door, Jonas stopped a moment to look around. The
+fields were white in every direction, and the branches of the trees near
+the house were loaded with the snow. The air was keen and frosty, and
+the breaths of the boys were visible by the vapor which was condensed by
+the cold. The pond was one great level field of dazzling white. All was
+silent--nothing was seen of life or motion, except that Darco, who came
+out when the door was opened, looked around astonished, took a few
+cautious steps along the path, and then, finding the snow too deep and
+cold, went back again to take her place once more by the fire.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+
+COMMANDING AND OBEYING
+
+About an hour after breakfast, Jonas with the oxen, and Oliver and Josey
+with the horse, were slowly moving along up the road which led back from
+the pond towards the wood lot. The wood lot was a portion of the forest,
+which had been reserved, to furnish a supply of wood for the winter
+fires. The road followed for some distance the bank of the brook, which
+emptied into the pond at the place where Jonas and Oliver had cleared
+land, when Jonas first came to live on this farm.
+
+It was a very pleasant road. The brook was visible here and there
+through the bushes and trees on one side of it. These bushes and trees
+were of course bare of leaves, excepting the evergreens, and they were
+loaded down with the snow. Some were bent over so that the tops nearly
+touched the ground.
+
+The brook itself, too, was almost buried and concealed in the snow. In
+the still places, it had frozen over; and so the snow had been supported
+by the ice, and thus it concealed both ice and water. At the little
+cascades and waterfalls, however, which occurred here and there, the
+water had not frozen. Water does not freeze easily where it runs with
+great velocity. At these places, therefore, the boys could see the
+water, and hear it bubbling and gurgling as it fell, and disappeared
+under the ice which had formed below.
+
+At last, they came to the wood lot. The wood which they were going to
+haul had been cut before, and it had been piled up in long piles,
+extending here and there under the trees which had been left. These
+piles were now, however, partly covered with the snow, which lay light
+and unsullied all over the surface of the ground.
+
+The sticks of wood in these piles were of different sizes, though they
+were all of the same length. Some had been cut from the tops of the
+trees, or from the branches, and were, consequently, small in diameter;
+others were from the trunks, which would, of course, make large logs.
+These logs had, however, been split into quarters by a beetle and
+wedges, when the wood had been prepared, so that there were very few
+sticks or logs so large, but that Jonas could pretty easily get them on
+to the sled.
+
+Jonas drove his team up near to one end of the pile, while Josey and
+Oliver went to the other, where the wood was generally small. While
+Jonas was loading, he heard a conversation something like this between
+the other boys:--
+
+"Let's put some good large logs on our sled," said Josey.
+
+"Well," said Oliver, "as large as we can; only we'd better put this
+small wood on first."
+
+"I wish you'd go around to the other side, Oliver," said Josey again;
+"you're in my way."
+
+"No," said Oliver, "I can't work on that side very well."
+
+"Then I mean to move the old General round a little."
+
+"No," said Oliver, "the sled stands just right now; only you get up on
+the top of the pile, and I'll stay here." "No," said Josey, "I'd rather
+stand here myself."
+
+So the boys continued at work a few minutes longer, each being in the
+other's way.
+
+At length, Josey said again,--
+
+"O, here is a large log, and I mean to get it out, and put it upon our
+sled."
+
+The log was covered with smaller wood, so that Josey could only get hold
+of the end of it. He clasped his hands together under this end, and
+began to lift it up, endeavoring to get it free from the other wood. He
+succeeded in raising it a little, but it soon got wedged in again, worse
+than before.
+
+"Come, Oliver," said Josey, "help me get out this log. It is rock
+maple."
+
+"No," said Oliver, "I'm busy."
+
+"Jonas," said Josey, calling out aloud, "Jonas, here's a stick of wood,
+which I can't get out. I wish you'd come and help me."
+
+In answer to this request, Jonas only called both the boys to come to
+him.
+
+They accordingly left the old General standing in the snow, with his
+sled partly loaded, and came to the end of the pile, where Jonas was at
+work.
+
+"I see you don't get along very well," said Jonas.
+
+"Why, you see," said Josey, "that Oliver wouldn't help me put on a great
+log."
+
+"The difficulty is," said Jonas, "that you both want to be master.
+Whereas, when two people are working together, one must be master, and
+the other servant."
+
+"_I_ don't want to be servant," said Josey.
+
+"It's better to be servant on some accounts," said Jonas; "then you have
+no responsibility."
+
+"Responsibility?" repeated Josey.
+
+"Yes," said Jonas. "Power and responsibility always go together;--or at
+least they ought to. But come, boys, be helping me load, while we are
+settling this difficulty, so as not to lose our time."
+
+So the boys began to put wood upon Jonas's sled, while the conversation
+continued as follows:--
+
+"Can't two persons work together, unless one is master, and the other
+servant?" asked Josey.
+
+"At least," replied Jonas, "one must take the lead, and the other
+follow, in order to work to advantage. There must be subordination. For
+you see that, in all sorts of work, there are a great many little
+questions coming up, which are of no great consequence, only they ought
+to be decided, one way or the other, quick, or else the work won't go
+on. You act, in your work, like Jack and Jerry, when they ran against
+the horse-block."
+
+"Why, how was that?" said Josey.
+
+"They were drawing the wagon along to harness the horse in, and the
+horse-block was in the way; so they both got hold of the shafts, and
+Jack wanted to pull it around towards the right, while Jerry said it
+would be better to have it go to the left. So they pulled, one one way,
+and the other the other, and thus they got it up chock against the
+horse-block, one shaft on each side. Here they stood pulling in
+opposition for some time, and all the while their father was waiting for
+them to turn the wagon, and harness the horse."
+
+"What did he say to them," said Oliver, "when he found it out?"
+
+"He made Jack bring it round Jerry's way, and then made Jerry draw it
+back again, and bring it along Jack's way.
+
+"When men are at work," continued Jonas, "one acts as director, and the
+rest follows on, as he guides. Then all the unimportant questions are
+decided promptly."
+
+"Well," said Josey, "let us do so, Oliver. I'll be director."
+
+"How do they decide who shall be director?" said Oliver.
+
+"The oldest and most experienced directs, generally; or, if one is the
+employer, and the others are employed by him, then the employer directs
+the others. If a man wants a stone bridge built, and hires three men to
+do it, there is always an understanding, at the beginning, who shall
+have the direction of the work, and all the others obey.
+
+"So," continued Jonas, "if a carpenter were to send two of his men into
+the woods to cut down a tree for timber, without saying which of them
+should have the direction,--then the oldest or most experienced, or the
+one who had been the longest in the carpenter's employ, would take the
+direction. He would say, 'Let us go out this way,' and the other would
+assent; or, 'I think we had better take this tree,' and the other would
+say, perhaps, 'Here's one over here which looks rather straighter; won't
+you come and look at this?' But they would not dispute about it. One
+would leave it to the other to decide."
+
+"Suppose," said Josey, "one was just as old and experienced as the
+other."
+
+"Why, if there was no reason, whatever, why one should take the lead,
+rather than the other, then they would not either of them be tenacious
+of their opinion. If one proposed to do a thing, the other would comply
+without making any objection, unless he had a very decided objection
+indeed. So they would get along peaceably.
+
+"Now," continued Jonas, "boys are very apt to have different opinions,
+and to be very tenacious of them, and so get into disputes and
+difficulties when they are working together. Therefore, when boys are
+set to work, it is generally best to appoint one to take charge; for
+they haven't, generally, good sense enough to find out, themselves,
+which it is most proper should be in charge.
+
+"For instance, now," continued Jonas, "which of you, do you think, on
+the whole, is the proper one to take the direction of the work, when you
+are set to work together?"
+
+"I," said Josey, with great promptness.
+
+Oliver did not answer at all.
+
+"There's one reason why you ought _not_ to be the one," said Jonas.
+
+"What is it?" said Josey.
+
+"Why, you don't obey very well. No person is well qualified to command,
+until he has learned to obey."
+
+"I obey," said Josey, "I'm sure."
+
+"Not always," said Jonas. "This morning, when you were upon the haymow,
+and I told you both to go down, Oliver went down immediately; but you
+remained up, and made excuses instead of obeying."
+
+Josey was silent. He perceived that Jonas's charge against him was just.
+
+"Besides," continued Jonas, "there are some other reasons why Oliver
+should command, rather than you. First he understands more of farmer's
+work, being more accustomed to it; secondly, he is older."
+
+"No," interrupted Josey, "he isn't older. I'm the oldest."
+
+"Are you?" said Jonas.
+
+"Yes," replied Josey. "I'm two months older than he is."
+
+Oliver had so much more prudence and discretion, and being, besides, a
+little larger than Josey, made Jonas think that he was older.
+
+"Well," said Jonas, "at any rate, he has more judgement and experience,
+and he certainly obeys better. So you may go back to your work, and let
+Oliver take the command, and then, after a little while, if Oliver says
+that you have obeyed him well, I'll try the experiment of letting you,
+Josey, command."
+
+The boys accordingly went back, and finished loading up the old General.
+Oliver took the direction, and Josey obeyed very well. Now and then he
+would forget for a moment, and begin to argue; but Josey would submit
+pretty readily, for he was very desirous that Jonas would let him
+command next time; and he thought that he would not allow him to command
+until he had learned to obey.
+
+They had the two sleds loaded nearly at the same time, and then went
+down. When they were going back after the second load, they all got on
+to Jonas's sled, which was forward, to ride, leaving the old General to
+follow with his sled. He was so well trained that he walked along very
+steadily. Oliver fastened the reins to one of the stakes, so that they
+should not get down under the horse's feet. The boys all got together
+upon the forward sled, in order that they might talk with one another as
+they were going back to the woods.
+
+"Now, Josey," said Jonas, "we will let you have the command for the next
+trip, and, while we are going back, I will give you both some
+instructions."
+
+"About obeying?" said Josey.
+
+"Yes, and about commanding too," said Jonas. "It requires rather more
+skill to know how to command, than how to obey; to know how to direct
+work, than to know how to execute it. A good director, in the first
+place, takes care to plan wisely, and he feels a responsibility about
+the work, and a desire to have it go on to good advantage. If some men
+build a way, and, after it is finished, it tumbles down, the man who had
+charge of the work would feel more concerned about it than any of the
+others, because the chief responsibility comes upon him. So with your
+work,--if you have the command, and you and Oliver idle away the time,
+and when my sled is loaded, yours has but little wood in it, you would
+be more to blame than Oliver."
+
+"What, if I didn't play any more than Oliver?"
+
+"Yes," said Jonas, "because you are responsible. It is your duty to be
+industrious, and it is also your duty to see that Oliver is industrious,
+if you are the director,--so that you neglect two duties.
+
+"It is a good plan, too," said Jonas, "for a director to give his
+directions in a mild and gentle tone. Some boys are very domineering and
+authoritative in their manner."
+
+"How do you mean?" said Josey.
+
+"Why, they would say, for example, 'Get out of the way, John, quick.'
+Whereas, it would be better to say, 'John, you are in the way, where we
+want to come along.' Some men give their directions with great noise and
+vociferation, and others give them quietly and gently."
+
+"I shouldn't think they'd mind 'em," said Josey.
+
+"Yes," said Jonas. "Directions ought to be given very distinctly, so
+as to be plainly understood; but they are not obeyed any better for
+violence and noise in giving them.
+
+"A commander ought to have a regard for those under him," continued
+Jonas, "and deal justly by them. If a number of boys were going to ride
+a wagon, and their father put one of them in charge, he ought not to
+keep the best seat in the wagon for himself."
+
+While talking thus, the oxen continued slowly advancing along the road.
+Their previous trip had broken out the road, but the pathway was filled
+with loose snow of a pure and spotless white, through which the great
+sled runners, following the oxen, ploughed their way. On each side of
+the track which they had made, the surface was smooth and unbroken,
+excepting under some of the trees, where masses of snow had fallen down
+from above. They saw, at length, as they were passing along by the
+brook, a little track, like a double dotting, running along, in a
+winding way, under the trees,--then crossing the road, and disappearing
+under the trees upon the other side.
+
+"What's that?" asked Josey.
+
+"That's a rabbit track," replied Oliver.
+
+"Let's go and catch him," said Josey.
+
+"No," said Jonas, "we must go on with our work."
+
+At a little distance farther on, they saw another track. It was larger
+than the first, and not so regular.
+
+"What sort of a track is that?" said Josey.
+
+"I don't know," said Oliver; "it looks like a dog's track; but I
+shouldn't think there would be a dog out here in the woods."
+
+They found that this track followed the road along for some distance.
+The animal which made it, seemed sometimes to have gone in the middle
+of the road, and sometimes out at the side; and Jonas said that he had
+passed there since they went down with the first load of wood.
+
+"How do you know?" said Oliver.
+
+"Because," said Jonas, "his track is made upon the broken snow, in the
+middle of the road."
+
+They watched the track for some time, and then they lost sight of it.
+Presently, however, they saw it again.
+
+"I wonder which way he went," said Oliver.
+
+"I'll jump off, and look at the track," said Jonas.
+
+So saying, he jumped off the sled, and examined the track.
+
+"He went up," said Jonas, "the same way that we are going. It may be a
+dog which has lost his master. Perhaps we shall find him up by our wood
+piles."
+
+Jonas was right, for, when the boys arrived at the wood piles, they
+found there, waiting for them, a large black dog. He stood near one end
+of a wood pile, with his fore feet upon a log, by which his head and
+shoulders were raised, so that he could see better who was coming. He
+was of handsome form, and he had an intelligent and good-natured
+expression of countenance. He was looking very intently at the party
+coming up, to see whether his master was among them.
+
+"Whose dog is that?" said Josey.
+
+"I don't know," said Oliver; "I never saw him before."
+
+"I wonder what his name is," said Josey. "Here! Towzer, Towzer, Towzer,"
+said he.
+
+"Here! Caesar, Caesar, Caesar," said Oliver.
+
+"Pompey, Pompey, Pompey," said Jonas.
+
+[Illustration: "He was looking very intently at the party coming up, to
+see whether his master was among them."]
+
+The dog remained motionless in his position, until, just as the boys had
+finished their calls, and as the foremost sled was drawn pretty near
+him, he suddenly wheeled around with a leap, and bounded away through
+the snow, for half the length of the first wood pile, and then stopped,
+and again looked round.
+
+"I wish we had something for him to eat," said Jonas.
+
+"I've got a piece of bread and butter," said Josey. "I went in and got
+it when you and Oliver were unloading."
+
+So Josey took his bread and butter out of his pocket. There were two
+small slices put together, and folded up in a piece of paper. Jonas took
+a piece, and walked slowly towards the dog.
+
+"Here! Franco, Franco," said Jonas.
+
+"He's coming," said Josey, who remained with Oliver at the sled.
+
+The dog was slowly and timidly approaching the bread which Jonas held
+out towards him.
+
+"He's coming," said Josey. "His name is Franco. I wonder how Jonas
+knew."
+
+"Franco, Franco," said Jonas again. "Come here, Franco. Good Franco!"
+
+The dog came timidly up to Jonas, and took the bread and butter from
+Josey's hand, and devoured it eagerly. While he was doing it, Jonas
+patted him on the head.
+
+"He's very hungry," said Jonas; "bring the rest of your bread and
+butter, Josey."
+
+So Josey brought the rest of his luncheon, and the dog ate it all.
+
+After this, he seemed to be quite at ease with his new friends. He staid
+about there with the boys until the sleds were loaded, and then he went
+down home with them. There they fed him again with a large bone. Jonas
+said that he was undoubtedly a dog that had lost his master, and had
+been wandering about to find him, until he became very hungry. So he
+said they would leave him in the yard to gnaw his bone, and that then
+he would probably go away. Josey wanted to shut him up and keep him, but
+Jonas said it would be wrong.
+
+So the boys left the dog gnawing his bone, and went up after another
+load; but before they had half loaded their sleds, Oliver saw Franco
+coming, bounding up the road, towards them. He came up to Jonas, and
+stood before him, looking up into his face and wagging his tail.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+
+FRANCO
+
+Franco followed the boys all that forenoon, as they went back and forth
+for their wood. At dinner, they did not say any thing about him to the
+farmer, because they supposed that he would go away, when they came in
+and left him, and that they should see no more of him in the afternoon.
+But when Jonas went out, after dinner, to get the old General, to
+harness him for work again, he found Franco lying snugly in the
+General's stall, under the crib.
+
+At night, therefore, he told the farmer about him. The farmer said that
+he was some dog that had strayed away from his master; and he told Jonas
+to go out after supper and drive him away. Josey begged his uncle to
+keep him, but his aunt said she would not have a dog about the house.
+She said it would cost as much to keep him as to keep a sheep, and that,
+instead of bringing them a good fleece, a dog was good for nothing, but
+to track your floors in wet weather, and keep you awake all night with
+his howling.
+
+So the farmer told Jonas to go out after supper, and drive the dog away.
+
+"Let us give him some supper first, father," said Oliver.
+
+"No," said his father; "the more you give him, the more he won't go
+away. I expect now, you've fooled with him so much, that it will be hard
+to get him off, at any rate."
+
+"_Jonas_ has not fooled with him any," said Oliver.
+
+"Nor I," said Josey.
+
+After supper, Jonas went out, according to orders, to drive Franco away.
+It was a raw, windy night, but not very cold. Franco was in a little
+shed where there was a well, near the back door. He was lying down, but
+he got up and came to Jonas when he saw him appear at the door.
+
+"Come, Franco," said Jonas, "come with me."
+
+Franco wagged his tail, and followed Jonas.
+
+Jonas walked out into the road, Franco after him. He walked along until
+he had got to some distance from the house, Franco keeping up with him
+all the way, sometimes on one side of the road, and sometimes on the
+other. At length, when Jonas thought that he had gone far enough, he
+stopped. Franco stopped too, and looked up at Jonas.
+
+"Now, Franco, I've got to send you away. It's a hard case, Franco, but
+you and I must both submit to orders. So go off, Franco, as fast as you
+can."
+
+So saying, Jonas pointed along the road, in the direction away from the
+house, and said, "St---- boy! St---- boy!"
+
+Franco darted along the road a few steps, barked once, and then turned
+round, and looked eagerly at Jonas, as if he did not know what he wanted
+him to do.
+
+"_Get home_!" said Jonas, in a stern and severe tone; "_get home_!" and
+he stamped with his foot upon the ground, and looked at Franco with a
+countenance of displeasure.
+
+Franco bounded forward a few steps over the smooth and icy road, and
+then he turned round, and stood in the middle of the road, facing Jonas,
+and looking very much astonished.
+
+"Get home, Franco!" said Jonas again; and, stooping down, he took a
+piece of hardened snow or ice from the road, and threw it towards him.
+The ice fell, before it reached Franco, and rolled along towards his
+feet, which made him scamper along a little farther; and then he
+stopped, and turned around, and looked at Jonas, as before.
+
+Jonas began slowly to turn backwards, keeping his eye on Franco.
+
+"It's a hard case, Franco, I acknowledge. If I had a barn of my own, I'd
+let you sleep in a corner of it; but I must obey orders. You must go and
+find your master."
+
+So saying, Jonas turned round and walked slowly home. Just before he
+turned to go into the house, he looked back, to see what had become of
+the dog. He was standing motionless in the place where Jonas had left
+him.
+
+"I wish the farmer would let me give him a bone," said he to himself;
+and then he turned away, and walked slowly around to the barn, to fodder
+the cattle.
+
+That night, just before bed-time, he went to the front door, and looked
+out into the road, and all around, to see if he could see any thing of
+Franco. It was rather dark and windy,--though he could see the moon
+shining dimly through the broken clouds, which were driving across the
+sky. The roads looked black, as they do about the commencement of a
+thaw. Presently the moon shone out full through the interstices of the
+clouds. Jonas took advantage of the opportunity to look all up and down
+the road; but Franco was nowhere to be seen.
+
+The next morning, however, when he went out into the stable to give the
+cattle some hay, he found Franco in his old place, under the General's
+crib.
+
+"Why, Franco," said Jonas, "how came you here?"
+
+Franco said nothing, but stood looking up into Jonas's face, and wagging
+his tail.
+
+"Franco," said Jonas, "how could you get in here?"
+
+Franco remained in the same position; the light of the lantern shining
+in his face, and his tail wagging a very little. He could not tell
+certainly whether Jonas was scolding him or not.
+
+Franco remained about the barn until breakfast-time, and then Jonas, at
+the table, told the farmer that he tried to drive the dog away the
+night before, but that in the morning he found him in the barn.
+
+"I don't believe you really tried," said the farmer's wife. "_I_ can
+drive him away, I know,--as I'll show you after breakfast."
+
+Accordingly, after breakfast, putting on hastily an old straw bonnet,
+she went out into the yard and took a small stick from the wood pile, to
+use for a club, and then called to Franco.
+
+"Franco," said she, "come here."
+
+Franco looked first at her, and then at Jonas, who was standing in the
+door-way, as if at a loss to know what to do.
+
+"Go, Franco," said Jonas.
+
+The farmer's wife walked out in front of the house into the wind,
+calling Franco to follow. She then attempted to drive him along the
+road, much as Jonas had done. She brandished her stick at him, and, when
+she had succeeded in getting him as far from her as she could, by stern
+and threatening language, in order to drive him farther, she threw the
+stick at him with all her force.
+
+Franco jumped out of its way. The stick rolled along the road before
+him. He sprang forward to it, seized it in his mouth, and came trotting
+back to the farmer's wife, and laid it down at her feet; and then,
+standing back a few steps, he looked up into her face, with a very
+earnest expression of countenance, which seemed to say,--
+
+"What do you want me to do next?"
+
+This very act of Franco's embarrassed the woman considerably. She could
+not bear to take up the very stick, which Franco had himself brought to
+her, and throw it at him again; and, on the other hand, she could not
+bear to give up, and let Franco remain. She, however, picked up the
+stick, and brandished it again towards Franco, and, stamping with her
+foot at him, she said,--
+
+"Away with you, dog; get home!"
+
+What the result of this contest would have been, it is very difficult to
+say, had it not been that it was soon decided by the occurrence of a
+singular incident; for, as the farmer's wife nodded her head, and
+stamped at the dog, the jar or the motion seemed to give the wind a
+momentary advantage over her bonnet, which, in her haste, she had not
+tied on very securely. A strong gust carried it clear from her head, and
+blew it away over Franco, upon the snow by the side of the road beyond.
+Franco, who was all ready for a spring, bounded after it, and pursued it
+at full speed. The snow was nearly level with the top of the stone
+walls, and the wind carrying it diagonally from the road, it rolled over
+the little ridge of stones which remained above the drifts, and then
+swept across the field, down a long descent, like a feather before the
+gale.
+
+Franco pursued it with flying leaps over the snow, which had become
+sufficiently consolidated to support his steps. He gained upon it
+rapidly, and at length overtook and seized it; and then, turning round,
+he trotted swiftly back, leaped over the top of the wall, and brought
+the bonnet, and laid it down at its owner's feet, with an air of great
+satisfaction.
+
+The good woman took up her bonnet, and threw her stick away, and,
+turning around, walked back to the house. The farmer, who had been
+looking out at the window, was laughing heartily. She herself smiled as
+she returned to her work, saying,--
+
+"The dog has something in him, I acknowledge; go and see if you can't
+find him a bone, Jonas." "Yes, Jonas," said the farmer, "you may have
+him for your dog till the owner comes and claims him."
+
+And this is the way that Jonas first got his dog Franco. He told Oliver
+that morning, as he was patting his head under the old General's crib,
+that the dog had taught them one good lesson.
+
+"What is it?" asked Oliver.
+
+"Why, that the Christian duty of returning good for evil, is good policy
+as well as good morals."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+
+DOG LOST
+
+About the middle of the winter, the farmer went to market with his
+produce. The vehicle on which he carried it was a kind of box upon
+runners, with a pole in front, to which two horses were fastened. He was
+gone three days.
+
+When he came back, he said that he had bargained for another load of his
+produce, at the market town, and that he was going to send Jonas with
+it. Jonas was very glad when he heard this. He liked to take journeys.
+
+"What day shall I go, sir?" said Jonas.
+
+"Day after to-morrow," said the farmer, "as early as possible. We'll let
+the horses rest one day."
+
+About the middle of the afternoon, on the day following the one on which
+this conversation had taken place, Jonas and the farmer began to load
+up the box sleigh, in order to have it ready for the morning. He had
+about forty miles to go, and he wanted to get to market, deliver his
+load, and return five or ten miles that same evening.
+
+It was quite cold that afternoon, and it seemed to be growing colder and
+colder. Jonas got the box sleigh ready under a shed, first shoveling in
+some snow under the runners, in order that the horses might draw the
+sled out easily, when it was loaded. He put in the various articles of
+produce, which were contained in bags, and firkins, and boxes. Over
+these he spread blankets and buffalo-skins, and put in a bag of oats for
+his horses, and a box of bread and cheese for himself. He did not know
+whether Franco was to go with him, or not; but he arranged the bags in
+such a way, that he could easily make a warm nest for him in one corner,
+if the farmer should allow him to go.
+
+The farmer helped him about all the arrangements, and, when they were
+completed, he told Jonas to go in and get his supper, and go to bed, so
+as to get up and set off early in the morning.
+
+"It will be a fine starlight night," said he, "and you'd better be ten
+miles on your way by sunrise."
+
+When Amos got up the next morning, and went out with his lantern, to go
+to the barn, as he passed by the shed on his way, he saw that the sleigh
+was gone. He proceeded to the barn, and, as he opened the door, he was
+startled at something which suddenly darted past him and rushed out.
+
+"What's that?" said Oliver, who was behind him. "It is Franco," said he.
+"Where is he going?"
+
+Franco ran off to the shed where Jonas had harnesses his horses, and
+began smelling around upon the ground. He followed the scent along the
+yard, up to a post by the side of the house, where Jonas had stopped a
+moment ago to go in and get his great-coat, when all was ready; and
+then, after pausing here a moment, he darted off towards the road.
+
+"Here! Franco, Franco," said Amos, "come back here."
+
+"Franco, Franco," repeated Oliver, "here--here--here--here."
+
+Franco paid no attention to these calls, but ran off along the road at
+full speed.
+
+In the mean time, Jonas had traveled rapidly onward, by the light of the
+stars, over the glittering and frosty road.
+
+The keen air made his ears tingle a little, but he rubbed them, and they
+soon became warm. His feet were comfortably stowed away down in his box,
+among the bags and buffalo-skins, so that they were warm and
+comfortable.
+
+The horses trotted along at good speed, and soon brought Jonas and his
+load to the village at the mill. The street was vacant, and the houses
+dark, excepting that a faint light shone behind a curtain in one chamber
+window. Jonas supposed that somebody was sick there. Even the mill
+was silent, and the gate shut down; and, instead of the ordinary roar
+of the water under the wheel, only a hissing sound was heard, where
+the imprisoned water spouted through the crevices of the flume. Vast
+stalactites of ice extended continuously along the whole face of
+the dam, like a frozen waterfall, behind which the water percolated
+curiously down into the foaming abyss, at the bottom of the fall. Jonas
+thought that all this, seen by starlight, looked very cold.
+
+The horses trotted across the bridge with a loud sound, which
+reverberated far and wide in the still night. He ascended the hill
+beyond, and drove on. His woollen comforter, tied about his neck,
+became frosted over from his breath; and the breasts, and mane, and
+sides, of the horses were gradually sprinkled with white, in the same
+way. They were both black horses,--the General having been left at home.
+They trotted down the hills and along the level portions of the road,
+and wheeled around the curves, with great speed. Jonas found that he
+had no occasion for his whip, and so he put it away behind him, under
+the buffaloes.
+
+He went on in this way, without any special adventure, for a couple of
+hours, and then began to see a gray light appearing in the eastern sky.
+About the same time, the windows of the farm-houses, which he passed on
+the road, began to be illuminated by the fires, which they were kindling
+within. Now and then, he could see a man hurrying out to a barn, to feed
+the cattle. Jonas thought that they ought to be up earlier. The sun rose
+soon after, and the fields on every side sparkled by the reflection of
+his rays, from the crystalline surface of the snow. Tall columns of
+dense white smoke ascended from the chimneys, some erect, others leaning
+a little, some one way, some another. In a word, it was a cold, still,
+winter morning.
+
+At length, as Jonas was walking his horses up a long hill, he heard
+light footsteps behind him. He turned round to see what was coming, and,
+to his utter astonishment, he saw Franco, coming up, upon the full run,
+and close behind the sleigh. He came to the side of it, and looked up,
+with every appearance of exultation and joy.
+
+"Why, Franco," said Jonas, "how came you here?"
+
+He stopped his horses, and Franco leaped up before him. His ears, and
+the glossy black hair which curled under his neck and upon his sides,
+were tipped with frost. Jonas patted him upon his head, saying,--
+
+"Why, Franco, how did you get out of the barn? and how did you find out
+which way I came?"
+
+Franco wagged his tail, and curled down around Jonas's feet, but he made
+no reply.
+
+Jonas was very much surprised, for, as he had no permission to take
+Franco, he had concluded that it was his duty not to take him; and when
+he found that he was inclined to come with him, at the time that he was
+harnessing the horses, he conducted him back into the barn, and, to make
+it secure, he fastened up the place where he had got in, the first night
+that he lodged there. He knew that the barn would be opened when Amos
+came out in the morning, to take care of the old General and the oxen,
+but said he to himself, "I shall by that time be ten miles off, and it
+will be too late for him to follow or find me." Jonas was therefore very
+much surprised, when he found that Franco had contrived to make his
+escape, and to track his master so many miles.
+
+Jonas drove on very prosperously, until it was about time for him to
+stop and give his horses some breakfast. As for himself, he ate his
+breakfast from his box, when they were coming up a long hill. He
+accordingly stopped at a tavern, and took his horses out of their
+harness, and rubbed them down well, and gave them a good drink of water,
+and plenty of oats, which he bought of the tavern-keeper. He kept the
+oats in his bag to use in the town. By the time that he stopped, he was
+comfortably warm, for he had taken some exercise walking up the hills.
+Franco always got out when Jonas did, at the bottom of the hills, and
+then got in again at the top. He remained in the sleigh, however, at the
+tavern, keeping guard, while Jonas went into the house; and he would
+growl a little if any body came near the sleigh, and thus warn them not
+to touch any thing that was in it.
+
+While the horses were eating, Jonas went into the tavern, and sat down
+by the kitchen fire. The fire was very large, and many persons were busy
+getting breakfast. Jonas wished that he was going to have a cup of the
+coffee that they were making; but he thought it better that he should
+content himself with what the farmer had provided for him. There was a
+young woman in the back part of the room, at a window, sewing. She asked
+Jonas how far he had come that morning, and he told her. Then she said
+that he must have set out very early; and she said that he had a pair of
+very handsome black horses. She had seen them as Jonas passed the
+window.
+
+There was a small girl sitting near her, with a slate, ciphering. She
+seemed very busy for a few minutes, and then she looked up to the young
+woman, and said,--
+
+"My sum does not come right, aunt Lucia."
+
+"Doesn't it? I'm sorry, but I can't help you now, very well," replied
+aunt Lucia. "I am very busy with my sewing."
+
+The little girl then got up, and came towards the fire, with her slate
+hanging by a string from her finger, and her Arithmetic under her arm.
+
+"Where are you ciphering?" asked Jonas.
+
+"In fractions," said the girl.
+
+"If you will let me look at your sum, perhaps I can tell you how to do
+it," replied Jonas.
+
+The girl handed her book to him, and showed him the sum in it. She
+also let him see the work upon her slate. Jonas looked it over very
+carefully, and then said,--
+
+"You have done very well indeed, with such a hard sum. There is only one
+mistake."
+
+And Jonas pointed out the mistake to her, and she corrected it, and then
+the answer was right. She then went and put away her slate and book,
+with an appearance of great satisfaction. As she passed by the window,
+aunt Lucia whispered to her, to say,--
+
+"I think you had better thank that young man, and give him a mug of
+coffee."
+
+"Well," said the little girl, "I will." So she went to a cupboard at the
+side of the room, and took down a tin mug. She poured out some coffee
+from a coffee-pot, and put in some milk and sugar, and then brought it
+to Jonas, and asked him if he wouldn't like a little coffee. Jonas
+thanked her, and took the coffee; and he liked it very much.
+
+After this, Jonas harnessed his horses again, and went on. He traveled
+until nearly noon, and then he arrived at the town where he was to leave
+his load. He had a letter to a merchant, who had bought the produce of
+the farmer, and, in a very short time, his load was taken out, and the
+other articles put in, which he was to carry back in exchange. He had
+some money given him by the merchant, in part payment for his load of
+produce. It was in bank-notes, and he put it into his waistcoat pocket,
+and pinned it in.
+
+Then he set out on his return. His load was light, the road was smooth,
+and his horses, though they had traveled fast, had been driven
+carefully, and they carried him rapidly over the ground. It was the
+middle of the afternoon, however, before he set out, and the days were
+then so short, that the sun soon began to go down. He had to ride quite
+into the evening, before he reached the place where he was to stop for
+the night.
+
+He put up his horses, and then went into the house. He called for some
+supper, for his own provisions had long since been exhausted. After
+supper, he carried out something for Franco, whom he had left in the
+sleigh in the barn, lying upon a good warm buffalo, to watch the
+property.
+
+"Franco," said he, "here is your supper."
+
+Franco jumped up when he heard Jonas's voice, and leaped out of the
+sleigh. He took his supper, and Jonas, after once more feeding his
+horses, went out, and shut the door, leaving Franco to finish his bone
+by himself.
+
+Jonas went back into the tavern, and took his seat by the fire. There
+was a table before the fire, with a lamp upon it; and there were one
+or two books and an old newspaper lying upon another table, in the
+back part of the room. Jonas looked at the books, but they were not
+interesting to read. One was a dictionary. He read the newspaper for
+some time, and then he took the lamp up, and began to look at some
+pictures of the prodigal son, which were hung up upon the wall over the
+mantel-piece.
+
+Beyond the pictures were some advertisements. One was for a farm for
+sale. Jonas read the description, and he wished that he was old enough
+to buy a farm, and then he would go and look at that.
+
+The next advertisement was about some machinery, which a man had
+invented; and the next was headed, in large letters, _Dog Lost._ This
+caught Jonas's attention immediately. It was in writing, and he could
+not read it very easily, it was so high. So he got a chair, and stood up
+in it, and read as follows:--
+
+"'DOG LOST.
+
+"'_Strayed or stolen from the subscriber, a valuable dog, of large size
+and black color_.'
+
+"I wonder if it isn't Franco," said Jonas, interrupting himself in his
+reading.
+
+"'_He had on a brass collar marked with the owner's name_.'
+
+"No," said Jonas, "there was no collar. But then the man that stole him
+might have taken it off.
+
+"'_Answers to the name of Ney_.'
+
+"Ney, Ney," said Jonas,--"I never called him Ney. I wonder if he would
+answer, if I should call him Ney.
+
+"'_Is kind and docile, and quite intelligent_.'
+
+"Yes," said Jonas, "I verily believe it is Franco.
+
+"'_Any person who will return said dog to the subscriber, at his
+residence at Walton Plain, shall be suitably rewarded_.
+
+"'JAMES EDWARDS.'
+
+"I verily believe it is Franco," said Jonas, as he slowly got down from
+the chair,--"Walton Plain."
+
+He stood a moment, looking thoughtfully into the fire.
+
+"Yes," he repeated, "I verily believe it is Franco. I wonder where
+Walton Plain is."
+
+Jonas had learned from Mr. Holiday, that it was never wise to
+communicate important information relating to private business, unless
+necessary. So he said nothing about Franco to any of the people at the
+tavern, but quietly went to bed; and, after thinking some time what to
+do, he went to sleep, and slept finely until morning.
+
+About daylight, he arose, and, as he had paid his bill the night before,
+he went to the barn, harnessed his horses, and set off. At the first
+village that he came to after sunrise, he stopped at a store, and
+inquired whether there was any such town as Walton Plain, in that
+neighborhood.
+
+"Yes," said the boy, who stood with a broom in his hand, with which he
+was sweeping out the store,--"yes, it is about five miles from here,
+right on the way you are going."
+
+Jonas thanked the boy, got into his sleigh, and rode on.
+
+"Poor Franco," said he, "I am afraid I must lose you."
+
+He had hoped that Walton Plain would have proved to be off of his road,
+so that he could have had a good reason for not doing any thing about
+restoring the dog, until after he had gone home, and reported the facts
+to the farmer. But now, as he found that it was on his way, and as he
+would very probably go directly by Mr. Edwards's door, he concluded
+that he ought, at any rate, to call and let him look at Franco, and see
+whether it was his dog or not.
+
+When he reached Walton Plain, he inquired whether Mr. James Edwards
+lived in the village. They told him that he lived about half a mile out
+of the village. They said it was a handsome white house, under the
+trees, back from the road, with a portico over the door.
+
+Jonas rode on, observing all the houses as he passed; and he at once
+recognized the one which had been described to him. He stopped before
+the great gate, and fastened his horses to a post. He then walked along
+a road-way, which led in by the end of the house, and presently came to
+a door, where he stopped and knocked. A girl came and opened the door.
+
+"Is Mr. Edwards at home?"
+
+"Yes," said the girl.
+
+"Will you ask him to come to the door a minute?"
+
+"You'd better walk in, and I'll speak to him."
+
+[Illustration: Jonas stopping at the house of Mr. Edwards.]
+
+Jonas stepped into an entry, which was carpeted, and which had a large
+map, hanging against the wall. The girl opened a door into a little
+room, which looked somewhat like Mr. Holiday's study. There was a great
+deal of handsome furniture in it, and book-shelves around the walls. A
+large table was in the middle of the room, covered with books and
+papers.
+
+The girl handed Jonas a seat.
+
+"Who shall I say has called?" said she to Jonas, as she was about to go
+out of the room.
+
+"Why--I--my name is Jonas," he replied; "but I don't suppose Mr. Edwards
+knows me. I came to see him about his dog."
+
+At this remark, the girl looked around towards the fire, and Jonas
+involuntarily turned his eyes in the same direction. He saw there a
+large dog, very much like Franco in form and size, lying upon the
+carpet. He was as handsome as Franco. Jonas was surprised to see him.
+The girl, too, looked surprised. She, however, said nothing, but went
+out, and shut the door.
+
+In a few minutes, the door opened, and an elderly gentleman, with
+grayish hair, and a mild and pleasant expression of countenance, came
+in. He nodded to Jonas as he entered, and Jonas rose to receive him.
+The gentleman then took a seat by the fire, and asked Jonas to sit down
+again.
+
+"I came to see you, sir, about your dog," said Jonas.
+
+"Well, my boy," replied the man, "and what about my dog?" and, as he
+said this, he looked down at the dog, which was lying upon the floor.
+
+"I don't know but that I have got him."
+
+"You have got him?" repeated Mr. Edwards.
+
+"Yes, sir; a dog like that one came to me in the woods one day this
+winter."
+
+"O," said Mr. Edwards, "you mean the dog that I lost.--Yes,--I had
+forgotten that, it is so long ago. When did you find him?"
+
+Jonas then told the whole story of the dog's coming to them, and
+of their attempt to drive him away; and also of his seeing the
+advertisement in the tavern. Mr. Edwards asked him a great many
+questions, such as what his name was, where he lived, and how long he
+had lived there, and how he happened to be journeying now. At last he
+said,--
+
+"I think it very probable that it is my dog. I lost one of that
+description six or eight months ago, and advertised him; but I couldn't
+hear any thing of him, and so I got another as much like him as I could.
+It is probable yours is the same dog; but I don't know that there is any
+particular proof of it. You haven't called him Ney, have you?"
+
+"No, sir," said Jonas; "we call him Franco."
+
+"If he should come at the call of Ney, that would be proof. Where is he
+now?"
+
+"He is with me, sir; he is out in my sleigh."
+
+"O, well, then," said the man, "we can tell in a moment. I'll step to
+the door and call him."
+
+So Mr. Edwards put on his hat, and stepped to the door. The dog was
+standing up in the sleigh, and looking wildly around. When he saw Mr.
+Edwards, he seemed more excited still.
+
+"Here, Ney," said Mr. Edwards.
+
+The dog leaped down from the sled, and came bounding up the road. He
+leaped first about Mr. Edwards, and then about Jonas, as if at a loss
+which was his master.
+
+"Why, Ney," said Mr. Edwards,--"poor Ney,--have you got back at last?
+Come, walk in, Ney."
+
+Ney slipped in through the door, and turned immediately into the little
+room, as if he was perfectly familiar with the localities. Jonas and Mr.
+Edwards followed. They shut the door, and took their seats again. Ney
+ran around the room, and examined every thing. He looked at the strange
+dog lying so comfortably in his old place upon the warm carpet, and then
+came and gazed up eagerly into his old master's face a moment. He came
+to Jonas, and wagged his tail, and then he went to the door and whined,
+as if he wanted to go out.
+
+"Won't you let him out?" said Mr. Edwards. "We will see what he will
+do."
+
+Jonas opened the door, and the dog ran out into the entry, and then made
+the same signs to have the outer door opened. Jonas opened it, and let
+him out. Jonas stepped out himself a moment, to see what he would do,
+and presently returned again to the room where he had left Mr. Edwards.
+
+"Where did he go?" said Mr. Edwards.
+
+"He has run to the sleigh," said Jonas, "and jumped up into it, and is
+lying down on the buffalo."
+
+"The dog seems to have become attached to you, Jonas," said Mr. Edwards,
+"and I presume that you have become somewhat attached to him."
+
+"Yes, sir, very much indeed," replied Jonas.
+
+Mr. Edwards was silent a few minutes, appearing lost in thought.
+
+"I hardly know what to say about this dog," he continued, at length.
+"You did very right to come and let me know about him. I am afraid that
+some boys would have kept him, without saying any thing about it. I am
+glad that you were honest. I valued the dog very much, and would have
+given a large sum to have recovered him, when he was first lost. But I
+have got another now, and don't really need two. Should you be disposed
+to buy him?"
+
+"Yes, sir," said Jonas, "if I could. But I haven't got but a dollar at
+my command, and I suppose he is worth more than that."
+
+Jonas had a dollar of his own. Mr. Holiday had given it to him when he
+left his house, thinking it probable that he would want to buy something
+for himself. Jonas had taken this money with him when he left the
+farmer's, intending to expend a part of it in the market town; but he
+did not see any thing that he really wanted, and so the money was in his
+pocket now.
+
+"Why, yes," said Mr. Edwards, "I gave a great deal more for him than
+that. Haven't you any more money with you?"
+
+"Not of my own," said Jonas.
+
+"I suppose you got some for your produce."
+
+"Yes, sir," said Jonas; "but it belongs to the farmer that I work with."
+
+"And don't you think that he would be willing to have you pay a part of
+it for the dog?"
+
+"I don't know, sir," said Jonas. "I know he likes the dog very much, but
+I have no authority to buy him with his money."
+
+If Jonas had been willing to have used his employer's money without
+authority, Mr. Edwards would not have taken it. He made the inquiry to
+see whether Jonas was trustworthy.
+
+After a few minutes' pause, Mr. Edwards resumed the conversation, as
+follows:--
+
+"Well, Jonas," said he, "I have been thinking of this a little, and have
+concluded to let you keep the dog for me a little while,--that is, if he
+is willing to go with you. But remember he is my property still, and I
+shall have a right to call for him, whenever I choose, and you must give
+him up to me."
+
+"Yes, sir," said Jonas, "I will. And I wish that you would not agree to
+sell him to any body else, without letting me know."
+
+"Well," replied Mr. Edwards, "I will not. So you may take him, and keep
+him till I send for him,--that is, provided he will go with you of his
+own accord. I can't drive him away from his old home."
+
+Jonas thanked Mr. Edwards, and rose to go. Mr. Edwards took his hat, and
+followed him to the door, to see whether the dog would go willingly.
+When he was upon the step, he called him.
+
+"Ney," said he, "Ney."
+
+Ney looked up, and, in a moment afterwards, jumped out of the sleigh,
+and came running up to the door.
+
+"Now," continued Mr. Edwards, "if you can call him back, while I am
+standing here, it is pretty good proof that you have been kind to him,
+and that he would like to go with you."
+
+So Jonas walked down towards the gate, looking back, and calling,--
+
+"Franco, Franco, Franco!"
+
+The dog ran down towards him a little way, and then stopped, looked
+back, and, after a moment's pause, he returned a few steps towards his
+former master. He seemed a little at a loss to know which to choose.
+
+Jonas got into his sleigh.
+
+"Franco!" said he.
+
+Franco looked at him, then at Mr. Edwards, then at Jonas; and finally he
+went back to the door, and began to lick his old master's hand.
+
+Jonas turned his horses' heads a little towards the road, and moved them
+on a step.
+
+"Come, Franco," said he; "Franco, come."
+
+Franco, hearing these words, and seeing that Jonas was actually going,
+seemed to come to a final decision. He leaped off the steps, and bounded
+down the road, through the gate, and jumped up into Jonas's sleigh. Mr.
+Edwards continued to call him, but he paid no attention to it. He
+curled down before Jonas a moment, then he raised himself up a little,
+so as to look back towards the house; but he showed no disposition to
+get out again. Jonas put his hand upon his head, and patted it gently as
+he drove away; and, when he found that Franco was really going with him,
+he turned his head back, and said, with a look of great satisfaction,--
+
+"Good-by, sir. I'm very much obliged to you."
+
+"Good-by, Jonas. Take good care of Ney."
+
+"Yes, sir," said he, "I certainly will."
+
+"You're a good dog, Franco," he continued, patting his head, "to come
+with me,--very good dog, Franco, to choose the coarse hay for a bed
+under the old General's crib, rather than that good warm carpet, for the
+sake of coming with me. I'll make you a little house, Franco,--I
+certainly will, and I'll put a carpet on the floor. I'll make it as soon
+as I get home."
+
+And Jonas did, the next evening after he got home, make Franco a house,
+just big enough for him; and he found an old piece of carpet to put
+upon the floor. He put Franco in; but the next morning he found him in
+his old place under the General's crib. Franco liked that place better.
+The truth was, it was rather warmer; and then, besides, he liked the old
+General's company.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+
+SIGNS OF A STORM
+
+One evening early in February, the farmer told Jonas that his work, the
+next day, would be to get out four or five bushels of corn and grain,
+and go to mill. Accordingly, after he had got through with his morning's
+work of taking care of the stock, he took a half-bushel measure, and
+several bags, and went into the granary. The granary was a small, square
+building, with narrow boards and wide cracks between them on the south
+side. The building itself was mounted on posts at the four corners, with
+flat stones upon the top of the posts, for the corners to rest upon.
+
+The open work upon the side was to let the air in, to dry the corn; and
+the high posts and the flat stones were to keep the mice from getting in
+and eating it up.
+
+Jonas put a short board across the top of the half-bushel, and sat upon
+it. Then he began taking the corn and shelling it off from the cob, by
+rubbing it against the edge of the board. As he sat thus at work, he
+occasionally looked up, and he could see out of the open door of the
+granary, into the farm-yards.
+
+It was a very pleasant morning. The sun shone beautifully; and now and
+then a drop fell from the roof on the south side of the barn. The cattle
+were standing, basking in the sun, in the barn-yard, and in the sheds,
+where the sun could shine in upon them. The whole area of the barn-yard
+was trodden smooth and hard by the footsteps of the cattle; and broad
+and smooth paths had been worn in every direction, about the house.
+Behind the barn was a large sheep-yard, also well worn with the
+footsteps of the sheep. A great many sheep were there,--now and then
+eating hay from a long rack, which extended across the yard.
+
+When Jonas had shelled out the corn, he carried the bags, and put them
+into the sleigh, which was generally used in going to mill. Then he
+locked the granary, and put the key away, and afterwards went to the
+barn, and opened the great doors, which led in to the barn floor. He
+climbed up a tall ladder to a loft under the roof of the barn, and threw
+down some sheaves of wheat,--as many as he thought would be necessary
+to produce the quantity of grain which the farmer had ordered. He then
+descended the ladder, and got a flail, and began to thresh them out.
+
+Standing, now, in a new position, he had a different prospect before
+him. Beyond the barn-yard he could see another larger yard nearer the
+house, in which the snow had also been beaten down by the going and
+coming of teams, sleds, and all sorts of travel, for two or three weeks,
+during which there had been no new falls of snow. Upon one side of this
+yard was an enormous heap of wood, which Jonas and Oliver had been
+hauling nearly all the winter. On the other side was a quantity of
+timber, of all sizes and lengths, which the farmer and Amos had been
+getting out for the new barn. Some of it was hewed, and some not; and
+several large pieces were laid out upon the level surface of the yard,
+and the farmer and Amos were sitting upon them, working upon the frame.
+Amos was boring holes with an auger, and the farmer was cutting the
+holes thus made into a square form with a chisel. Josey was there, too,
+and Amelia. They were building a house of the blocks which had been
+sawed off from the ends of the timbers.
+
+When, however, they heard the sound of Jonas's flail, they left their
+play, and came along to the barn to see him. Josey came into the barn;
+Amelia remained at the door.
+
+"What are you doing, Jonas?" said Josey.
+
+"Threshing some wheat," replied Jonas; "but stand back, or I shall hit
+you with the flail."
+
+"Are you going to mill?" said Josey.
+
+"Yes, I or somebody else. I am getting a grist ready."
+
+"Here comes uncle," said Josey; "I mean to ask him to let me go."
+
+The farmer came in, and told Jonas that he expected that they were going
+to have a snow-storm, and, therefore, as soon as his grist was ready, he
+might harness a horse into the sleigh, and drive directly to mill.
+
+"Then," said he, "you may come directly back, and not wait to have it
+ground; for I want you to go up to the woods this afternoon, and bring
+down a load of small spruces, which I cut for rafters. I want them down
+before the road gets blocked up with snow."
+
+The farmer had reflected that, about this time in the winter, they were
+generally exposed to long and driving snow-storms, by which the roads
+were often blocked up. He usually endeavored to get all out of the woods
+which he had to get, early in the season, while the snow was not deep.
+He had now got down all his wood, and all his timber, except one or two
+loads of rafters; and he wished, therefore, to get those down, so that,
+in case of a severe storm, he would not have to break out the road
+again.
+
+Jonas accordingly despatched his preparations for going to mill, as
+rapidly as possible, and soon was ready. In driving out, he stopped
+opposite the place where the farmer was at work upon his frame.
+
+"All ready, I believe, sir," said Jonas.
+
+"Very well," said the farmer. "The pond road is a little the nearest,
+isn't it?"
+
+"Yes, sir," said Jonas.
+
+"And Josey wants to go with you; have you any objection to take him?"
+
+"No, sir," said Jonas; "I should like very much to have him go."
+
+"Well, Josey, get your great-coat, and come."
+
+"O, no, sir," said Josey; "I don't need any great-coat; it isn't cold."
+
+"Very well, then; jump in."
+
+Josey got in upon the top of the bags, and Jonas drove on. After riding
+a short distance, they turned down by a road which led to the pond,
+which was now covered with so thick and solid a sheet of ice, that it
+was safe travelling upon it, and it was accordingly intersected with
+roads in every direction. They rode down at a rapid trot to the ice,
+followed by Franco, who was always glad to go upon an expedition.
+
+The road led them over, very nearly, the same part of the pond that
+Jonas had navigated in his boat, when he fitted a sail to it,--though
+now the appearances were so different all around, that one would hardly
+have supposed the scene to have been the same. There was the same level
+surface, but it was now a solid field, white with snow, instead of the
+undulating expanse of water, of the deep-blue color reflected from the
+sky. There were the same islands, and promontories, and beaches; but the
+verdure was gone, and the naked whiteness of the beach seemed to have
+spread over the whole landscape. It was a very pleasant ride, however.
+The road was level, though very winding, as it passed around capes and
+headlands, and now and then took a wide circuit to avoid a
+breathing-hole. The sun shone pleasantly, too.
+
+"I don't see what signs there are of a snow-storm," said Josey.
+
+"Such a calm and pleasant day in February portends a storm," said Jonas.
+"Besides, the wind, what there is, is north-east; and don't you see that
+snow-bank off south?"
+
+Josey looked in the direction in which they were going, which was
+towards the south-west, and he saw a long, white bank of cloud,
+extending over that quarter of the heavens.
+
+"Is that a snow-bank?" asked Josey.
+
+"It is a bank of snow-clouds, I suppose," said Jonas. "They call it a
+snow-bank."
+
+By the time that the boys reached the mill, a hazy appearance had
+overspread the whole sky. They took out the grist, and left it to be
+ground, and then immediately got into the sleigh again, and commenced
+their return. Before they had gone far, the sky became entirely
+overcast, and the distant hills to the south-east were enveloped in
+what appeared to be a kind of mist, but which was really falling snow.
+
+"How windy it is!" said Josey.
+
+"No," said Jonas, "it is not much more windy than it was when we came;
+but then we were riding with it, and now we are going against it. You
+feel cold, don't you?"
+
+"Why, yes, a little," said Josey, "now the sun has gone, and the wind
+has come."
+
+"Well, then," said Jonas, "get down in the bottom of the sleigh, and
+I'll cover you up with buffaloes."
+
+So Josey crept down into the bottom of the sleigh, and Jonas covered him
+up; and he found his place very warm and comfortable.
+
+"How do you like your place?" said Jonas.
+
+"Very well," said Josey, "only I can't see where we are going."
+
+"Trust yourself to me," said Jonas. "I'll drive you safely."
+
+"I know it," said Josey, "and I wish you'd tell me, now and then, what
+you see."
+
+"Well," replied Jonas, "I see a load of hay coming along on the pond
+before us."
+
+"A large load?" said Josey.
+
+"Yes," replied Jonas; "and now we're going pretty near the round island.
+There, the load of hay is turning off by another road. O, there is a
+sleigh behind it; it was hid before. The sleigh is coming this way."
+
+"I don't hear any bells," said Josey.
+
+"We are too far off yet; you'll hear them presently."
+
+Very soon Josey did hear the bells. They came nearer and nearer, and at
+last jingled by close to his ears. As soon as the sound had gone by, he
+threw up the buffalo with his arms, and looked out, saying to Jonas,--
+
+"I guess they wondered what you had got here, covered up with the
+buffalo, Jonas."
+
+Jonas smiled, and Josey covered himself up again. Not long after this,
+it began to snow, and Jonas said that he could hardly see the shore in
+some places.
+
+"Suppose it should snow so fast," said Josey, "that you could not see
+the land at all; then, if you should come to two roads, how could you
+tell which one to take?"
+
+"Why, one way," replied Jonas, "would be to let Franco trot on before us;
+and he'd know the way."
+
+"Is Franco coming along with us?" said Josey.
+
+"Yes," said Jonas, "he is close behind."
+
+"Why don't you call him Ney?" asked Josey; "that is his real name."
+
+"I was uncertain which to call him for some time," said Jonas; "but
+finally I concluded to let him keep both names, and so now he is Franco
+Ney."
+
+"Well," said Josey, "I think that is a good plan."
+
+A short time after this, Jonas turned up off from the pond, and soon
+reached home.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+
+THE RESCUE
+
+Jonas found, when he reached home, that it was about dinner-time. The
+farmer said that the storm was coming on sooner than he had expected,
+and he believed that they should have to leave the rafters where they
+were. But Jonas said that he thought he could get them without any
+difficulty, if the farmer would let him take the oxen and sled.
+
+The farmer, finding that Jonas was very willing to go, notwithstanding
+the storm, said that he should be very glad to have him try. And Josey,
+he said, might accompany him or not, just as he pleased.
+
+"I wouldn't go, Jonas," said Josey, "if I were you. It is going to be a
+great storm."
+
+He, however, walked along with Jonas to the barn, to see him yoke the
+oxen. The yard was covered with a thin coating of light snow, which made
+the appearance of it very different from what it had been when they had
+left it. The cows and oxen stood out still exposed, their backs whitened
+a little with the fine flakes which had fallen upon them. Jonas went to
+the shed, and brought out the yoke.
+
+"Jonas," said Josey, "I wouldn't go."
+
+"No, I think it very likely that you wouldn't. You are not a very
+efficient boy."
+
+"What is an _efficient_ boy?" asked Josey.
+
+"One that has energy and resolution enough to go on and accomplish his
+object, even if there are difficulties in the way."
+
+"Is that what you mean by being efficient?" said Josey.
+
+"Yes;--a boy that hasn't some efficiency, isn't good for much."
+
+As he said this, Jonas had got one of the oxen yoked. He then went to
+bring up the other.
+
+When the other ox was up in his place, Jonas raised the end of the yoke,
+and put it over his neck.
+
+"You see," continued he, "your uncle wants all those rafters got down.
+It will be a little harder getting them, in the storm; but I care
+nothing for that. It will be a great satisfaction to him to have them
+all safe down here before it drifts. He doesn't _require_ me to go; but
+if I go voluntarily and bring them down, don't you think that, to-morrow
+morning, when he finds two feet of snow on the ground, he'll be glad to
+think that all his rafters are safe in the yard?"
+
+"Why, yes," said Josey. "I've a great mind to go with you."
+
+"Do just as you please," said Jonas.
+
+"Well, do you want me to go?"
+
+"Yes, I should like your company very well; and, besides, perhaps you
+can help me."
+
+"Well," said Josey, "I'll go."
+
+He accordingly followed Jonas as he drove the oxen along to the sled.
+Jonas held up the tongue, while Josey backed the oxen, so that he could
+enter the end of the tongue into the ring attached to the lower side of
+the yoke. He then put the iron pin in, and all was ready.
+
+Jonas drove the oxen along, till he came to the great gate in the back
+yard, and then he stopped to go and get some chains. The chains he
+fastened to the stakes, which were in the sides of the sled. Then he
+opened the great gate, and the oxen went through; after which he seated
+himself upon the sled by the side of Josey, and so they rode along up
+into the woods.
+
+The storm increased, though very slowly. The road into the woods, which
+had become well worn, was now beginning to be covered, here and there,
+with little white patches, wherever new snow, driven along by the wind,
+found places where it could lodge. At length, however, they came to the
+woods; and there they were sheltered from the wind, and the snow fell
+more equally. Josey had found it quite cold riding in the open ground,
+for the wind was against them; but under the shelter of the trees he
+found it quite warm and comfortable.
+
+The forest appeared very silent and solitary. It is true they could hear
+the moaning of the wind upon the tops of the trees, but there was no
+sound of life, and no motion but that of the fine flakes descending
+through the air in a gentle shower. The whole surface of the ground, and
+every thing lying upon it, was covered with the snow; for the branches,
+and the stumps, and the stems trimmed up for timber, and the places
+where the old snow had been trampled down by the oxen and by the
+woodcutters, were now all whitened over again and concealed.
+
+"Who would think," said Jonas, "that there could be any thing alive
+here?"
+
+"Is there any thing?" said Josey.
+
+"Yes, thousands of animals, all covered up in the snow,--mice in the
+ground, and squirrels in the hollow logs, and millions of insects,
+frozen up in the bark of the dead trees."
+
+"And they'll be covered up deeper before morning," said Josey.
+
+"Yes," said Jonas, "and so would our rafters, if we didn't get them out.
+We could not have found half of them, if we had left them till after
+this storm."
+
+The rafters were lying around upon the old snow, wherever small trees,
+from which they had been formed, had fallen. They could be distinguished
+very plainly now, although covered with an inch of snow.
+
+Jonas and Josey immediately went to work, getting them together, and
+placing them upon the sled. When they had been at work in this way for
+some time, Jonas said,--
+
+"We shall not get half of them, at this load."
+
+"Then what shall you do?" said Josey.
+
+"O, come up again, and get the rest."
+
+"But then it will be dark before you get home."
+
+"That will be no matter," said Jonas.
+
+"Only you'll get lost, and buried up in the snow."
+
+"No," said Jonas; "there might be some danger to-morrow evening, after
+it shall have been snowing four and twenty hours; but not to-night. The
+snow will not be more than a foot deep at midnight."
+
+When they had got as many of the rafters upon the sled as Jonas thought
+the oxen could conveniently draw, he secured the load by the chains, and
+collected the rest of the sticks together a little, on the ground. Then
+he told Josey to climb up to the top of the load and ride. He said that
+he would walk along by the side of the oxen. Josey found it more
+comfortable going back, than it was coming up, for the wind was now
+behind him, and the snow did not drive into his face. Jonas walked along
+in the snow, which was now nearly ankle deep, and after they had got
+out of the woods, there were some places where it had drifted much
+deeper.
+
+"Do you suppose that uncle has got his frame done?" said Josey.
+
+"I presume he has left it, if he hasn't finished it," said Jonas.
+
+"Why? Why couldn't he stay out in the storm to work, as well as we?"
+
+"Because," said Jonas, "the snow would wet his tools, and fill up his
+mortises, and so trouble him a great deal more than it does us. You
+can't do carpenter's work out of doors in a snow-storm."
+
+"Do you mean to go after the other load?" asked Josey.
+
+"Yes," replied Jonas.
+
+The boys found, when they reached the yard, that it was as Jonas had
+predicted. The farmer and Amos had left their work and gone in. They
+were in the shop grinding their tools. The farmer asked Jonas if he had
+got all the rafters.
+
+"No, sir," said Jonas; "there is another load."
+
+"Well, we'll let them go," said the farmer. "I'm very glad you've got
+one load down."
+
+"I think, sir," said Jonas, "if you have no objection, I'd better go
+and get the rest. I know just where they are, and I can get them all
+down here before night."
+
+"You won't have time to get down before it will be dark," said the
+farmer.
+
+"Just as you think best, sir," said Jonas, "but I think I can get out of
+the woods before dark; and it is of no consequence about the rest of the
+way."
+
+"Very well," said the farmer, "you may go. Don't you want Amos to go
+with you?"
+
+"No, sir, it isn't necessary."
+
+"No, sir," said Josey, "I can go with him."
+
+So Jonas threw off his load, and then turned his team about, and once
+more set out for the woods. He and Josey sat upon the sled, talking by
+the way,--the storm continuing without much change. The snow gradually
+increased in depth, but the oxen walked along without difficulty through
+it. Sometimes they came to a drift where the snow was so deep as to come
+in a little upon the bars, where the boys were sitting; but in general
+the sled runners glided along through it very smoothly.
+
+The woods appeared still more somber and solitary than they had done
+before. The new snow was deeper, and it was falling faster; and,
+besides, as it was now nearly sundown, there was only a gloomy sort of
+twilight, under the trees. Jonas and Josey loaded the sled as fast as
+they could. They put on the last of the rafters, which Jonas had
+collected, with great satisfaction. Josey, especially, began to be in
+haste to set out on his return.
+
+"Now," said Jonas, "I'll look around a little, just to see that there
+are none left behind."
+
+"O, no, I wouldn't," said Josey; "let us go. We've got them all, I
+know."
+
+"I want to be sure," said Jonas, "and make thorough work of it."
+
+So saying, he began wading about in the snow, to see if he could find
+any more rafters. He, however, soon satisfied himself that they were all
+upon the sled. He then secured his load carefully, with the chains, and
+they set out upon their return, as before.
+
+It grew dark rapidly, and the wind and storm increased. When they came
+out of the woods, they found that the air was very thick with the
+falling flakes, and the drifts had begun to be quite large, so that
+sometimes, in plunging through them, the snow would bank up quite high,
+before the sled, against the ends of the rafters. Jonas said that, if
+they had been two hours later, they could not have got along.
+
+"You said that the snow wouldn't be a foot deep by midnight," said
+Josey.
+
+"It is coming faster than I thought it would," said Jonas. "It is almost
+a foot deep now."
+
+The road by which the boys were advancing, led along the bank of the
+brook, until it reached nearly to the shore of the pond, and then it
+turned off, and went towards the house, at a little distance from the
+shore. When they reached this part of the road, the storm, which here
+swept down across the pond, beat upon them with unusual fury. The wind
+howled; the snow was driven through the air, and seemed to scud along
+the ground with great violence; and the drifts, running diagonally
+across the road, were once or twice so deep, that the oxen could hardly
+get the load through. It was now almost dark, too, and all the traces of
+the road were obliterated,--though Jonas knew, by the land and fences,
+how to go.
+
+Just at this time, when the wind seemed to lull for an instant, Jonas
+thought he heard a cry. He stopped his oxen to listen.
+
+"No," said Josey, "I don't believe it is any thing; let us go on."
+
+In fact, Josey was afraid, and wanted to get home as soon as he could.
+
+"Wait a minute," said Jonas. He listened again, and in a moment he heard
+the cry again. It seemed to be a cry of distress, but he could not
+distinguish any words.
+
+"It is somebody off upon the pond," said Jonas.
+
+"Is the pond out that way?" asked Josey.
+
+"Yes," said Jonas, "and I verily believe somebody is out on it, and has
+lost his way."
+
+"Well," said Josey, "let us go home as fast as we can, and tell uncle."
+
+"No," said Jonas, "that won't do."
+
+Jonas turned in the direction from which the sound appeared to come, and,
+putting his hands up to his mouth in the shape of a speaking-trumpet,
+he called out, as loud as he could call,--
+
+"Hal--loo!"
+
+He listened after he had thus called, but there was no answer. In a few
+minutes, the cry which he had heard first was repeated, in the same tone
+as before.
+
+"They don't hear me," said Jonas.
+
+"Hal--loo!" cried out Josey, as loud as he could call.
+
+There was no answer; but, in a few seconds afterwards, the cry was
+repeated, as at first.
+
+"You see," said Jonas, "that the wind blows this way, and they can't
+hear us. We must go out after them."
+
+Josey tried to dissuade Jonas from this plan; but Jonas said he must go,
+and that, as they had oxen with them, there would be no danger. "First,"
+said he, "we must throw off our load."
+
+So he and Josey went to work, and threw off the rafters, as fast as they
+could. Jonas reserved four or five rafters, which he left upon the sled.
+Then he turned the oxen in the direction from which the cry had come.
+They continued to hear it at moderate intervals.
+
+They descended gradually a short distance across the field, and then
+they came to the shore of the pond. Here Jonas took off one of his
+rafters, and laid it upon the shore, with one end raised up out of the
+snow.
+
+"What is that for?" said Josey.
+
+"To show us the way back to our road," said Jonas. "I place it so that
+it points right back,--the way we came."
+
+"We can tell by our tracks," said Josey.
+
+"No," said Jonas; "our tracks will all be covered up before we come
+back."
+
+Jonas then drove down upon the pond, guiding his oxen in the direction
+of the cry. He kept Josey upon the sled, so as not to exhaust his
+strength. He rode himself, too, as much as he could; but he was obliged
+to jump off very frequently, to keep the oxen in a right direction. He
+stopped occasionally to put down a rafter, placing it so that its length
+should be in the line of his road, and taking care to sink one end into
+the snow, so as to leave the other out as far as possible, to prevent
+its being all buried up before they should return. Every now and then,
+too, he would answer the cry, as loud as he could call.
+
+At last, after they had toiled along in this way for some time, Jonas
+thought that he succeeded in making the travellers hear; for,
+immediately after his call, he would hear a calling from them, following
+it, and speaking in a different way, though Jonas could not understand
+what was said. He kept pressing forward steadily, and, before long, he
+found that the travellers were silent, excepting immediately after he
+called to them,--when there was a sound as if intended for a response,
+though Jonas could not tell what was said.
+
+"We shall get to them, Josey," said he.
+
+"Who do you suppose it is?" said Josey.
+
+"I don't know; very probably some travellers lost upon the pond."
+
+Jonas was right in his conjecture: as they came nearer and nearer, the
+sounds became more distinct.
+
+"Hal--loo!" vociferated Jonas.
+
+"Hal--loo!" was the answer. "Can--you--come--and--help--us?"
+
+"Ay, ay," said Jonas; "we're coming."
+
+"Ay, ay," shouted Josey, in his loudest voice, which, being more shrill
+than that of Jonas, was perhaps heard farther.
+
+Still nothing was to be seen. Besides being dark, the atmosphere was
+thick with snow. So it was not until they got very near to the
+travellers, that they could see them at all. They saw at last, however,
+some dark-looking object before them. On coming up to it, they found
+that it was a horse and sleigh. The horse was in a very deep snow-drift,
+and was half lying down. There was a woman in the sleigh, with a small
+child in her arms, and a boy, about as large as Josey, standing at the
+horse's head.
+
+"O, I am so glad you have got some oxen, sir!" said the woman. "We
+couldn't have got out without oxen."
+
+"I don't see how the snow happens to be so deep just here."
+
+"Why, it's that island," said the woman; "I suppose there is an island
+off there. I told Isaiah it would be drifted under this island; and now
+the horse is all beat out; and, besides, we don't know the way."
+
+"Well," said Jonas, "I'll hook the oxen on, and we'll soon get you to
+the land. Isaiah, you take your horse out of the sleigh."
+
+So Isaiah went to work to unhook the traces and the hold-backs, in order
+to get the horse free from the sleigh.
+
+"I'll get out," said the woman.
+
+"No," said Jonas; "you sit still, and keep your child warm."
+
+As soon as Isaiah had taken the horse out, Jonas told him to lead him
+around behind the sleigh, while he turned the shafts over back against
+the dasher, and then he brought the oxen up in front of the sleigh. He
+first, however, drove the oxen out of the road with the sled, so as to
+leave that where it would not be in the way. Then he took two chains
+from the sled, and attached the oxen, by means of them, to the forward
+part of the sleigh. When all was ready, he put Josey in with the woman,
+and let Isaiah lead his horse behind. He then started the oxen.
+
+"Are you going to leave the sled here?" said Josey.
+
+"Yes," said Jonas, "we can come and get it after the storm is over."
+
+The oxen drew the sleigh along very easily. The snow was quite deep for
+a little distance, and then it became less so; but it was very dark, and
+it was difficult for Jonas to follow his track. The snow blew across it
+with great violence, and was fast filling it up.
+
+However, Jonas soon came to his first rafter, and this encouraged him.
+It was a good deal covered with snow, but the end was out, and the
+direction of it showed him which way to go, in order to find the next
+one. After he had passed this guide, the path was no more to be
+distinguished. He went on, however, as nearly as he could in the
+direction indicated by the rafter; and, after going the proper distance,
+he began to look out before him for the second. He began to be a little
+anxious lest he had missed it, when he observed something dark in the
+snow, at a little distance on the right. He went to it, and found that
+it was the rafter.
+
+Thus he was upon his track again; but his having so narrowly escaped
+missing it, made him afraid that he should not be able to follow the
+train very far. His fears proved well grounded. All his efforts to
+discover the third rafter were entirely unavailing.
+
+"'Tis of no consequence," said Jonas; "we can't be far from the shore.
+I'll keep straight on, and we shall strike the land somewhere, not far
+from the house."
+
+But it is much easier to get bewildered in a storm than Jonas had
+supposed. The darkness, the obscurity produced by the falling snow, the
+perfect and unvarying level of the surface, in every direction the same,
+and the agitation of mind which even the most resolute must experience
+in such a situation, all conspired to make it difficult, in a case like
+this, to find the way. Jonas drove on in the direction which he thought
+would have led to the shore; but, after going amply far enough to reach
+it, no shore was to be seen. The fact was, that he had insensibly
+deviated just so far from his course, as to be going along parallel with
+the shore, instead of in the direction towards it. Jonas began to be
+somewhat concerned, and Josey was in a state of great anxiety and fear.
+
+He rose up in the sleigh, and attempted to look around; and his fear was
+suddenly changed into terror, at seeing a large black animal, like a
+bear, coming furiously up behind them, bounding over the snow. Josey
+screamed aloud.
+
+"What is the matter?" said the woman.
+
+"Why, Franco! Franco!" said Jonas, "how could you get here?"
+
+It was Franco, true enough. He came swiftly along,
+leaping and staggering through the deep snow; and he seemed delighted to
+have found Jonas and his party at last. Jonas patted his head. Both
+Jonas and Franco were overjoyed to see each other.
+
+[Illustration: "'That can't be the way, Franco,' said Jonas."]
+
+Jonas patted Franco's head and praised him, while the dog wagged his
+tail, whisked about, and shook the snow off from his back and sides.
+
+"What dog is that?" said the woman.
+
+"This is Franco," said Jonas. "Franco Ney is his name. Now we shall have
+no trouble in getting out."
+
+Franco turned off, short, from the road in which Jonas was going. He
+knew by instinct which way the shore lay from them. Jonas at first
+hesitated about following him.
+
+"That can't be the way, Franco," said he.
+
+But Franco, after plunging on a few steps, looked round and whined.
+Then he came back towards Jonas again a few steps, looking him full in
+the face, and then whisked about again, and went on farther than
+before,--and then stopped and looked back, as if to see whether Jonas
+was going to follow him. Jonas stood just in advance of the oxen,
+hesitating.
+
+"That must be the way," said Jonas. "Franco knows."
+
+"No, that isn't the way," said the woman; "the dog don't know any thing
+about it. We must go straight forward."
+
+"No," said Jonas, "it will be safest to follow Franco." And so saying,
+he began to turn his oxen in the direction indicated by Franco.
+
+The woman remonstrated against this with great earnestness. She said
+that they should only get entirely lost, for he was leading them
+altogether out of their way. But Jonas considered that the
+responsibility properly belonged to him, and that he must act according
+to his own discretion. So he pushed forward steadily after Franco.
+
+But his progress was now interrupted by hearing another loud call behind
+him, back upon the pond.
+
+"What's that?" said Josey.
+
+"Somebody calling," said Jonas.
+
+"More travellers lost," said the woman.--"O dear me!"
+
+He listened again, and heard the calls more distinctly. He thought he
+could distinguish his own name. He answered the call, and was himself
+answered in return by men's voices, which now seemed more distinct and
+nearer.
+
+"I know now who it is," said Jonas. "It is your uncle and Amos, coming
+out after us. Franco was with them."
+
+Jonas was right. In a few minutes, the farmer and Amos came up, and they
+were exceedingly surprised when they saw Jonas with his oxen, drawing a
+sleigh, with a woman in it, off the pond, instead of a sled load of
+rafters from the woods.
+
+"Jonas," said he with astonishment, "how came you here?"
+
+"I came to help Isaiah get off the pond," said Jonas. "But how did you
+find out where we were?"
+
+"Franco guided us," said the farmer. "He followed the road along some
+time, and then he wanted to turn off suddenly towards the pond. We
+wouldn't follow him for some time; but he _would_ go that way, and no
+other. When he came to the shore of the pond, we found your rafter laid
+there, and that made us think you must have gone upon the ice, but we
+couldn't imagine what for. At last, we found where you had left the
+sled, and then we began to halloo to you."
+
+"But, uncle," said Josey, "didn't you see our heap of rafters, by the
+road where we turned off?"
+
+"No," said his uncle.
+
+"We put a load there."
+
+"Then they must have got pretty well covered up," said he, "for we
+didn't observe them."
+
+The whole party followed Franco, who led them out to the shore the
+shortest way. They took Isaiah and his mother to the house, and gave
+them some supper, and let them stay there that night. The next morning,
+when Jonas got up, he found that it was clearing away; and when, after
+breakfast, he looked out upon the pond, to see if he could see any thing
+of his sled, he observed, away out half a mile from shore, two short
+rows of stakes, sticking up in the snow, not far from on island. The
+body of the sled was wholly buried up and concealed from view.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+
+A FIRE
+
+The last of February drew nigh, which was the time fixed upon for Josey
+to go home. He had remained with his uncle much longer than his father
+had at first intended; but now they wanted him to return, before the
+roads broke up in the spring.
+
+The evening before Josey was to go, the farmer was sitting by the fire,
+when Jonas came in from the barn.
+
+"Jonas," said the farmer, "I have got to write a letter to my brother,
+to send by Josey to-morrow; why won't you take a sheet of paper and
+write for me, and I'll tell you what to say. You are rather handier with
+the pen than I am."
+
+Jonas accordingly brought a sheet of paper and a pen and ink, and took
+his place at a table at the back side of the room, and the farmer
+dictated to him as follows:
+
+
+    "Dear Brother,
+
+    "I take this opportunity to inform you that we are all alive
+    and well, and I hope that you may be the same. This will be
+    handed to you by Josey, who leaves us to-morrow, according
+    to your orders. We have been very glad to have him with us,
+    though he hasn't had opportunity to learn much. However, I
+    suppose he'll fetch up again in his learning, when he gets
+    home. He has behaved pretty fair on the whole, as boys go.
+    He will make a smart man, I've no doubt, though he don't
+    seem to take much to farming.
+
+    "We hope to have you, and your wife and children, come and
+    pay us a visit this coming summer,--say in raspberry time,
+    which will be just after haying."
+
+"There," said the farmer, "now fold it up, and write my brother's name
+on the back, and to-morrow morning I'll look it over, and sign my name
+to it."
+
+Jonas accordingly folded the letter up, and wrote upon the back, _Joseph
+Jones, Esq., Bristol._ When it was done, he laid it on the table.
+
+Amos came and took it up. "Jonas," said he, "I wish I could write as
+well as that."
+
+The farmer had a daughter whose name was Isabella. She was about
+eighteen years old. She was at this time spinning in a corner of the
+room, near a window. She came forward to look at the letter.
+
+"Yes, Jonas," said she, "you write beautifully. I wish you'd teach me to
+write like that."
+
+"Very well," said Jonas, "that I can do."
+
+"How can you do it?" said Isabella.
+
+"Why, we can have an evening school, these long evenings," replied
+Jonas. "You get through your spinning in time to have half an hour for
+school before bed-time."
+
+"Half an hour wouldn't be enough," said Amos.
+
+"O, yes," replied Jonas; "half an hour every day will amount to a great
+deal in three months."
+
+"Yes," said the farmer, "that's a very good plan; you shall have an
+evening school, and Jonas shall teach you;--an excellent plan."
+
+"What shall we study?" said Isabella.
+
+"Whatever you want to learn," replied Jonas. "You say you want to learn
+to write; that will do for one thing."
+
+"And I want to learn more arithmetic," said Amos.
+
+"Very well," said Jonas. "We'll have an evening school, half an hour
+every evening, beginning at eight o'clock. Have you got any school-books
+in the house, Isabella?"
+
+Isabella said there were some on a shelf up stairs.
+
+"Well," said Jonas, "bring them to me, and I'll look over them, and form
+a plan."
+
+Isabella brought Jonas the school-books, and he looked them over, but
+said nothing then about his plan. He reflected upon the subject until
+the next day, because he did not wish to propose any thing to them,
+until it was well matured.
+
+The next evening, at eight o'clock, Isabella put up her spinning, and
+took a seat by the fire, to hear Jonas's plan. Amos sat by a table at
+the back side of the room. The farmer's wife was sitting upon the
+settle, knitting; and the farmer himself was asleep in his arm-chair, at
+the opposite corner.
+
+"Now," said Jonas, "I like the plan of having an evening school, and I
+am willing to be either teacher or pupil; only, if I am teacher, I must
+_direct_, and you must both do as I say."
+
+"No," said Isabella, "you mustn't direct entirely; we'll talk over the
+plans, all together, and then do as we all agree."
+
+"No," said Jonas, "I have no idea of having all school-time spent in
+talking. I'm perfectly willing that either of you should be teacher, and
+I'll obey. I'll set copies, or do any thing else you please, only I
+won't have any responsibility about the arrangements. Or, if you wish,
+I'm willing to be teacher; but then, in that case, I must direct every
+thing, just as I think is best,--and you must do just as I say."
+
+"Well," said Isabella, "what are your orders? We'll obey."
+
+Amos and Oliver also agreed that they would obey his directions. Jonas
+then consented to take the station of teacher, and he proceeded to give
+his directions.
+
+"I have been looking at the books," said he, "and I find we haven't got
+but one of each kind."
+
+"Then we can't have any classes in our school," said Oliver.
+
+"Yes we can," said Jonas. "The first evening, Amos may take the
+arithmetic and the slate, and cipher, while Isabella writes, and Oliver
+studies a good long spelling lesson. Then, the second evening, Amos
+shall study the spelling lesson, and Isabella cipher, and Oliver write."
+
+"But I don't want to cipher," said Isabella. "I don't like arithmetic; I
+never could understand it."
+
+"You promised to obey my orders," said Jonas.
+
+"Well," said Isabella, "I'll try; but I know I can't do the sums."
+
+"Then, the third evening," said Jonas, "Isabella shall study the
+spelling lesson, Oliver the arithmetic, and Amos take the writing-book."
+
+"What, ain't you going to have but one writing-book?"
+
+"No," said Jonas; "one is enough; because you won't all write the same
+evening. So you can write one page, Oliver another, and Amos the third."
+
+"No," said Isabella; "I don't like that. I want every scholar to have
+his own book."
+
+"If you'll be the teacher," said Jonas, "you can have it so."
+
+"But I want to have it so, and you be the teacher," said Isabella.
+
+"No," said Jonas; "if I have the responsibility of teacher, I must have
+the power too."
+
+"Well," said Isabella, "I suppose we had better submit."
+
+"But what's the reason, Jonas," said Oliver, "that you ain't willing
+that we should all have writing-books of our own?"
+
+"There are two or three reasons," said Jonas. "But it is very poor
+policy for a schoolmaster to spend his time in convincing his scholars
+that his regulations are good. He must make them obey, and let them see
+that the regulations turn out to be good in the end."
+
+"But it seems to me, you've grown arbitrary all at once," said Amos,
+with a smile.
+
+"Yes," said Jonas, "I'm always arbitrary when I'm in command; if you
+mean, by arbitrary, determined to have my own way. I won't _usurp_ any
+power; but, if you put it upon me, I shall use it, you may depend upon
+it."
+
+Jonas had two good reasons why he wanted to have only one writing-book
+for all his scholars. One was, that he thought it uncertain how long
+their school plan would last, and he did not want to trouble the farmer
+to look up some paper, and then make a parade of preparing so many
+writing-books; and then, perhaps, the whole plan might be abandoned,
+when they had written four or five pages in each. And, therefore, as he
+found one old writing-book of Oliver's, half full, he determined to make
+the blank leaves of that answer for all.
+
+But he had another reason still. He thought that, if all his scholars
+should write, in succession, in the same book, their writing would come
+into such close juxtaposition and comparison, that each one would be
+stimulated to write with greater attention and care; as each one would
+wish his or her own page to look as neatly written as the rest. He knew
+that Isabella, when it came to her turn to write, would naturally,
+without any thing being said, look at Amos's work on the page before,
+and that she would observe its excellences and its faults, and that her
+page would probably be written better, in consequence of her criticism
+upon his.
+
+Thus, though Jonas had good reasons, he chose not to give them. He
+preferred, if he was going to be teacher, that they should not be in the
+habit of expecting him to give reasons for all his directions. So he
+simply expressed his decision upon the subject, by saying,--
+
+"You may do just as you please about making me teacher; but, if you put
+me into the office, you must expect to have to obey."
+
+"That's right, Jonas," said the farmer's wife: "I am glad to see you
+make 'em mind."
+
+It was settled, without any further discussion, that Jonas's plan in
+regard to the writing should be adopted, and that his scholars would
+obey his directions in other things, whatever they might be. Jonas then
+proceeded as follows:--
+
+"Now, you see that, if we go on so three evenings, you will all have got
+three lessons, and the fourth evening we will have for recitation. I
+will hear you spell, and examine your writing, and see if your sums are
+done right."
+
+Jonas's exposition of the plan of his school was here interrupted by the
+farmer's wife, who, as she sat at the end of the settle towards the
+fire, had her face somewhat turned towards the window, and she saw a
+light at a distance near the horizon.
+
+"What light is that?" said she.
+
+Jonas and all his school rose, and went to the window to see.
+
+The window looked towards the pond. They looked off across a sort of
+bay, beyond which there was a long point of land,--the one which the
+boys had had to sail around when they went to mill. Just over this land,
+and near the extremity of it, a light was to be seen, as if from a fire,
+beyond and behind the land.
+
+"That's exactly in the direction of the village," said Amos.
+
+"It is a house on fire, I know," said Oliver,--"or a store."
+
+"It looks like a fire, certainly," said Jonas.
+
+"Yes," said the farmer's wife; "and you must go, boys, and help put it
+out."
+
+"It is several miles off," said Amos.
+
+"Yes, but put Kate into the light sleigh, and she'll carry you there
+over the pond in twenty minutes.--Here, husband, husband," she
+continued, calling to the farmer, who was still asleep in his chair,
+"here's a fire."
+
+The farmer opened his eyes, and sat upright in his chair, and asked what
+was the matter.
+
+"Here's a fire," she repeated, "over in the village; hadn't the boys
+better go and put it out?"
+
+The farmer rose, walked very deliberately to the window, looked a minute
+at the light, and then said,--
+
+"It's nothing but the moon."
+
+"The moon?--no, it can't be the moon, husband," said she. "The moon
+don't rise there."
+
+"Yes," said the farmer, "that's just about the place."
+
+"Besides," said she, "it isn't time for the moon to rise. It don't rise
+now till midnight."
+
+He turned away, and walked slowly across the room, to where the almanac
+was hanging. He seemed very sleepy. He turned over the leaves, and then
+said, "Moon rises--eight hours and fifty minutes; that is,--let's
+see,--ten minutes before nine."
+
+"Well," said his wife, "and 'tisn't much past eight now."
+
+"It's the moon, you may depend," said the farmer; "perhaps our time is a
+little out." So he returned to the chair, sat down in it, and put his
+feet out towards the fire.
+
+"Well," said his wife, "we shall know pretty soon; for, if it is the
+moon, it will soon rise higher."
+
+So they all stood a few minutes, and watched the light. It seemed to
+enlarge a little, and to grow somewhat brighter; but it did not move
+from its place.
+
+"It certainly must be a fire," said the farmer's wife again; "and I
+wish, husband, that you'd let the boys take Kate in the sleigh, and go
+along the pond and see."
+
+"I've no objection," said the farmer, "if they've a mind to take that
+trouble; but they'll find nothing but the moon, they may depend."
+
+"Let's go," said Amos.
+
+"Very well," said Jonas; "I'm ready."
+
+"We'll go too, boys," said the farmer's wife, "Isabella and I. You can
+put in two seats. There are no hills, and Kate will take us all along
+like a bird. I never saw a fire in my life."
+
+The boys hastened to the barn, and got Kate out of the stall. Franco,
+who knew that something extraordinary must have taken place, though he
+could not tell what, came out from his place, leaped about, and
+indicated, by his actions, that, wherever they were going, he meant to
+go too.
+
+The sleigh was soon harnessed. They drove up to the door, and found
+Isabella and her mother all ready. They took their places upon the back
+seat, while Amos and Jonas sat upon another seat, which they had placed
+in, before. Oliver came running with a bucket, which he put in under the
+forward seat, and then he jumped on behind, standing upon the end of the
+runner, and clinging to the corner of the sleigh, close to Isabella's
+shoulder.
+
+Kate set off at a rapid trot down the road, which led to the pond. The
+sleigh went very easily, for the road was smooth. There had been rain
+and thaws lately, and cold weather after them, so that the surface of
+the road had melted, and then become frozen again; and this made it
+icy. They found the ice of the pond in the same state. The rain and the
+thaws had melted the snow, upon the top of the ice, and made it a sheet
+of water. Then this had frozen again, so that now the surface of the
+pond was almost every where hard and smooth; and when they came down
+upon it, and turned to go across the bay, the horse being at his full
+speed, the sleigh swept round sideways over the ice, in a great circle,
+and made the farmer's wife very much afraid that she should be upset. It
+seemed as if the sleigh was trying to get before the horse.
+
+However, Amos, who was driving, contrived to get the horse ahead again,
+and then they went on with great speed. It was a mile across to the end
+of the point of land; but Kate carried them over this space in a very
+few minutes. As they drew near to the point, they watched the light. It
+did not rise at all.
+
+"It cannot be the moon," said Jonas, "for it is now full a quarter of an
+hour since we first saw it."
+
+"Yes," said the farmer's wife, "I knew it couldn't be the moon."
+
+Just at this moment, the sleigh came around the point with great speed,
+and brought into view a very bright but distant fire, far before them.
+
+"It is a fire!" they all exclaimed.
+
+"But it isn't in the direction of the village," said Jonas.
+
+"It must be some farm-house," said the farmer's wife, "on the shore."
+
+"No," said Jonas, "I think it is on the ice."
+
+It very soon became evident that the fire was upon the ice. It was
+plainly a large fire, though the distance made it look rather small. It
+was very bright, and it flashed up high; and a cloud of illuminated
+smoke arose from it, and floated off to the northward. The party in the
+sleigh could soon perceive, also, a number of small, bright spots near
+it, which seemed to be in motion about the fire. They looked like the
+moons about the planet Jupiter, seen through a telescope.
+
+"I wonder what it is," said Isabella.
+
+"I presume," said Jonas, "that the boys are out skating, and this is a
+fire on the ice, which they have built."
+
+"And are those the boys moving about?" asked Oliver.
+
+"Yes," said Jonas. "When they are near the fire, the light shines upon
+their faces."
+
+As they rode on, it became gradually more and more evident that Jonas
+was right. The forms of the skaters, as they stood before the fire, or
+came wheeling up to it, became more and more distinct, and, in fact, the
+ringing sound of the skates soon became audible. The horse, in the mean
+time, went on, with great speed, directly towards the fire. When they
+arrived near the fire, the skaters came around them in great numbers,
+wondering who could have come. Jonas asked them where they got the wood
+to build their fire.
+
+"All along the shore," said a large boy, with a long stick in his hand.
+"Let's go and get some more, boys," he added, "and brighten up our
+fire."
+
+So saying, he wheeled round and skated away, the whole crowd of skaters,
+small and great, following him at full speed. As they swept round by the
+fire, the light glared brightly upon their faces and forms, but they
+soon disappeared from view in the darkness beyond; only Jonas could
+hear the sound of their skates, ringing over the ice, as they receded.
+
+"What a great, hot fire!" said Oliver.
+
+"Yes," said Isabella, "I never saw such a large fire on the ice. I don't
+see how they got all the wood."
+
+"I suppose," said Jonas, "that they got out the wood from the forest,
+along the shore, and threw it out upon the ice, before they put on their
+skates, and then they could easily bring it to the fire. But hark! they
+are coming back again."
+
+The fire was so bright where they were, and it flashed so strongly upon
+the ice around, that they could not see the skaters until they came
+pretty near. The dark figures, however, soon began to appear. The
+foremost was a tall young man, who came forward with great speed,
+pushing before him a long and slender log, half decayed and dry. One end
+he held before him in his hands, and the other glided along upon the
+smooth ice towards the fire.
+
+There followed close behind him another skater, with the fragment of an
+old stump upon his shoulder; then several others, with branches,
+sticks, dry bushes, and fragments of every shape and size. These they
+piled upon the fire as they swept up alongside of it, and then wheeled
+away back from the heat which radiated from it. Two large boys came on,
+bringing a long log between them, one at each end. It looked large, but
+it was really not very heavy, as it was hollow and decayed. They hove it
+up, with great effort, upon the fire, and its fall upon the heap threw
+up a large, bright column of sparks and flame. Another boy had the top
+of a young spruce, which he had cut off with his knife, by dint of great
+labor; it made a great roaring and crackling when it was put upon the
+fire. And, finally, behind all the rest, there came a little boy not so
+big as Oliver, tugging away at a long branch, which he dragged behind
+him, and put it upon the fire too.
+
+"Well," said the farmer's wife, after a little time, "we mustn't stay
+here much longer."
+
+"We'll drive around the fire, in one great sweep," said Jonas.
+
+So he started the horse on, and took a great circuit about the fire. The
+skaters went with him on each side of the sleigh. Then they turned
+their course towards home again. The light of the fire shone upon the
+distant point of land, and illuminated it faintly, but in a very
+beautiful manner, and showed Jonas which way to drive.
+
+Isabella turned back her head repeatedly, to look at the fire, as they
+rode on and left it far behind them. It seemed to grow smaller and
+smaller, as they receded; and at length, when Jonas turned around the
+point of land, it disappeared entirely. In a few minutes afterward, the
+moon arose, and lighted them the rest of the way home.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+
+THE CARDING-MILL
+
+Jonas was often sent away to transact business for the farmer. He was a
+very excellent hand to do business. It requires several qualities to
+make a boy good at business. He must be gentlemanly in his manners, so
+as to speak to the persons that he is sent to, in a respectful and
+proper manner; he must be faithful, so as not to neglect what is
+intrusted to him; and he must be patient and persevering. Then he must
+also have considerable judgment and discretion; for when he is sent away
+from home on business, he must often be placed in circumstances that are
+unforeseen, and where he must act without instructions. In such cases,
+he will have to exercise his own judgment and discretion. Jonas was
+placed in such circumstances at one time, when he was sent to the
+carding-mill to get some rolls for Isabella.
+
+The rolls which Isabella wanted were rolls of wool, as they are prepared
+at the mill ready for spinning. The wool is carded very fine, and then,
+by curious machinery, it is rolled out into rolls about three feet long,
+and as large round as a whip-handle at the middle. These rolls Isabella
+used to spin into yarn, at her spinning-wheel.
+
+Isabella had spun nearly all her rolls, and she wanted Jonas to carry
+some wool to the carding-mill, and get some more. The carding-mill was
+not in the village upon the outlet stream; but it was upon another
+stream, which emptied into the pond, instead of flowing from it. It was
+the same stream that flowed by the land which Jonas and Oliver had
+cleared when he first came to live with the farmer; only the mill was at
+some distance from the mouth of the stream, back towards the high land.
+It was more than two miles, by the road, from the farmer's house.
+
+The farmer told Jonas where to get the wool, and then gave him some more
+business, at a place in the woods, about two miles beyond the mill.
+Oliver wanted to go too, and his father gave him leave. Oliver always
+liked to go to the mill, as the machine for carding the wool was a great
+curiosity.
+
+Jonas put up the wool in a very large bundle, which almost filled up the
+bottom of the sleigh. Jonas himself sat upon the seat, with his feet
+under the bundle; but Oliver sat upon the bundle. He said it made a very
+soft seat.
+
+They rode along pleasantly towards the mill. The snow-drifts were very
+high in some places on each side of the road; and the fences and walls
+were almost buried up.
+
+"I wish that Josey was here," said Oliver. "I think that he would like
+to see the carding-mill very much indeed."
+
+"Yes," said Jonas.
+
+"Only," replied Oliver, "perhaps it would be dangerous to take him."
+
+"Why?" said Jonas.
+
+"Why, because," said Oliver, "I suppose he would touch the machinery,
+and perhaps get his hands torn off."
+
+"Yes," said Jonas, "boys sometimes do get very badly hurt in
+mills,--careless and disobedient boys especially."
+
+"I think that he is a careless and disobedient boy," said Oliver.
+
+[Illustration: "He said it made a very soft seat."]
+
+"Yes, but it is his misfortune, rather than his fault," replied Jonas.
+
+"His misfortune?" repeated Oliver.
+
+"Yes," said Jonas; "his father's situation is such, that it is very
+unfortunate for him. I expect he is very unhappily situated at home, in
+many respects."
+
+"How?" said Oliver.
+
+"Why, in the first place," said Jonas, "he lives, I'm told, in a large
+and handsome house."
+
+"Yes," said Oliver.
+
+"And then," continued Jonas, "your aunt, I have heard, is a very fine
+woman, and has a great deal of company."
+
+"Well," said Oliver.
+
+"And then," continued Jonas, "they can buy Josey any thing he wants, for
+playthings."
+
+"Yes," said Oliver; "he told me he had got a rocking-horse. But I don't
+call that being unfortunate."
+
+"It is very fortunate for the father and mother, but such a kind of life
+is generally unfortunate for the child. You see, if a man has been
+industrious himself, when he was a boy, and has grown up to be a good
+business man, and to acquire a great deal of property, and builds a
+good house, and has plenty of books, and journeys, it is all very well
+for him. He can bear it, but it very often spoils his children."
+
+"Why does it spoil his children?" asked Oliver.
+
+"In the first place, it makes them conceited and vain,--not always, but
+often. The children of wealthy men are very often conceited. They wear
+better clothes than some other boys, and have more books and prettier
+playthings; and so they become vain, and think that they are very
+important, when, in fact, they owe every thing to their fathers.
+
+"Then, besides," continued Jonas, "they don't form good habits of
+industry. Their fathers don't make them work, and so they don't acquire
+any habits of industry, and patience, and perseverance."
+
+"If I was a man, and had ever so much money," said Oliver, "I would make
+my boys work."
+
+"That is very doubtful," said Jonas.
+
+"Why is it doubtful?" asked Oliver.
+
+"Because," said Jonas, "you would be very busy, and couldn't attend to
+it. It would be a great deal more trouble to make your boys do any
+thing, than it would be to hire another man to do it; and so you would
+hire a man, to save your trouble."
+
+"Yes; but then, Jonas, farmers are very busy, and yet they make their
+boys work."
+
+"True," replied Jonas; "but farmers are busy about such kind of work as
+that their boys can help them do it,--so they can keep them at work
+without any special trouble. But men of property are employed in such
+kind of business as boys cannot do; and so they must work, if they work
+at all, at something else; and that makes a good deal of trouble."
+
+"Then I'd send my boys to some farmer, and let him make them work," said
+Oliver.
+
+"Yes," said Jonas, "that would do pretty well."
+
+So saying, Jonas stopped the horse a moment, and stepped out of the
+sleigh. He was at the foot of a long, steep hill in the woods. He was
+going to walk up. Oliver remained in the sleigh, and rode. When they
+reached the top, Jonas got in again, and they rode on.
+
+"But then, Jonas," said Oliver, "there is one thing to be thought of,
+and that is, that rich men's sons will not have to work when they grow
+up; and so they don't need so much to grow industrious."
+
+"O, yes, they will," said Jonas.
+
+"Why, Josey told me that he didn't expect to work when he should be a
+man."
+
+"No, he doesn't _expect_ to work, but he'll find that it is different
+from what he had expected, when he grows up."
+
+"How?" said Oliver.
+
+"Why, a great many rich men's boys find, when they get to be twenty-one,
+that they have to go out into the world, and earn their own living,
+without any money."
+
+"Why?" said Oliver; "won't their fathers give them any money?"
+
+"Their fathers cannot generally give them enough to support them," said
+Jonas, "even if they are disposed to do it; because, you see, they have
+their own families still to support. Besides, if they were to divide
+their property at once among all their children, it would only be a
+small portion for each one. It wouldn't be enough for the boys to live
+as expensively as they have been living while at home. Therefore, as
+fast as they grow up young men, they have to go away into the world,
+and earn their own money by some kind of work, head work or hand work."
+
+Jonas would probably have given Oliver some further explanations on this
+subject, were it not that about this time they arrived at the mill.
+Oliver tied the horse at a post, while Jonas took out the great bundle
+of wool, and went in. Oliver followed immediately after him.
+
+The machinery made a heavy, rumbling sound, which grew louder and louder
+as the boys went up stairs. Jonas opened a door into a large room, and
+at this the noise increased very loudly, so that Oliver and Jonas could
+hardly hear each other talk. Jonas put down the bundle of wool by the
+door, and then he and Oliver went in among the wheels and machinery.
+There were a great many separate machines at different parts of the
+room, with girls tending them. There was a large, round beam of wood,
+overhead, slowly revolving. There were wheels upon it in different
+parts, with straps passing around these wheels, and also around other
+wheels connected with the machines below.
+
+Oliver saw Jonas walk to a man who was writing at a desk in the corner
+of a room, and say something to him. Oliver could not hear what it was.
+Jonas pointed, while he was talking to the man, to the great bundle of
+wool. Presently the man came and took the bundle of wool, and dragged it
+off to one of the machines, which was not in motion. He called a girl to
+come and tend it.
+
+At one end of the machine was a broad band of cloth, passing around two
+rollers. One roller was close to the wheels and other large rollers of
+the machine itself. The other was back from it a little; and the cloth,
+being extended from one of these to the other, formed a sort of flat
+table just before the machine.
+
+The girl who came to tend the machine immediately opened the great
+bundle of wool, and then she took up a handful of it, and began to
+spread it evenly over the cloth. When she had got the cloth pretty
+nearly covered she pulled a handle pretty near her, and that, in some
+mysterious way or other, set the machinery a-going. The cloth, with all
+the wool upon it, began to move towards the great rollers of the
+machine. These rollers were covered with card teeth, and the wool, as it
+was drawn in between them, was carded fine, and spread evenly over all
+the surface; and in a few minutes Jonas and Oliver found that it began
+to come out at the other end, in the shape of rolls. One roll after
+another dropped out, in a very singular manner. Oliver thought that it
+was a very curious machine indeed, to take in wool in that way at one
+end, and drop it out in beautiful long rolls at the other.
+
+"Now," said Jonas, after a few minutes, to Oliver, "I am going away
+farther, and shall come back here in about an hour. You may go with me,
+or you may stay here,--just which you prefer."
+
+"Well," said Oliver, "I'll stay here."
+
+"Good-by, then," said Jonas; "I shall be back again in about an hour."
+
+So Jonas went down stairs, and Oliver began to walk about the room a
+little. There was a window in the back side of the room, which he
+happened to pass pretty near to, and he stopped to look out at it. He
+saw the dam and the waterfall below. There was a large pond above the
+fall, which was made by the dam. The pond was frozen over, and the ice
+was covered with snow. The water was open for a short distance above the
+edge of the fall, and it was also open below the fall, where there was a
+great foaming, and tumbling, and whirling of currents.
+
+Oliver looked at it a moment, and then he concluded that it would be
+better for him to go with Jonas.
+
+"I have seen," said he to himself, "pretty much all of the machinery,
+and I shall be very tired of waiting here an hour."
+
+So he concluded that he would run down, quick, and see if Jonas had
+gone.
+
+When he got down stairs, and out at the door, he found that the sleigh
+was not at the post. He ran around the corner, and saw Jonas at some
+distance, just at the foot of a hill. He ran after him, calling,
+"Jo-nas! Jo-nas!"
+
+Just at this time, Jonas stopped to let his horse walk up the hill, and
+so he heard Oliver calling; for the bells did not make so much noise
+when the horse was walking, as they did before.
+
+So Jonas stopped until Oliver overtook him; and they went on the rest of
+the way together.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+
+DIFFICULTY
+
+Although it was winter when the boys were taking this ride, yet the sun
+was shining in a very warm and pleasant manner, and the snow was every
+where softening in the fields and melting in the roads, indicating that
+the spring was coming on.
+
+There was a little stream of water, coming down the hill in the middle
+of the road, and forming a long pool at the bottom. Jonas turned his
+horse to one side, to avoid this pool of water, and waited until Oliver
+came up.
+
+"Well, Oliver," said he,--"tired of the mill already?"
+
+"Why, no," said Oliver, "only I thought that, on the whole, I'd rather
+go with you. I didn't think that you were going to be gone so long."
+
+"It is about two miles," said Jonas.
+
+"Where are you going?" said Oliver.
+
+"O, to see about some logs. I thought you heard your father tell me to
+go and see about some logs."
+
+"What about the logs?" said Oliver.
+
+"Why, to make the boards of, for the barn."
+
+"O," replied Oliver, "I didn't know that."
+
+"Yes," continued Jonas, "when we want boards, we have to go to somebody
+who owns some pine timber in the woods, and get him to cut down some of
+them, and haul them to the mill. Then they saw them up, and make
+boards."
+
+"What mill?" said Oliver.
+
+"At that saw-mill near the carding-mill. The mill down in the village,
+you know, is a grist-mill."
+
+By this time, the boys had got to the top of the hill, and they got into
+the sleigh, and rode along. Presently, they came to a place where Jonas
+was going to turn off, into a sort of by-road which led away into the
+woods, where the pine-trees grew. The man that owned the trees lived
+pretty near, in a farm-house.
+
+"Is that the road that we are going in?" asked Oliver.
+
+"Yes," said Jonas, "but it does not look very promising."
+
+The road was filled up nearly full of snow. It had been hard, so that
+they could travel upon it pretty well; but the warm sun had softened the
+snow so much, that the horses' feet sunk down into it, in some places,
+very deep. However, Jonas went along as well as he could.
+
+"Let us get out and walk, Jonas," said Oliver.
+
+"No," said Jonas, "that will not do much good; for it is the weight of
+the horse himself, that makes him sink into the snow, not the weight of
+the sleigh."
+
+So the boys both continued to ride in the sleigh. They soon came into
+the woods, where, the ground being sheltered by the trees above, the
+snow lay more evenly upon it; and, though the horse slumped a little,
+yet he got along very comfortably.
+
+At length, however, they came out of the woods into an opening. The road
+went along under a high bank, with a deep brook on the other side. The
+wind, during the storms in the winter, had blown in over this bank, and
+filled up the road entirely.
+
+"Now," said Jonas, "I am afraid we're in difficulty."
+
+"Why?" said Oliver; "is that a very bad place?"
+
+"Yes," said Jonas, "it looks like a very bad place."
+
+Oliver saw that the snow was very deep on the upper side of the road,
+and that it sloped away in such a manner that it would be very difficult
+for them to get along, even if the road-way was hard.
+
+"Perhaps it is hard," said Oliver.
+
+"No," said Jonas, "I think it cannot be, for the bank slopes to the
+south, and the sun has been shining upon it all day. However, we must
+try it."
+
+The horse hesitated a moment when he came to this place, for he knew by
+instinct that it would be very hard for him to get through it.
+
+"Come, General," said Jonas. "Though, stop a moment, Oliver; perhaps we
+had better get out and walk, or the sleigh may upset."
+
+So they got out. Oliver walked by the horse, keeping on the upper side
+of the road. Jonas went behind, taking hold of the back part of the
+sleigh, so as to hold it in case it should tip down too far. They went
+on thus for some distance tolerably well. The horse sometimes got in
+pretty far, and for a moment would plunge and stagger, as if he could
+hardly get along; but then he would work his way out, and go on a little
+farther.
+
+At length, however, the old General came to a full stop. He sank down,
+shoulders under, in the snow. The more he struggled to get free, the
+deeper he got in. Jonas stepped on before him, and patted him on the
+head, and tried to quiet him.
+
+"Jonas," said Oliver, "let us stop; I don't believe we can go any
+farther."
+
+"Nor I," said Jonas. "At least I don't think we can get the old General
+any farther."
+
+"Nor back again either," said Oliver, "as I see."
+
+The boys stood still, looking upon the horse a moment, utterly at a loss
+what to do.
+
+"Oliver," said Jonas, "should you be willing to stay here and take care
+of the horse, while I go on and see about the logs?"
+
+"Why--I--don't know," said Oliver. "I'm afraid he won't stand quiet."
+
+"O, I shall get him out of the snow, first," said Jonas, "and take him
+to some level place, where he'll stand well."
+
+"How shall you get him out?" asked Oliver.
+
+"Why, we will unharness him first," said Jonas, "and then draw the
+sleigh back out of the way."
+
+So Jonas began to unbuckle the straps of the harness, in order to
+liberate the horse. Oliver tried to help him, but he could not do much,
+the horse was so deep in the snow. And, besides, he was standing, or
+rather lying, in such a position, that many parts of the harness were
+drawn so tense, that Oliver had not strength enough to unbuckle them.
+
+However, Jonas at length got the sleigh separated from the horse, and
+drew it back out of the way. He trampled the snow down around the horse,
+as much as he could, and then the horse, with a leap and a plunge,
+recovered his footing. He stood deep in the snow yet, however.
+
+"Now," said Jonas, "where shall we put him till I come back?"
+
+Oliver looked across the brook, and saw there, upon a bank, under some
+trees, a spot which was bare. The reason why it was bare was, that the
+snow had nearly all blown off during the storms; and then the sun, which
+had been shining for some days so pleasantly, had melted away what there
+had been left; and now the ground was bare, and almost dry. But the
+difficulty was to get to it; for it was upon the other side of the
+stream, and the bed of the stream was filled with water and ice.
+
+"I wouldn't lead him over there," said Oliver. "I think you had better
+go home, and not do any thing about the timber."
+
+"No," said Jonas.
+
+"Why, father will not think you did wrong to give it up, when we got
+into such trouble," said Oliver.
+
+"No, I don't suppose he would; but I'd rather carry him back an answer,
+if I can."
+
+"Then let me go with you," said Oliver.
+
+"Why, it is a long and very hard walk," said Jonas. "There is no work so
+hard as travelling in soft snow, without snow-shoes. If we had a pair of
+snow-shoes, we could get along very well."
+
+"Did you ever see any snow-shoes?" said Oliver.
+
+"No," replied Jonas, "but I have read about them. They are very large
+and flat, and your foot stands in the middle of them, and so presses
+them upon the snow; and they are so large that they will not sink in
+very far."
+
+While Jonas was saying this, he was climbing down to the bank of the
+brook, with a pole in his hands, with which he was going to see if he
+could find firm footing, for the horse to go across.
+
+"Yes," said he, punching his pole down to the bottom of the brook; "yes,
+it isn't deep. The old General will get down here very well, I think."
+
+So he and Oliver trampled a sort of path down to the brook, and then
+they led the old General down. He seemed a little reluctant, at first,
+to step into the water. However, he soon went in, and walked over, and
+Oliver fastened him to a tree, so that he could stand upon the bare
+piece of ground. Jonas then pulled the sleigh out of the road, so that
+it should not be in the way, if any body should come along with any
+other team; then he bade Oliver good-by, and went on alone.
+
+Jonas traveled along, as well as he could, through the snow, though he
+found it very laborious walking. In some places, he found hard footing
+for some distance; but then he would sink down again for several
+successive steps. After a short distance, he got out of the deep drift,
+which had prevented the horse from going on, and then he could advance
+faster. There was a singular-looking track in the road. It consisted of
+a smooth groove in the snow, as if the end of a large log had been
+dragged along.
+
+It was, in fact, made by a log which had been drawn along that road
+towards the mill. One end of the log had been placed upon a sled, and
+the other left to drag along in the snow; and this was what made the
+smooth groove, which Jonas observed. He did not see it before, because
+the man who drove the sled had turned out of the main road, into a
+by-way across the fields, to avoid the deep drift where Jonas's horse
+got into difficulty.
+
+Jonas found it pretty good walking after this. The snow was not so deep
+as it had been; and the path which the log had made was hard and smooth.
+He concluded that it must have been made by such a log, and, of course,
+if he followed it, that it would take him directly to the house of the
+man whom he wanted to see.
+
+After walking about a mile, he came to the house. It was a small
+farm-house, in the woods. There were a great many large logs, lying each
+side of the road near it, ready to be drawn to the mill.
+
+Jonas went up towards the door, which was in the end of the house. As he
+drew near to it, he saw a boy's head behind an enormous pile of wood. He
+went around it, and found that the boy was about as big as Jonas
+himself. He was rolling down a large stick of wood, and had an axe in
+his hand, as if he was going to chop it.
+
+"Does Mr. Woodman live here?" said Jonas.
+
+"Yes," said the boy; "but he isn't at home."
+
+"Where is he?" said Jonas.
+
+"He is out in the lot, falling trees," said the boy.
+
+"How far is it from here?" asked Jonas.
+
+"O, about a good half mile."
+
+"Which way?" said Jonas.
+
+"Out yonder," said the boy; and he pointed back of the house, where a
+rough sled-road led into the woods. "You can hear his axe."
+
+Jonas listened, and he heard distinctly the sound of an axe in the woods
+behind; presently it ceased. Immediately after, there was a prolonged
+crash, which echoed back from the mountains.
+
+"There goes a tree," said the boy.
+
+Jonas was sorry to have to leave Oliver so long, but he wished to
+persevere until he should find the man, as he knew that the farmer was
+very desirous of having the business done that day. So he told the boy
+that he believed he would go and see if he could find Mr. Woodman; and
+then he set off in the direction which the boy had indicated.
+
+This road was so sheltered by the woods, that the snow was not much
+drifted; and, besides, it had been kept open by the teams, which had
+been employed in hauling out pine logs. When Jonas got in to the end of
+the road, he heard the strokes of the axe, at a short distance on the
+right.
+
+He looked that way, and found that the man was standing at the foot of a
+tall tree, of very large size; and he was cutting through the trunk of
+it, about two feet from the top of the snow. He saw that it was nearly
+off, and so he thought he would wait a moment, where he was, and see it
+fall. He observed that Mr. Woodman occasionally looked up the stem of
+the tree, between the strokes of his axe, as if to see whether it was
+beginning to fall.
+
+After a few strokes more, he stepped back from the foot of the tree to
+one side. Jonas wondered why he left his work before the tree fell. He
+looked up to the top of it, and he perceived that it was moving. It was
+bending over very slowly indeed. It moved, however, faster and faster,
+and presently began to come tearing down between the branches of the
+other trees, and, at length, descended with a mighty crash to the
+ground. Jonas thought that it was a very fine spectacle indeed. He
+wished that Oliver had been there to see it.
+
+Jonas then went to Mr. Woodman, and transacted his business
+successfully, according to the farmer's directions. Then he turned
+around, and began to walk back, as fast as he could go.
+
+"I am afraid," said he to himself, "that Oliver is almost out of
+patience waiting for me."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+
+A SURPRISE
+
+Jonas walked on until he came out of the woods, at the house where he
+had seen the boy cut wood. As he approached the place, he saw that the
+boy was there still; but there was a man with him. The man had a
+goad-stick in his hand.
+
+"He is driving a team somewhere," said Jonas to himself. "I wonder where
+his oxen are."
+
+A moment afterwards, Jonas came in sight of the oxen, which were in the
+road, having been hid from his view before, by the wood pile.
+
+The man and the boy looked at Jonas, as he walked towards them. The man
+smiled a little, as if he knew Jonas; but Jonas thought that he had
+never seen him before.
+
+"Well, Jonas," said the man, "did you find Mr. Woodman?"
+
+"Yes, sir," replied Jonas. He wondered how the man happened to know his
+name.
+
+"I'm glad of it," said he; "and you'd better make haste back. Rollo is
+almost tired of waiting for you."
+
+"Oliver, you mean," said Jonas.
+
+"No," said the man,--"Rollo; he said his name was Rollo."
+
+"Rollo?" said Jonas; "his name is Oliver. I don't see what made him tell
+you that his name was Rollo."
+
+So saying, Jonas walked thoughtfully away, wondering what this could
+mean. He had never known Oliver to do any such thing before. Oliver, he
+thought, would not tell a falsehood on any account. He was not inclined
+to say any thing of that kind by way of jest. He was a very sober and
+sedate, as well as honest boy. Besides, he could not think what should
+have put Rollo into Oliver's head. He did not recollect that he had said
+any thing of Rollo for a long time. In fact, he had seldom told Oliver
+any thing about him; and what could have induced him to call himself
+Rollo, he could not conceive.
+
+However, he had nothing to do but to go on, for the more he attempted
+to imagine some explanation of the mystery, the more he was puzzled.
+So he walked on as diligently as he could.
+
+He came, at length, in sight of the spot where he had left the horse and
+Oliver. The horse was there, but Oliver was not to be seen.
+
+"He has got tired of waiting, and has gone away," said Jonas; "or
+perhaps he is playing about near."
+
+This last supposition was pretty soon, for a moment, confirmed; for
+Jonas saw, very soon after, a boy's head on the bank of the brook, at a
+little distance below.
+
+"There he is now," said Jonas to himself. "No, it isn't he. That boy
+isn't dressed like Oliver. I wonder who it is."
+
+The boy had a long pole in his hand, and was pushing cakes of ice with
+it. He was so intent upon this amusement, that at first he did not see
+Jonas; but, presently, looking up, his eye suddenly caught a view of
+Jonas, coming, and he instantly dropped his pole, and ran towards him,
+shouting,--
+
+"Jonas!"
+
+"Why, Rollo!" exclaimed Jonas, in his turn. "How came you to be here?"
+
+It was Rollo, indeed. Jonas was astonished. He could scarcely believe
+his senses. "Is it possible that this is you?" said he.
+
+"Yes," said Rollo, laughing with great delight, "I believe it is."
+
+"And how came you here? I left Oliver here an hour ago, little thinking
+that he would turn into Rollo while I was gone."
+
+"Oliver?" said Rollo, "who is Oliver?"
+
+"Why, don't you know Oliver?" said Jonas. "He is the farmer's son. He
+came with me, and I left him here to the care of the sleigh. Haven't you
+seen any thing of him?"
+
+"No," replied Rollo, "nothing; there was nobody here when I came."
+
+"What can have become of him, then?" said Jonas. "I hope he is not lost
+in the woods."
+
+So saying, Jonas began to call aloud, "Oliver! Oliver!" But no Oliver
+answered.
+
+"Let us see if we can find any tracks," said he; and he and Rollo began
+to look about for tracks.
+
+"What's this?" said Rollo, looking down intently upon the snow, pretty
+near where the horse had been tied.
+
+"Any tracks?" said Jonas.
+
+"No," said Rollo, "but some writing in the snow."
+
+So Rollo began to read the writing in a slow manner, as he walked along
+from one word to another; for, the letters being large, the sentence
+extended quite a distance from where it first attracted his attention.
+He read as follows:--
+
+"'Jonas,--I--am--tired of writing,'--no, 'waiting. I am
+going--back--to--the--mill.'"
+
+"Let me see," said Jonas.
+
+So Jonas came to the place, and saw the writing. Rollo had read it
+correctly.
+
+"Yes," said Jonas, "he has gone back to the mill, no doubt. We will go,
+and we shall find him there;--but when did you come from home? and how
+did you find where I was?"
+
+Rollo, in answer to Jonas's question, explained to him that his father
+had given him permission to take the horse and sleigh and Nathan, and
+come and pay Jonas a visit. He had arrived at the farmer's that day,
+just after Jonas and Oliver had set out. The farmer told them where
+Jonas had gone, and he was very desirous of going after him. He said
+that he had no doubt that he could find him.
+
+The farmer had hesitated a little; but finally he gave his consent, and
+Rollo set off, leaving Nathan at the farmer's, as he was rather tired.
+He had followed Jonas to the mill, and then he inquired of the people
+whether Jonas had been there. A man in the road told him that he had
+seen Jonas ride away on a certain road; and so Rollo had followed on in
+the road pointed out to him, as he knew that it was not far that he was
+to go.
+
+When Rollo had got so far in his story, Jonas interrupted him to ask,--
+
+"Were you on foot, Rollo?"
+
+"No," replied Rollo, "in my sleigh."
+
+"And where is your sleigh?" asked Jonas.
+
+"Why, I left it out here a little way. When I found that the snow was
+deep, and my horse slumped in pretty bad, I left him by the side of the
+road, and walked on to see if I could see any thing of you. I soon found
+your sleigh, run out of the path, and the horse tied under a tree over
+the brook. So I knew that you couldn't be far off."
+
+"And you did not go any farther."
+
+"No," said Rollo; "I thought it would be better for me to stay by the
+sleigh, and wait for you."
+
+Jonas asked Rollo a great many questions about all the people at
+home--his father and mother, and his cousin Lucy; and he said that he
+was very glad indeed, that Rollo had come to see him.
+
+"Do you have a pretty good time upon the farm?" said Rollo.
+
+"Yes," said Jonas, "very good indeed. You would like to be here very
+much."
+
+"Are there any boys for me to play with?" said Rollo.
+
+"Yes," said Jonas, "there is Oliver, though he don't play much. He works
+nearly all the time. But then there is Josey, though he has gone home
+now."
+
+"I saw a boy at the mill," said Rollo, "when I came along. I verily
+believe it was Oliver."
+
+"How big was he?" asked Jonas.
+
+"O, about as big as I am," said Rollo.
+
+"And what was he doing?" said Jonas.
+
+"O, he was playing about on the rocks, under the falls. But he didn't
+seem to have much to do. He stopped and looked at me when I was coming
+by."
+
+"Very likely it was he," said Jonas. "If he had only known who you were,
+he would have liked very much to have come along with you; and you would
+have been good company for each other.
+
+"And O, Rollo," said Jonas again, very eagerly, "there's somebody you'll
+like very much indeed."
+
+"Who is it?" said Rollo.
+
+"Franco Ney," said Jonas.
+
+"Franco Ney!" repeated Rollo; "I never heard a boy named Franco before.
+How old is he?"
+
+"I don't know," said Jonas.
+
+"Don't know? Well, where does he live?--at your house?"
+
+"No," said Jonas. Jonas was correct in this answer, for Franco was
+accustomed to live in the barn.
+
+After some other conversation, Rollo, suddenly looking up, said,--
+
+"How far is it, Jonas, from your house to Mr. Ney's?"
+
+Jonas laughed very heartily at this question, but gave no answer. Rollo
+could not imagine what he could he laughing at. Jonas, however, would
+not tell him, but said that he would know all about it, when he should
+come to see Franco Ney.
+
+"Well," said Rollo, "I'll ask him why you wouldn't tell me where his
+father lives."
+
+Very soon Rollo and Jonas arrived at the mill. They found Oliver safe
+there, waiting for them; and the rolls, too, were ready. As they did not
+like to tumble the rolls, Oliver rode with Rollo in his sleigh, and
+Jonas took care of the rolls.
+
+Rollo was greatly astonished, as well as very much pleased, when he came
+to see Franco Ney.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+
+THE SNOW FORT, OR GOOD FOR EVIL
+
+The next morning, after breakfast, Oliver proposed to Rollo, that they
+should go down to the pond, and build a snow fort. During the night,
+there had been a slight thaw, accompanied with some rain. The body of
+snow on the ground had become softened and adhesive by the moisture, and
+was, as Jonas said, "in prime condition for all sorts of snow work."
+
+Oliver borrowed of Jonas the large wooden snow-shovel, with a blade
+nearly two feet square, used in cutting out the paths around the house.
+Rollo assisted him to strap it on the hand-sled, together with some
+boards, two iron shovels, and a hoe.
+
+"The Conqueror"--for that was the name of his sled--"will have to be
+captive to-day," said Oliver, as he bound the load upon the sled, which
+he and Rollo were going to drag down to the pond.
+
+"You had better take the garden-reel and line," said Jonas to Oliver,
+"if you intend to make a good fort. You will want to stretch your line
+so as to make the sides square, and to guide you in cutting out your
+blocks of snow."
+
+"O, we don't want to be so particular as that," said Oliver.
+
+"But I thought," said Jonas, "that your plan last evening was, to do
+your work in a workmanlike manner. If you want a substantial fort to
+last all winter, you must lay a good foundation, and cut your courses
+true, so that they will rest firmly one upon the other,--and especially
+if you are going to have a roof."
+
+"We mean to have a roof," said Rollo, "or we cannot illuminate it in the
+evening."
+
+"Well, then," said Jonas, "I advise you to take the line, and build
+according to rule."
+
+Oliver had not forgotten what Jonas had often told him about doing his
+work like a workman.
+
+"_What is worth doing at all, is worth doing well_" Jonas used to say.
+
+So Oliver went to get the reel and line.
+
+While he was gone to the tool-house, Rollo thought of Franco Ney, and
+began to call aloud, "Franco! Franco!"
+
+Franco did not come.
+
+"Franco! Franco--o! Franco--o! Where _is_ Franco?" said Rollo; "we can't
+go without him."
+
+"He won't mind you," said Oliver, as he came running back.
+
+"You call him, then," said Rollo.
+
+Oliver whistled the dog call, and in a moment, Franco came running from
+the poultry yard with a bone in his mouth, which he had been gnawing for
+a breakfast. At that moment, Nathan came running out of the door, with a
+luncheon in his hand for them all. The farmer's wife had put up in a
+paper an apple turn-over and a nut-cake for each of the boys, as they
+were going on so important an expedition.
+
+Very soon, every thing was ready, and they started for the scene of
+operations, eager for their work, Oliver and Rollo drawing the sled, and
+Nathan and Franco following on behind.
+
+When they arrived near the pond, Oliver pointed to a little mound, not
+far from the edge of the water, which overlooked the principal
+skating-ground of the village boys in winter.
+
+"There, Rollo," said Oliver, "there's the place for a fort. Many a
+pleasant time we have had there, in a clear winter night, watching the
+skaters all the way up to the head of the pond. The fires look
+splendidly."
+
+"It is a good place for a lookout," said Rollo; "but then I wouldn't
+build it here. Let us go down nearer the pond."
+
+"No," said Oliver; "if we go down near the pond, as likely as not, the
+first skating night, some of the boys will tear our fort all to pieces."
+
+"What if they do?" said Rollo.
+
+"I want it to last all winter," said Oliver.
+
+Rollo yielded to Oliver's wishes, and they began together to unbind
+their load of boards and tools.
+
+"Come, Nathan," said Oliver, "we want you to help us now."
+
+Rollo and Nathan measured with the reel and line, while Oliver planted a
+stake firmly in the snow at the four corners of the square.
+
+According to Jonas's advice, the evening before, they had agreed to make
+their fortification twelve feet square, and the walls about one foot
+thick.
+
+Rollo and Nathan held the cord, stretched from corner to corner, just
+along the surface of the snow, while Oliver, with the shovel, cut the
+snow square down to the ground, more than a foot and a half deep.
+
+In this way they went round the whole enclosure, outside. They then went
+inside, and, by a similar process, cut away the snow so as to leave an
+unbroken line of snow wall about ten feet square and one foot wide.
+
+"There," said Oliver, "there are the sills, as Jonas called them. It is
+what _I_ call a good foundation."
+
+After this, Oliver asked Rollo to bring in the measuring-board inside of
+the fort.
+
+Oliver and Rollo remembered what Jonas had told them about "commanding
+and obeying," and agreed to take turns in being "director."
+
+It was Oliver's turn for the first hour, and Rollo was to obey him.
+Nathan was to assist them both, when he was wanted.
+
+Oliver, therefore, took the command, and directed where and how to cut
+out the snow, in the manner which Jonas had described.
+
+They proceeded with the measuring-board, to mark off, and cut out by it,
+solid blocks of snow about four feet long, one foot wide, and one thick.
+
+Rollo laid down the measuring-board on the snow, and then both of them,
+with the shovels, cut down the snow perpendicularly along the edges, so
+as to have all the snow-blocks of precisely the same length, breadth,
+and thickness. These they laid in courses, on the top of the foundation.
+
+It took just three blocks to form a side, excepting the side where the
+door was, which they left three feet wide.
+
+After working more than two hours, and laying two courses, they shoveled
+out all the broken snow that remained inside, and then sat down on the
+sled to eat their luncheon and rest.
+
+"How do you like the looks of it, Rollo?" said Oliver.
+
+"_Well_," said Rollo; "only I don't see how we can make a roof."
+
+"Jonas will help us do that," said Oliver, "if we do the rest of the
+work well."
+
+The boys, however, were now pretty tired. They had worked very hard.
+They pulled off their caps, and with their handkerchiefs wiped the
+perspiration from their foreheads.
+
+"Don't let us work any longer now," said Nathan, rubbing his hands, and
+knocking one foot against the other. "I think we have done enough for
+one day; and my feet are _so_ cold!"
+
+"_We've_ done enough!" said Oliver. "I think Rollo and I have had the
+principal _doing_ to do. You and Franco have been looking on."
+
+  "'What you've to do
+    Get done to-day,
+    And do not for to-morrow stay;
+    There's always danger in delay'"--
+
+said Rollo. "I think we had better finish it now. Come, Nathan, jump
+about here on the sled, and you will soon be warm."
+
+So they went briskly at work again, Rollo taking the command. They found
+it very hard, after the second course, to get the snow-blocks up on the
+snowy wall. Often they would slip away out of their hands, just as they
+were lodging them safely on the top, and fall over on one side of the
+wall, and break to pieces.
+
+"Let us cut them in two," said Oliver; "we can handle them better so."
+
+Before they got through the fourth course, they were glad to cut all
+their materials into pieces of one foot square.
+
+"How high are the walls now?" said Rollo, as they stopped to look at the
+appearance of the last course.
+
+"Between five and six feet," said Oliver. "The foundation is at least a
+foot and a half high, and we have laid four courses."
+
+Oliver, Rollo, and Nathan went to work together, then, stopping up all
+the chinks in the wall, inside and out, with soft snow.
+
+When this was well done, Oliver took the hoe, and with the sharp edge
+shaved down all around on both sides, making the walls look even and
+true.
+
+"Well," said Rollo, "that is the best snow fort I ever saw. Jonas does
+know how to do things, doesn't he, Oliver? But I don't see how we are to
+get a roof on."
+
+"I don't care about a roof," said Oliver. "We don't want to play in it
+only in pleasant weather."
+
+"I'll tell you what we might do," said Rollo. "We could make a partition
+through the middle, and put a roof over half of it."
+
+"So we can," said Oliver. "We'll do that this afternoon. It's time to go
+to dinner now."
+
+The boys then gathered all the tools, &c., and laid them together, as
+Jonas had taught them to do, when they finished work, and then started
+for home.
+
+"Halloo, Franco," said Rollo, "are you here still?" They had been so busy
+at work, they had taken no notice of him. But Franco had watched their
+operations, and now went running on in the path before the boys, wagging
+his tail, as if he had as much pleasure as they, in contemplating the
+result of their morning's labor.
+
+When Jonas came home to dinner, at noon, the boys were impatient to tell
+him what they had done.
+
+But Jonas was too much engaged in some work about the new barn to listen
+to their story then. He told them, however, that he would go down about
+sunset, and look at their work, and hear the account, in the evening, of
+the experiment in doing work like workmen.
+
+After dinner, Oliver was excused from many of his regular duties, on
+account of the visit of Rollo and Nathan; and the three boys hastened
+to return to their fort. They were so intent on finishing it, that they
+lost all interest in playing with Franco, or each other.
+
+"What shall we call our fort?" said Oliver, as they walked along.
+
+"We don't want any name, do we?" said Rollo.
+
+"O, yes," said Oliver, "let us have a name. I always like to have a
+name. There's the old 'General,'--we have had many a good time with him;
+and my 'Conqueror,'--there isn't a boy in town that doesn't know my
+sled."
+
+"We might call it 'Gibraltar,'" said Rollo.
+
+"Yes, that's a good name," said Oliver. "How do you like 'Iceberg
+Castle'? Jonas was telling us all about the icebergs the other evening;
+and I read a story, about a famous 'Ice Palace' in Russia; how do you
+like that?"
+
+"I don't like that," said Rollo. "Ours is a _fort_; it isn't a palace."
+
+"If you are going to have it a palace," said Nathan, "whom will you
+have for a _king_?"
+
+"You may be king, Nathan," said Rollo, "and we will soon demolish your
+palace, and make a prisoner of you."
+
+"No, no," said Oliver, "the fort shall stand as long as ice will last. I
+mean to pour water all over it, and freeze it into solid ice; and I
+expect the last ice to be seen any where about next spring, will be the
+ruins of the old fort."
+
+After some discussion, the boys agreed to call it "Iceberg Castle."
+
+They then took a survey, inside and out, of their morning's work, and
+decided to proceed at once and build the partition which Rollo proposed
+before dinner. At Oliver's suggestion, Rollo was director.
+
+For more than an hour they continued their toil, in constructing the
+partition. Jonas had given them no instructions about this; and they
+found it much more difficult than the walls, on account of the small,
+low door, which they had to make, to lead from one apartment into the
+other.
+
+At last, as Oliver and Nathan were drawing through the outer door a
+small heap of loose snow, which they had gathered up from the floor of
+the inner room, Rollo followed them, shouting, as they emerged from the
+fort, "Done, boys, done!--Hurrah for Iceberg Castle!"
+
+"I wish Jonas was here now," said Oliver; "but I suppose it will be two
+or three hours before he can come down."
+
+"Can't we do something more?" said Rollo. "I wish we could put on a
+roof, before he comes."
+
+"I don't believe we can do that," said Oliver.
+
+The boys walked in and out, and all around the fort, again and again,
+admiring its appearance, and thinking what else they could do.
+
+"It wouldn't be a bad plan to have a king, as Nathan said, in our
+castle; would it, Oliver?" said Rollo.
+
+"Not at all," said Oliver. "Let us make a king, or a giant, to keep the
+premises for us, when we are away."
+
+So saying, they all set to work rolling snow-balls to make him.
+
+Oliver rolled up a huge mass, for his body, larger than they could at
+first get through the doors.
+
+Rollo rolled one for his head, and Nathan made several small ones.
+
+In one corner of the inner room, they laid a small platform, of several
+square, flat blocks of snow, for a throne, as Rollo called it; and here
+they placed his "Majesty."
+
+"It seems to me," said Oliver, "that the King of the Frozen Regions
+ought to have a crown and a court."
+
+No sooner said than done. A little band of snow-balls, in double rows,
+soon encircled his brow, surmounted, too, with icicles and stalactites,
+which Nathan brought from the brook.
+
+The opposite corners of the room were soon decorated with corresponding
+figures, whom Rollo introduced as Lord and Lady Frost.
+
+He had scarcely pronounced the names, when Jonas walked in, to the
+surprise and great delight of the boys.
+
+"Well done, boys," said Jonas; "I think you have followed directions
+this time. I give you credit for doing your work in a workmanlike
+manner. But I can't stay to talk with you about it now. Your father,
+Oliver, wishes me to go out on the pond, and bring home the sled we left
+there, the other night, in the storm. The wind has come out in the
+north-west, and there is every prospect of a bitter cold night. It has
+begun to stiffen already, and, before morning, the sled may be locked up
+in solid ice."
+
+Jonas hurried away, and the boys, not a little disappointed, gathered
+all their implements together to return home.
+
+"It _will_ be a cold night; won't it?" said Oliver, as he looked off to
+the north-west. How fast it grows cold! It freezes now. I was in hopes
+we should have one more mild day. But we can't get a roof on after
+this."
+
+"Won't it make good skating on the pond," asked Rollo, "if the water
+freezes now?"
+
+"Yes, indeed," said Oliver. "I shouldn't be surprised if there was
+skating there to-night. It's only a thin sheet of water over the ice and
+snow. Three or four hours of real cold will make ice enough for that.
+
+"Come, Nathan, jump on the sled, and you shall have a ride. Rollo and I
+will be your horses. Mother will have supper ready by the time we get
+home."
+
+Nathan, glad of a ride, took his seat, and they were soon at the house.
+
+Oliver took the snow-shovels and the other tools, and returned them to
+their proper places, and then drew up his sled into a corner of the
+wagon-house.
+
+After tea, Oliver and Rollo went out into the yard to feel the air, and
+judge of the impression the night would probably make upon "Iceberg
+Castle" and its inhabitants.
+
+It was clear and cold. The stars twinkled brightly. The moon was not up.
+
+"See there!" said Oliver; "I do believe they are building a fire down on
+the pond already. There'll be a skating party to-night, no doubt."
+
+The boys returned to a cheerful room with a good fire, and were seated
+round the table, to amuse themselves for the evening. They passed the
+time pleasantly until Jonas returned from the pond.
+
+"O Jonas, Jonas," they all said, as he came in, "what made you stay so
+long?"
+
+Jonas gave them an account of his adventures, and of his meeting a party
+of skaters, who were already on the pond, expecting to be joined, in
+the course of the evening, by a much larger number from the village.
+
+After Jonas had taken his supper, the boys gathered around him to talk
+about their fort, every now and then running to the door or window, to
+see the fire on the pond.
+
+Long before it went out, Oliver, Rollo, and Nathan, were in a sound
+sleep.
+
+The next morning, early, they appeared as impatient to run down to the
+"Castle," as if they had dreamed of it all night long; and before the
+fire was well burning in the great room, they all three came running
+back to Jonas, out of breath, and with sad faces, exclaiming,--
+
+"O Jonas! Jonas! our fort is all torn to pieces!"
+
+True enough, some of the boys of the skating party had completely
+demolished the Castle.
+
+Oliver and Rollo were greatly excited; they were grieved, and they were
+angry, and could scarcely refrain from expressing wishes of vengeance
+which it was not in their power to execute.
+
+Jonas sympathized with them in their severe disappointment.
+
+"'Tis _too bad_," said Rollo.
+
+"'Tis _too bad_," repeated Oliver. "How shall we pay them for it? Jonas,
+tell us how?"
+
+"Pay them for it?" said Jonas; "that isn't the way I should do."
+
+"Well, I think they deserve it," said Rollo.
+
+"So do I," said Oliver.
+
+"What do you mean by paying them for it?" said Jonas; "giving them as
+much injury and pain as they have given you? Don't you remember the
+lesson that Franco taught us, that to return good for evil was good
+policy as well as good morals?"
+
+"Well, what would you do, Jonas?" they both asked together.
+
+"I don't know now," said Jonas, "what I would do. I will think of it.
+But this I know,--that we ought _never to be overcome of evil, but to
+overcome evil with good_."
+
+Oliver and Rollo wondered what Jonas would do.
+
+*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 12260 ***
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+<title>The Project Gutenberg eBook of Jonas on a Farm in Winter
+           by Jacob Abbott</title>
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+<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 12260 ***</div>
+<h1>The Project Gutenberg eBook, Jonas on a Farm in Winter, by Jacob Abbott</h1>
+<br>
+<br>
+<center><b>E-text prepared by Internet Archive Children's Library;<br>
+           University of Florida;<br>
+           and Thaadd, Stan Goodman, and<br>
+           the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team</b></center>
+<br>
+<br>
+
+<table border=0 bgcolor="ccccff" cellpadding=10>
+  <tr>
+    <td valign="top">
+      Note:
+    </td>
+    <td>
+          Images of the original pages are available through the Florida
+	      Board of Education, Division of Colleges and Universities,
+	      PALMM Project, 2001. (Preservation and Access for American and
+	      British Children's Literature, 1850-1869.) See<br>
+	      <a href="http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/dl/UF00001875.jpg">
+	      http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/dl/UF00001875.jpg</a>
+	      <br>
+	      or<br>
+	      <a href="http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/dl/UF00001875.pdf">
+	      http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/dl/UF00001875.pdf</a>
+	</td>
+  </tr>
+</table>
+
+<br>
+<br>
+<hr class="full" size="5" noshade>
+<br>
+<br>
+<img src="images/jonas1.jpg"  width="576" height="370"
+alt="Jonas stopping at the house of Mr. Edwards.">
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h1>JONAS<br>
+ON A FARM<br>
+in<br>
+WINTER</h1>
+<br>
+
+<h2>BY JACOB ABBOTT</h2>
+
+<h3>Author of the Rollo Books</h3>
+
+<h3>MDCCCLI</h3>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h2>PREFACE</h2>
+<br>
+<p>This little work, with its companion, <i>Jonas On A Farm In Summer,</i> is
+intended as the continuation of a series, the first two volumes of
+which, <i>Jonas's Stories</i> and <i>Jonas A Judge,</i> have already been published.
+They are all designed, not merely to interest and amuse the juvenile
+reader, but to give him instruction, by exemplifying the principles of
+honest integrity, and plain practical good sense, in their application
+to the ordinary circumstances of childhood.</p>
+
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h2>CONTENTS</h2>
+<br>
+
+<p class="ctr">
+<a href="#1">CHAPTER I.<br>     MORNING</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="ctr">
+<a href="#2">CHAPTER II.<br>     COMMANDING AND OBEYING</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="ctr">
+<a href="#3">CHAPTER III.<br>     FRANCO</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="ctr">
+<a href="#4">CHAPTER IV.<br>      DOG LOST</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="ctr">
+<a href="#5">CHAPTER V.<br>     SIGNS OF A STORM</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="ctr">
+<a href="#6">CHAPTER VI.<br>     THE RESCUE</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="ctr">
+<a href="#7">CHAPTER VII.<br>     A FIRE</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="ctr">
+<a href="#8">CHAPTER VIII.<br>     THE CARDING-MILL</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="ctr">
+<a href="#9">CHAPTER IX.<br>     DIFFICULTY</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="ctr">
+<a href="#10">CHAPTER X.<br>     A SURPRISE</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="ctr">
+<a href="#11">CHAPTER XI.<br>     THE SNOW FORT, OR GOOD FOR EVIL</a>
+</p>
+<br>
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<a name="1"></a><h2>CHAPTER I.</h2>
+<br>
+
+<p><b>MORNING</b></p>
+
+<p>Early one winter morning, while Jonas was living upon the farm, in the
+employment of Oliver's father, he came groping down, just before
+daylight, into the great room.</p>
+
+<p>The great room was, as its name indicated, quite large, occupying a
+considerable portion of the lower floor of the farmer's house. There was
+a very spacious fireplace in one side, with a settle, which was a long
+seat, with a very high back, near it. The room was used both for kitchen
+and parlor, and there was a great variety of furniture in different
+parts of it. There were chairs and tables, a bookcase with a desk below,
+a loom in one corner by a window, and a spinning-wheel near it. Then,
+there were a great many doors. One led out into the back yard, one up
+stairs, one into a back room,&mdash;which was used for coarse work, and which
+was generally called the kitchen,&mdash;and one into a large store closet
+adjoining the great room.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas groped his way down stairs; but as soon as he opened the great
+room door, he found the room filled with a flickering light, which came
+from the fireplace. There was a log there, which had been buried in the
+ashes the night before. It had burned slowly, through the night, and the
+fire had broken out at one end, which now glowed like a furnace, and
+illuminated the whole room with a faint red light.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas went up towards the fire. The hearth was very large, and formed of
+great, flat stones. On one side of it was a large heap of wood, which
+Jonas had prepared the night before, to be ready for his fire. On the
+other side was a black cat asleep, with her chin upon her paws. When the
+cat heard Jonas coming, she rose up, stretched out her fore paws, and
+then began to purr, rubbing her cheeks against the bottom of the settle.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Good morning, Darco,&quot; said Jonas. &quot;It is time to get up.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The cat's name was Darco.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas took a pair of heavy iron tongs, which stood by the side of the
+fire, and pulled forward the log. He found that it had burned through,
+and by three or four strokes with the tongs, he broke it up into large
+fragments of coal, of a dark-reddish color. The air being thus admitted,
+they soon began to brighten and crackle, until, in a few minutes, there
+was before him a large heap of glowing and burning coals. He put a log
+on behind, then placed the andirons up to the log, and a great forestick
+upon the andirons. He placed the forestick so far out as to leave a
+considerable space between it and the backlog, and then he put the coals
+up into this space,&mdash;having first put in a slender stick, resting upon
+the andirons, to keep the coals from falling through. He then placed on
+a great deal more wood, and he soon had a roaring fire, which crackled
+loud, and blazed up into the chimney.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now for my lantern,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>So saying, he took down a lantern, which hung by the side of the fire.
+The lantern was made of tin, with holes punched through it on all sides,
+so as to allow the light to shine through; and yet the holes were not
+large enough to admit the wind, to blow out the light.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas opened the lantern, and took out a short candle from the socket
+within. Just as he was lighting it, the door opened, and Amos came in.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Ah, Jonas,&quot; said he, &quot;you are before me, as usual.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, the youngest hand makes the fire, of course,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Then it ought to be Oliver,&quot; said Amos,&mdash;&quot;or else Josey.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;There! I promised to wake Oliver up,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, he's awake; and he and Josey are coming down. They have found out
+that there is snow on the ground.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Is there much snow?&quot; asked Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't know,&quot; said Amos; &quot;the ground seems pretty well covered. If
+there is enough to make sledding, you are going after wood to-day.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And what are you going to do?&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I am going up among the pines to get out the barn frame, I believe.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Here a door opened, and Oliver came in, followed by Josey shivering
+with the cold, and in great haste to get to the fire.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Didn't your father say,&quot; said Amos to Oliver, &quot;that he was going with
+me to-day, to get out the timber for the barn frame?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Oliver, &quot;he is going to build a great barn next summer. But
+I'm going up into the woods with Jonas, to haul wood. There's plenty of
+snow.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'd go too,&quot; said Josey, &quot;if it wasn't so cold.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It won't be cold in the woods,&quot; said Jonas. &quot;There's no wind in the
+woods.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>While they had been talking thus, Jonas had got his lantern ready, and
+had gone to the door, and stood there a minute, ready to go out.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Jonas,&quot; said Josey, &quot;are you going out into the barn?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Wait a minute, then, for me, just till I put on my other boot.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jonas waited a minute, according to Josey's request, and then they all
+went out together.</p>
+
+<p>They found the snow pretty deep, all over the yard, but they waded
+through it to the barn. They had to go through a gate, which led them
+into the barn-yard. From the barn-yard they entered the barn itself, by
+a small door near one corner.</p>
+
+<p>There were two great doors in the middle of the barn, made so large
+that, when they were opened, there was space enough for a large load of
+hay to go in. Opposite these doors there was a space floored over with
+plank, pretty wide, and extending through the barn to the back side.
+This was called the barn floor. On one side was a place divided off for
+stables for the horses, and on the other side was the <i>tie-up</i>, a place
+for the oxen and cows. There was also the bay, and the lofts for hay and
+grain; and at the end of the tie-up there was a door leading into a
+calf-pen, and thence, by a passage behind the calf-pen, to a work-shop
+and shed. The small door where the boys came in, led to a long and
+narrow passage, between the tie-up and the bay.</p>
+
+<p>They walked along, Jonas going before with his lantern in his hand. The
+cattle which had lain down, began to get up, and the horses neighed in
+their stalls; for the shining of the lantern in the barn was the
+well-known signal which called them to breakfast.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas clambered up by a long ladder to the hay-loft, to pitch down some
+hay, and Josey and Oliver followed him; while Amos remained below to
+&quot;feed out&quot; the hay, as he called it, as fast as they pitched it down. It
+was pretty dark upon the loft, although the lantern shed a feeble light
+upon the rafters above.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Boys,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;it is dangerous for you to be up here; I'd rather
+you'd go down.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said Oliver, and he began to descend.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why?&quot; said Josey; &quot;I don't think there's any danger.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;a pitchfork wound is worse than almost any other. It
+is what they call a <i>punctured</i> wound.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What kind of a wound is that?&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'll tell you some other time,&quot; said Jonas. &quot;But don't stay up here. You
+don't obey so well as Oliver. Go down and give the old General some
+hay.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The old General was the name of a large white horse, quite old and
+steady, but of great strength. When he was younger, he belonged to a
+general, who used to ride him upon the parade, and this was the origin
+of his name.</p>
+
+<p>Josey, at this proposal, made haste down the ladder, and began to put
+some hay over into the old General's crib. He then went round into the
+General's stall, and, patting him upon the neck, he asked him if his
+breakfast was good.</p>
+
+<p>In the mean time, Oliver opened the great barn doors, and, taking a
+shovel, he began to clear away the snow from before them. The sky in the
+east was by this time beginning to be quite bright; and a considerable
+degree of light from the sky, and from the new-fallen snow, came into
+the barn. Josey got a shovel, and went out to help Oliver. After they
+had shoveled away the snow from the great barn doors, they went to the
+house, and began to clear the steps before the doors, and to make paths
+in the yards. They worked in this way for half an hour, and then, just
+as the sun began first to show its bright, glittering rays above the
+horizon, they went into the house. They found that the great fire which
+Jonas had built, was burnt half down; the breakfast-table was set, and
+the breakfast itself was nearly ready.</p>
+
+<p>The boys came to the fireplace, to see what they were going to have for
+breakfast.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Boys,&quot; said the farmer's wife, while she was turning her cakes, &quot;go and
+call Amos in to family prayers,&mdash;and Jonas.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You go, Oliver,&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>Oliver said nothing, but obeyed his mother's direction. He went into the
+barn-yard, and he found Amos and Jonas at work in a shed beyond, getting
+down a sled which had been stowed away there during the summer. It was a
+large and heavy sled, and had a tongue extending forward to draw it by.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What are you getting out that sled for?&quot; said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;To haul wood on,&quot; said Jonas. &quot;We're going to haul wood after
+breakfast, and I want to get all ready.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>There was another smaller and lighter sled, which had been upon the top
+of the heavy one, before Amos and Jonas had taken it off. This smaller
+sled had two shafts to draw it by, instead of a tongue. Jonas knew by
+this, that it was intended to be drawn by a horse, while the one with a
+tongue was meant for oxen.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oliver,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;I think it would be a good plan for you and Josey
+to take this sled and the old General, and go with me to haul wood.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said Oliver, &quot;I should like it very much.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We can all go up together. You and Josey can be loading the horse-sled,
+while I load the ox-sled, and then we can drive them down, and so get
+two loads down, instead of one.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said Oliver, &quot;I mean to ask my father.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Or perhaps,&quot; continued Jonas, &quot;you can be teamster for the oxen, and
+Josey can drive the horse, and so I remain up in the woods, cutting and
+splitting.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Oliver, &quot;because we can't unload alone.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Jonas; &quot;I had forgotten that.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But I mean to ask my father,&quot; said Oliver, &quot;to let me have the old
+General, and haul a load down when you come.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So saying, the boys walked along towards the house. The sun was now
+shining beautifully upon the fresh snow, making it sparkle in every
+direction, all around. They walked in by the path which Oliver and Josey
+had shoveled.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why didn't you make your path wider?&quot; said Amos. &quot;This isn't wide
+enough for a cow-path.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, yes, Amos,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;it will do very well. I can widen it a
+little when I come out after breakfast.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>When they got to the door, Jonas stopped a moment to look around. The
+fields were white in every direction, and the branches of the trees near
+the house were loaded with the snow. The air was keen and frosty, and
+the breaths of the boys were visible by the vapor which was condensed by
+the cold. The pond was one great level field of dazzling white. All was
+silent&mdash;nothing was seen of life or motion, except that Darco, who came
+out when the door was opened, looked around astonished, took a few
+cautious steps along the path, and then, finding the snow too deep and
+cold, went back again to take her place once more by the fire.</p>
+
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<a name="2"></a><h2>CHAPTER II.</h2>
+<br>
+
+<p><b>COMMANDING AND OBEYING</b></p>
+
+<p>About an hour after breakfast, Jonas with the oxen, and Oliver and Josey
+with the horse, were slowly moving along up the road which led back from
+the pond towards the wood lot. The wood lot was a portion of the forest,
+which had been reserved, to furnish a supply of wood for the winter
+fires. The road followed for some distance the bank of the brook, which
+emptied into the pond at the place where Jonas and Oliver had cleared
+land, when Jonas first came to live on this farm.</p>
+
+<p>It was a very pleasant road. The brook was visible here and there
+through the bushes and trees on one side of it. These bushes and trees
+were of course bare of leaves, excepting the evergreens, and they were
+loaded down with the snow. Some were bent over so that the tops nearly
+touched the ground.</p>
+
+<p>The brook itself, too, was almost buried and concealed in the snow. In
+the still places, it had frozen over; and so the snow had been supported
+by the ice, and thus it concealed both ice and water. At the little
+cascades and waterfalls, however, which occurred here and there, the
+water had not frozen. Water does not freeze easily where it runs with
+great velocity. At these places, therefore, the boys could see the
+water, and hear it bubbling and gurgling as it fell, and disappeared
+under the ice which had formed below.</p>
+
+<p>At last, they came to the wood lot. The wood which they were going to
+haul had been cut before, and it had been piled up in long piles,
+extending here and there under the trees which had been left. These
+piles were now, however, partly covered with the snow, which lay light
+and unsullied all over the surface of the ground.</p>
+
+<p>The sticks of wood in these piles were of different sizes, though they
+were all of the same length. Some had been cut from the tops of the
+trees, or from the branches, and were, consequently, small in diameter;
+others were from the trunks, which would, of course, make large logs.
+These logs had, however, been split into quarters by a beetle and
+wedges, when the wood had been prepared, so that there were very few
+sticks or logs so large, but that Jonas could pretty easily get them on
+to the sled.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas drove his team up near to one end of the pile, while Josey and
+Oliver went to the other, where the wood was generally small. While
+Jonas was loading, he heard a conversation something like this between
+the other boys:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Let's put some good large logs on our sled,&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said Oliver, &quot;as large as we can; only we'd better put this
+small wood on first.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I wish you'd go around to the other side, Oliver,&quot; said Josey again;
+&quot;you're in my way.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Oliver, &quot;I can't work on that side very well.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Then I mean to move the old General round a little.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Oliver, &quot;the sled stands just right now; only you get up on
+the top of the pile, and I'll stay here.&quot; &quot;No,&quot; said Josey, &quot;I'd rather
+stand here myself.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So the boys continued at work a few minutes longer, each being in the
+other's way.</p>
+
+<p>At length, Josey said again,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, here is a large log, and I mean to get it out, and put it upon our
+sled.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The log was covered with smaller wood, so that Josey could only get hold
+of the end of it. He clasped his hands together under this end, and
+began to lift it up, endeavoring to get it free from the other wood. He
+succeeded in raising it a little, but it soon got wedged in again, worse
+than before.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Come, Oliver,&quot; said Josey, &quot;help me get out this log. It is rock
+maple.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Oliver, &quot;I'm busy.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Jonas,&quot; said Josey, calling out aloud, &quot;Jonas, here's a stick of wood,
+which I can't get out. I wish you'd come and help me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>In answer to this request, Jonas only called both the boys to come to
+him.</p>
+
+<p>They accordingly left the old General standing in the snow, with his
+sled partly loaded, and came to the end of the pile, where Jonas was at
+work. </p>
+
+<p>&quot;I see you don't get along very well,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, you see,&quot; said Josey, &quot;that Oliver wouldn't help me put on a great
+log.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The difficulty is,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;that you both want to be master.
+Whereas, when two people are working together, one must be master, and
+the other servant.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<i>I</i> don't want to be servant,&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It's better to be servant on some accounts,&quot; said Jonas; &quot;then you have
+no responsibility.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Responsibility?&quot; repeated Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Jonas. &quot;Power and responsibility always go together;&mdash;or at
+least they ought to. But come, boys, be helping me load, while we are
+settling this difficulty, so as not to lose our time.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So the boys began to put wood upon Jonas's sled, while the conversation
+continued as follows:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Can't two persons work together, unless one is master, and the other
+servant?&quot; asked Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;At least,&quot; replied Jonas, &quot;one must take the lead, and the other
+follow, in order to work to advantage. There must be subordination. For
+you see that, in all sorts of work, there are a great many little
+questions coming up, which are of no great consequence, only they ought
+to be decided, one way or the other, quick, or else the work won't go
+on. You act, in your work, like Jack and Jerry, when they ran against
+the horse-block.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, how was that?&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;They were drawing the wagon along to harness the horse in, and the
+horse-block was in the way; so they both got hold of the shafts, and
+Jack wanted to pull it around towards the right, while Jerry said it
+would be better to have it go to the left. So they pulled, one one way,
+and the other the other, and thus they got it up chock against the
+horse-block, one shaft on each side. Here they stood pulling in
+opposition for some time, and all the while their father was waiting for
+them to turn the wagon, and harness the horse.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What did he say to them,&quot; said Oliver, &quot;when he found it out?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He made Jack bring it round Jerry's way, and then made Jerry draw it
+back again, and bring it along Jack's way.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;When men are at work,&quot; continued Jonas, &quot;one acts as director, and the
+rest follows on, as he guides. Then all the unimportant questions are
+decided promptly.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said Josey, &quot;let us do so, Oliver. I'll be director.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How do they decide who shall be director?&quot; said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The oldest and most experienced directs, generally; or, if one is the
+employer, and the others are employed by him, then the employer directs
+the others. If a man wants a stone bridge built, and hires three men to
+do it, there is always an understanding, at the beginning, who shall
+have the direction of the work, and all the others obey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;So,&quot; continued Jonas, &quot;if a carpenter were to send two of his men into
+the woods to cut down a tree for timber, without saying which of them
+should have the direction,&mdash;then the oldest or most experienced, or the
+one who had been the longest in the carpenter's employ, would take the
+direction. He would say, 'Let us go out this way,' and the other would
+assent; or, 'I think we had better take this tree,' and the other would
+say, perhaps, 'Here's one over here which looks rather straighter; won't
+you come and look at this?' But they would not dispute about it. One
+would leave it to the other to decide.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Suppose,&quot; said Josey, &quot;one was just as old and experienced as the
+other.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, if there was no reason, whatever, why one should take the lead,
+rather than the other, then they would not either of them be tenacious
+of their opinion. If one proposed to do a thing, the other would comply
+without making any objection, unless he had a very decided objection
+indeed. So they would get along peaceably.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now,&quot; continued Jonas, &quot;boys are very apt to have different opinions,
+and to be very tenacious of them, and so get into disputes and
+difficulties when they are working together. Therefore, when boys are
+set to work, it is generally best to appoint one to take charge; for
+they haven't, generally, good sense enough to find out, themselves,
+which it is most proper should be in charge.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;For instance, now,&quot; continued Jonas, &quot;which of you, do you think, on
+the whole, is the proper one to take the direction of the work, when you
+are set to work together?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I,&quot; said Josey, with great promptness.</p>
+
+<p>Oliver did not answer a tall.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;There's one reason why you ought <i>not</i> to be the one,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What is it?&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, you don't obey very well. No person is well qualified to command,
+until he has learned to obey.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I obey,&quot; said Josey, &quot;I'm sure.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Not always,&quot; said Jonas. &quot;This morning, when you were upon the haymow,
+and I told you both to go down, Oliver went down immediately; but you
+remained up, and made excuses instead of obeying.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Josey was silent. He perceived that Jonas's charge against him was just.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Besides,&quot; continued Jonas, &quot;there are some other reasons why Oliver
+should command, rather than you. First he understands more of farmer's
+work, being more accustomed to it; secondly, he is older.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; interrupted Josey, &quot;he isn't older. I'm the oldest.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Are you?&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; replied Josey. &quot;I'm two months older than he is.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Oliver had so much more prudence and discretion, and being, besides, a
+little larger than Josey, made Jonas think that he was older.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;at any rate, he has more judgement and experience,
+and he certainly obeys better. So you may go back to your work, and let
+Oliver take the command, and then, after a little while, if Oliver says
+that you have obeyed him well, I'll try the experiment of letting you,
+Josey, command.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The boys accordingly went back, and finished loading up the old General.
+Oliver took the direction, and Josey obeyed very well. Now and then he
+would forget for a moment, and begin to argue; but Josey would submit
+pretty readily, for he was very desirous that Jonas would let him
+command next time; and he thought that he would not allow him to command
+until he had learned to obey.</p>
+
+<p>They had the two sleds loaded nearly at the same time, and then went
+down. When they were going back after the second load, they all got on
+to Jonas's sled, which was forward, to ride, leaving the old General to
+follow with his sled. He was so well trained that he walked along very
+steadily. Oliver fastened the reins to one of the stakes, so that they
+should not get down under the horse's feet. The boys all got together
+upon the forward sled, in order that they might talk with one another as
+they were going back to the woods.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now, Josey,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;we will let you have the command for the next
+trip, and, while we are going back, I will give you both some
+instructions.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;About obeying?&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, and about commanding too,&quot; said Jonas. &quot;It requires rather more
+skill to know how to command, than how to obey; to know how to direct
+work, than to know how to execute it. A good director, in the first
+place, takes care to plan wisely, and he feels a responsibility about
+the work, and a desire to have it go on to good advantage. If some men
+build a way, and, after it is finished, it tumbles down, the man who had
+charge of the work would feel more concerned about it than any of the
+others, because the chief responsibility comes upon him. So with your
+work,&mdash;if you have the command, and you and Oliver idle away the time,
+and when my sled is loaded, yours has but little wood in it, you would
+be more to blame than Oliver.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What, if I didn't play any more than Oliver?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;because you are responsible. It is your duty to be
+industrious, and it is also your duty to see that Oliver is industrious,
+if you are the director,&mdash;so that you neglect two duties.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It is a good plan, too,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;for a director to give his
+directions in a mild and gentle tone. Some boys are very domineering and
+authoritative in their manner.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How do you mean?&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, they would say, for example, 'Get out of the way, John, quick.'
+Whereas, it would be better to say, 'John, you are in the way, where we
+want to come along.' Some men give their directions with great noise and
+vociferation, and others give them quietly and gently.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I shouldn't think they'd mind 'em,&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Jonas. &quot;Directions ought to be given very distinctly, so as
+to be plainly understood; but they are not obeyed any better for
+violence and noise in giving them. &quot;</p>
+
+<p>A commander ought to have a regard
+for those under him,&quot; continued Jonas, &quot;and deal justly by them. If a
+number of boys were going to ride a wagon, and their father put one of
+them in charge, he ought not to keep the best seat in the wagon for
+himself.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>While talking thus, the oxen continued slowly advancing along the road.
+Their previous trip had broken out the road, but the pathway was filled
+with loose snow of a pure and spotless white, through which the great
+sled runners, following the oxen, ploughed their way. On each side of
+the track which they had made, the surface was smooth and unbroken,
+excepting under some of the trees, where masses of snow had fallen down
+from above. They saw, at length, as they were passing along by the
+brook, a little track, like a double dotting, running along, in a
+winding way, under the trees,&mdash;then crossing the road, and disappearing
+under the trees upon the other side.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What's that?&quot; asked Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's a rabbit track,&quot; replied Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Let's go and catch him,&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;we must go on
+with our work.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>At a little distance farther on, they saw another track. It was larger
+than the first, and not so regular.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What sort of a track is that?&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't know,&quot; said Oliver; &quot;it looks like a dog's track; but I
+shouldn't think there would be a dog out here in the woods.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>They found that this track followed the road along for some distance.
+The animal which made it, seemed sometimes to have gone in the middle of
+the road, and sometimes out at the side; and Jonas said that he had
+passed there since they went down with the first load of wood.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How do you know?&quot; said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Because,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;his track is made upon the broken snow, in the
+middle of the road.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>They watched the track for some time, and then they lost sight of it.
+Presently, however, they saw it again.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I wonder which way he went,&quot; said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'll jump off, and look at the track,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>So saying, he jumped off the sled, and examined the track.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He went up,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;the same way that we are going. It may be a
+dog which has lost his master. Perhaps we shall find him up by our wood
+piles.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jonas was right, for, when the boys arrived at the wood piles, they
+found there, waiting for them, a large black dog. He stood near one end
+of a wood pile, with his fore feet upon a log, by which his head and
+shoulders were raised, so that he could see better who was coming. He
+was of handsome form, and he had an intelligent and good-natured
+expression of countenance. He was looking very intently at the party
+coming up, to see whether his master was among them.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Whose dog is that?&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't know,&quot; said Oliver; &quot;I never saw him before.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I wonder what his name is,&quot; said Josey. &quot;Here! Towzer, Towzer, Towzer,&quot;
+said he.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Here! Caesar, Caesar, Caesar,&quot; said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Pompey, Pompey, Pompey,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<img src="images/jonas2.jpg" width="578" height="373"
+alt="He was looking very intently at the party coming up,
+to see whether his master was among them.">
+
+
+<p>The dog remained motionless in his position, until, just as the boys had
+finished their calls, and as the foremost sled was drawn  pretty near him, he suddenly
+wheeled around with a leap, and bounded away through the snow, for half
+the length of the first wood pile, and then stopped, and again looked
+round.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I wish we had something for him to eat,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I've got a piece of bread and butter,&quot; said Josey. &quot;I went in and got
+it when you and Oliver were unloading.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So Josey took his bread and butter out of his pocket. There were two
+small slices put together, and folded up in a piece of paper. Jonas took
+a piece, and walked slowly towards the dog.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Here! Franco, Franco,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He's coming,&quot; said Josey, who remained with Oliver at the sled.</p>
+
+<p>The dog was slowly and timidly approaching the bread which Jonas held
+out towards him.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He's coming,&quot; said Josey. &quot;His name is Franco. I wonder how Jonas
+knew.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Franco, Franco,&quot; said Jonas again. &quot;Come here, Franco. Good Franco!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The dog came timidly up to Jonas, and took the bread and butter from
+Josey's hand, and devoured it eagerly. While he was doing it, Jonas
+patted him on the head.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He's very hungry,&quot; said Jonas; &quot;bring the rest of your bread and
+butter, Josey.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So Josey brought the rest of his luncheon, and the dog ate it all.</p>
+
+<p>After this, he seemed to be quite at ease with his new friends. He staid
+about there with the boys until the sleds were loaded, and then he went
+down home with them. There they fed him again with a large bone. Jonas
+said that he was undoubtedly a dog that had lost his master, and had
+been wandering about to find him, until he became very hungry. So he
+said they would leave him in the yard to gnaw his bone, and that then he
+would probably go away. Josey wanted to shut him up and keep him, but
+Jonas said it would be wrong.</p>
+
+<p>So the boys left the dog gnawing his bone, and went up after another
+load; but before they had half loaded their sleds, Oliver saw Franco
+coming, bounding up the road, towards them. He came up to Jonas, and
+stood before him, looking up into his face and wagging his tail.</p>
+
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<a name="3"></a><h2>CHAPTER III.</h2>
+<br>
+
+<p><b>FRANCO</b></p>
+
+<p>Franco followed the boys all that forenoon, as they went back and forth
+for their wood. At dinner, they did not say any thing about him to the
+farmer, because they supposed that he would go away, when they came in
+and left him, and that they should see no more of him in the afternoon.
+But when Jonas went out, after dinner, to get the old General, to
+harness him for work again, he found Franco lying snugly in the
+General's stall, under the crib.</p>
+
+<p>At night, therefore, he told the farmer about him. The farmer said that
+he was some dog that had strayed away from his master; and he told Jonas
+to go out after supper and drive him away. Josey begged his uncle to
+keep him, but his aunt said she would not have a dog about the house.
+She said it would cost as much to keep him as to keep a sheep, and that,
+instead of bringing them a good fleece, a dog was good for nothing, but
+to track your floors in wet weather, and keep you awake all night with
+his howling.</p>
+
+<p>So the farmer told Jonas to go out after supper, and drive the dog away.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Let us give him some supper first, father,&quot; said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said his father; &quot;the more you give him, the more he won't go
+away. I expect now, you've fooled with him so much, that it will be hard
+to get him off, at any rate.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<i>Jonas</i> has not fooled with him any,&quot; said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Nor I,&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>After supper, Jonas went out, according to orders, to drive Franco away.
+It was a raw, windy night, but not very cold. Franco was in a little
+shed where there was a well, near the back door. He was lying down, but
+he got up and came to Jonas when he saw him appear at the door.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Come, Franco,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;come with me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Franco wagged his tail, and followed Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas walked out into the road, Franco after him. He walked along until
+he had got to some distance from the house, Franco keeping up with him
+all the way, sometimes on one side of the road, and sometimes on the
+other. At length, when Jonas thought that he had gone far enough, he
+stopped. Franco stopped too, and looked up at Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now, Franco, I've got to send you away. It's a hard case, Franco, but
+you and I must both submit to orders. So go off, Franco, as fast as you
+can.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So saying, Jonas pointed along the road, in the direction away from the
+house, and said, &quot;St---- boy! St---- boy!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Franco darted along the road a few steps, barked once, and then turned
+round, and looked eagerly at Jonas, as if he did not know what he wanted
+him to do.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<i>Get home</i>!&quot; said Jonas, in a stern and severe tone; &quot;<i>get home</i>!&quot; and
+he stamped with his foot upon the ground, and looked at Franco with a
+countenance of displeasure.</p>
+
+<p>Franco bounded forward a few steps over the smooth and icy road, and
+then he turned round, and stood in the middle of the road, facing Jonas,
+and looking very much astonished.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Get home, Franco!&quot; said Jonas again; and, stooping down, he took a
+piece of hardened snow or ice from the road, and threw it towards him.
+The ice fell, before it reached Franco, and rolled along towards his
+feet, which made him scamper along a little farther; and then he
+stopped, and turned around, and looked at Jonas, as before.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas began slowly to turn backwards, keeping his eye on Franco.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It's a hard case, Franco, I acknowledge. If I had a barn of my own, I'd
+let you sleep in a corner of it; but I must obey orders. You must go and
+find your master.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So saying, Jonas turned round and walked slowly home. Just before he
+turned to go into the house, he looked back, to see what had become of
+the dog. He was standing motionless in the place where Jonas had left
+him.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I wish the farmer would let me give him a bone,&quot; said he to himself;
+and then he turned away, and walked slowly around to the barn, to fodder
+the cattle.</p>
+
+<p>That night, just before bed-time, he went to the front door, and looked
+out into the road, and all around, to see if he could see any thing of
+Franco. It was rather dark and windy,&mdash;though he could see the moon
+shining dimly throught the broken clouds, which were driving across the
+sky. The roads looked black, as they do about the commencement of a
+thaw. Presently the moon shone out full through the interstices of the
+clouds. Jonas took advantage of the opportunity to look all up and down
+the road; but Franco was nowhere to be seen.</p>
+
+<p>The next morning, however, when he went out into the stable to give the
+cattle some hay, he found Franco in his old place, under the General's
+crib.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, Franco,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;how came you here?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Franco said nothing, but stood looking up into Jonas's face, and wagging
+his tail.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Franco,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;how could you get in here?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Franco remained in the same position; the light of the lantern shining
+in his face, and his tail wagging a very little. He could not tell
+certainly whether Jonas was scolding him or not.</p>
+
+<p>Franco remained about the barn until breadfast-time, and then Jonas, at
+the table, told the farmer that he tried to drive the dog away the
+night before, but that in the morning he found him in the barn.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't believe you really tried,&quot; said the farmer's wife. &quot;<i>I</i> can drive him away, I know,&mdash;as I'll show you after breakfast.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Accordingly, after breakfast, putting on hastily an old straw bonnet,
+she went out into the yard and took a small stick from the wood pile, to
+use for a club, and then called to Franco.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Franco,&quot; said she, &quot;come here.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Franco looked first at her, and then at Jonas, who was standing in the
+door-way, as if at a loss to know what to do.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Go, Franco,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>The farmer's wife walked out in front of the house into the wind,
+calling Franco to follow. She then attempted to drive him along the
+road, much as Jonas had done. She brandished her stick at him, and, when
+she had succeeded in getting him as far from her as she could, by stern
+and threatening language, in order to drive him farther, she threw the
+stick at him with all her force.</p>
+
+<p>Franco jumped out of its way. The stick rolled along the road before
+him. He sprang forward to it, seized it in his mouth, and came trotting
+back to the farmer's wife, and laid it down at her feet; and then,
+standing back a few steps, he looked up into her face, with a very
+earnest expression of countenance, which seemed to say,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What do you want me to do next?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This very act of Franco's embarrassed the woman considerably. She could
+not bear to take up the very stick, which Franco had himself brought to
+her, and throw it at him again; and, on the other hand, she could not
+bear to give up, and let Franco remain. She, however, picked up the
+stick, and brandished it again towards Franco, and, stamping with her
+foot at him, she said,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Away with you, dog; get home!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>What the result of this contest would have been, it is very difficult to
+say, had it not been that it was soon decided by the occurrence of a
+singular incident; for, as the farmer's wife nodded her head, and
+stamped at the dog, the jar or the motion seemed to give the wind a
+momentary advantage over her bonnet, which, in her haste, she had not
+tied on very securely. A strong gust carried it clear from her head, and
+blew it away over Franco, upon the snow by the side of the road beyond.
+Franco, who was all ready for a spring, bounded after it, and pursued it
+at full speed. The snow was nearly level with the top of the stone
+walls, and the wind carrying it diagonally from the road, it rolled over
+the little ridge of stones which remained above the drifts, and then
+swept across the field, down a long descent, like a feather before the
+gale.</p>
+
+<p>Franco pursued it with flying leaps over the snow, which had become
+sufficiently consolidated to support his steps. He gained upon it
+rapidly, and at length overtook and seized it; and then, turning round,
+he trotted swiftly back, leaped over the top of the wall, and brought
+the bonnet, and laid it down at its owner's feet, with an air of great
+satisfaction.</p>
+
+<p>The good woman took up her bonnet, and threw her stick away, and,
+turning around, walked back to the house. The farmer, who had been
+looking out at the window, was laughing heartily. She herself smiled as
+she returned to her work, saying,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The dog has something in him, I acknowledge; go and see if you can't
+find him a bone, Jonas.&quot; &quot;Yes, Jonas,&quot; said the farmer, &quot;you may have
+him for your dog till the owner comes and claims him.&quot;</p>
+
+<img src="images/jonas3.jpg" align="right" width="248" height="169"
+alt="A picture of a house.">
+
+<p>And this is the way that Jonas first got his dog Franco. He told Oliver
+that morning, as he was patting his head under the old General's crib,
+that the dog had taught them one good lesson.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What is it?&quot; asked Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, that the Christian duty of returning good for evil, is good policy
+as well as good morals.&quot;</p>
+
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<a name="4"></a><h2>CHAPTER IV.</h2>
+<br>
+
+<p><b>DOG LOST</b></p>
+
+<p>About the middle of the winter, the farmer went to market with his
+produce. The vehicle on which he carried it was a kind of box upon
+runners, with a pole in front, to which two horses were fastened. He was
+gone three days.</p>
+
+<p>When he came back, he said that he had bargained for another load of his
+produce, at the market town, and that he was going to send Jonas with
+it. Jonas was very glad when he heard this. He liked to take journeys.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What day shall I go, sir?&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Day after to-morrow,&quot; said the farmer, &quot;as early as possible. We'll let
+the horses rest one day.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>About the middle of the afternoon, on the day following the one on which
+this conversation had taken place, Jonas and the farmer began to load
+up the box sleigh, in order to have it ready for the morning. He had
+about forty miles to go, and he wanted to get to market, deliver his
+load, and return five or ten miles that same evening.</p>
+
+<p>It was quite cold that afternoon, and it seemed to be growing colder and
+colder. Jonas got the box sleigh ready under a shed, first shoveling in
+some snow under the runners, in order that the horses might draw the
+sled out easily, when it was loaded. He put in the various articles of
+produce, which were contained in bags, and firkins, and boxes. Over
+these he spread blankets and buffalo-skins, and put in a bag of oats for
+his horses, and a box of bread and cheese for himself. He did not know
+whether Franco was to go with him, or not; but he arranged the bags in
+such a way, that he could easily make a warm nest for him in one corner,
+if the farmer should allow him to go.</p>
+
+<p>The farmer helped him about all the arrangements, and, when they were
+completed, he told Jonas to go in and get his supper, and go to bed, so
+as to get up and set off early in the morning.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It will be a fine starlight night,&quot; said he, &quot;and you'd better be ten
+miles on your way by sunrise.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>When Amos got up the next morning, and went out with his lantern, to go
+to the barn, as he passed by the shed on his way, he saw that the sleigh
+was gone. He proceeded to the barn, and, as he opened the door, he was
+startled at something which suddenly darted past him and rushed out.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What's that?&quot; said Oliver, who was behind him. &quot;It is Franco,&quot; said he.
+&quot;Where is he going?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Franco ran off to the shed where Jonas had harnesses his horses, and
+began smelling around upon the ground. He followed the scent along the
+yard, up to a post by the side of the house, where Jonas had stopped a
+moment ago to go in and get his great-coat, when all was ready; and
+then, after pausing here a moment, he darted off towards the road.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Here! Franco, Franco,&quot; said Amos, &quot;come back here.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Franco, Franco,&quot; repeated Oliver, &quot;here&mdash;here&mdash;here&mdash;here.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Franco paid no attention to these calls, but ran off along the road at
+full speed.</p>
+
+<p>In the mean time, Jonas had traveled rapidly onward, by the
+light of the stars, over the glittering and frosty road.</p>
+
+<p>The keen air made his ears tingle a little, but he rubbed them, and they
+soon became warm. His feet were comfortably stowed away down in his box,
+among the bags and buffalo-skins, so that they were warm and
+comfortable.</p>
+
+<p>The horses trotted along at good speed, and soon brought Jonas and his
+load to the village at the mill. The street was vacant, and the houses
+dark, excepting that a faint light shone behind a curtain in one chamber
+window. Jonas supposed that somebody was sick there. Even the mill was
+silent, and the gate shut down; and, instead of the ordinary roar of the
+water under the wheel, only a hissing sound was heard, where the
+imprisoned water spouted through the crevices of the flume. Vast
+stalactites of ice extended continuously along the whole face of the
+dam, like a frozen waterfall, behind which the water percolated
+curiously down into the foaming abyss, at the bottom of the fall. Jonas
+thought that all this, seen by starlight, looked very cold. The horses
+trotted across the bridge with a loud sound, which reverberated far and
+wide in the still night. He ascended the hill beyond, and drove on. His
+woollen comforter, tied about his neck, became frosted over from his
+breath; and the breasts, and mane, and sides, of the horses were
+gradually sprinkled with white, in the same way. They were both black
+horses,&mdash;the General having been left at home. They trotted down the
+hills and along the level portions of the road, and wheeled around the
+curves, with great speed. Jonas found that he had no occasion for his
+whip, and so he put it away behind him, under the buffaloes.</p>
+
+<p>He went on in this way, without any special adventure, for a couple of
+hours, and then began to see a gray light appearing in the eastern sky.
+About the same time, the windows of the farm-houses, which he passed on
+the road, began to be illuminated by the fires, which they were kindling
+within. Now and then, he could see a man hurrying out to a barn, to feed
+the cattle. Jonas thought that they ought to be up earlier. The sun rose
+soon after, and the fields on every side sparkled by the reflection of
+his rays, from the crystalline surface of the snow. Tall columns of
+dense white smoke ascended from the chimneys, some erect, others leaning
+a little, some one way, some another. In a word, it was a cold, still,
+winter morning.</p>
+
+<p>At length, as Jonas was walking his horses up a long hill, he heard
+light footsteps behind him. He turned round to see what was coming, and,
+to his utter astonishment, he saw Franco, coming up, upon the full run,
+and close behind the sleigh. He came to the side of it, and looked up,
+with every appearance of exultation and joy.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, Franco,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;how came you here?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He stopped his horses, and Franco leaped up before him. His ears, and
+the glossy black hair which curled under his neck and upon his sides,
+were tipped with frost. Jonas patted him upon his head, saying,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, Franco, how did you get out of the barn? and how did you find out
+which way I came?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Franco wagged his tail, and curled down around Jonas's feet, but he made
+no reply.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas was very much surprised, for, as he had no permission to take
+Franco, he had concluded that it was his duty not to take him; and when
+he found that he was inclined to come with him, at the time that he was
+harnessing the horses, he conducted him back into the barn, and, to make
+it secure, he fastened up the place where he had got in, the first night
+that he lodged there. He knew that the barn would be opened when Amos
+came out in the morning, to take care of the old General and the oxen,
+but said he to himself, &quot;I shall by that time be ten miles off, and it
+will be too late for him to follow or find me.&quot; Jonas was therefore very
+much surprised, when he found that Franco had contrived to make his
+escape, and to track his master so many miles.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas drove on very prosperously, until it was about time for him to
+stop and give his horses some breakfast. As for himself, he ate his
+breakfast from his box, when they were coming up a long hill. He
+accordingly stopped at a tavern, and took his horses out of their
+harness, and rubbed them down well, and gave them a good drink of water,
+and plenty of oats, which he bought of the tavern-keeper. He kept the
+oats in his bag to use in the town. By the time that he stopped, he was
+comfortably warm, for he had taken some exercise walking up the hills.
+Franco always got out when Jonas did, at the bottom of the hills, and
+then got in again at the top. He remained in the sleigh, however, at the
+tavern, keeping guard, while Jonas went into the house; and he would
+growl a little if any body came near the sleigh, and thus warn them not
+to touch any thing that was in it.</p>
+
+<p>While the horses were eating, Jonas went into the tavern, and sat down
+by the kitchen fire. The fire was very large, and many persons were busy
+getting breakfast. Jonas wished that he was going to have a cup of the
+coffee that they were making; but he thought it better that he should
+content himself with what the farmer had provided for him. There was a
+young woman in the back part of the room, at a window, sewing. She asked
+Jonas how far he had come that morning, and he told her. Then she said
+that he must have set out very early; and she said that he had a pair of
+very handsome black horses. She had seen them as Jonas passed the
+window.</p>
+
+<p>There was a small girl sitting near her, with a slate, ciphering. She
+seemed very busy for a few minutes, and then she looked up to the young
+woman, and said,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;My sum does not come right, aunt Lucia.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Doesn't it? I'm sorry, but I can't help you now, very well,&quot; replied
+aunt Lucia. &quot;I am very busy with my sewing.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The little girl then got up, and came towards the fire, with her slate
+hanging by a string from her finger, and her Arithmetic under her arm.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Where are you ciphering?&quot; asked Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;In fractions,&quot; said the girl.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If you will let me look at your sum, perhaps I can tell you how to do
+it,&quot; replied Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>The girl handed her book to him, and showed him the sum in it. She also
+let him see the work upon her slate. Jonas looked it over very
+carefully, and then said,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You have done very well indeed, with such a hard sum. There is only one
+mistake.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And Jonas pointed out the mistake to her, and she corrected it, and then
+the answer was right. She then went and put away her slate and book,
+with an appearance of great satisfaction. As she passed by the window,
+aunt Lucia whispered to her, to say,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I think you had better thank
+that young man, and give him a mug of coffee.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said the little girl, &quot;I will.&quot; So she went to a cupboard at the
+side of the room, and took down a tin mug. She poured out some coffee
+from a coffee-pot, and put in some milk and sugar, and then brought it
+to Jonas, and asked him if he wouldn't like a little coffee. Jonas
+thanked her, and took the coffee; and he liked it very much.</p>
+
+<p>After this, Jonas harnessed his horses again, and went on. He traveled
+until nearly noon, and then he arrived at the town where he was to leave
+his load. He had a letter to a merchant, who had bought the produce of
+the farmer, and, in a very short time, his load was taken out, and the
+other articles put in, which he was to carry back in exchange. He had
+some money given him by the merchant, in part payment for his load of
+produce. It was in bank-notes, and he put it into his waistcoat pocket,
+and pinned it in.</p>
+
+<p>Then he set out on his return. His load was light, the road was smooth,
+and his horses, though they had traveled fast, had been driven
+carefully, and they carried him rapidly over the ground. It was the
+middle of the afternoon, however, before he set out, and the days were
+then so short, that the sun soon began to go down. He had to ride quite
+into the evening, before he reached the place where he was to stop for
+the night.</p>
+
+<p>He put up his horses, and then went into the house. He called for some
+supper, for his own provisions had long since been exhausted. After
+supper, he carried out something for Franco, whom he had left in the
+sleigh in the barn, lying upon a good warm buffalo, to watch the
+property.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Franco,&quot; said he, &quot;here is your supper.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Franco jumped up when he heard Jonas's voice, and leaped out of the
+sleigh. He took his supper, and Jonas, after once more feeding his
+horses, went out, and shut the door, leaving Franco to finish his bone
+by himself.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas went back into the tavern, and took his seat by the fire. There
+was a table before the fire, with a lamp upon it; and there were one or
+two books and an old newspaper lying upon another table, in the back
+part of the room. Jonas looked at the books, but they were not
+interesting to read. One was a dictionary. He read the newspaper for
+some time, and then he took the lamp up, and began to look at some
+pictures of the prodigal son, which were hung up upon the wall over the
+mantel-piece.</p>
+
+<p>Beyond the pictures were some advertisements. One was for a farm for
+sale. Jonas read the description, and he wished that he was old enough
+to buy a farm, and then he would go and look at that.</p>
+
+<p>The next advertisement was about some machinery, which a man had
+invented; and the next was headed, in large letters, <i>Dog Lost.</i> This
+caught Jonas's attention immediately. It was in writing, and he could
+not read it very easily, it was so high. So he got a chair, and stood up
+in it, and read as follows:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p class="ind">&quot;'DOG LOST.</p>
+
+<p class="ind">&quot;'<i>Strayed or stolen from the subscriber, a valuable dog, of large size
+and black color</i>.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I wonder if it isn't Franco,&quot; said Jonas, interrupting himself in his
+reading.</p>
+
+<p class="ind">&quot;'<i>He had on a brass collar marked with the owner's name</i>.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;there was no collar. But then the man that stole
+him might have taken it off.</p>
+
+<p class="ind">&quot;'<i>Answers to the name of Ney</i>.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Ney, Ney,&quot; said Jonas,&mdash;&quot;I never called him Ney. I wonder if he would
+answer, if I should call him Ney.</p>
+
+<p class="ind">&quot;'<i>Is kind and docile, and quite intelligent</i>.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;I verily believe it is Franco.</p>
+
+<p class="ind">&quot;'<i>Any person who will return said dog to the subscriber, at his
+residence at Walton Plain, shall be suitably rewarded</i>.</p>
+
+<p class="ind">&quot;'JAMES EDWARDS.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I verily believe it is Franco,&quot; said Jonas, as he slowly got down from
+the chair,&mdash;&quot;Walton Plain.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He stood a moment, looking thoughtfully into the fire.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; he repeated, &quot;I verily believe it is Franco. I wonder where
+Walton Plain is.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jonas had learned from Mr. Holiday, that it was never wise to
+communicate important information relating to private business, unless
+necessary. So he said nothing about Franco to any of the people at the
+tavern, but quietly went to bed; and, after thinking some time what to
+do, he went to sleep, and slept finely until morning.</p>
+
+<p>About daylight, he arose, and, as he had paid his bill the night before,
+he went to the barn, harnessed his horses, and set off. At the first
+village that he came to after sunrise, he stopped at a store, and
+inquired whether there was any such town as Walton Plain, in that
+neighborhood.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said the boy, who stood with a broom in his hand, with which he
+was sweeping out the store,&mdash;&quot;yes, it is about five miles from here,
+right on the way you are going.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jonas thanked the boy, got into his sleigh, and rode on.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Poor Franco,&quot; said he, &quot;I am afraid I must lose you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He had hoped that Walton Plain would have proved to be off of his road,
+so that he could have had a good reason for not doing any thing about
+restoring the dog, until after he had gone home, and reported the facts
+to the farmer. But now, as he found that it was on his way, and as he
+would very probably go directly by Mr. Edwards's door, he concluded
+that he ought, at any rate, to call and let him look at Franco, and see
+whether it was his dog or not.</p>
+
+<p>When he reached Walton Plain, he inquired whether Mr. James Edwards
+lived in the village. They told him that he lived about half a mile out
+of the village. They said it was a handsome white house, under the
+trees, back from the road, with a portico over the door.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas rode on, observing all the houses as he passed; and he at once
+recognized the one which had been described to him. He stopped before
+the great gate, and fastened his horses to a post. He then walked along
+a road-way, which led in by the end of the house, and presently came to
+a door, where he stopped and knocked. A girl came and opened the door.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Is Mr. Edwards at home?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said the girl.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Will you ask him to come to the door a minute?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You'd better walk in, and I'll speak to him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p><img src="images/jonas4.jpg" width="576" height="372"
+alt="Jonas stopping at the house of Mr. Edwards."></p>
+
+<p>Jonas stepped into an entry, which was carpeted, and which had a large
+map, hanging against the wall. The girl opened a door into a little
+room, which looked somewhat like Mr. Holiday's study. There was a great
+deal of handsome furniture in it, and book-shelves around the walls. A
+large table was in the middle of the room, covered with books and
+papers.</p>
+
+<p>The girl handed Jonas a seat.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Who shall I say has called?&quot; said she to Jonas, as she was about to go
+out of the room.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why&mdash;I&mdash;my name is Jonas,&quot; he replied; &quot;but I don't suppose Mr. Edwards
+knows me. I came to see him about his dog.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>At this remark, the girl looked around towards the fire, and Jonas
+involuntarily turned his eyes in the same direction. He saw there a
+large dog, very much like Franco in form and size, lying upon the
+carpet. He was as handsome as Franco. Jonas was surprised to see him.
+The girl, too, looked surprised. She, however, said nothing, but went
+out, and shut the door.</p>
+
+<p>In a few minutes, the door opened, and an elderly gentleman, with
+grayish hair, and a mild and pleasant expression of countenance, came
+in. He nodded to Jonas as he entered, and Jonas rose to receive him. The
+gentleman then took a seat by the fire, and asked Jonas to sit down
+again.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I came to see you, sir, about your dog,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, my boy,&quot; replied the man, &quot;and what about my dog?&quot; and, as he
+said this, he looked down at the dog, which was lying upon the floor.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't know but that I have got him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You have got him?&quot; repeated Mr. Edwards.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, sir; a dog like that one came to me in the woods one day this
+winter.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O,&quot; said Mr. Edwards, &quot;you mean the dog that I lost.&mdash;Yes,&mdash;I had
+forgotten that, it is so long ago. When did you find him?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jonas then told the whole story of the dog's coming to them, and of
+their attempt to drive him away; and also of his seeing the
+advertisement in the tavern. Mr. Edwards asked him a great many
+questions, such as what his name was, where he lived, and how long he
+had lived there, and how he happened to be journeying now. At last he
+said,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I think it very probable that it is my dog. I lost one of that
+description six or eight months ago, and advertised him; but I couldn't
+hear any thing of him, and so I got another as much like him as I could.
+It is probable yours is the same dog; but I don't know that there is any
+particular proof of it. You haven't called him Ney, have you?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, sir,&quot; said Jonas; &quot;we call him Franco.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If he should come at the call of Ney, that would be proof. Where is he
+now?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He is with me, sir; he is out in my sleigh.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, well, then,&quot; said the man, &quot;we can tell in a moment. I'll step to
+the door and call him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So Mr. Edwards put on his hat, and stepped to the door. The dog was
+standing up in the sleigh, and looking wildly around. When he saw Mr.
+Edwards, he seemed more excited still.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Here, Ney,&quot; said Mr. Edwards.</p>
+
+<p>The dog leaped down from the sled, and came bounding up the road. He
+leaped first about Mr. Edwards, and then about Jonas, as if at a loss
+which was his master.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, Ney,&quot; said Mr. Edwards,&mdash;&quot;poor Ney,&mdash;have you got back at last?
+Come, walk in, Ney.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Ney slipped in through the door, and turned immediately into the little
+room, as if he was perfectly familiar with the localities. Jonas and Mr.
+Edwards followed. They shut the door, and took their seats again. Ney
+ran around the room, and examined every thing. He looked at the strange
+dog lying so comfortably in his old place upon the warm carpet, and then
+came and gazed up eagerly into his old master's face a moment. He came
+to Jonas, and wagged his tail, and then he went to the door and whined,
+as if he wanted to go out.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Won't you let him out?&quot; said Mr. Edwards. &quot;We will see what he will
+do.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jonas opened the door, and the dog ran out into the entry, and then made
+the same signs to have the outer door opened. Jonas opened it, and let
+him out. Jonas stepped out himself a moment, to see what he would do,
+and presently returned again to the room where he had left Mr. Edwards.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Where did he go?&quot; said Mr. Edwards.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He has run to the sleigh,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;and jumped up into it, and is
+lying down on the buffalo.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The dog seems to have become attached to you, Jonas,&quot; said Mr. Edwards,
+&quot;and I presume that you have become somewhat attached to him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, sir, very much indeed,&quot; replied Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Edwards was silent a few minutes, appearing lost in thought.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I hardly know what to say about this dog,&quot; he continued, at length.
+&quot;You did very right to come and let me know about him. I am afraid that
+some boys would have kept him, without saying any thing about it. I am
+glad that you were honest. I valued the dog very much, and would have
+given a large sum to have recovered him, when he was first lost. But I
+have got another now, and don't really need two. Should you be disposed
+to buy him?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, sir,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;if I could. But I haven't got but a dollar at
+my command, and I suppose he is worth more than that.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jonas had a dollar of his own. Mr. Holiday had given it to him when he
+left his house, thinking it probable that he would want to buy something
+for himself. Jonas had taken this money with him when he left the
+farmer's, intending to expend a part of it in the market town; but he
+did not see any thing that he really wanted, and so the money was in his
+pocket now.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, yes,&quot; said Mr. Edwards, &quot;I gave a great deal more for him than
+that. Haven't you any more money with you?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Not of my own,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I suppose you got some for your produce.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, sir,&quot; said Jonas; &quot;but it belongs to the farmer that I work with.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And don't you think that he would be willing to have you pay a part of
+it for the dog?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't know, sir,&quot; said Jonas. &quot;I know he likes the dog very much, but
+I have no authority to buy him with his money.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>If Jonas had been willing to have used his employer's money without
+authority, Mr. Edwards would not have taken it. He made the inquiry to
+see whether Jonas was trustworthy.</p>
+
+<p>After a few minutes' pause, Mr.
+Edwards resumed the conversation, as follows:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, Jonas,&quot; said he, &quot;I have been thinking of this a little, and have
+concluded to let you keep the dog for me a little while,&mdash;that is, if he
+is willing to go with you. But remember he is my property still, and I
+shall have a right to call for him, whenever I choose, and you must give
+him up to me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, sir,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;I will. And I wish that you would not agree to
+sell him to any body else, without letting me know.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; replied Mr. Edwards, &quot;I will not. So you may take him, and keep
+him till I send for him,&mdash;that is, provided he will go with you of his
+own accord. I can't drive him away from his old home.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jonas thanked Mr. Edwards, and rose to go. Mr. Edwards took his hat, and
+followed him to the door, to see whether the dog would go willingly.
+When he was upon the step, he called him.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Ney,&quot; said he, &quot;Ney.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Ney looked up, and, in a moment afterwards, jumped out of the sleigh,
+and came running up to the door.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now,&quot; continued Mr. Edwards, &quot;if you can call him back, while I am
+standing here, it is pretty good proof that you have been kind to him,
+and that he would like to go with you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So Jonas walked down towards the gate, looking back, and calling,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Franco, Franco, Franco!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The dog ran down towards him a little way, and then stopped, looked
+back, and, after a moment's pause, he returned a few steps towards his
+former master. He seemed a little at a loss to know which to choose.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas got into his sleigh.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Franco!&quot; said he.</p>
+
+<p>Franco looked at him, then at Mr. Edwards, then at Jonas; and finally he
+went back to the door, and began to lick his old master's hand.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas turned his horses' heads a little towards the road, and moved them
+on a step.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Come, Franco,&quot; said he; &quot;Franco, come.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Franco, hearing these words, and seeing that Jonas was actually going,
+seemed to come to a final decision. He leaped off the steps, and bounded
+down the road, through the gate, and jumped up into Jonas's sleigh. Mr.
+Edwards continued to call him, but he paid no attention to it. He
+curled down before Jonas a moment, then he raised himself up a little,
+so as to look back towards the house; but he showed no disposition to
+get out again. Jonas put his hand upon his head, and patted it gently as
+he drove away; and, when he found that Franco was really going with him,
+he turned his head back, and said, with a look of great satisfaction,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Good-by, sir. I'm very much obliged to you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Good-by, Jonas. Take good care of Ney.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, sir,&quot; said he, &quot;I certainly will.&quot;</p>
+<p><img src="images/jonas5.jpg" align="right" width="287" height="254"
+alt="Three dogs at a doghouse."></p>
+
+<p>&quot;You're a good dog, Franco,&quot; he continued, patting his head, &quot;to come
+with me,&mdash;very good dog, Franco, to choose the coarse hay for a bed
+under the old General's crib, rather than that good warm carpet, for the
+sake of coming with me. I'll make you a little house, Franco,&mdash;I
+certainly will, and I'll put a carpet on the floor. I'll make it as soon
+as I get home.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And Jonas did, the next evening after he got home, make Franco a house,
+just big enough for him; and he found an old piece of carpet to put
+upon the floor. He put Franco in; but the next morning he found him in
+his old place under the General's crib. Franco liked that place better.
+The truth was, it was rather warmer; and then, besides, he liked the old
+General's company.</p>
+
+
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<a name="5"></a><h2>CHAPTER V.</h2>
+<br>
+
+<p><b>SIGNS OF A STORM</b></p>
+
+<p>One evening early in February, the farmer told Jonas that his work, the
+next day, would be to get out four or five bushels of corn and grain,
+and go to mill. Accordingly, after he had got through with his morning's
+work of taking care of the stock, he took a half-bushel measure, and
+several bags, and went into the granary. The granary was a small, square
+building, with narrow boards and wide cracks between them on the south
+side. The building itself was mounted on posts at the four corners, with
+flat stones upon the top of the posts, for the corners to rest upon.</p>
+
+<p>The open work upon the side was to let the air in, to dry the corn; and
+the high posts and the flat stones were to keep the mice from getting in
+and eating it up.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas put a short board across the top of the half-bushel, and sat upon
+it. Then he began taking the corn and shelling it off from the cob, by
+rubbing it against the edge of the board. As he sat thus at work, he
+occasionally looked up, and he could see out of the open door of the
+granary, into the farm-yards.</p>
+
+<p>It was a very pleasant morning. The sun shone beautifully; and now and
+then a drop fell from the roof on the south side of the barn. The cattle
+were standing, basking in the sun, in the barn-yard, and in the sheds,
+where the sun could shine in upon them. The whole area of the barn-yard
+was trodden smooth and hard by the footsteps of the cattle; and broad
+and smooth paths had been worn in every direction, about the house.
+Behind the barn was a large sheep-yard, also well worn with the
+footsteps of the sheep. A great many sheep were there,&mdash;now and then
+eating hay from a long rack, which extended across the yard.</p>
+
+<p>When Jonas had shelled out the corn, he carried the bags, and put them
+into the sleigh, which was generally used in going to mill. Then he
+locked the granary, and put the key away, and afterwards went to the
+barn, and opened the great doors, which led in to the barn floor. He
+climbed up a tall ladder to a loft under the roof of the barn, and threw
+down some sheaves of wheat,&mdash;as many as he thought would be necessary
+to produce the quantity of grain which the farmer had ordered. He then
+descended the ladder, and got a flail, and began to thresh them out.</p>
+
+<p>Standing, now, in a new position, he had a different prospect before
+him. Beyond the barn-yard he could see another larger yard nearer the
+house, in which the snow had also been beaten down by the going and
+coming of teams, sleds, and all sorts of travel, for two or three weeks,
+during which there had been no new falls of snow. Upon one side of this
+yard was an enormous heap of wood, which Jonas and Oliver had been
+hauling nearly all the winter. On the other side was a quantity of
+timber, of all sizes and lengths, which the farmer and Amos had been
+getting out for the new barn. Some of it was hewed, and some not; and
+several large pieces were laid out upon the level surface of the yard,
+and the farmer and Amos were sitting upon them, working upon the frame.
+Amos was boring holes with an auger, and the farmer was cutting the
+holes thus made into a square form with a chisel. Josey was there, too,
+and Amelia. They were building a house of the blocks which had been
+sawed off from the ends of the timbers.</p>
+
+<p>When, however, they heard the sound of Jonas's flail, they left their
+play, and came along to the barn to see him. Josey came into the barn;
+Amelia remained at the door.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What are you doing, Jonas?&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Threshing some wheat,&quot; replied Jonas; &quot;but stand back, or I shall hit
+you with the flail.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Are you going to mill?&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, I or somebody else. I am getting a grist ready.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Here comes uncle,&quot; said Josey; &quot;I mean to ask him to let me go.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The farmer came in, and told Jonas that he expected that they were going
+to have a snow-storm, and, therefore, as soon as his grist was ready, he
+might harness a horse into the sleigh, and drive directly to mill.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Then,&quot; said he, &quot;you may come directly back, and not wait to have it
+ground; for I want you to go up to the woods this afternoon, and bring
+down a load of small spruces, which I cut for rafters. I want them down
+before the road gets blocked up with snow.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The farmer had reflected
+that, about this time in the winter, they were generally exposed to long
+and driving snow-storms, by which the roads were often blocked up. He
+usually endeavored to get all out of the woods which he had to get,
+early in the season, while the snow was not deep. He had now got down
+all his wood, and all his timber, except one or two loads of rafters;
+and he wished, therefore, to get those down, so that, in case of a
+severe storm, he would not have to break out the road again.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas accordingly despatched his preparations for going to mill, as
+rapidly as possible, and soon was ready. In driving out, he stopped
+opposite the place where the farmer was at work upon his frame.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;All ready, I believe, sir,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Very well,&quot; said the farmer. &quot;The pond road is a little the nearest,
+isn't it?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, sir,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And Josey wants to go with you; have you any objection to take him?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, sir,&quot; said Jonas; &quot;I should like very much to have him go.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, Josey, get your great-coat, and come.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, no, sir,&quot; said Josey;
+&quot;I don't need any great-coat; it isn't cold.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Very well, then; jump in.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Josey got in upon the top of the bags, and Jonas drove on. After riding
+a short distance, they turned down by a road which led to the pond,
+which was now covered with so thick and solid a sheet of ice, that it
+was safe travelling upon it, and it was accordingly intersected with
+roads in every direction. They rode down at a rapid trot to the ice,
+followed by Franco, who was always glad to go upon an expedition.</p>
+
+<p>The road led them over, very nearly, the same part of the pond that
+Jonas had navigated in his boat, when he fitted a sail to it,&mdash;though
+now the appearances were so different all around, that one would hardly
+have supposed the scene to have been the same. There was the same level
+surface, but it was now a solid field, white with snow, instead of the
+undulating expanse of water, of the deep-blue color reflected from the
+sky. There were the same islands, and promontories, and beaches; but the
+verdure was gone, and the naked whiteness of the beach seemed to have
+spread over the whole landscape. It was a very pleasant ride, however.
+The road was level, though very winding, as it passed around capes and
+headlands, and now and then took a wide circuit to avoid a
+breathing-hole. The sun shone pleasantly, too.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't see what signs there are of a snow-storm,&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Such a calm and pleasant day in February portends a storm,&quot; said Jonas.
+&quot;Besides, the wind, what there is, is north-east; and don't you see that
+snow-bank off south?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Josey looked in the direction in which they were going, which was
+towards the south-west, and he saw a long, white bank of cloud,
+extending over that quarter of the heavens.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Is that a snow-bank?&quot; asked Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It is a bank of snow-clouds, I suppose,&quot; said Jonas. &quot;They call it a
+snow-bank.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>By the time that the boys reached the mill, a hazy appearance had
+overspread the whole sky. They took out the grist, and left it to be
+ground, and then immediately got into the sleigh again, and commenced
+their return. Before they had gone far, the sky became entirely
+overcast, and the distant hills to the south-east were enveloped in
+what appeared to be a kind of mist, but which was really falling snow.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How windy it is!&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;it is not much more windy than it was when we came;
+but then we were riding with it, and now we are going against it. You
+feel cold, don't you?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, yes, a little,&quot; said Josey, &quot;now the sun has gone, and the wind
+has come.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, then,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;get down in the bottom of the sleigh, and
+I'll cover you up with buffaloes.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So Josey crept down into the bottom of the sleigh, and Jonas covered him
+up; and he found his place very warm and comfortable.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How do you like your place?&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Very well,&quot; said Josey, &quot;only I can't see where we are going.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Trust yourself to me,&quot; said Jonas. &quot;I'll drive you safely.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I know it,&quot; said Josey, &quot;and I wish you'd tell me, now and then, what
+you see.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; replied Jonas, &quot;I see a load of hay coming along on the pond
+before us.&quot; </p>
+
+<p>&quot;A large load?&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; replied Jonas; &quot;and now we're going pretty near the round island.
+There, the load of hay is turning off by another road. O, there is a
+sleigh behind it; it was hid before. The sleigh is coming this way.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't hear any bells,&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We are too far off yet; you'll hear them presently.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Very soon Josey did hear the bells. They came nearer and nearer, and at
+last jingled by close to his ears. As soon as the sound had gone by, he
+threw up the buffalo with his arms, and looked out, saying to Jonas,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I guess they wondered what you had got here, covered up with the
+buffalo, Jonas.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jonas smiled, and Josey covered himself up again. Not long after this,
+it began to snow, and Jonas said that he could hardly see the shore in
+some places.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Suppose it should snow so fast,&quot; said Josey, &quot;that you could not see
+the land at all; then, if you should come to two roads, how could you
+tell which one to take?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, one way, replied Jonas, &quot;would be to let Franco trot on before us;
+and he'd know the way.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Is Franco coming along with us?&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;he is close behind.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why don't you call him Ney?&quot; asked Josey; &quot;that is his real name.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I was uncertain which to call him for some time,&quot; said Jonas; &quot;but
+finally I concluded to let him keep both names, and so now he is Franco
+Ney.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said Josey, &quot;I think that is a good plan.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>A short time after this, Jonas turned up off from the pond, and soon
+reached home.</p>
+
+<p class="ctr"><img src="images/jonas6.jpg" width="207" height="165"
+alt="A bird on the ground."></p>
+
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<a name="6"></a><h2>CHAPTER VI.</h2>
+<br>
+
+<p><b>THE RESCUE</b></p>
+
+<p>Jonas found, when he reached home, that it was about dinner-time. The
+farmer said that the storm was coming on sooner than he had expected,
+and he believed that they should have to leave the rafters where they
+were. But Jonas said that he thought he could get them without any
+difficulty, if the farmer would let him take the oxen and sled.</p>
+
+<p>The farmer, finding that Jonas was very willing to go, notwithstanding
+the storm, said that he should be very glad to have him try. And Josey,
+he said, might accompany him or not, just as he pleased.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I wouldn't go, Jonas,&quot; said Josey, &quot;if I were you. It is going to be a
+great storm.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He, however, walked along with Jonas to the barn, to see him yoke the
+oxen. The yard was covered with a thin coating of light snow, which made
+the appearance of it very different from what it had been when they had
+left it. The cows and oxen stood out still exposed, their backs whitened
+a little with the fine flakes which had fallen upon them. Jonas went to
+the shed, and brought out the yoke.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Jonas,&quot; said Josey, &quot;I wouldn't go.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, I think it very likely that you wouldn't. You are not a very
+efficient boy.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What is an <i>efficient</i> boy?&quot; asked Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;One that has energy and resolution enough to go on and accomplish his
+object, even if there are difficulties in the way.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Is that what you mean by being efficient?&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes;&mdash;a boy that hasn't some efficiency, isn't good for much.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>As he said this, Jonas had got one of the oxen yoked. He then went to
+bring up the other.</p>
+
+<p>When the other ox was up in his place, Jonas raised the end of the yoke,
+and put it over his neck.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You see,&quot; continued he, &quot;your uncle wants all those rafters got down.
+It will be a little harder getting them, in the storm; but I care
+nothing for that. It will be a great satisfaction to him to have them
+all safe down here before it drifts. He doesn't <i>require</i> me to go; but
+if I go voluntarily and bring them down, don't you think that, to-morrow
+morning, when he finds two feet of snow on the ground, he'll be glad to
+think that all his rafters are safe in the yard?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, yes,&quot; said Josey. &quot;I've a great mind to go with you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Do just as you please,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, do you want me to go?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, I should like your company very well; and, besides, perhaps you
+can help me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said Josey, &quot;I'll go.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He accordingly followed Jonas as he drove the oxen along to the sled.
+Jonas held up the tongue, while Josey backed the oxen, so that he could
+enter the end of the tongue into the ring attached to the lower side of
+the yoke. He then put the iron pin in, and all was ready.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas drove the oxen along, till he came to the great gate in the back
+yard, and then he stopped to go and get some chains. The chains he
+fastened to the stakes, which were in the sides of the sled. Then he
+opened the great gate, and the oxen went through; after which he seated
+himself upon the sled by the side of Josey, and so they rode along up
+into the woods.</p>
+
+<p>The storm increased, though very slowly. The road into the woods, which
+had become well worn, was now beginning to be covered, here and there,
+with little white patches, wherever new snow, driven along by the wind,
+found places where it could lodge. At length, however, they came to the
+woods; and there they were sheltered from the wind, and the snow fell
+more equally. Josey had found it quite cold riding in the open ground,
+for the wind was against them; but under the shelter of the trees he
+found it quite warm and comfortable.</p>
+
+<p>The forest appeared very silent and solitary. It is true they could hear
+the moaning of the wind upon the tops of the trees, but there was no
+sound of life, and no motion but that of the fine flakes descending
+through the air in a gentle shower. The whole surface of the ground, and
+every thing lying upon it, was covered with the snow; for the branches,
+and the stumps, and the stems trimmed up for timber, and the places
+where the old snow had been trampled down by the oxen and by the
+woodcutters, were now all whitened over again and concealed.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Who would think,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;that there could be any thing alive
+here?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Is there any thing?&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, thousands of animals, all covered up in the snow,&mdash;mice in the
+ground, and squirrels in the hollow logs, and millions of insects,
+frozen up in the bark of the dead trees.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And they'll be covered up deeper before morning,&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;and so would our rafters, if we didn't get them out.
+We could not have found half of them, if we had left them till after
+this storm.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The rafters were lying around upon the old snow, wherever small trees,
+from which they had been formed, had fallen. They could be distinguished
+very plainly now, although covered with an inch of snow.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas and Josey immediately went to work, getting them together, and
+placing them upon the sled. When they had been at work in this way for
+some time, Jonas said,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We shall not get half of them, at this load.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Then what shall you do?&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, come up again, and get the rest.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But then it will be dark before you get home.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That will be no matter,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Only you'll get lost, and buried up in the snow.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Jonas; &quot;there might be some danger to-morrow evening, after
+it shall have been snowing four and twenty hours; but not to-night. The
+snow will not be more than a foot deep at midnight.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>When they had got as many of the rafters upon the sled as Jonas thought
+the oxen could conveniently draw, he secured the load by the chains, and
+collected the rest of the sticks together a little, on the ground. Then
+he told Josey to climb up to the top of the load and ride. He said that
+he would walk along by the side of the oxen. Josey found it more
+comfortable going back, than it was coming up, for the wind was now
+behind him, and the snow did not drive into his face. Jonas walked along
+in the snow, which was now nearly ankle deep, and after they had got
+out of the woods, there were some places where it had drifted much
+deeper.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Do you suppose that uncle has got his frame done?&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I presume he has left it, if he hasn't finished it,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why? Why couldn't he stay out in the storm to work, as well as we?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Because,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;the snow would wet his tools, and fill up his
+mortises, and so trouble him a great deal more than it does us. You
+can't do carpenter's work out of doors in a snow-storm.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Do you mean to go after the other load?&quot; asked Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; replied Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>The boys found, when they reached the yard, that it was as Jonas had
+predicted. The farmer and Amos had left their work and gone in. They
+were in the shop grinding their tools. The farmer asked Jonas if he had
+got all the rafters.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, sir,&quot; said Jonas; &quot;there is another load.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, we'll let them go,&quot; said the farmer. &quot;I'm very glad you've got
+one load down.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I think, sir,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;if you have no objection,
+I'd better go and get the rest. I know just where they are, and I can
+get them all down here before night.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You won't have time to get down before it will be dark,&quot; said the
+farmer.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Just as you think best, sir,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;but I think I can get out of
+the woods before dark; and it is of no consequence about the rest of the
+way.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Very well,&quot; said the farmer, &quot;you may go. Don't you want Amos to go
+with you?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, sir, it isn't necessary.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, sir,&quot; said Josey, &quot;I can go with him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So Jonas threw off his load, and then turned his team about, and once
+more set out for the woods. He and Josey sat upon the sled, talking by
+the way,&mdash;the storm continuing without much change. The snow gradually
+increased in depth, but the oxen walked along without difficulty through
+it. Sometimes they came to a drift where the snow was so deep as to come
+in a little upon the bars, where the boys were sitting; but in general
+the sled runners glided along through it very smoothly.</p>
+
+<p>The woods appeared still more somber and solitary than they had done
+before. The new snow was deeper, and it was falling faster; and,
+besides, as it was now nearly sundown, there was only a gloomy sort of
+twilight, under the trees. Jonas and Josey loaded the sled as fast as
+they could. They put on the last of the rafters, which Jonas had
+collected, with great satisfaction. Josey, especially, began to be in
+haste to set out on his return.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;I'll look around a little, just to see that there
+are none left behind.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, no, I wouldn't,&quot; said Josey; &quot;let us go. We've got them all, I
+know.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I want to be sure,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;and make thorough work of it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So saying, he began wading about in the snow, to see if he could find
+any more rafters. He, however, soon satisfied himself that they were all
+upon the sled. He then secured his load carefully, with the chains, and
+they set out upon their return, as before.</p>
+
+<p>It grew dark rapidly, and the wind and storm increased. When they came
+out of the woods, they found that the air was very thick with the
+falling flakes, and the drifts had begun to be quite large, so that
+sometimes, in plunging through them, the snow would bank up quite high,
+before the sled, against the ends of the rafters. Jonas said that, if
+they had been two hours later, they could not have got along.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You said that the snow wouldn't be a foot deep by midnight,&quot; said
+Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It is coming faster than I thought it would,&quot; said Jonas. &quot;It is almost
+a foot deep now.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The road by which the boys were advancing, led along the bank of the
+brook, until it reached nearly to the shore of the pond, and then it
+turned off, and went towards the house, at a little distance from the
+shore. When they reached this part of the road, the storm, which here
+swept down across the pond, beat upon them with unusual fury. The wind
+howled; the snow was driven through the air, and seemed to scud along
+the ground with great violence; and the drifts, running diagonally
+across the road, were once or twice so deep, that the oxen could hardly
+get the load through. It was now almost dark, too, and all the traces of
+the road were obliterated,&mdash;though Jonas knew, by the land and fences,
+how to go.</p>
+
+<p>Just at this time, when the wind seemed to lull for an
+instant, Jonas thought he heard a cry. He stopped his oxen to listen.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Josey, &quot;I don't believe it is any thing; let us go on.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>In fact, Josey was afraid, and wanted to get home as soon as he could.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Wait a minute,&quot; said Jonas. He listened again, and in a moment he heard
+the cry again. It seemed to be a cry of distress, but he could not
+distinguish any words.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It is somebody off upon the pond,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Is the pond out that way?&quot; asked Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;and I verily believe somebody is out on it, and has
+lost his way.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said Josey, &quot;let us go home as fast as we can, and tell uncle.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;that won't do.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jonas turned in the direction from which the sound appeared to come,
+and, putting his hands up to his mouth in the shape of a
+speaking-trumpet, he called out, as loud as he could call,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Hal&mdash;loo!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He listened after he had thus called, but there was no answer. In a few
+minutes, the cry which he had heard first was repeated, in the same tone
+as before.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;They don't hear me,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Hal&mdash;loo!&quot; cried out Josey, as loud as he could call.</p>
+
+<p>There was no answer; but, in a few seconds afterwards, the cry was
+repeated, as at first.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You see,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;that the wind blows this way, and they can't
+hear us. We must go out after them.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Josey tried to dissuade Jonas from this plan; but Jonas said he must go,
+and that, as they had oxen with them, there would be no danger. &quot;First,&quot;
+said he, &quot;we must throw off our load.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So he and Josey went to work, and threw off the rafters, as fast as they
+could. Jonas reserved four or five rafters, which he left upon the sled.
+Then he turned the oxen in the direction from which the cry had come.
+They continued to hear it at moderate intervals.</p>
+
+<p>They descended gradually a short distance across the field, and then
+they came to the shore of the pond. Here Jonas took off one of his
+rafters, and laid it upon the shore, with one end raised up out of the
+snow.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What is that for?&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;To show us the way back to our road,&quot; said Jonas. &quot;I place it so that
+it points right back,&mdash;the way we came.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We can tell by our tracks,&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Jonas; &quot;our tracks will all be covered up before we come
+back.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jonas then drove down upon the pond, guiding his oxen in the direction
+of the cry. He kept Josey upon the sled, so as not to exhaust his
+strength. He rode himself, too, as much as he could; but he was obliged
+to jump off very frequently, to keep the oxen in a right direction. He
+stopped occasionally to put down a rafter, placing it so that its length
+should be in the line of his road, and taking care to sink one end into
+the snow, so as to leave the other out as far as possible, to prevent
+its being all buried up before they should return. Every now and then,
+too, he would answer the cry, as loud as he could call.</p>
+
+<p>At last, after they had toiled along in this way for some time, Jonas
+thought that he succeeded in making the travellers hear; for,
+immediately after his call, he would hear a calling from them, following
+it, and speaking in a different way, though Jonas could not understand
+what was said. He kept pressing forward steadily, and, before long, he
+found that the travellers were silent, excepting immediately after he
+called to them,&mdash;when there was a sound as if intended for a response,
+though Jonas could not tell what was said.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We shall get to them, Josey,&quot; said he.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Who do you suppose it is?&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't know; very probably some travellers lost upon the pond.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jonas was right in his conjecture: as they came nearer and nearer, the
+sounds became more distinct.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Hal&mdash;loo!&quot; vociferated Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Hal&mdash;loo!&quot; was the answer. &quot;Can&mdash;you&mdash;come&mdash;and&mdash;help&mdash;us?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Ay, ay,&quot; said Jonas; &quot;we're coming.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Ay, ay,&quot; shouted Josey, in his loudest voice, which, being more shrill
+than that of Jonas, was perhaps heard farther.</p>
+
+<p>Still nothing was to be seen. Besides being dark, the atmosphere was
+thick with snow. So it was not until they got very near to the
+travellers, that they could see them at all. They saw at last, however,
+some dark-looking object before them. On coming up to it, they found
+that it was a horse and sleigh. The horse was in a very deep snow-drift,
+and was half lying down. There was a woman in the sleigh, with a small
+child in her arms, and a boy, about as large as Josey, standing at the
+horse's head.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, I am so glad you have got some oxen, sir!&quot; said the woman. &quot;We
+couldn't have got out without oxen.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't see how the snow happens to be so deep just here.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, it's that island,&quot; said the woman; &quot;I suppose there is an island
+off there. I told Isaiah it would be drifted under this island; and now
+the horse is all beat out; and, besides, we don't know the way.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;I'll hook the oxen on, and we'll soon get you to
+the land. Isaiah, you take your horse out of the sleigh.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So Isaiah went to work to unhook the traces and the hold-backs, in order
+to get the horse free from the sleigh.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'll get out,&quot; said the woman.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Jonas; &quot;you sit still, and keep your child warm.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>As soon as Isaiah had taken the horse out, Jonas told him to lead him
+around behind the sleigh, while he turned the shafts over back against
+the dasher, and then he brought the oxen up in front of the sleigh. He
+first, however, drove the oxen out of the road with the sled, so as to
+leave that where it would not be in the way. Then he took two chains
+from the sled, and attached the oxen, by means of them, to the forward
+part of the sleigh. When all was ready, he put Josey in with the woman,
+and let Isaiah lead his horse behind. He then started the oxen.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Are you going to leave the sled here?&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;we can come and get it after the storm is over.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The oxen drew the sleigh along very easily. The snow was quite deep for
+a little distance, and then it became less so; but it was very dark, and
+it was difficult for Jonas to follow his track. The snow blew across it
+with great violence, and was fast filling it up.</p>
+
+<p>However, Jonas soon
+came to his first rafter, and this encouraged him. It was a good deal
+covered with snow, but the end was out, and the direction of it showed
+him which way to go, in order to find the next one. After he had passed
+this guide, the path was no more to be distinguished. He went on,
+however, as nearly as he could in the direction indicated by the rafter;
+and, after going the proper distance, he began to look out before him
+for the second. He began to be a little anxious lest he had missed it,
+when he observed something dark in the snow, at a little distance on the
+right. He went to it, and found that it was the rafter.</p>
+
+<p>Thus he was upon his track again; but his having so narrowly escaped
+missing it, made him afraid that he should not be able to follow the
+train very far. His fears proved well grounded. All his efforts to
+discover the third rafter were entirely unavailing.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Tis of no consequence,&quot; said Jonas; &quot;we can't be far from the shore.
+I'll keep straight on, and we shall strike the land somewhere, not far
+from the house.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>But it is much easier to get bewildered in a storm than Jonas had
+supposed. The darkness, the obscurity produced by the falling snow, the
+perfect and unvarying level of the surface, in every direction the same,
+and the agitation of mind which even the most resolute must experience
+in such a situation, all conspired to make it difficult, in a case like
+this, to find the way. Jonas drove on in the direction which he thought
+would have led to the shore; but, after going amply far enough to reach
+it, no shore was to be seen. The fact was, that he had insensibly
+deviated just so far from his course, as to be going along parallel with
+the shore, instead of in the direction towards it. Jonas began to be
+somewhat concerned, and Josey was in a state of great anxiety and fear.</p>
+
+<p>He rose up in the sleigh, and attempted to look around; and his fear was
+suddenly changed into terror, at seeing a large black animal, like a
+bear, coming furiously up behind them, bounding over the snow. Josey
+screamed aloud.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What is the matter?&quot; said the woman.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, Franco! Franco!&quot; said Jonas, &quot;how could you get here?&quot;</p>
+
+<p><img src="images/jonas7.jpg" width="579" height="371"
+alt="'That can't be the way, Franco,' said Jonas."></p>
+
+<p>It was Franco, true enough. He came  swiftly along,
+leaping and staggering through the deep snow; and he seemed delighted to
+have found Jonas and his party at last. Jonas patted his head. Both
+Jonas and Franco were overjoyed to see each other.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas patted Franco's head and praised him, while the dog wagged his
+tail, whisked about, and shook the snow off from his back and sides.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What dog is that?&quot; said the woman.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;This is Franco,&quot; said Jonas. &quot;Franco Ney is his name. Now we shall have
+no trouble in getting out.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Franco turned off, short, from the road in which Jonas was going. He
+knew by instinct which way the shore lay from them. Jonas at first
+hesitated about following him.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That can't be the way, Franco,&quot; said he.</p>
+
+<p>But Franco, after plunging on a few steps, looked round and whined. Then
+he came back towards Jonas again a few steps, looking him full in the
+face, and then whisked about again, and went on farther than
+before,&mdash;and then stopped and looked back, as if to see whether Jonas
+was going to follow him. Jonas stood just in advance of the oxen,
+hesitating.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That must be the way,&quot; said Jonas. &quot;Franco knows.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, that isn't the way,&quot; said the woman; &quot;the dog don't know any thing
+about it. We must go straight forward.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;it will be safest to follow Franco.&quot; And so saying,
+he began to turn his oxen in the direction indicated by Franco.</p>
+
+<p>The woman remonstrated against this with great earnestness. She said
+that they should only get entirely lost, for he was leading them
+altogether out of their way. But Jonas considered that the
+responsibility properly belonged to him, and that he must act according
+to his own discretion. So he pushed forward steadily after Franco.</p>
+
+<p>But his progress was now interrupted by hearing another loud call behind
+him, back upon the pond.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What's that?&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Somebody calling,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;More travellers lost,&quot; said the woman.&mdash;&quot;O dear me!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He listened again, and heard the calls more distinctly. He thought he
+could distinguish his own name. He answered the call, and was himself
+answered in return by men's voices, which now seemed more distinct and
+nearer.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I know now who it is,&quot; said Jonas. &quot;It is your uncle and Amos, coming
+out after us. Franco was with them.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jonas was right. In a few minutes, the farmer and Amos came up, and they
+were exceedingly surprised when they saw Jonas with his oxen, drawing a
+sleigh, with a woman in it, off the pond, instead of a sled load of
+rafters from the woods.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Jonas,&quot; said he with astonishment, &quot;how came you here?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I came to help Isaiah get off the pond,&quot; said Jonas. &quot;But how did you
+find out where we were?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Franco guided us,&quot; said the farmer. &quot;He followed the road along some
+time, and then he wanted to turn off suddenly towards the pond. We
+wouldn't follow him for some time; but he <i>would</i> go that way, and no
+other. When he came to the shore of the pond, we found your rafter laid
+there, and that made us think you must have gone upon the ice, but we
+couldn't imagine what for. At last, we found where you had left the
+sled, and then we began to halloo to you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But, uncle,&quot; said Josey, &quot;didn't you see our heap of rafters, by the
+road where we turned off?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said his uncle.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We put a load there.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Then they must have got pretty well covered up,&quot; said he, &quot;for we
+didn't observe them.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The whole party followed Franco, who led them out to the shore the
+shortest way. They took Isaiah and his mother to the house, and gave
+them some supper, and let them stay there that night. The next morning,
+when Jonas got up, he found that it was clearing away; and when, after
+breakfast, he looked out upon the pond, to see if he could see any thing
+of his sled, he observed, away out half a mile from shore, two short
+rows of stakes, sticking up in the snow, not far from on island. The
+body of the sled was wholly buried up and concealed from view.</p>
+
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<a name="7"></a><h2>CHAPTER VII.</h2>
+<br>
+
+<p><b>A FIRE</b></p>
+
+<p>The last of February drew nigh, which was the time fixed upon for Josey
+to go home. He had remained with his uncle much longer than his father
+had at first intended; but now they wanted him to return, before the
+roads broke up in the spring.</p>
+
+<p>The evening before Josey was to go, the farmer was sitting by the fire,
+when Jonas came in from the barn.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Jonas,&quot; said the farmer, &quot;I have got to write a letter to my brother,
+to send by Josey to-morrow; why won't you take a sheet of paper and
+write for me, and I'll tell you what to say. You are rather handier with
+the pen than I am.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jonas accordingly brought a sheet of paper
+and a pen and ink, and took his place at a
+table at the back side of the room, and the
+farmer dictated to him as follows:</p>
+
+<p class="blkquot">
+&quot;Dear Brother,
+<br><br>
+&quot;I take this opportunity to inform you
+that we are all alive and well, and I hope
+that you may be the same. This will be
+handed to you by Josey, who leaves us to-morrow,
+according to your orders. We have
+been very glad to have him with us, though
+he hasn't had opportunity to learn much.
+However, I suppose he'll fetch up again in
+his learning, when he gets home. He has
+behaved pretty fair on the whole, as boys go.
+He will make a smart man, I've no doubt,
+though he don't seem to take much to farming.
+<br><br>
+&quot;We hope to have you, and your wife and
+children, come and pay us a visit this coming
+summer,&mdash;say in raspberry time, which will
+be just after haying.&quot;</p>
+
+
+<p>&quot;There,&quot; said the farmer, &quot;now fold it up, and write my brother's name
+on the back, and to-morrow morning I'll look it over, and sign my name
+to it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jonas accordingly folded the letter up, and wrote upon the back, <i>Joseph
+Jones, Esq., Bristol.</i> When it was done, he laid it on the table.</p>
+
+<p>Amos came and took it up. &quot;Jonas,&quot; said he, &quot;I wish I could write
+as well as that.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The farmer had a daughter whose name was Isabella. She was about
+eighteen years old. She was at this time spinning in a corner of the
+room, near a window. She came forward to look at the letter.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, Jonas,&quot; said she, &quot;you write beautifully. I wish you'd teach me to
+write like that.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Very well,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;that I can do.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How can you do it?&quot; said Isabella.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, we can have an evening school, these long evenings,&quot; replied
+Jonas. &quot;You get through your spinning in time to have half an hour for
+school before bed-time.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Half an hour wouldn't be enough,&quot; said Amos.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, yes,&quot; replied Jonas; &quot;half an hour every day will amount to a great
+deal in three months.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said the farmer, &quot;that's a very good plan; you shall have an
+evening school, and Jonas shall teach you;&mdash;an excellent plan.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What shall we study?&quot; said Isabella.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Whatever you want to learn,&quot;
+replied Jonas. &quot;You say you want to learn to write; that will do for one
+thing.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And I want to learn more arithmetic,&quot; said Amos.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Very well,&quot; said Jonas. &quot;We'll have an evening school, half an hour
+every evening, beginning at eight o'clock. Have you got any school-books
+in the house, Isabella?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Isabella said there were some on a shelf up stairs.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;bring them to me, and I'll look over them, and form
+a plan.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Isabella brought Jonas the school-books, and he looked them over, but
+said nothing then about his plan. He reflected upon the subject until
+the next day, because he did not wish to propose any thing to them,
+until it was well matured.</p>
+
+<p>The next evening, at eight o'clock, Isabella put up her spinning, and
+took a seat by the fire, to hear Jonas's plan. Amos sat by a table at
+the back side of the room. The farmer's wife was sitting upon the
+settle, knitting; and the farmer himself was asleep in his arm-chair, at
+the opposite corner.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;I like the plan of having an evening school, and I
+am willing to be either teacher or pupil; only, if I am teacher, I must
+<i>direct</i>, and you must both do as I say.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Isabella, &quot;you mustn't direct entirely; we'll talk over the
+plans, all together, and then do as we all agree.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;I have no idea of having all school-time spent in
+talking. I'm perfectly willing that either of you should be teacher, and
+I'll obey. I'll set copies, or do any thing else you please, only I
+won't have any responsibility about the arrangements. Or, if you wish,
+I'm willing to be teacher; but then, in that case, I must direct every
+thing, just as I think is best,&mdash;and you must do just as I say.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said Isabella, &quot;what are your orders? We'll obey.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Amos and Oliver also agreed that they would obey his directions. Jonas
+then consented to take the station of teacher, and he proceeded to give
+his directions.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I have been looking at the books,&quot; said he, &quot;and I find we haven't got
+but one of each kind.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Then we can't have any classes in our school,&quot;
+said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes we can,&quot; said Jonas. &quot;The first evening, Amos may take the
+arithmetic and the slate, and cipher, while Isabella writes, and Oliver
+studies a good long spelling lesson. Then, the second evening, Amos
+shall study the spelling lesson, and Isabella cipher, and Oliver write.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But I don't want to cipher,&quot; said Isabella. &quot;I don't like arithmetic; I
+never could understand it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You promised to obey my orders,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said Isabella, &quot;I'll try; but I know I can't do the sums.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Then, the third evening,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;Isabella shall study the
+spelling lesson, Oliver the arithmetic, and Amos take the writing-book.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What, ain't you going to have but one writing-book?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Jonas; &quot;one is enough; because you won't all write the same
+evening. So you can write one page, Oliver another, and Amos the third.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Isabella; &quot;I don't like that. I want every scholar to have
+his own book.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If you'll be the teacher,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;you can have it so.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But I want to have it so, and you be the teacher,&quot; said Isabella.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Jonas; &quot;if I have the responsibility of teacher, I must have
+the power too.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said Isabella, &quot;I suppose we had better submit.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But what's the reason, Jonas,&quot; said Oliver, &quot;that you ain't willing
+that we should all have writing-books of our own?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;There are two or three reasons,&quot; said Jonas. &quot;But it is very poor
+policy for a schoolmaster to spend his time in convincing his scholars
+that his regulations are good. He must make them obey, and let them see
+that the regulations turn out to be good in the end.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But it seems to me, you've grown arbitrary all at once,&quot; said Amos,
+with a smile.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;I'm always arbitrary when I'm in command; if you
+mean, by arbitrary, determined to have my own way. I won't <i>usurp</i> any
+power; but, if you put it upon me, I shall use it, you may depend upon
+it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jonas had two good reasons why he wanted to have only one writing-book
+for all his scholars. One was, that he thought it uncertain how long
+their school plan would last, and he did not want to trouble the farmer
+to look up some paper, and then make a parade of preparing so many
+writing-books; and then, perhaps, the whole plan might be abandoned,
+when they had written four or five pages in each. And, therefore, as he
+found one old writing-book of Oliver's, half full, he determined to make
+the blank leaves of that answer for all.</p>
+
+<p>But he had another reason still. He thought that, if all his scholars
+should write, in succession, in the same book, their writing would come
+into such close juxtaposition and comparison, that each one would be
+stimulated to write with greater attention and care; as each one would
+wish his or her own page to look as neatly written as the rest. He knew
+that Isabella, when it came to her turn to write, would naturally,
+without any thing being said, look at Amos's work on the page before,
+and that she would observe its excellences and its faults, and that her
+page would probably be written better, in consequence of her criticism
+upon his.</p>
+
+<p>Thus, though Jonas had good reasons, he chose not to give them. He
+preferred, if he was going to be teacher, that they should not be in the
+habit of expecting him to give reasons for all his directions. So he
+simply expressed his decision upon the subject, by saying,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You may do just as you please about making me teacher; but, if you put
+me into the office, you must expect to have to obey.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's right, Jonas,&quot; said the farmer's wife: &quot;I am glad to see you
+make 'em mind.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>It was settled, without any further discussion, that Jonas's plan in
+regard to the writing should be adopted, and that his scholars would
+obey his directions in other things, whatever they might be. Jonas then
+proceeded as follows:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now, you see that, if we go on so three evenings, you will all have got
+three lessons, and the fourth evening we will have for recitation. I
+will hear you spell, and examine your writing, and see if your sums are
+done right.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jonas's exposition of the plan of his school was here interrupted by the
+farmer's wife, who, as she sat at the end of the settle towards the
+fire, had her face somewhat turned towards the window, and she saw a
+light at a distance near the horizon.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What light is that?&quot; said she.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas and all his school rose, and went to the window to see.</p>
+
+<p>The window looked towards the pond. They looked off across a sort of
+bay, beyond which there was a long point of land,&mdash;the one which the
+boys had had to sail around when they went to mill. Just over this land,
+and near the extremity of it, a light was to be seen, as if from a fire,
+beyond and behind the land.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's exactly in the direction of the village,&quot; said Amos.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It is a house on fire, I know,&quot; said Oliver,&mdash;&quot;or a store.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It looks like a fire, certainly,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said the farmer's wife; &quot;and you must go, boys, and help put it
+out.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It is several miles off,&quot; said Amos.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, but put Kate into the light
+sleigh, and she'll carry you there over the pond in twenty
+minutes.&mdash;Here, husband, husband,&quot; she continued, calling to the farmer,
+who was still asleep in his chair, &quot;here's a fire.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The farmer opened his eyes, and sat upright in his chair, and asked what
+was the matter.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Here's a fire,&quot; she repeated, &quot;over in the village; hadn't the boys
+better go and put it out?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The farmer rose, walked very deliberately to the window, looked a minute
+at the light, and then said,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It's nothing but the moon.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The moon?&mdash;no, it can't be the moon, husband,&quot; said she. &quot;The moon
+don't rise there.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said the farmer, &quot;that's just about the place.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Besides,&quot; said she, &quot;it isn't time for the moon to rise. It don't rise
+now till midnight.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He turned away, and walked slowly across the room, to where the almanac
+was hanging. He seemed very sleepy. He turned over the leaves, and then
+said, &quot;Moon rises&mdash;eight hours and fifty minutes; that is,&mdash;let's
+see,&mdash;ten minutes before nine.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said his wife, &quot;and 'tisn't much past eight now.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It's the moon, you may depend,&quot; said the farmer; &quot;perhaps our time is a
+little out.&quot; So he returned to the chair, sat down in it, and put his
+feet out towards the fire.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said his wife, &quot;we shall know pretty soon; for, if it is the
+moon, it will soon rise higher.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So they all stood a few minutes, and watched the light. It seemed to
+enlarge a little, and to grow somewhat brighter; but it did not move
+from its place.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It certainly must be a fire,&quot; said the farmer's wife again; &quot;and I
+wish, husband, that you'd let the boys take Kate in the sleigh, and go
+along the pond and see.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I've no objection,&quot; said the farmer, &quot;if they've a mind to take that
+trouble; but they'll find nothing but the moon, they may depend.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Let's go,&quot; said Amos.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Very well,&quot; said Jonas; &quot;I'm ready.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We'll go too, boys,&quot; said the farmer's wife, &quot;Isabella and I. You can
+put in two seats. There are no hills, and Kate will take us all along
+like a bird. I never saw a fire in my life.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The boys hastened to the barn, and got Kate out of the stall. Franco,
+who knew that something extraordinary must have taken place, though he
+could not tell what, came out from his place, leaped about, and
+indicated, by his actions, that, wherever they were going, he meant to
+go too.</p>
+
+<p>The sleigh was soon harnessed. They drove up to the door, and found
+Isabella and her mother all ready. They took their places upon the back
+seat, while Amos and Jonas sat upon another seat, which they had placed
+in, before. Oliver came running with a bucket, which he put in under the
+forward seat, and then he jumped on behind, standing upon the end of the
+runner, and clinging to the corner of the sleigh, close to Isabella's
+shoulder.</p>
+
+<p>Kate set off at a rapid trot down the road, which led to the pond. The
+sleigh went very easily, for the road was smooth. There had been rain
+and thaws lately, and cold weather after them, so that the surface of
+the road had melted, and then become frozen again; and this made it
+icy. They found the ice of the pond in the same state. The rain and the
+thaws had melted the snow, upon the top of the ice, and made it a sheet
+of water. Then this had frozen again, so that now the surface of the
+pond was almost every where hard and smooth; and when they came down
+upon it, and turned to go across the bay, the horse being at his full
+speed, the sleigh swept round sideways over the ice, in a great circle,
+and made the farmer's wife very much afraid that she should be upset. It
+seemed as if the sleigh was trying to get before the horse.</p>
+
+<p>However, Amos, who was driving, contrived to get the horse ahead again,
+and then they went on with great speed. It was a mile across to the end
+of the point of land; but Kate carried them over this space in a very
+few minutes. As they drew near to the point, they watched the light. It
+did not rise at all.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It cannot be the moon,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;for it is now full a quarter of an
+hour since we first saw it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said the farmer's wife, &quot;I knew it couldn't be the moon.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Just at this moment, the sleigh came around the point with great speed, and
+brought into view a very bright but distant fire, far before them.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It is a fire!&quot; they all exclaimed.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But it isn't in the direction of the village,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It must be some farm-house,&quot; said the farmer's wife, &quot;on the shore.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;I think it is on the ice.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>It very soon became evident that the fire was upon the ice. It was
+plainly a large fire, though the distance made it look rather small. It
+was very bright, and it flashed up high; and a cloud of illuminated
+smoke arose from it, and floated off to the northward. The party in the
+sleigh could soon perceive, also, a number of small, bright spots near
+it, which seemed to be in motion about the fire. They looked like the
+moons about the planet Jupiter, seen through a telescope.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I wonder what it is,&quot; said Isabella.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I presume,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;that the boys are out skating, and this is a
+fire on the ice, which they have built.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And are those the boys moving about?&quot; asked Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Jonas. &quot;When they are near the fire, the light shines upon
+their faces.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>As they rode on, it became gradually more and more evident that Jonas
+was right. The forms of the skaters, as they stood before the fire, or
+came wheeling up to it, became more and more distinct, and, in fact, the
+ringing sound of the skates soon became audible. The horse, in the mean
+time, went on, with great speed, directly towards the fire. When they
+arrived near the fire, the skaters came around them in great numbers,
+wondering who could have come. Jonas asked them where they got the wood
+to build their fire.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;All along the shore,&quot; said a large boy, with a long stick in his hand.
+&quot;Let's go and get some more, boys,&quot; he added, &quot;and brighten up our
+fire.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So saying, he wheeled round and skated away, the whole crowd of skaters,
+small and great, following him at full speed. As they swept round by the
+fire, the light glared brightly upon their faces and forms, but they
+soon disappeared from view in the darkness beyond; only Jonas could
+hear the sound of their skates, ringing over the ice, as they receded.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What a great, hot fire!&quot; said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Isabella, &quot;I never saw such a large fire on the ice. I don't
+see how they got all the wood.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I suppose,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;that they got out the wood from the forest,
+along the shore, and threw it out upon the ice, before they put on their
+skates, and then they could easily bring it to the fire. But hark! they
+are coming back again.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The fire was so bright where they were, and it flashed so strongly upon
+the ice around, that they could not see the skaters until they came
+pretty near. The dark figures, however, soon began to appear. The
+foremost was a tall young man, who came forward with great speed,
+pushing before him a long and slender log, half decayed and dry. One end
+he held before him in his hands, and the other glided along upon the
+smooth ice towards the fire.</p>
+
+<p>There followed close behind him another skater, with the fragment of an
+old stump upon his shoulder; then several others, with branches,
+sticks, dry bushes, and fragments of every shape and size. These they
+piled upon the fire as they swept up alongside of it, and then wheeled
+away back from the heat which radiated from it. Two large boys came on,
+bringing a long log between them, one at each end. It looked large, but
+it was really not very heavy, as it was hollow and decayed. They hove it
+up, with great effort, upon the fire, and its fall upon the heap threw
+up a large, bright column of sparks and flame. Another boy had the top
+of a young spruce, which he had cut off with his knife, by dint of great
+labor; it made a great roaring and crackling when it was put upon the
+fire. And, finally, behind all the rest, there came a little boy not so
+big as Oliver, tugging away at a long branch, which he dragged behind
+him, and put it upon the fire too.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said the farmer's wife, after a little time, &quot;we mustn't stay
+here much longer.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We'll drive around the fire, in one great sweep,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>So he started the horse on, and took a great circuit about the fire. The
+skaters went with him on each side of the sleigh. Then they turned
+their course towards home again. The light of the fire shone upon the
+distant point of land, and illuminated it faintly, but in a very
+beautiful manner, and showed Jonas which way to drive.</p>
+
+<p>Isabella turned back her head repeatedly, to look at the fire, as they
+rode on and left it far behind them. It seemed to grow smaller and
+smaller, as they receded; and at length, when Jonas turned around the
+point of land, it disappeared entirely. In a few minutes afterward, the
+moon arose, and lighted them the rest of the way home.</p>
+
+<p class="ctr"><img src="images/jonas8.jpg" width="337" height="169"
+alt="A mother hen and chicks by a pond."></p>
+
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<a name="8"></a><h2>CHAPTER VIII.</h2>
+<br>
+
+<p><b>THE CARDING-MILL</b></p>
+
+<p>Jonas was often sent away to transact business for the farmer. He was a
+very excellent hand to do business. It requires several qualities to
+make a boy good at business. He must be gentlemanly in his manners, so
+as to speak to the persons that he is sent to, in a respectful and
+proper manner; he must be faithful, so as not to neglect what is
+intrusted to him; and he must be patient and persevering. Then he must
+also have considerable judgment and discretion; for when he is sent away
+from home on business, he must often be placed in circumstances that are
+unforeseen, and where he must act without instructions. In such cases,
+he will have to exercise his own judgment and discretion. Jonas was
+placed in such circumstances at one time, when he was sent to the
+carding-mill to get some rolls for Isabella.</p>
+
+<p>The rolls which Isabella
+wanted were rolls of wool, as they are prepared at the mill ready for
+spinning. The wool is carded very fine, and then, by curious machinery,
+it is rolled out into rolls about three feet long, and as large round as
+a whip-handle at the middle. These rolls Isabella used to spin into
+yarn, at her spinning-wheel.</p>
+
+<p>Isabella had spun nearly all her rolls, and she wanted Jonas to carry
+some wool to the carding-mill, and get some more. The carding-mill was
+not in the village upon the outlet stream; but it was upon another
+stream, which emptied into the pond, instead of flowing from it. It was
+the same stream that flowed by the land which Jonas and Oliver had
+cleared when he first came to live with the farmer; only the mill was at
+some distance from the mouth of the stream, back towards the high land.
+It was more than two miles, by the road, from the farmer's house.</p>
+
+<p>The farmer told Jonas where to get the wool, and then gave him some more
+business, at a place in the woods, about two miles beyond the mill.
+Oliver wanted to go too, and his father gave him leave. Oliver always
+liked to go to the mill, as the machine for carding the wool was a great
+curiosity.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas put up the wool in a very large bundle, which almost filled up the
+bottom of the sleigh. Jonas himself sat upon the seat, with his feet
+under the bundle; but Oliver sat upon the bundle. He said it made a very
+soft seat.</p>
+
+<p>They rode along pleasantly towards the mill. The snow-drifts were very
+high in some places on each side of the road; and the fences and walls
+were almost buried up.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I wish that Josey was here,&quot; said Oliver. &quot;I think that he would like
+to see the carding-mill very much indeed.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Only,&quot; replied Oliver, &quot;perhaps it would be dangerous to take him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why?&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, because,&quot; said Oliver, &quot;I suppose he would touch the machinery,
+and perhaps get his hands torn off.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;boys sometimes do get very badly hurt in
+mills,&mdash;careless and disobedient boys especially.&quot;</p>
+
+<img src="images/jonas9.jpg" width="580" height="376"
+alt="He said it made a very soft seat.">
+
+<p>&quot;I think that he is a careless and disobedient boy,&quot; said Oliver.
+&quot;Yes,
+but it is his misfortune, rather than his fault,&quot; replied Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;His misfortune?&quot; repeated Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Jonas; &quot;his father's situation is such, that it is very
+unfortunate for him. I expect he is very unhappily situated at home, in
+many respects.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How?&quot; said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, in the first place,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;he lives, I'm told, in a large and handsome house.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And then,&quot; continued Jonas, &quot;your aunt, I have heard, is a very fine woman, and has a great deal of company.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And then,&quot; continued Jonas, &quot;they can buy Josey any thing he wants, for playthings.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Oliver; &quot;he told me he had got a rocking-horse. But I don't call that being unfortunate.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It is very fortunate for the father and mother, but such a kind of life
+is generally unfortunate for the child. You see, if a man has been
+industrious himself, when he was a boy, and has grown up to be a good
+business man, and to acquire a great deal of property, and builds a
+good house, and has plenty of books, and journeys, it is all very well
+for him. He can bear it, but it very often spoils his children.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why does it spoil his children?&quot; asked Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;In the first place, it makes them conceited and vain,&mdash;not always, but often. The children of wealthy men are very often conceited. They wear
+better clothes than some other boys, and have more books and prettier
+playthings; and so they become vain, and think that they are very
+important, when, in fact, they owe every thing to their fathers.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Then, besides,&quot; continued Jonas, &quot;they don't form good habits of industry. Their fathers don't make them work, and so they don't acquire
+any habits of industry, and patience, and perseverance.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If I was a man, and had ever so much money,&quot; said Oliver, &quot;I would make my boys work.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That is very doubtful,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why is it doubtful?&quot; asked Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Because,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;you would be very busy, and couldn't attend to it. It would be a great deal more trouble to make your boys do any
+thing, than it would be to hire another man to do it; and so you would
+hire a man, to save your trouble.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes; but then, Jonas, farmers are very busy, and yet they make their
+boys work.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;True,&quot; replied Jonas; &quot;but farmers are busy about such kind of work as that their boys can help them do it,&mdash;so they can keep them at work without any special trouble. But men of property are employed in such
+kind of business as boys cannot do; and so they must work, if they work
+at all, at something else; and that makes a good deal of trouble.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Then I'd send my boys to some farmer, and let him make them work,&quot; said
+Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;that would do pretty well.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So saying, Jonas stopped the horse a moment, and stepped out of the
+sleigh. He was at the foot of a long, steep hill in the woods. He was
+going to walk up. Oliver remained in the sleigh, and rode. When they
+reached the top, Jonas got in again, and they rode on.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But then, Jonas,&quot; said Oliver, &quot;there is one thing to be thought of,
+and that is, that rich men's sons will not have to work when they grow
+up; and so they don't need so much to grow industrious.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, yes, they will,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, Josey told me that he didn't expect to work when he should be a
+man.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, he doesn't <i>expect</i> to work, but he'll find that it is different
+from what he had expected, when he grows up.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How?&quot; said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, a great many rich men's boys find, when they get to be twenty-one,
+that they have to go out into the world, and earn their own living,
+without any money.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why?&quot; said Oliver; &quot;won't their fathers give them any money?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Their fathers cannot generally give them enough to support them,&quot; said
+Jonas, &quot;even if they are disposed to do it; because, you see, they have
+their own families still to support. Besides, if they were to divide
+their property at once among all their children, it would only be a
+small portion for each one. It wouldn't be enough for the boys to live
+as expensively as they have been living while at home. Therefore, as
+fast as they grow up young men, they have to go away into the world,
+and earn their own money by some kind of work, head work or hand work.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jonas would probably have given Oliver some further explanations on this
+subject, were it not that about this time they arrived at the mill.
+Oliver tied the horse at a post, while Jonas took out the great bundle
+of wool, and went in. Oliver followed immediately after him.</p>
+
+<p>The machinery made a heavy, rumbling sound, which grew louder and louder
+as the boys went up stairs. Jonas opened a door into a large room, and
+at this the noise increased very loudly, so that Oliver and Jonas could
+hardly hear each other talk. Jonas put down the bundle of wool by the
+door, and then he and Oliver went in among the wheels and machinery.
+There were a great many separate machines at different parts of the
+room, with girls tending them. There was a large, round beam of wood,
+overhead, slowly revolving. There were wheels upon it in different
+parts, with straps passing around these wheels, and also around other
+wheels connected with the machines below.</p>
+
+<p>Oliver saw Jonas walk to a man who was writing at a desk in the corner
+of a room, and say something to him. Oliver could not hear what it was.
+Jonas pointed, while he was talking to the man, to the great bundle of
+wool. Presently the man came and took the bundle of wool, and dragged it
+off to one of the machines, which was not in motion. He called a girl to
+come and tend it.</p>
+
+<p>At one end of the machine was a broad band of cloth, passing around two
+rollers. One roller was close to the wheels and other large rollers of
+the machine itself. The other was back from it a little; and the cloth,
+being extended from one of these to the other, formed a sort of flat
+table just before the machine.</p>
+
+<p>The girl who came to tend the machine immediately opened the great
+bundle of wool, and then she took up a handful of it, and began to
+spread it evenly over the cloth. When she had got the cloth pretty
+nearly covered she pulled a handle pretty near her, and that, in some
+mysterious way or other, set the machinery a-going. The cloth, with all
+the wool upon it, began to move towards the great rollers of the
+machine. These rollers were covered with card teeth, and the wool, as it
+was drawn in between them, was carded fine, and spread evenly over all
+the surface; and in a few minutes Jonas and Oliver found that it began
+to come out at the other end, in the shape of rolls. One roll after
+another dropped out, in a very singular manner. Oliver thought that it
+was a very curious machine indeed, to take in wool in that way at one
+end, and drop it out in beautiful long rolls at the other.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now,&quot; said Jonas, after a few minutes, to Oliver, &quot;I am going away
+farther, and shall come back here in about an hour. You may go with me,
+or you may stay here,&mdash;just which you prefer.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said Oliver, &quot;I'll stay here.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Good-by, then,&quot; said Jonas; &quot;I shall be back again in about an hour.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So Jonas went down stairs, and Oliver began to walk about the room a
+little. There was a window in the back side of the room, which he
+happened to pass pretty near to, and he stopped to look out at it. He
+saw the dam and the waterfall below. There was a large pond above the
+fall, which was made by the dam. The pond was frozen over, and the ice
+was covered with snow. The water was open for a short distance above the
+edge of the fall, and it was also open below the fall, where there was a
+great foaming, and tumbling, and whirling of currents.</p>
+
+<p>Oliver looked at it a moment, and then he concluded that it would be
+better for him to go with Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I have seen,&quot; said he to himself, &quot;pretty much all of the machinery,
+and I shall be very tired of waiting here an hour.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So he concluded that he would run down, quick, and see if Jonas had
+gone.</p>
+
+<p>When he got down stairs, and out at the door, he found that the sleigh
+was not at the post. He ran around the corner, and saw Jonas at some
+distance, just at the foot of a hill. He ran after him, calling,
+&quot;Jo-nas! Jo-nas!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Just at this time, Jonas stopped to let his horse walk up the hill, and
+so he heard Oliver calling; for the bells did not make so much noise
+when the horse was walking, as they did before.</p>
+
+<p>So Jonas stopped until Oliver overtook him; and they went on the rest of
+the way together.</p>
+
+<p class="ctr"><img src="images/jonas10.jpg" width="315" height="219"
+alt="Three boys flying kites."></p>
+
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<a name="9"></a><h2>CHAPTER IX.</h2>
+<br>
+
+<p><b>DIFFICULTY</b></p>
+
+<p>Although it was winter when the boys were taking this ride, yet the sun
+was shining in a very warm and pleasant manner, and the snow was every
+where softening in the fields and melting in the roads, indicating that
+the spring was coming on.</p>
+
+<p>There was a little stream of water, coming down the hill in the middle
+of the road, and forming a long pool at the bottom. Jonas turned his
+horse to one side, to avoid this pool of water, and waited until Oliver
+came up.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, Oliver,&quot; said he,&mdash;&quot;tired of the mill already?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, no,&quot; said Oliver, &quot;only I thought that, on the whole, I'd rather go with you. I didn't think that you were going to be gone so long.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It is about two miles,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Where are you going?&quot; said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, to see about some logs. I thought you heard your father tell me to go and see about some logs.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What about the logs?&quot; said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, to make the boards of, for the barn.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O,&quot; replied Oliver, &quot;I didn't know that.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; continued Jonas, &quot;when we want boards, we have to go to somebody who owns some pine timber in the woods, and get him to cut down some of
+them, and haul them to the mill. Then they saw them up, and make
+boards.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What mill?&quot; said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;At that saw-mill near the carding-mill. The mill down in the village,
+you know, is a grist-mill.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>By this time, the boys had got to the top of the hill, and they got into
+the sleigh, and rode along. Presently, they came to a place where Jonas
+was going to turn off, into a sort of by-road which led away into the
+woods, where the pine-trees grew. The man that owned the trees lived
+pretty near, in a farm-house.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Is that the road that we are going in?&quot; asked Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;but it does not look very promising.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The road was filled up nearly full of snow. It had been hard, so that
+they could travel upon it pretty well; but the warm sun had softened the
+snow so much, that the horses' feet sunk down into it, in some places,
+very deep. However, Jonas went along as well as he could.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Let us get out and walk, Jonas,&quot; said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;that will not do much good; for it is the weight of the horse himself, that makes him sink into the snow, not the weight of the sleigh.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So the boys both continued to ride in the sleigh. They soon came into
+the woods, where, the ground being sheltered by the trees above, the
+snow lay more evenly upon it; and, though the horse slumped a little,
+yet he got along very comfortably.</p>
+
+<p>At length, however, they came out of the woods into an opening. The road
+went along under a high bank, with a deep brook on the other side. The
+wind, during the storms in the winter, had blown in over this bank, and
+filled up the road entirely.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;I am afraid we're in difficulty.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why?&quot; said Oliver; &quot;is that a very bad place?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;it looks like a very bad place.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Oliver saw that the snow was very deep on the upper side of the road,
+and that it sloped away in such a manner that it would be very difficult
+for them to get along, even if the road-way was hard.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Perhaps it is hard,&quot; said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;I think it cannot be, for the bank slopes to the
+south, and the sun has been shining upon it all day. However, we must
+try it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The horse hesitated a moment when he came to this place, for he knew by
+instinct that it would be very hard for him to get through it.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Come, General,&quot; said Jonas. &quot;Though, stop a moment, Oliver; perhaps we
+had better get out and walk, or the sleigh may upset.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So they got out. Oliver walked by the horse, keeping on the upper side
+of the road. Jonas went behind, taking hold of the back part of the
+sleigh, so as to hold it in case it should tip down too far. They went
+on thus for some distance tolerably well. The horse sometimes got in
+pretty far, and for a moment would plunge and stagger, as if he could
+hardly get along; but then he would work his way out, and go on a little
+farther.</p>
+
+<p>At length, however, the old General came to a full stop. He sank down,
+shoulders under, in the snow. The more he struggled to get free, the
+deeper he got in. Jonas stepped on before him, and patted him on the
+head, and tried to quiet him.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Jonas,&quot; said Oliver, &quot;let us stop; I don't believe we can go any
+farther.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Nor I,&quot; said Jonas. &quot;At least I don't think we can get the old General
+any farther.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Nor back again either,&quot; said Oliver, &quot;as I see.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The boys stood still, looking upon the horse a moment, utterly at a loss
+what to do.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oliver,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;should you be willing to stay here and take care
+of the horse, while I go on and see about the logs?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why&mdash;I&mdash;don't know,&quot; said Oliver. &quot;I'm afraid he won't stand quiet.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, I shall get him out of the snow, first,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;and take him
+to some level place, where he'll stand well.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How shall you get him out?&quot; asked Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, we will unharness him first,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;and then draw the
+sleigh back out of the way.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So Jonas began to unbuckle the straps of the harness, in order to
+liberate the horse. Oliver tried to help him, but he could not do much,
+the horse was so deep in the snow. And, besides, he was standing, or
+rather lying, in such a position, that many parts of the harness were
+drawn so tense, that Oliver had not strength enough to unbuckle them.</p>
+
+<p>However, Jonas at length got the sleigh separated from the horse, and
+drew it back out of the way. He trampled the snow down around the horse,
+as much as he could, and then the horse, with a leap and a plunge,
+recovered his footing. He stood deep in the snow yet, however.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;where shall we put him till I come back?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Oliver looked across the brook, and saw there, upon a bank, under some
+trees, a spot which was bare. The reason why it was bare was, that the
+snow had nearly all blown off during the storms; and then the sun, which
+had been shining for some days so pleasantly, had melted away what there
+had been left; and now the ground was bare, and almost dry. But the
+difficulty was to get to it; for it was upon the other side of the
+stream, and the bed of the stream was filled with water and ice.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I wouldn't lead him over there,&quot; said Oliver. &quot;I think you had better
+go home, and not do any thing about the timber.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, father will not think you did wrong to give it up, when we got
+into such trouble,&quot; said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, I don't suppose he would; but I'd rather carry him back an answer,
+if I can.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Then let me go with you,&quot; said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, it is a long and very hard walk,&quot; said Jonas. &quot;There is no work so
+hard as travelling in soft snow, without snow-shoes. If we had a pair of
+snow-shoes, we could get along very well.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Did you ever see any snow-shoes?&quot; said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; replied Jonas,
+&quot;but I have read about them. They are very large and flat, and your foot
+stands in the middle of them, and so presses them upon the snow; and
+they are so large that they will not sink in very far.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>While Jonas was saying this, he was climbing down to the bank of the
+brook, with a pole in his hands, with which he was going to see if he
+could find firm footing, for the horse to go across.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said he, punching his pole down to the bottom of the brook; &quot;yes,
+it isn't deep. The old General will get down here very well, I think.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So he and Oliver trampled a sort of path down to the brook, and then
+they led the old General down. He seemed a little reluctant, at first,
+to step into the water. However, he soon went in, and walked over, and
+Oliver fastened him to a tree, so that he could stand upon the bare
+piece of ground. Jonas then pulled the sleigh out of the road, so that
+it should not be in the way, if any body should come along with any
+other team; then he bade Oliver good-by, and went on alone.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas traveled along, as well as he could, through the snow, though he found
+it very laborious walking. In some places, he found hard footing for
+some distance; but then he would sink down again for several successive
+steps. After a short distance, he got out of the deep drift, which had
+prevented the horse from going on, and then he could advance faster.
+There was a singular-looking track in the road. It consisted of a smooth
+groove in the snow, as if the end of a large log had been dragged along.</p>
+
+<p>It was, in fact, made by a log which had been drawn along that road
+towards the mill. One end of the log had been placed upon a sled, and
+the other left to drag along in the snow; and this was what made the
+smooth groove, which Jonas observed. He did not see it before, because
+the man who drove the sled had turned out of the main road, into a
+by-way across the fields, to avoid the deep drift where Jonas's horse
+got into difficulty.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas found it pretty good walking after this. The snow was not so deep
+as it had been; and the path which the log had made was hard and smooth.
+He concluded that it must have been made by such a log, and, of course,
+if he followed it, that it would take him directly to the house of the
+man whom he wanted to see.</p>
+
+<p>After walking about a mile, he came to the house. It was a small
+farm-house, in the woods. There were a great many large logs, lying each
+side of the road near it, ready to be drawn to the mill.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas went up towards the door, which was in the end of the house. As he
+drew near to it, he saw a boy's head behind an enormous pile of wood. He
+went around it, and found that the boy was about as big as Jonas
+himself. He was rolling down a large stick of wood, and had an axe in
+his hand, as if he was going to chop it.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Does Mr. Woodman live here?&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said the boy; &quot;but he isn't at home.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Where is he?&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He is out in the lot, falling trees,&quot; said the boy.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How far is it from here?&quot; asked Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, about a good half mile.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Which way?&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Out yonder,&quot; said the boy; and he pointed
+back of the house, where a rough sled-road led into the woods. &quot;You can
+hear his axe.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jonas listened, and he heard distinctly the sound of an axe in the woods
+behind; presently it ceased. Immediately after, there was a prolonged
+crash, which echoed back from the mountains.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;There goes a tree,&quot; said the boy.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas was sorry to have to leave Oliver so long, but he wished to
+persevere until he should find the man, as he knew that the farmer was
+very desirous of having the business done that day. So he told the boy
+that he believed he would go and see if he could find Mr. Woodman; and
+then he set off in the direction which the boy had indicated.</p>
+
+<p>This road was so sheltered by the woods, that the snow was not much
+drifted; and, besides, it had been kept open by the teams, which had
+been employed in hauling out pine logs. When Jonas got in to the end of
+the road, he heard the strokes of the axe, at a short distance on the
+right.</p>
+
+<p>He looked that way, and found that the man was standing at the
+foot of a tall tree, of very large size; and he was cutting through the
+trunk of it, about two feet from the top of the snow. He saw that it was
+nearly off, and so he thought he would wait a moment, where he was, and
+see it fall. He observed that Mr. Woodman occasionally looked up the
+stem of the tree, between the strokes of his axe, as if to see whether
+it was beginning to fall.</p>
+
+<p>After a few strokes more, he stepped back from the foot of the tree to
+one side. Jonas wondered why he left his work before the tree fell. He
+looked up to the top of it, and he perceived that it was moving. It was
+bending over very slowly indeed. It moved, however, faster and faster,
+and presently began to come tearing down between the branches of the
+other trees, and, at length, descended with a mighty crash to the
+ground. Jonas thought that it was a very fine spectacle indeed. He
+wished that Oliver had been there to see it.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas then went to Mr. Woodman, and transacted his business
+successfully, according to the farmer's directions. Then he turned
+around, and began to walk back, as fast as he could go.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I am afraid,&quot; said he to himself, &quot;that Oliver is almost out of
+patience waiting for me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="ctr"><img src="images/jonas11.jpg" width="340" height="191"
+alt="A pond surrounded by trees."></p>
+
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<a name="10"></a><h2>CHAPTER X.</h2>
+<br>
+
+<p><b>A SURPRISE</b></p>
+
+<p>Jonas walked on until he came out of the woods, at the house where he
+had seen the boy cut wood. As he approached the place, he saw that the
+boy was there still; but there was a man with him. The man had a
+goad-stick in his hand.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He is driving a team somewhere,&quot; said Jonas to himself. &quot;I wonder where
+his oxen are.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>A moment afterwards, Jonas came in sight of the oxen, which were in the
+road, having been hid from his view before, by the wood pile.</p>
+
+<p>The man and the boy looked at Jonas, as he walked towards them. The man
+smiled a little, as if he knew Jonas; but Jonas thought that he had
+never seen him before.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, Jonas,&quot; said the man, &quot;did you find Mr. Woodman?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, sir,&quot;
+replied Jonas. He wondered how the man happened to know his name.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'm glad of it,&quot; said he; &quot;and you'd better make haste back. Rollo is
+almost tired of waiting for you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oliver, you mean,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said the man,&mdash;&quot;Rollo; he said his name was Rollo.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Rollo?&quot; said Jonas; &quot;his name is Oliver. I don't see what made him tell
+you that his name was Rollo.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So saying, Jonas walked thoughtfully away, wondering what this could
+mean. He had never known Oliver to do any such thing before. Oliver, he
+thought, would not tell a falsehood on any account. He was not inclined
+to say any thing of that kind by way of jest. He was a very sober and
+sedate, as well as honest boy. Besides, he could not think what should
+have put Rollo into Oliver's head. He did not recollect that he had said
+any thing of Rollo for a long time. In fact, he had seldom told Oliver
+any thing about him; and what could have induced him to call himself
+Rollo, he could not conceive.</p>
+
+<p>However, he had nothing to do but to go
+on, for the more he attempted to imagine some explanation of the
+mystery, the more he was puzzled. So he walked on as diligently as he
+could.</p>
+
+<p>He came, at length, in sight of the spot where he had left the horse and
+Oliver. The horse was there, but Oliver was not to be seen.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He has got tired of waiting, and has gone away,&quot; said Jonas; &quot;or
+perhaps he is playing about near.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This last supposition was pretty soon, for a moment, confirmed; for
+Jonas saw, very soon after, a boy's head on the bank of the brook, at a
+little distance below.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;There he is now,&quot; said Jonas to himself. &quot;No, it isn't he. That boy
+isn't dressed like Oliver. I wonder who it is.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The boy had a long pole in his hand, and was pushing cakes of ice with
+it. He was so intent upon this amusement, that at first he did not see
+Jonas; but, presently, looking up, his eye suddenly caught a view of
+Jonas, coming, and he instantly dropped his pole, and ran towards him,
+shouting,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Jonas!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, Rollo!&quot; exclaimed Jonas, in his turn. &quot;How came you to
+be here?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>It was Rollo, indeed. Jonas was astonished. He could scarcely believe
+his senses. &quot;Is it possible that this is you?&quot; said he.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Rollo, laughing with great delight, &quot;I believe it is.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And how came you here? I left Oliver here an hour ago, little thinking
+that he would turn into Rollo while I was gone.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oliver?&quot; said Rollo, &quot;who is Oliver?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, don't you know Oliver?&quot; said Jonas. &quot;He is the farmer's son. He came with me, and I left him here to the care of the sleigh. Haven't you
+seen any thing of him?&quot;
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; replied Rollo, &quot;nothing; there was nobody here when I came.&quot;
+
+<p>&quot;What can have become of him, then?&quot; said Jonas. &quot;I hope he is not lost
+in the woods.&quot;
+
+<p>So saying, Jonas began to call aloud, &quot;Oliver! Oliver!&quot; But no Oliver
+answered.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Let us see if we can find any tracks,&quot; said he; and he and Rollo began
+to look about for tracks.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What's this?&quot; said Rollo, looking down intently upon the snow, pretty
+near where the horse had been tied.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Any tracks?&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Rollo, &quot;but some writing in the snow.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So Rollo began to read the writing in a slow manner, as he walked along
+from one word to another; for, the letters being large, the sentence
+extended quite a distance from where it first attracted his attention.
+He read as follows:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Jonas,&mdash;I&mdash;am&mdash;tired of writing,'&mdash;no, 'waiting. I am
+going&mdash;back&mdash;to&mdash;the&mdash;mill.'&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Let me see,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>So Jonas came to the place, and saw the writing. Rollo had read it
+correctly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;he has gone back to the mill, no doubt. We will go,
+and we shall find him there;&mdash;but when did you come from home? and how
+did you find where I was?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Rollo, in answer to Jonas's question, explained to him that his father
+had given him permission to take the horse and sleigh and Nathan, and
+come and pay Jonas a visit. He had arrived at the farmer's that day,
+just after Jonas and Oliver had set out. The farmer told them where
+Jonas had gone, and he was very desirous of going after him. He said
+that he had no doubt that he could find him.</p>
+
+<p>The farmer had hesitated a little; but finally he gave his consent, and
+Rollo set off, leaving Nathan at the farmer's, as he was rather tired.
+He had followed Jonas to the mill, and then he inquired of the people
+whether Jonas had been there. A man in the road told him that he had
+seen Jonas ride away on a certain road; and so Rollo had followed on in
+the road pointed out to him, as he knew that it was not far that he was
+to go.</p>
+
+<p>When Rollo had got so far in his story, Jonas interrupted him to ask,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Were you on foot, Rollo?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; replied Rollo, &quot;in my sleigh.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And where is your sleigh?&quot; asked Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, I left it out here a little way. When I found that the snow was
+deep, and my horse slumped in pretty bad, I left him by the side of the
+road, and walked on to see if I could see any thing of you. I soon found
+your sleigh, run out of the path, and the horse tied under a tree over
+the brook. So I knew that you couldn't be far off.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And you did not go any farther.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Rollo; &quot;I thought it would be better for me to stay by the
+sleigh, and wait for you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jonas asked Rollo a great many questions about all the people at
+home&mdash;his father and mother, and his cousin Lucy; and he said that he
+was very glad indeed, that Rollo had come to see him.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Do you have a pretty good time upon the farm?&quot; said Rollo.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;very good indeed. You would like to be here very
+much.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Are there any boys for me to play with?&quot; said Rollo.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;there is Oliver, though he don't play much. He works
+nearly all the time. But then there is Josey, though he has gone home
+now.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I saw a boy at the mill,&quot; said Rollo, &quot;when I came along. I verily
+believe it was Oliver.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How big was he?&quot; asked Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, about as big as I am,&quot; said Rollo.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And what was he doing?&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, he was playing about on the rocks, under the falls. But he didn't
+seem to have much to do. He stopped and looked at me when I was coming
+by.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Very likely it was he,&quot; said Jonas. &quot;If he had only known who you were,
+he would have liked very much to have come along with you; and you would
+have been good company for each other.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And O, Rollo,&quot; said Jonas again, very eagerly, &quot;there's somebody you'll
+like very much indeed.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Who is it?&quot; said Rollo.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Franco Ney,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Franco Ney!&quot; repeated Rollo; &quot;I never heard a boy named Franco before.
+How old is he?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't know,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Don't know? Well, where does he live?&mdash;at your house?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Jonas. Jonas was correct in this answer, for Franco was
+accustomed to live in the barn.</p>
+
+<p>After some other conversation, Rollo, suddenly looking up, said,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How far is it, Jonas, from your house to Mr. Ney's?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jonas laughed very heartily at this question, but gave no answer. Rollo
+could not imagine what he could he laughing at. Jonas, however, would
+not tell him, but said that he would know all about it, when he should
+come to see Franco Ney.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said Rollo, &quot;I'll ask him why you wouldn't tell me where his
+father lives.&quot;</p>
+
+<p><img src="images/jonas12.jpg" align="right" width="213" height="139"
+alt="A nursing kid goat."></p>
+
+<p>Very soon Rollo and Jonas arrived at the mill. They found Oliver safe
+there, waiting for them; and the rolls, too, were ready. As they did not
+like to tumble the rolls, Oliver rode with Rollo in his sleigh, and
+Jonas took care of the rolls.</p>
+
+<p>Rollo was greatly astonished, as well as very much pleased, when he came
+to see Franco Ney.</p>
+
+
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<a name="11"></a><h2>CHAPTER XI.</h2>
+<br>
+
+<p><b>THE SNOW FORT, OR GOOD FOR EVIL</b></p>
+
+<p>The next morning, after breakfast, Oliver proposed to Rollo, that they
+should go down to the pond, and build a snow fort. During the night,
+there had been a slight thaw, accompanied with some rain. The body of
+snow on the ground had become softened and adhesive by the moisture, and
+was, as Jonas said, &quot;in prime condition for all sorts of snow work.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Oliver borrowed of Jonas the large wooden snow-shovel, with a blade
+nearly two feet square, used in cutting out the paths around the house.
+Rollo assisted him to strap it on the hand-sled, together with some
+boards, two iron shovels, and a hoe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Conqueror&quot;&mdash;for that was the name of his sled&mdash;&quot;will have to be
+captive to-day,&quot; said Oliver, as he bound the load upon the sled, which
+he and Rollo were going to drag down to the pond.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You had better take
+the garden-reel and line,&quot; said Jonas to Oliver, &quot;if you intend to make
+a good fort. You will want to stretch your line so as to make the sides
+square, and to guide you in cutting out your blocks of snow.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, we don't want to be so particular as that,&quot; said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But I thought,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;that your plan last evening was, to do
+your work in a workmanlike manner. If you want a substantial fort to
+last all winter, you must lay a good foundation, and cut your courses
+true, so that they will rest firmly one upon the other,&mdash;and especially
+if you are going to have a roof.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We mean to have a roof,&quot; said Rollo, &quot;or we cannot illuminate it in the
+evening.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, then,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;I advise you to take the line, and build
+according to rule.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Oliver had not forgotten what Jonas had often told him about doing his
+work like a workman.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<i>What is worth doing at all, is worth doing well</i>&quot; Jonas used to say.</p>
+
+<p>So Oliver went to get the reel and line.</p>
+
+<p>While he was gone to the tool-house, Rollo thought of Franco Ney, and
+began to call aloud, &quot;Franco! Franco!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Franco did not come.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Franco! Franco&mdash;o! Franco&mdash;o! Where <i>is</i> Franco?&quot; said Rollo; &quot;we can't
+go without him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He won't mind you,&quot; said Oliver, as he came running back.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You call him, then,&quot; said Rollo.</p>
+
+<p>Oliver whistled the dog call, and in a moment, Franco came running from
+the poultry yard with a bone in his mouth, which he had been gnawing for
+a breakfast. At that moment, Nathan came running out of the door, with a
+luncheon in his hand for them all. The farmer's wife had put up in a
+paper an apple turn-over and a nut-cake for each of the boys, as they
+were going on so important an expedition.</p>
+
+<p>Very soon, every thing was ready, and they started for the scene of
+operations, eager for their work, Oliver and Rollo drawing the sled, and
+Nathan and Franco following on behind.</p>
+
+<p>When they arrived near the pond, Oliver pointed to a little mound, not
+far from the edge of the water, which overlooked the principal
+skating-ground of the village boys in winter.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;There, Rollo,&quot; said Oliver, &quot;there's the place for a fort. Many a
+pleasant time we have had there, in a clear winter night, watching the
+skaters all the way up to the head of the pond. The fires look
+splendidly.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It is a good place for a lookout,&quot; said Rollo; &quot;but then I wouldn't
+build it here. Let us go down nearer the pond.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Oliver; &quot;if we go down near the pond, as likely as not, the
+first skating night, some of the boys will tear our fort all to pieces.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What if they do?&quot; said Rollo.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I want it to last all winter,&quot; said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>Rollo yielded to Oliver's wishes, and they began together to unbind
+their load of boards and tools.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Come, Nathan,&quot; said Oliver, &quot;we want you to help us now.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Rollo and Nathan measured with the reel and line, while Oliver planted a
+stake firmly in the snow at the four corners of the square.</p>
+
+<p>According to Jonas's advice, the evening before, they had agreed to make
+their fortification twelve feet square, and the walls about one foot
+thick.</p>
+
+<p>Rollo and Nathan held the cord, stretched from corner to corner, just
+along the surface of the snow, while Oliver, with the shovel, cut the
+snow square down to the ground, more than a foot and a half deep.</p>
+
+<p>In this way they went round the whole enclosure, outside. They then went
+inside, and, by a similar process, cut away the snow so as to leave an
+unbroken line of snow wall about ten feet square and one foot wide.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;There,&quot; said Oliver, &quot;there are the sills, as Jonas called them. It is
+what <i>I</i> call a good foundation.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>After this, Oliver asked Rollo to bring in the measuring-board inside of
+the fort.</p>
+
+<p>Oliver and Rollo remembered what Jonas had told them about &quot;commanding
+and obeying,&quot; and agreed to take turns in being &quot;director.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>It was Oliver's turn for the first hour, and Rollo was to obey him.
+Nathan was to assist them both, when he was wanted.</p>
+
+<p>Oliver, therefore, took the command, and directed where and how to cut
+out the snow, in the manner which Jonas had described.</p>
+
+<p>They proceeded with the measuring-board, to mark off, and cut out by it, solid blocks
+of snow about four feet long, one foot wide, and one thick.</p>
+
+<p>Rollo laid down the measuring-board on the snow, and then both of them,
+with the shovels, cut down the snow perpendicularly along the edges, so
+as to have all the snow-blocks of precisely the same length, breadth,
+and thickness. These they laid in courses, on the top of the foundation.</p>
+
+<p>It took just three blocks to form a side, excepting the side where the
+door was, which they left three feet wide.</p>
+
+<p>After working more than two hours, and laying two courses, they shoveled
+out all the broken snow that remained inside, and then sat down on the
+sled to eat their luncheon and rest.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How do you like the looks of it, Rollo?&quot; said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<i>Well</i>,&quot; said Rollo; &quot;only I don't see how we can make a roof.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Jonas will help us do that,&quot; said Oliver, &quot;if we do the rest of the
+work well.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The boys, however, were now pretty tired. They had worked very hard.
+They pulled off their caps, and with their handkerchiefs wiped the
+perspiration from their foreheads.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Don't let us work any longer now,&quot; said Nathan, rubbing his hands, and
+knocking one foot against the other. &quot;I think we have done enough for
+one day; and my feet are <i>so</i> cold!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<i>We've</i> done enough!&quot; said Oliver. &quot;I think Rollo and I have had the
+principal <i>doing</i> to do. You and Franco have been looking on.&quot;</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+&quot;'What you've to do<br>
+Get done to-day,<br>
+And do not for to-morrow stay;<br>
+There's always danger in delay'&mdash;<br>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>said Rollo. &quot;I think we had better finish
+it now. Come, Nathan, jump about here
+on the sled, and you will soon be warm.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So they went briskly at work again, Rollo taking the command. They found
+it very hard, after the second course, to get the snow-blocks up on the
+snowy wall. Often they would slip away out of their hands, just as they
+were lodging them safely on the top, and fall over on one side of the
+wall, and break to pieces.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Let us cut them in two,&quot; said Oliver; &quot;we
+can handle them better so.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Before they got through the fourth course, they were glad to cut all
+their materials into pieces of one foot square.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How high are the walls now?&quot; said Rollo, as they stopped to look at the
+appearance of the last course.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Between five and six feet,&quot; said Oliver. &quot;The foundation is at least a
+foot and a half high, and we have laid four courses.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Oliver, Rollo, and Nathan went to work together, then, stopping up all
+the chinks in the wall, inside and out, with soft snow.</p>
+
+<p>When this was well done, Oliver took the hoe, and with the sharp edge
+shaved down all around on both sides, making the walls look even and
+true.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said Rollo, &quot;that is the best snow fort I ever saw. Jonas does
+know how to do things, doesn't he, Oliver? But I don't see how we are to
+get a roof on.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't care about a roof,&quot; said Oliver. &quot;We don't want to play in it
+only in pleasant weather.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'll tell you what we might do,&quot; said Rollo. &quot;We could make a
+partition through the middle, and put a roof over half of it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;So we can,&quot; said Oliver. &quot;We'll do that this afternoon. It's time to go
+to dinner now.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The boys then gathered all the tools, &amp;c., and laid them together, as
+Jonas had taught them to do, when they finished work, and then started
+for home.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Halloo, Franco,&quot; said Rollo, &quot;are you here still?&quot; They had been so
+busy at work, they had taken no notice of him. But Franco had watched
+their operations, and now went running on in the path before the boys,
+wagging his tail, as if he had as much pleasure as they, in
+contemplating the result of their morning's labor.</p>
+
+<p>When Jonas came home to dinner, at noon, the boys were impatient to tell
+him what they had done.</p>
+
+<p>But Jonas was too much engaged in some work about the new barn to listen
+to their story then. He told them, however, that he would go down about
+sunset, and look at their work, and hear the account, in the evening, of
+the experiment in doing work like workmen.</p>
+
+<p>After dinner, Oliver was
+excused from many of his regular duties, on account of the visit of
+Rollo and Nathan; and the three boys hastened to return to their fort.
+They were so intent on finishing it, that they lost all interest in
+playing with Franco, or each other.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What shall we call our fort?&quot; said Oliver, as they walked along.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We don't want any name, do we?&quot; said Rollo.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, yes,&quot; said Oliver, &quot;let us have a name. I always like to have a
+name. There's the old 'General,'&mdash;we have had many a good time with him;
+and my 'Conqueror,'&mdash;there isn't a boy in town that doesn't know my
+sled.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We might call it 'Gibraltar,'&quot; said Rollo.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, that's a good name,&quot; said Oliver. &quot;How do you like 'Iceberg
+Castle'? Jonas was telling us all about the icebergs the other evening;
+and I read a story, about a famous 'Ice Palace' in Russia; how do you
+like that?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't like that,&quot; said Rollo. &quot;Ours is a <i>fort</i>; it isn't a palace.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If you are going to have it a palace,&quot; said Nathan, &quot;whom will you
+have for a <i>king</i>?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You may be king, Nathan,&quot; said Rollo, &quot;and we will soon demolish your
+palace, and make a prisoner of you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, no,&quot; said Oliver, &quot;the fort shall stand as long as ice will last. I
+mean to pour water all over it, and freeze it into solid ice; and I
+expect the last ice to be seen any where about next spring, will be the
+ruins of the old fort.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>After some discussion, the boys agreed to call it &quot;Iceberg Castle.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>They then took a survey, inside and out, of their morning's work, and
+decided to proceed at once and build the partition which Rollo proposed
+before dinner. At Oliver's suggestion, Rollo was director.</p>
+
+<p>For more than an hour they continued their toil, in constructing the
+partition. Jonas had given them no instructions about this; and they
+found it much more difficult than the walls, on account of the small,
+low door, which they had to make, to lead from one apartment into the
+other.</p>
+
+<p>At last, as Oliver and Nathan were drawing through the outer door a
+small heap of loose snow, which they had gathered up from the floor of
+the inner room, Rollo followed them, shouting, as they emerged from the
+fort, &quot;Done, boys, done!&mdash;Hurrah for Iceberg Castle!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I wish Jonas was here now,&quot; said Oliver; &quot;but I suppose it will be two
+or three hours before he can come down.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Can't we do something more?&quot; said Rollo. &quot;I wish we could put on a
+roof, before he comes.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't believe we can do that,&quot; said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>The boys walked in and out, and all around the fort, again and again,
+admiring its appearance, and thinking what else they could do.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It wouldn't be a bad plan to have a king, as Nathan said, in our
+castle; would it, Oliver?&quot; said Rollo.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Not at all,&quot; said Oliver. &quot;Let us make a king, or a giant, to keep the
+premises for us, when we are away.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So saying, they all set to work rolling snow-balls to make him.</p>
+
+<p>Oliver rolled up a huge mass, for his body, larger than they could at
+first get through the doors.</p>
+
+<p>Rollo rolled one for his head, and Nathan made several small ones.</p>
+
+<p>In one corner of the inner room, they laid a small platform, of several
+square, flat blocks of snow, for a throne, as Rollo called it; and here
+they placed his &quot;Majesty.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It seems to me,&quot; said Oliver, &quot;that the King of the Frozen Regions
+ought to have a crown and a court.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>No sooner said than done. A little band of snow-balls, in double rows,
+soon encircled his brow, surmounted, too, with icicles and stalactites,
+which Nathan brought from the brook.</p>
+
+<p>The opposite corners of the room were soon decorated with corresponding
+figures, whom Rollo introduced as Lord and Lady Frost.</p>
+
+<p>He had scarcely pronounced the names, when Jonas walked in, to the
+surprise and great delight of the boys.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well done, boys,&quot; said Jonas; &quot;I think you have followed directions
+this time. I give you credit for doing your work in a workmanlike
+manner. But I can't stay to talk with you about it now. Your father,
+Oliver, wishes me to go out on the pond, and bring home the sled we left
+there, the other night, in the storm. The wind has come out in the
+north-west, and there is every prospect of a bitter cold night. It has
+begun to stiffen already, and, before morning, the sled may be locked up
+in solid ice.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jonas hurried away, and the boys, not a little disappointed, gathered
+all their implements together to return home.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It <i>will</i> be a cold night; won't it?&quot; said Oliver, as he looked off to
+the north-west. How fast it grows cold! It freezes now. I was in hopes
+we should have one more mild day. But we can't get a roof on after
+this.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Won't it make good skating on the pond,&quot; asked Rollo, &quot;if the water
+freezes now?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, indeed,&quot; said Oliver. &quot;I shouldn't be surprised if there was
+skating there to-night. It's only a thin sheet of water over the ice and
+snow. Three or four hours of real cold will make ice enough for that.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Come, Nathan, jump on the sled, and you shall have a ride. Rollo and I
+will be your horses. Mother will have supper ready by the time we get
+home.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Nathan, glad of a ride, took his seat, and they were soon at the house.</p>
+
+<p>Oliver took the snow-shovels and the other tools, and returned them to
+their proper places, and then drew up his sled into a corner of the
+wagon-house.</p>
+
+<p>After tea, Oliver and Rollo went out into the yard to feel the air, and
+judge of the impression the night would probably make upon &quot;Iceberg
+Castle&quot; and its inhabitants.</p>
+
+<p>It was clear and cold. The stars twinkled brightly. The moon was not up.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;See there!&quot; said Oliver; &quot;I do believe they are building a fire down on
+the pond already. There'll be a skating party to-night, no doubt.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The boys returned to a cheerful room with a good fire, and were seated
+round the table, to amuse themselves for the evening. They passed the
+time pleasantly until Jonas returned from the pond.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O Jonas, Jonas,&quot; they all said, as he came in, &quot;what made you stay so
+long?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jonas gave them an account of his adventures, and of his meeting a party
+of skaters, who were already on the pond, expecting to be joined, in
+the course of the evening, by a much larger number from the village.</p>
+
+<p>After Jonas had taken his supper, the boys gathered around him to talk
+about their fort, every now and then running to the door or window, to
+see the fire on the pond.</p>
+
+<p>Long before it went out, Oliver, Rollo, and Nathan, were in a sound
+sleep.</p>
+
+<p>The next morning, early, they appeared as impatient to run down to the
+&quot;Castle,&quot; as if they had dreamed of it all night long; and before the
+fire was well burning in the great room, they all three came running
+back to Jonas, out of breath, and with sad faces, exclaiming,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O Jonas! Jonas! our fort is all torn to pieces!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>True enough, some of the boys of the skating party had completely
+demolished the Castle.</p>
+
+<p>Oliver and Rollo were greatly excited; they were grieved, and they were
+angry, and could scarcely refrain from expressing wishes of vengeance
+which it was not in their power to execute.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas sympathized with them in their severe disappointment.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Tis <i>too bad</i>,&quot; said Rollo.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Tis <i>too bad</i>,&quot; repeated Oliver. &quot;How shall we pay them for it? Jonas,
+tell us how?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Pay them for it?&quot; said Jonas; &quot;that isn't the way I should do.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, I think they deserve it,&quot; said Rollo.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;So do I,&quot; said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What do you mean by paying them for it?&quot; said Jonas; &quot;giving them as
+much injury and pain as they have given you? Don't you remember the
+lesson that Franco taught us, that to return good for evil was good
+policy as well as good morals?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, what would you do, Jonas?&quot; they both asked together.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't know now,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;what I would do. I will think of it.
+But this I know,&mdash;that we ought <i>never to be overcome of evil, but to
+overcome evil with good</i>.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Oliver and Rollo wondered what Jonas would do.</p>
+<br>
+
+<br>
+<hr class="full" size="5" noshade>
+
+<div>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 12260 ***</div>
+</body>
+</html>
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+Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for
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+           by Jacob Abbott</title>
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+<h1>The Project Gutenberg eBook, Jonas on a Farm in Winter, by Jacob Abbott</h1>
+<pre>
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at <a href = "https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a></pre>
+<p>Title: Jonas on a Farm in Winter</p>
+<p>Author: Jacob Abbott</p>
+<p>Release Date: May 4, 2004  [eBook #12260]</p>
+<p>Language: English</p>
+<p>Character set encoding: US-ASCII</p>
+<p>***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JONAS ON A FARM IN WINTER***</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<center><b>E-text prepared by Internet Archive Children's Library;<br>
+           University of Florida;<br>
+           and Thaadd, Stan Goodman, and<br>
+           the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team</b></center>
+<br>
+<br>
+
+<table border=0 bgcolor="ccccff" cellpadding=10>
+  <tr>
+    <td valign="top">
+      Note:
+    </td>
+    <td>
+          Images of the original pages are available through the Florida
+	      Board of Education, Division of Colleges and Universities,
+	      PALMM Project, 2001. (Preservation and Access for American and
+	      British Children's Literature, 1850-1869.) See<br>
+	      <a href="http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/dl/UF00001875.jpg">
+	      http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/dl/UF00001875.jpg</a>
+	      <br>
+	      or<br>
+	      <a href="http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/dl/UF00001875.pdf">
+	      http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/dl/UF00001875.pdf</a>
+	</td>
+  </tr>
+</table>
+
+<br>
+<br>
+<hr class="full" size="5" noshade>
+<br>
+<br>
+<img src="images/jonas1.jpg"  width="576" height="370"
+alt="Jonas stopping at the house of Mr. Edwards.">
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h1>JONAS<br>
+ON A FARM<br>
+in<br>
+WINTER</h1>
+<br>
+
+<h2>BY JACOB ABBOTT</h2>
+
+<h3>Author of the Rollo Books</h3>
+
+<h3>MDCCCLI</h3>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h2>PREFACE</h2>
+<br>
+<p>This little work, with its companion, <i>Jonas On A Farm In Summer,</i> is
+intended as the continuation of a series, the first two volumes of
+which, <i>Jonas's Stories</i> and <i>Jonas A Judge,</i> have already been published.
+They are all designed, not merely to interest and amuse the juvenile
+reader, but to give him instruction, by exemplifying the principles of
+honest integrity, and plain practical good sense, in their application
+to the ordinary circumstances of childhood.</p>
+
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h2>CONTENTS</h2>
+<br>
+
+<p class="ctr">
+<a href="#1">CHAPTER I.<br>     MORNING</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="ctr">
+<a href="#2">CHAPTER II.<br>     COMMANDING AND OBEYING</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="ctr">
+<a href="#3">CHAPTER III.<br>     FRANCO</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="ctr">
+<a href="#4">CHAPTER IV.<br>      DOG LOST</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="ctr">
+<a href="#5">CHAPTER V.<br>     SIGNS OF A STORM</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="ctr">
+<a href="#6">CHAPTER VI.<br>     THE RESCUE</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="ctr">
+<a href="#7">CHAPTER VII.<br>     A FIRE</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="ctr">
+<a href="#8">CHAPTER VIII.<br>     THE CARDING-MILL</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="ctr">
+<a href="#9">CHAPTER IX.<br>     DIFFICULTY</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="ctr">
+<a href="#10">CHAPTER X.<br>     A SURPRISE</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="ctr">
+<a href="#11">CHAPTER XI.<br>     THE SNOW FORT, OR GOOD FOR EVIL</a>
+</p>
+<br>
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<a name="1"></a><h2>CHAPTER I.</h2>
+<br>
+
+<p><b>MORNING</b></p>
+
+<p>Early one winter morning, while Jonas was living upon the farm, in the
+employment of Oliver's father, he came groping down, just before
+daylight, into the great room.</p>
+
+<p>The great room was, as its name indicated, quite large, occupying a
+considerable portion of the lower floor of the farmer's house. There was
+a very spacious fireplace in one side, with a settle, which was a long
+seat, with a very high back, near it. The room was used both for kitchen
+and parlor, and there was a great variety of furniture in different
+parts of it. There were chairs and tables, a bookcase with a desk below,
+a loom in one corner by a window, and a spinning-wheel near it. Then,
+there were a great many doors. One led out into the back yard, one up
+stairs, one into a back room,&mdash;which was used for coarse work, and which
+was generally called the kitchen,&mdash;and one into a large store closet
+adjoining the great room.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas groped his way down stairs; but as soon as he opened the great
+room door, he found the room filled with a flickering light, which came
+from the fireplace. There was a log there, which had been buried in the
+ashes the night before. It had burned slowly, through the night, and the
+fire had broken out at one end, which now glowed like a furnace, and
+illuminated the whole room with a faint red light.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas went up towards the fire. The hearth was very large, and formed of
+great, flat stones. On one side of it was a large heap of wood, which
+Jonas had prepared the night before, to be ready for his fire. On the
+other side was a black cat asleep, with her chin upon her paws. When the
+cat heard Jonas coming, she rose up, stretched out her fore paws, and
+then began to purr, rubbing her cheeks against the bottom of the settle.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Good morning, Darco,&quot; said Jonas. &quot;It is time to get up.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The cat's name was Darco.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas took a pair of heavy iron tongs, which stood by the side of the
+fire, and pulled forward the log. He found that it had burned through,
+and by three or four strokes with the tongs, he broke it up into large
+fragments of coal, of a dark-reddish color. The air being thus admitted,
+they soon began to brighten and crackle, until, in a few minutes, there
+was before him a large heap of glowing and burning coals. He put a log
+on behind, then placed the andirons up to the log, and a great forestick
+upon the andirons. He placed the forestick so far out as to leave a
+considerable space between it and the backlog, and then he put the coals
+up into this space,&mdash;having first put in a slender stick, resting upon
+the andirons, to keep the coals from falling through. He then placed on
+a great deal more wood, and he soon had a roaring fire, which crackled
+loud, and blazed up into the chimney.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now for my lantern,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>So saying, he took down a lantern, which hung by the side of the fire.
+The lantern was made of tin, with holes punched through it on all sides,
+so as to allow the light to shine through; and yet the holes were not
+large enough to admit the wind, to blow out the light.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas opened the lantern, and took out a short candle from the socket
+within. Just as he was lighting it, the door opened, and Amos came in.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Ah, Jonas,&quot; said he, &quot;you are before me, as usual.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, the youngest hand makes the fire, of course,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Then it ought to be Oliver,&quot; said Amos,&mdash;&quot;or else Josey.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;There! I promised to wake Oliver up,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, he's awake; and he and Josey are coming down. They have found out
+that there is snow on the ground.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Is there much snow?&quot; asked Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't know,&quot; said Amos; &quot;the ground seems pretty well covered. If
+there is enough to make sledding, you are going after wood to-day.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And what are you going to do?&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I am going up among the pines to get out the barn frame, I believe.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Here a door opened, and Oliver came in, followed by Josey shivering
+with the cold, and in great haste to get to the fire.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Didn't your father say,&quot; said Amos to Oliver, &quot;that he was going with
+me to-day, to get out the timber for the barn frame?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Oliver, &quot;he is going to build a great barn next summer. But
+I'm going up into the woods with Jonas, to haul wood. There's plenty of
+snow.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'd go too,&quot; said Josey, &quot;if it wasn't so cold.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It won't be cold in the woods,&quot; said Jonas. &quot;There's no wind in the
+woods.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>While they had been talking thus, Jonas had got his lantern ready, and
+had gone to the door, and stood there a minute, ready to go out.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Jonas,&quot; said Josey, &quot;are you going out into the barn?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Wait a minute, then, for me, just till I put on my other boot.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jonas waited a minute, according to Josey's request, and then they all
+went out together.</p>
+
+<p>They found the snow pretty deep, all over the yard, but they waded
+through it to the barn. They had to go through a gate, which led them
+into the barn-yard. From the barn-yard they entered the barn itself, by
+a small door near one corner.</p>
+
+<p>There were two great doors in the middle of the barn, made so large
+that, when they were opened, there was space enough for a large load of
+hay to go in. Opposite these doors there was a space floored over with
+plank, pretty wide, and extending through the barn to the back side.
+This was called the barn floor. On one side was a place divided off for
+stables for the horses, and on the other side was the <i>tie-up</i>, a place
+for the oxen and cows. There was also the bay, and the lofts for hay and
+grain; and at the end of the tie-up there was a door leading into a
+calf-pen, and thence, by a passage behind the calf-pen, to a work-shop
+and shed. The small door where the boys came in, led to a long and
+narrow passage, between the tie-up and the bay.</p>
+
+<p>They walked along, Jonas going before with his lantern in his hand. The
+cattle which had lain down, began to get up, and the horses neighed in
+their stalls; for the shining of the lantern in the barn was the
+well-known signal which called them to breakfast.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas clambered up by a long ladder to the hay-loft, to pitch down some
+hay, and Josey and Oliver followed him; while Amos remained below to
+&quot;feed out&quot; the hay, as he called it, as fast as they pitched it down. It
+was pretty dark upon the loft, although the lantern shed a feeble light
+upon the rafters above.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Boys,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;it is dangerous for you to be up here; I'd rather
+you'd go down.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said Oliver, and he began to descend.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why?&quot; said Josey; &quot;I don't think there's any danger.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;a pitchfork wound is worse than almost any other. It
+is what they call a <i>punctured</i> wound.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What kind of a wound is that?&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'll tell you some other time,&quot; said Jonas. &quot;But don't stay up here. You
+don't obey so well as Oliver. Go down and give the old General some
+hay.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The old General was the name of a large white horse, quite old and
+steady, but of great strength. When he was younger, he belonged to a
+general, who used to ride him upon the parade, and this was the origin
+of his name.</p>
+
+<p>Josey, at this proposal, made haste down the ladder, and began to put
+some hay over into the old General's crib. He then went round into the
+General's stall, and, patting him upon the neck, he asked him if his
+breakfast was good.</p>
+
+<p>In the mean time, Oliver opened the great barn doors, and, taking a
+shovel, he began to clear away the snow from before them. The sky in the
+east was by this time beginning to be quite bright; and a considerable
+degree of light from the sky, and from the new-fallen snow, came into
+the barn. Josey got a shovel, and went out to help Oliver. After they
+had shoveled away the snow from the great barn doors, they went to the
+house, and began to clear the steps before the doors, and to make paths
+in the yards. They worked in this way for half an hour, and then, just
+as the sun began first to show its bright, glittering rays above the
+horizon, they went into the house. They found that the great fire which
+Jonas had built, was burnt half down; the breakfast-table was set, and
+the breakfast itself was nearly ready.</p>
+
+<p>The boys came to the fireplace, to see what they were going to have for
+breakfast.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Boys,&quot; said the farmer's wife, while she was turning her cakes, &quot;go and
+call Amos in to family prayers,&mdash;and Jonas.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You go, Oliver,&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>Oliver said nothing, but obeyed his mother's direction. He went into the
+barn-yard, and he found Amos and Jonas at work in a shed beyond, getting
+down a sled which had been stowed away there during the summer. It was a
+large and heavy sled, and had a tongue extending forward to draw it by.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What are you getting out that sled for?&quot; said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;To haul wood on,&quot; said Jonas. &quot;We're going to haul wood after
+breakfast, and I want to get all ready.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>There was another smaller and lighter sled, which had been upon the top
+of the heavy one, before Amos and Jonas had taken it off. This smaller
+sled had two shafts to draw it by, instead of a tongue. Jonas knew by
+this, that it was intended to be drawn by a horse, while the one with a
+tongue was meant for oxen.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oliver,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;I think it would be a good plan for you and Josey
+to take this sled and the old General, and go with me to haul wood.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said Oliver, &quot;I should like it very much.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We can all go up together. You and Josey can be loading the horse-sled,
+while I load the ox-sled, and then we can drive them down, and so get
+two loads down, instead of one.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said Oliver, &quot;I mean to ask my father.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Or perhaps,&quot; continued Jonas, &quot;you can be teamster for the oxen, and
+Josey can drive the horse, and so I remain up in the woods, cutting and
+splitting.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Oliver, &quot;because we can't unload alone.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Jonas; &quot;I had forgotten that.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But I mean to ask my father,&quot; said Oliver, &quot;to let me have the old
+General, and haul a load down when you come.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So saying, the boys walked along towards the house. The sun was now
+shining beautifully upon the fresh snow, making it sparkle in every
+direction, all around. They walked in by the path which Oliver and Josey
+had shoveled.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why didn't you make your path wider?&quot; said Amos. &quot;This isn't wide
+enough for a cow-path.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, yes, Amos,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;it will do very well. I can widen it a
+little when I come out after breakfast.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>When they got to the door, Jonas stopped a moment to look around. The
+fields were white in every direction, and the branches of the trees near
+the house were loaded with the snow. The air was keen and frosty, and
+the breaths of the boys were visible by the vapor which was condensed by
+the cold. The pond was one great level field of dazzling white. All was
+silent&mdash;nothing was seen of life or motion, except that Darco, who came
+out when the door was opened, looked around astonished, took a few
+cautious steps along the path, and then, finding the snow too deep and
+cold, went back again to take her place once more by the fire.</p>
+
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<a name="2"></a><h2>CHAPTER II.</h2>
+<br>
+
+<p><b>COMMANDING AND OBEYING</b></p>
+
+<p>About an hour after breakfast, Jonas with the oxen, and Oliver and Josey
+with the horse, were slowly moving along up the road which led back from
+the pond towards the wood lot. The wood lot was a portion of the forest,
+which had been reserved, to furnish a supply of wood for the winter
+fires. The road followed for some distance the bank of the brook, which
+emptied into the pond at the place where Jonas and Oliver had cleared
+land, when Jonas first came to live on this farm.</p>
+
+<p>It was a very pleasant road. The brook was visible here and there
+through the bushes and trees on one side of it. These bushes and trees
+were of course bare of leaves, excepting the evergreens, and they were
+loaded down with the snow. Some were bent over so that the tops nearly
+touched the ground.</p>
+
+<p>The brook itself, too, was almost buried and concealed in the snow. In
+the still places, it had frozen over; and so the snow had been supported
+by the ice, and thus it concealed both ice and water. At the little
+cascades and waterfalls, however, which occurred here and there, the
+water had not frozen. Water does not freeze easily where it runs with
+great velocity. At these places, therefore, the boys could see the
+water, and hear it bubbling and gurgling as it fell, and disappeared
+under the ice which had formed below.</p>
+
+<p>At last, they came to the wood lot. The wood which they were going to
+haul had been cut before, and it had been piled up in long piles,
+extending here and there under the trees which had been left. These
+piles were now, however, partly covered with the snow, which lay light
+and unsullied all over the surface of the ground.</p>
+
+<p>The sticks of wood in these piles were of different sizes, though they
+were all of the same length. Some had been cut from the tops of the
+trees, or from the branches, and were, consequently, small in diameter;
+others were from the trunks, which would, of course, make large logs.
+These logs had, however, been split into quarters by a beetle and
+wedges, when the wood had been prepared, so that there were very few
+sticks or logs so large, but that Jonas could pretty easily get them on
+to the sled.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas drove his team up near to one end of the pile, while Josey and
+Oliver went to the other, where the wood was generally small. While
+Jonas was loading, he heard a conversation something like this between
+the other boys:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Let's put some good large logs on our sled,&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said Oliver, &quot;as large as we can; only we'd better put this
+small wood on first.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I wish you'd go around to the other side, Oliver,&quot; said Josey again;
+&quot;you're in my way.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Oliver, &quot;I can't work on that side very well.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Then I mean to move the old General round a little.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Oliver, &quot;the sled stands just right now; only you get up on
+the top of the pile, and I'll stay here.&quot; &quot;No,&quot; said Josey, &quot;I'd rather
+stand here myself.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So the boys continued at work a few minutes longer, each being in the
+other's way.</p>
+
+<p>At length, Josey said again,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, here is a large log, and I mean to get it out, and put it upon our
+sled.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The log was covered with smaller wood, so that Josey could only get hold
+of the end of it. He clasped his hands together under this end, and
+began to lift it up, endeavoring to get it free from the other wood. He
+succeeded in raising it a little, but it soon got wedged in again, worse
+than before.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Come, Oliver,&quot; said Josey, &quot;help me get out this log. It is rock
+maple.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Oliver, &quot;I'm busy.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Jonas,&quot; said Josey, calling out aloud, &quot;Jonas, here's a stick of wood,
+which I can't get out. I wish you'd come and help me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>In answer to this request, Jonas only called both the boys to come to
+him.</p>
+
+<p>They accordingly left the old General standing in the snow, with his
+sled partly loaded, and came to the end of the pile, where Jonas was at
+work. </p>
+
+<p>&quot;I see you don't get along very well,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, you see,&quot; said Josey, &quot;that Oliver wouldn't help me put on a great
+log.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The difficulty is,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;that you both want to be master.
+Whereas, when two people are working together, one must be master, and
+the other servant.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<i>I</i> don't want to be servant,&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It's better to be servant on some accounts,&quot; said Jonas; &quot;then you have
+no responsibility.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Responsibility?&quot; repeated Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Jonas. &quot;Power and responsibility always go together;&mdash;or at
+least they ought to. But come, boys, be helping me load, while we are
+settling this difficulty, so as not to lose our time.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So the boys began to put wood upon Jonas's sled, while the conversation
+continued as follows:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Can't two persons work together, unless one is master, and the other
+servant?&quot; asked Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;At least,&quot; replied Jonas, &quot;one must take the lead, and the other
+follow, in order to work to advantage. There must be subordination. For
+you see that, in all sorts of work, there are a great many little
+questions coming up, which are of no great consequence, only they ought
+to be decided, one way or the other, quick, or else the work won't go
+on. You act, in your work, like Jack and Jerry, when they ran against
+the horse-block.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, how was that?&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;They were drawing the wagon along to harness the horse in, and the
+horse-block was in the way; so they both got hold of the shafts, and
+Jack wanted to pull it around towards the right, while Jerry said it
+would be better to have it go to the left. So they pulled, one one way,
+and the other the other, and thus they got it up chock against the
+horse-block, one shaft on each side. Here they stood pulling in
+opposition for some time, and all the while their father was waiting for
+them to turn the wagon, and harness the horse.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What did he say to them,&quot; said Oliver, &quot;when he found it out?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He made Jack bring it round Jerry's way, and then made Jerry draw it
+back again, and bring it along Jack's way.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;When men are at work,&quot; continued Jonas, &quot;one acts as director, and the
+rest follows on, as he guides. Then all the unimportant questions are
+decided promptly.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said Josey, &quot;let us do so, Oliver. I'll be director.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How do they decide who shall be director?&quot; said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The oldest and most experienced directs, generally; or, if one is the
+employer, and the others are employed by him, then the employer directs
+the others. If a man wants a stone bridge built, and hires three men to
+do it, there is always an understanding, at the beginning, who shall
+have the direction of the work, and all the others obey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;So,&quot; continued Jonas, &quot;if a carpenter were to send two of his men into
+the woods to cut down a tree for timber, without saying which of them
+should have the direction,&mdash;then the oldest or most experienced, or the
+one who had been the longest in the carpenter's employ, would take the
+direction. He would say, 'Let us go out this way,' and the other would
+assent; or, 'I think we had better take this tree,' and the other would
+say, perhaps, 'Here's one over here which looks rather straighter; won't
+you come and look at this?' But they would not dispute about it. One
+would leave it to the other to decide.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Suppose,&quot; said Josey, &quot;one was just as old and experienced as the
+other.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, if there was no reason, whatever, why one should take the lead,
+rather than the other, then they would not either of them be tenacious
+of their opinion. If one proposed to do a thing, the other would comply
+without making any objection, unless he had a very decided objection
+indeed. So they would get along peaceably.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now,&quot; continued Jonas, &quot;boys are very apt to have different opinions,
+and to be very tenacious of them, and so get into disputes and
+difficulties when they are working together. Therefore, when boys are
+set to work, it is generally best to appoint one to take charge; for
+they haven't, generally, good sense enough to find out, themselves,
+which it is most proper should be in charge.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;For instance, now,&quot; continued Jonas, &quot;which of you, do you think, on
+the whole, is the proper one to take the direction of the work, when you
+are set to work together?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I,&quot; said Josey, with great promptness.</p>
+
+<p>Oliver did not answer a tall.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;There's one reason why you ought <i>not</i> to be the one,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What is it?&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, you don't obey very well. No person is well qualified to command,
+until he has learned to obey.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I obey,&quot; said Josey, &quot;I'm sure.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Not always,&quot; said Jonas. &quot;This morning, when you were upon the haymow,
+and I told you both to go down, Oliver went down immediately; but you
+remained up, and made excuses instead of obeying.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Josey was silent. He perceived that Jonas's charge against him was just.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Besides,&quot; continued Jonas, &quot;there are some other reasons why Oliver
+should command, rather than you. First he understands more of farmer's
+work, being more accustomed to it; secondly, he is older.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; interrupted Josey, &quot;he isn't older. I'm the oldest.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Are you?&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; replied Josey. &quot;I'm two months older than he is.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Oliver had so much more prudence and discretion, and being, besides, a
+little larger than Josey, made Jonas think that he was older.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;at any rate, he has more judgement and experience,
+and he certainly obeys better. So you may go back to your work, and let
+Oliver take the command, and then, after a little while, if Oliver says
+that you have obeyed him well, I'll try the experiment of letting you,
+Josey, command.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The boys accordingly went back, and finished loading up the old General.
+Oliver took the direction, and Josey obeyed very well. Now and then he
+would forget for a moment, and begin to argue; but Josey would submit
+pretty readily, for he was very desirous that Jonas would let him
+command next time; and he thought that he would not allow him to command
+until he had learned to obey.</p>
+
+<p>They had the two sleds loaded nearly at the same time, and then went
+down. When they were going back after the second load, they all got on
+to Jonas's sled, which was forward, to ride, leaving the old General to
+follow with his sled. He was so well trained that he walked along very
+steadily. Oliver fastened the reins to one of the stakes, so that they
+should not get down under the horse's feet. The boys all got together
+upon the forward sled, in order that they might talk with one another as
+they were going back to the woods.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now, Josey,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;we will let you have the command for the next
+trip, and, while we are going back, I will give you both some
+instructions.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;About obeying?&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, and about commanding too,&quot; said Jonas. &quot;It requires rather more
+skill to know how to command, than how to obey; to know how to direct
+work, than to know how to execute it. A good director, in the first
+place, takes care to plan wisely, and he feels a responsibility about
+the work, and a desire to have it go on to good advantage. If some men
+build a way, and, after it is finished, it tumbles down, the man who had
+charge of the work would feel more concerned about it than any of the
+others, because the chief responsibility comes upon him. So with your
+work,&mdash;if you have the command, and you and Oliver idle away the time,
+and when my sled is loaded, yours has but little wood in it, you would
+be more to blame than Oliver.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What, if I didn't play any more than Oliver?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;because you are responsible. It is your duty to be
+industrious, and it is also your duty to see that Oliver is industrious,
+if you are the director,&mdash;so that you neglect two duties.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It is a good plan, too,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;for a director to give his
+directions in a mild and gentle tone. Some boys are very domineering and
+authoritative in their manner.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How do you mean?&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, they would say, for example, 'Get out of the way, John, quick.'
+Whereas, it would be better to say, 'John, you are in the way, where we
+want to come along.' Some men give their directions with great noise and
+vociferation, and others give them quietly and gently.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I shouldn't think they'd mind 'em,&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Jonas. &quot;Directions ought to be given very distinctly, so as
+to be plainly understood; but they are not obeyed any better for
+violence and noise in giving them. &quot;</p>
+
+<p>A commander ought to have a regard
+for those under him,&quot; continued Jonas, &quot;and deal justly by them. If a
+number of boys were going to ride a wagon, and their father put one of
+them in charge, he ought not to keep the best seat in the wagon for
+himself.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>While talking thus, the oxen continued slowly advancing along the road.
+Their previous trip had broken out the road, but the pathway was filled
+with loose snow of a pure and spotless white, through which the great
+sled runners, following the oxen, ploughed their way. On each side of
+the track which they had made, the surface was smooth and unbroken,
+excepting under some of the trees, where masses of snow had fallen down
+from above. They saw, at length, as they were passing along by the
+brook, a little track, like a double dotting, running along, in a
+winding way, under the trees,&mdash;then crossing the road, and disappearing
+under the trees upon the other side.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What's that?&quot; asked Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's a rabbit track,&quot; replied Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Let's go and catch him,&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;we must go on
+with our work.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>At a little distance farther on, they saw another track. It was larger
+than the first, and not so regular.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What sort of a track is that?&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't know,&quot; said Oliver; &quot;it looks like a dog's track; but I
+shouldn't think there would be a dog out here in the woods.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>They found that this track followed the road along for some distance.
+The animal which made it, seemed sometimes to have gone in the middle of
+the road, and sometimes out at the side; and Jonas said that he had
+passed there since they went down with the first load of wood.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How do you know?&quot; said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Because,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;his track is made upon the broken snow, in the
+middle of the road.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>They watched the track for some time, and then they lost sight of it.
+Presently, however, they saw it again.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I wonder which way he went,&quot; said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'll jump off, and look at the track,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>So saying, he jumped off the sled, and examined the track.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He went up,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;the same way that we are going. It may be a
+dog which has lost his master. Perhaps we shall find him up by our wood
+piles.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jonas was right, for, when the boys arrived at the wood piles, they
+found there, waiting for them, a large black dog. He stood near one end
+of a wood pile, with his fore feet upon a log, by which his head and
+shoulders were raised, so that he could see better who was coming. He
+was of handsome form, and he had an intelligent and good-natured
+expression of countenance. He was looking very intently at the party
+coming up, to see whether his master was among them.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Whose dog is that?&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't know,&quot; said Oliver; &quot;I never saw him before.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I wonder what his name is,&quot; said Josey. &quot;Here! Towzer, Towzer, Towzer,&quot;
+said he.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Here! Caesar, Caesar, Caesar,&quot; said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Pompey, Pompey, Pompey,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<img src="images/jonas2.jpg" width="578" height="373"
+alt="He was looking very intently at the party coming up,
+to see whether his master was among them.">
+
+
+<p>The dog remained motionless in his position, until, just as the boys had
+finished their calls, and as the foremost sled was drawn  pretty near him, he suddenly
+wheeled around with a leap, and bounded away through the snow, for half
+the length of the first wood pile, and then stopped, and again looked
+round.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I wish we had something for him to eat,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I've got a piece of bread and butter,&quot; said Josey. &quot;I went in and got
+it when you and Oliver were unloading.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So Josey took his bread and butter out of his pocket. There were two
+small slices put together, and folded up in a piece of paper. Jonas took
+a piece, and walked slowly towards the dog.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Here! Franco, Franco,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He's coming,&quot; said Josey, who remained with Oliver at the sled.</p>
+
+<p>The dog was slowly and timidly approaching the bread which Jonas held
+out towards him.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He's coming,&quot; said Josey. &quot;His name is Franco. I wonder how Jonas
+knew.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Franco, Franco,&quot; said Jonas again. &quot;Come here, Franco. Good Franco!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The dog came timidly up to Jonas, and took the bread and butter from
+Josey's hand, and devoured it eagerly. While he was doing it, Jonas
+patted him on the head.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He's very hungry,&quot; said Jonas; &quot;bring the rest of your bread and
+butter, Josey.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So Josey brought the rest of his luncheon, and the dog ate it all.</p>
+
+<p>After this, he seemed to be quite at ease with his new friends. He staid
+about there with the boys until the sleds were loaded, and then he went
+down home with them. There they fed him again with a large bone. Jonas
+said that he was undoubtedly a dog that had lost his master, and had
+been wandering about to find him, until he became very hungry. So he
+said they would leave him in the yard to gnaw his bone, and that then he
+would probably go away. Josey wanted to shut him up and keep him, but
+Jonas said it would be wrong.</p>
+
+<p>So the boys left the dog gnawing his bone, and went up after another
+load; but before they had half loaded their sleds, Oliver saw Franco
+coming, bounding up the road, towards them. He came up to Jonas, and
+stood before him, looking up into his face and wagging his tail.</p>
+
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<a name="3"></a><h2>CHAPTER III.</h2>
+<br>
+
+<p><b>FRANCO</b></p>
+
+<p>Franco followed the boys all that forenoon, as they went back and forth
+for their wood. At dinner, they did not say any thing about him to the
+farmer, because they supposed that he would go away, when they came in
+and left him, and that they should see no more of him in the afternoon.
+But when Jonas went out, after dinner, to get the old General, to
+harness him for work again, he found Franco lying snugly in the
+General's stall, under the crib.</p>
+
+<p>At night, therefore, he told the farmer about him. The farmer said that
+he was some dog that had strayed away from his master; and he told Jonas
+to go out after supper and drive him away. Josey begged his uncle to
+keep him, but his aunt said she would not have a dog about the house.
+She said it would cost as much to keep him as to keep a sheep, and that,
+instead of bringing them a good fleece, a dog was good for nothing, but
+to track your floors in wet weather, and keep you awake all night with
+his howling.</p>
+
+<p>So the farmer told Jonas to go out after supper, and drive the dog away.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Let us give him some supper first, father,&quot; said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said his father; &quot;the more you give him, the more he won't go
+away. I expect now, you've fooled with him so much, that it will be hard
+to get him off, at any rate.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<i>Jonas</i> has not fooled with him any,&quot; said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Nor I,&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>After supper, Jonas went out, according to orders, to drive Franco away.
+It was a raw, windy night, but not very cold. Franco was in a little
+shed where there was a well, near the back door. He was lying down, but
+he got up and came to Jonas when he saw him appear at the door.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Come, Franco,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;come with me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Franco wagged his tail, and followed Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas walked out into the road, Franco after him. He walked along until
+he had got to some distance from the house, Franco keeping up with him
+all the way, sometimes on one side of the road, and sometimes on the
+other. At length, when Jonas thought that he had gone far enough, he
+stopped. Franco stopped too, and looked up at Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now, Franco, I've got to send you away. It's a hard case, Franco, but
+you and I must both submit to orders. So go off, Franco, as fast as you
+can.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So saying, Jonas pointed along the road, in the direction away from the
+house, and said, &quot;St---- boy! St---- boy!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Franco darted along the road a few steps, barked once, and then turned
+round, and looked eagerly at Jonas, as if he did not know what he wanted
+him to do.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<i>Get home</i>!&quot; said Jonas, in a stern and severe tone; &quot;<i>get home</i>!&quot; and
+he stamped with his foot upon the ground, and looked at Franco with a
+countenance of displeasure.</p>
+
+<p>Franco bounded forward a few steps over the smooth and icy road, and
+then he turned round, and stood in the middle of the road, facing Jonas,
+and looking very much astonished.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Get home, Franco!&quot; said Jonas again; and, stooping down, he took a
+piece of hardened snow or ice from the road, and threw it towards him.
+The ice fell, before it reached Franco, and rolled along towards his
+feet, which made him scamper along a little farther; and then he
+stopped, and turned around, and looked at Jonas, as before.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas began slowly to turn backwards, keeping his eye on Franco.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It's a hard case, Franco, I acknowledge. If I had a barn of my own, I'd
+let you sleep in a corner of it; but I must obey orders. You must go and
+find your master.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So saying, Jonas turned round and walked slowly home. Just before he
+turned to go into the house, he looked back, to see what had become of
+the dog. He was standing motionless in the place where Jonas had left
+him.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I wish the farmer would let me give him a bone,&quot; said he to himself;
+and then he turned away, and walked slowly around to the barn, to fodder
+the cattle.</p>
+
+<p>That night, just before bed-time, he went to the front door, and looked
+out into the road, and all around, to see if he could see any thing of
+Franco. It was rather dark and windy,&mdash;though he could see the moon
+shining dimly throught the broken clouds, which were driving across the
+sky. The roads looked black, as they do about the commencement of a
+thaw. Presently the moon shone out full through the interstices of the
+clouds. Jonas took advantage of the opportunity to look all up and down
+the road; but Franco was nowhere to be seen.</p>
+
+<p>The next morning, however, when he went out into the stable to give the
+cattle some hay, he found Franco in his old place, under the General's
+crib.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, Franco,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;how came you here?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Franco said nothing, but stood looking up into Jonas's face, and wagging
+his tail.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Franco,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;how could you get in here?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Franco remained in the same position; the light of the lantern shining
+in his face, and his tail wagging a very little. He could not tell
+certainly whether Jonas was scolding him or not.</p>
+
+<p>Franco remained about the barn until breadfast-time, and then Jonas, at
+the table, told the farmer that he tried to drive the dog away the
+night before, but that in the morning he found him in the barn.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't believe you really tried,&quot; said the farmer's wife. &quot;<i>I</i> can drive him away, I know,&mdash;as I'll show you after breakfast.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Accordingly, after breakfast, putting on hastily an old straw bonnet,
+she went out into the yard and took a small stick from the wood pile, to
+use for a club, and then called to Franco.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Franco,&quot; said she, &quot;come here.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Franco looked first at her, and then at Jonas, who was standing in the
+door-way, as if at a loss to know what to do.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Go, Franco,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>The farmer's wife walked out in front of the house into the wind,
+calling Franco to follow. She then attempted to drive him along the
+road, much as Jonas had done. She brandished her stick at him, and, when
+she had succeeded in getting him as far from her as she could, by stern
+and threatening language, in order to drive him farther, she threw the
+stick at him with all her force.</p>
+
+<p>Franco jumped out of its way. The stick rolled along the road before
+him. He sprang forward to it, seized it in his mouth, and came trotting
+back to the farmer's wife, and laid it down at her feet; and then,
+standing back a few steps, he looked up into her face, with a very
+earnest expression of countenance, which seemed to say,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What do you want me to do next?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This very act of Franco's embarrassed the woman considerably. She could
+not bear to take up the very stick, which Franco had himself brought to
+her, and throw it at him again; and, on the other hand, she could not
+bear to give up, and let Franco remain. She, however, picked up the
+stick, and brandished it again towards Franco, and, stamping with her
+foot at him, she said,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Away with you, dog; get home!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>What the result of this contest would have been, it is very difficult to
+say, had it not been that it was soon decided by the occurrence of a
+singular incident; for, as the farmer's wife nodded her head, and
+stamped at the dog, the jar or the motion seemed to give the wind a
+momentary advantage over her bonnet, which, in her haste, she had not
+tied on very securely. A strong gust carried it clear from her head, and
+blew it away over Franco, upon the snow by the side of the road beyond.
+Franco, who was all ready for a spring, bounded after it, and pursued it
+at full speed. The snow was nearly level with the top of the stone
+walls, and the wind carrying it diagonally from the road, it rolled over
+the little ridge of stones which remained above the drifts, and then
+swept across the field, down a long descent, like a feather before the
+gale.</p>
+
+<p>Franco pursued it with flying leaps over the snow, which had become
+sufficiently consolidated to support his steps. He gained upon it
+rapidly, and at length overtook and seized it; and then, turning round,
+he trotted swiftly back, leaped over the top of the wall, and brought
+the bonnet, and laid it down at its owner's feet, with an air of great
+satisfaction.</p>
+
+<p>The good woman took up her bonnet, and threw her stick away, and,
+turning around, walked back to the house. The farmer, who had been
+looking out at the window, was laughing heartily. She herself smiled as
+she returned to her work, saying,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The dog has something in him, I acknowledge; go and see if you can't
+find him a bone, Jonas.&quot; &quot;Yes, Jonas,&quot; said the farmer, &quot;you may have
+him for your dog till the owner comes and claims him.&quot;</p>
+
+<img src="images/jonas3.jpg" align="right" width="248" height="169"
+alt="A picture of a house.">
+
+<p>And this is the way that Jonas first got his dog Franco. He told Oliver
+that morning, as he was patting his head under the old General's crib,
+that the dog had taught them one good lesson.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What is it?&quot; asked Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, that the Christian duty of returning good for evil, is good policy
+as well as good morals.&quot;</p>
+
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<a name="4"></a><h2>CHAPTER IV.</h2>
+<br>
+
+<p><b>DOG LOST</b></p>
+
+<p>About the middle of the winter, the farmer went to market with his
+produce. The vehicle on which he carried it was a kind of box upon
+runners, with a pole in front, to which two horses were fastened. He was
+gone three days.</p>
+
+<p>When he came back, he said that he had bargained for another load of his
+produce, at the market town, and that he was going to send Jonas with
+it. Jonas was very glad when he heard this. He liked to take journeys.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What day shall I go, sir?&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Day after to-morrow,&quot; said the farmer, &quot;as early as possible. We'll let
+the horses rest one day.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>About the middle of the afternoon, on the day following the one on which
+this conversation had taken place, Jonas and the farmer began to load
+up the box sleigh, in order to have it ready for the morning. He had
+about forty miles to go, and he wanted to get to market, deliver his
+load, and return five or ten miles that same evening.</p>
+
+<p>It was quite cold that afternoon, and it seemed to be growing colder and
+colder. Jonas got the box sleigh ready under a shed, first shoveling in
+some snow under the runners, in order that the horses might draw the
+sled out easily, when it was loaded. He put in the various articles of
+produce, which were contained in bags, and firkins, and boxes. Over
+these he spread blankets and buffalo-skins, and put in a bag of oats for
+his horses, and a box of bread and cheese for himself. He did not know
+whether Franco was to go with him, or not; but he arranged the bags in
+such a way, that he could easily make a warm nest for him in one corner,
+if the farmer should allow him to go.</p>
+
+<p>The farmer helped him about all the arrangements, and, when they were
+completed, he told Jonas to go in and get his supper, and go to bed, so
+as to get up and set off early in the morning.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It will be a fine starlight night,&quot; said he, &quot;and you'd better be ten
+miles on your way by sunrise.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>When Amos got up the next morning, and went out with his lantern, to go
+to the barn, as he passed by the shed on his way, he saw that the sleigh
+was gone. He proceeded to the barn, and, as he opened the door, he was
+startled at something which suddenly darted past him and rushed out.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What's that?&quot; said Oliver, who was behind him. &quot;It is Franco,&quot; said he.
+&quot;Where is he going?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Franco ran off to the shed where Jonas had harnesses his horses, and
+began smelling around upon the ground. He followed the scent along the
+yard, up to a post by the side of the house, where Jonas had stopped a
+moment ago to go in and get his great-coat, when all was ready; and
+then, after pausing here a moment, he darted off towards the road.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Here! Franco, Franco,&quot; said Amos, &quot;come back here.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Franco, Franco,&quot; repeated Oliver, &quot;here&mdash;here&mdash;here&mdash;here.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Franco paid no attention to these calls, but ran off along the road at
+full speed.</p>
+
+<p>In the mean time, Jonas had traveled rapidly onward, by the
+light of the stars, over the glittering and frosty road.</p>
+
+<p>The keen air made his ears tingle a little, but he rubbed them, and they
+soon became warm. His feet were comfortably stowed away down in his box,
+among the bags and buffalo-skins, so that they were warm and
+comfortable.</p>
+
+<p>The horses trotted along at good speed, and soon brought Jonas and his
+load to the village at the mill. The street was vacant, and the houses
+dark, excepting that a faint light shone behind a curtain in one chamber
+window. Jonas supposed that somebody was sick there. Even the mill was
+silent, and the gate shut down; and, instead of the ordinary roar of the
+water under the wheel, only a hissing sound was heard, where the
+imprisoned water spouted through the crevices of the flume. Vast
+stalactites of ice extended continuously along the whole face of the
+dam, like a frozen waterfall, behind which the water percolated
+curiously down into the foaming abyss, at the bottom of the fall. Jonas
+thought that all this, seen by starlight, looked very cold. The horses
+trotted across the bridge with a loud sound, which reverberated far and
+wide in the still night. He ascended the hill beyond, and drove on. His
+woollen comforter, tied about his neck, became frosted over from his
+breath; and the breasts, and mane, and sides, of the horses were
+gradually sprinkled with white, in the same way. They were both black
+horses,&mdash;the General having been left at home. They trotted down the
+hills and along the level portions of the road, and wheeled around the
+curves, with great speed. Jonas found that he had no occasion for his
+whip, and so he put it away behind him, under the buffaloes.</p>
+
+<p>He went on in this way, without any special adventure, for a couple of
+hours, and then began to see a gray light appearing in the eastern sky.
+About the same time, the windows of the farm-houses, which he passed on
+the road, began to be illuminated by the fires, which they were kindling
+within. Now and then, he could see a man hurrying out to a barn, to feed
+the cattle. Jonas thought that they ought to be up earlier. The sun rose
+soon after, and the fields on every side sparkled by the reflection of
+his rays, from the crystalline surface of the snow. Tall columns of
+dense white smoke ascended from the chimneys, some erect, others leaning
+a little, some one way, some another. In a word, it was a cold, still,
+winter morning.</p>
+
+<p>At length, as Jonas was walking his horses up a long hill, he heard
+light footsteps behind him. He turned round to see what was coming, and,
+to his utter astonishment, he saw Franco, coming up, upon the full run,
+and close behind the sleigh. He came to the side of it, and looked up,
+with every appearance of exultation and joy.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, Franco,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;how came you here?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He stopped his horses, and Franco leaped up before him. His ears, and
+the glossy black hair which curled under his neck and upon his sides,
+were tipped with frost. Jonas patted him upon his head, saying,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, Franco, how did you get out of the barn? and how did you find out
+which way I came?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Franco wagged his tail, and curled down around Jonas's feet, but he made
+no reply.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas was very much surprised, for, as he had no permission to take
+Franco, he had concluded that it was his duty not to take him; and when
+he found that he was inclined to come with him, at the time that he was
+harnessing the horses, he conducted him back into the barn, and, to make
+it secure, he fastened up the place where he had got in, the first night
+that he lodged there. He knew that the barn would be opened when Amos
+came out in the morning, to take care of the old General and the oxen,
+but said he to himself, &quot;I shall by that time be ten miles off, and it
+will be too late for him to follow or find me.&quot; Jonas was therefore very
+much surprised, when he found that Franco had contrived to make his
+escape, and to track his master so many miles.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas drove on very prosperously, until it was about time for him to
+stop and give his horses some breakfast. As for himself, he ate his
+breakfast from his box, when they were coming up a long hill. He
+accordingly stopped at a tavern, and took his horses out of their
+harness, and rubbed them down well, and gave them a good drink of water,
+and plenty of oats, which he bought of the tavern-keeper. He kept the
+oats in his bag to use in the town. By the time that he stopped, he was
+comfortably warm, for he had taken some exercise walking up the hills.
+Franco always got out when Jonas did, at the bottom of the hills, and
+then got in again at the top. He remained in the sleigh, however, at the
+tavern, keeping guard, while Jonas went into the house; and he would
+growl a little if any body came near the sleigh, and thus warn them not
+to touch any thing that was in it.</p>
+
+<p>While the horses were eating, Jonas went into the tavern, and sat down
+by the kitchen fire. The fire was very large, and many persons were busy
+getting breakfast. Jonas wished that he was going to have a cup of the
+coffee that they were making; but he thought it better that he should
+content himself with what the farmer had provided for him. There was a
+young woman in the back part of the room, at a window, sewing. She asked
+Jonas how far he had come that morning, and he told her. Then she said
+that he must have set out very early; and she said that he had a pair of
+very handsome black horses. She had seen them as Jonas passed the
+window.</p>
+
+<p>There was a small girl sitting near her, with a slate, ciphering. She
+seemed very busy for a few minutes, and then she looked up to the young
+woman, and said,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;My sum does not come right, aunt Lucia.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Doesn't it? I'm sorry, but I can't help you now, very well,&quot; replied
+aunt Lucia. &quot;I am very busy with my sewing.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The little girl then got up, and came towards the fire, with her slate
+hanging by a string from her finger, and her Arithmetic under her arm.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Where are you ciphering?&quot; asked Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;In fractions,&quot; said the girl.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If you will let me look at your sum, perhaps I can tell you how to do
+it,&quot; replied Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>The girl handed her book to him, and showed him the sum in it. She also
+let him see the work upon her slate. Jonas looked it over very
+carefully, and then said,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You have done very well indeed, with such a hard sum. There is only one
+mistake.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And Jonas pointed out the mistake to her, and she corrected it, and then
+the answer was right. She then went and put away her slate and book,
+with an appearance of great satisfaction. As she passed by the window,
+aunt Lucia whispered to her, to say,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I think you had better thank
+that young man, and give him a mug of coffee.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said the little girl, &quot;I will.&quot; So she went to a cupboard at the
+side of the room, and took down a tin mug. She poured out some coffee
+from a coffee-pot, and put in some milk and sugar, and then brought it
+to Jonas, and asked him if he wouldn't like a little coffee. Jonas
+thanked her, and took the coffee; and he liked it very much.</p>
+
+<p>After this, Jonas harnessed his horses again, and went on. He traveled
+until nearly noon, and then he arrived at the town where he was to leave
+his load. He had a letter to a merchant, who had bought the produce of
+the farmer, and, in a very short time, his load was taken out, and the
+other articles put in, which he was to carry back in exchange. He had
+some money given him by the merchant, in part payment for his load of
+produce. It was in bank-notes, and he put it into his waistcoat pocket,
+and pinned it in.</p>
+
+<p>Then he set out on his return. His load was light, the road was smooth,
+and his horses, though they had traveled fast, had been driven
+carefully, and they carried him rapidly over the ground. It was the
+middle of the afternoon, however, before he set out, and the days were
+then so short, that the sun soon began to go down. He had to ride quite
+into the evening, before he reached the place where he was to stop for
+the night.</p>
+
+<p>He put up his horses, and then went into the house. He called for some
+supper, for his own provisions had long since been exhausted. After
+supper, he carried out something for Franco, whom he had left in the
+sleigh in the barn, lying upon a good warm buffalo, to watch the
+property.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Franco,&quot; said he, &quot;here is your supper.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Franco jumped up when he heard Jonas's voice, and leaped out of the
+sleigh. He took his supper, and Jonas, after once more feeding his
+horses, went out, and shut the door, leaving Franco to finish his bone
+by himself.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas went back into the tavern, and took his seat by the fire. There
+was a table before the fire, with a lamp upon it; and there were one or
+two books and an old newspaper lying upon another table, in the back
+part of the room. Jonas looked at the books, but they were not
+interesting to read. One was a dictionary. He read the newspaper for
+some time, and then he took the lamp up, and began to look at some
+pictures of the prodigal son, which were hung up upon the wall over the
+mantel-piece.</p>
+
+<p>Beyond the pictures were some advertisements. One was for a farm for
+sale. Jonas read the description, and he wished that he was old enough
+to buy a farm, and then he would go and look at that.</p>
+
+<p>The next advertisement was about some machinery, which a man had
+invented; and the next was headed, in large letters, <i>Dog Lost.</i> This
+caught Jonas's attention immediately. It was in writing, and he could
+not read it very easily, it was so high. So he got a chair, and stood up
+in it, and read as follows:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p class="ind">&quot;'DOG LOST.</p>
+
+<p class="ind">&quot;'<i>Strayed or stolen from the subscriber, a valuable dog, of large size
+and black color</i>.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I wonder if it isn't Franco,&quot; said Jonas, interrupting himself in his
+reading.</p>
+
+<p class="ind">&quot;'<i>He had on a brass collar marked with the owner's name</i>.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;there was no collar. But then the man that stole
+him might have taken it off.</p>
+
+<p class="ind">&quot;'<i>Answers to the name of Ney</i>.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Ney, Ney,&quot; said Jonas,&mdash;&quot;I never called him Ney. I wonder if he would
+answer, if I should call him Ney.</p>
+
+<p class="ind">&quot;'<i>Is kind and docile, and quite intelligent</i>.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;I verily believe it is Franco.</p>
+
+<p class="ind">&quot;'<i>Any person who will return said dog to the subscriber, at his
+residence at Walton Plain, shall be suitably rewarded</i>.</p>
+
+<p class="ind">&quot;'JAMES EDWARDS.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I verily believe it is Franco,&quot; said Jonas, as he slowly got down from
+the chair,&mdash;&quot;Walton Plain.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He stood a moment, looking thoughtfully into the fire.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; he repeated, &quot;I verily believe it is Franco. I wonder where
+Walton Plain is.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jonas had learned from Mr. Holiday, that it was never wise to
+communicate important information relating to private business, unless
+necessary. So he said nothing about Franco to any of the people at the
+tavern, but quietly went to bed; and, after thinking some time what to
+do, he went to sleep, and slept finely until morning.</p>
+
+<p>About daylight, he arose, and, as he had paid his bill the night before,
+he went to the barn, harnessed his horses, and set off. At the first
+village that he came to after sunrise, he stopped at a store, and
+inquired whether there was any such town as Walton Plain, in that
+neighborhood.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said the boy, who stood with a broom in his hand, with which he
+was sweeping out the store,&mdash;&quot;yes, it is about five miles from here,
+right on the way you are going.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jonas thanked the boy, got into his sleigh, and rode on.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Poor Franco,&quot; said he, &quot;I am afraid I must lose you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He had hoped that Walton Plain would have proved to be off of his road,
+so that he could have had a good reason for not doing any thing about
+restoring the dog, until after he had gone home, and reported the facts
+to the farmer. But now, as he found that it was on his way, and as he
+would very probably go directly by Mr. Edwards's door, he concluded
+that he ought, at any rate, to call and let him look at Franco, and see
+whether it was his dog or not.</p>
+
+<p>When he reached Walton Plain, he inquired whether Mr. James Edwards
+lived in the village. They told him that he lived about half a mile out
+of the village. They said it was a handsome white house, under the
+trees, back from the road, with a portico over the door.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas rode on, observing all the houses as he passed; and he at once
+recognized the one which had been described to him. He stopped before
+the great gate, and fastened his horses to a post. He then walked along
+a road-way, which led in by the end of the house, and presently came to
+a door, where he stopped and knocked. A girl came and opened the door.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Is Mr. Edwards at home?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said the girl.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Will you ask him to come to the door a minute?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You'd better walk in, and I'll speak to him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p><img src="images/jonas4.jpg" width="576" height="372"
+alt="Jonas stopping at the house of Mr. Edwards."></p>
+
+<p>Jonas stepped into an entry, which was carpeted, and which had a large
+map, hanging against the wall. The girl opened a door into a little
+room, which looked somewhat like Mr. Holiday's study. There was a great
+deal of handsome furniture in it, and book-shelves around the walls. A
+large table was in the middle of the room, covered with books and
+papers.</p>
+
+<p>The girl handed Jonas a seat.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Who shall I say has called?&quot; said she to Jonas, as she was about to go
+out of the room.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why&mdash;I&mdash;my name is Jonas,&quot; he replied; &quot;but I don't suppose Mr. Edwards
+knows me. I came to see him about his dog.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>At this remark, the girl looked around towards the fire, and Jonas
+involuntarily turned his eyes in the same direction. He saw there a
+large dog, very much like Franco in form and size, lying upon the
+carpet. He was as handsome as Franco. Jonas was surprised to see him.
+The girl, too, looked surprised. She, however, said nothing, but went
+out, and shut the door.</p>
+
+<p>In a few minutes, the door opened, and an elderly gentleman, with
+grayish hair, and a mild and pleasant expression of countenance, came
+in. He nodded to Jonas as he entered, and Jonas rose to receive him. The
+gentleman then took a seat by the fire, and asked Jonas to sit down
+again.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I came to see you, sir, about your dog,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, my boy,&quot; replied the man, &quot;and what about my dog?&quot; and, as he
+said this, he looked down at the dog, which was lying upon the floor.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't know but that I have got him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You have got him?&quot; repeated Mr. Edwards.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, sir; a dog like that one came to me in the woods one day this
+winter.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O,&quot; said Mr. Edwards, &quot;you mean the dog that I lost.&mdash;Yes,&mdash;I had
+forgotten that, it is so long ago. When did you find him?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jonas then told the whole story of the dog's coming to them, and of
+their attempt to drive him away; and also of his seeing the
+advertisement in the tavern. Mr. Edwards asked him a great many
+questions, such as what his name was, where he lived, and how long he
+had lived there, and how he happened to be journeying now. At last he
+said,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I think it very probable that it is my dog. I lost one of that
+description six or eight months ago, and advertised him; but I couldn't
+hear any thing of him, and so I got another as much like him as I could.
+It is probable yours is the same dog; but I don't know that there is any
+particular proof of it. You haven't called him Ney, have you?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, sir,&quot; said Jonas; &quot;we call him Franco.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If he should come at the call of Ney, that would be proof. Where is he
+now?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He is with me, sir; he is out in my sleigh.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, well, then,&quot; said the man, &quot;we can tell in a moment. I'll step to
+the door and call him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So Mr. Edwards put on his hat, and stepped to the door. The dog was
+standing up in the sleigh, and looking wildly around. When he saw Mr.
+Edwards, he seemed more excited still.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Here, Ney,&quot; said Mr. Edwards.</p>
+
+<p>The dog leaped down from the sled, and came bounding up the road. He
+leaped first about Mr. Edwards, and then about Jonas, as if at a loss
+which was his master.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, Ney,&quot; said Mr. Edwards,&mdash;&quot;poor Ney,&mdash;have you got back at last?
+Come, walk in, Ney.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Ney slipped in through the door, and turned immediately into the little
+room, as if he was perfectly familiar with the localities. Jonas and Mr.
+Edwards followed. They shut the door, and took their seats again. Ney
+ran around the room, and examined every thing. He looked at the strange
+dog lying so comfortably in his old place upon the warm carpet, and then
+came and gazed up eagerly into his old master's face a moment. He came
+to Jonas, and wagged his tail, and then he went to the door and whined,
+as if he wanted to go out.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Won't you let him out?&quot; said Mr. Edwards. &quot;We will see what he will
+do.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jonas opened the door, and the dog ran out into the entry, and then made
+the same signs to have the outer door opened. Jonas opened it, and let
+him out. Jonas stepped out himself a moment, to see what he would do,
+and presently returned again to the room where he had left Mr. Edwards.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Where did he go?&quot; said Mr. Edwards.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He has run to the sleigh,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;and jumped up into it, and is
+lying down on the buffalo.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The dog seems to have become attached to you, Jonas,&quot; said Mr. Edwards,
+&quot;and I presume that you have become somewhat attached to him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, sir, very much indeed,&quot; replied Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Edwards was silent a few minutes, appearing lost in thought.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I hardly know what to say about this dog,&quot; he continued, at length.
+&quot;You did very right to come and let me know about him. I am afraid that
+some boys would have kept him, without saying any thing about it. I am
+glad that you were honest. I valued the dog very much, and would have
+given a large sum to have recovered him, when he was first lost. But I
+have got another now, and don't really need two. Should you be disposed
+to buy him?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, sir,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;if I could. But I haven't got but a dollar at
+my command, and I suppose he is worth more than that.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jonas had a dollar of his own. Mr. Holiday had given it to him when he
+left his house, thinking it probable that he would want to buy something
+for himself. Jonas had taken this money with him when he left the
+farmer's, intending to expend a part of it in the market town; but he
+did not see any thing that he really wanted, and so the money was in his
+pocket now.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, yes,&quot; said Mr. Edwards, &quot;I gave a great deal more for him than
+that. Haven't you any more money with you?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Not of my own,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I suppose you got some for your produce.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, sir,&quot; said Jonas; &quot;but it belongs to the farmer that I work with.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And don't you think that he would be willing to have you pay a part of
+it for the dog?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't know, sir,&quot; said Jonas. &quot;I know he likes the dog very much, but
+I have no authority to buy him with his money.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>If Jonas had been willing to have used his employer's money without
+authority, Mr. Edwards would not have taken it. He made the inquiry to
+see whether Jonas was trustworthy.</p>
+
+<p>After a few minutes' pause, Mr.
+Edwards resumed the conversation, as follows:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, Jonas,&quot; said he, &quot;I have been thinking of this a little, and have
+concluded to let you keep the dog for me a little while,&mdash;that is, if he
+is willing to go with you. But remember he is my property still, and I
+shall have a right to call for him, whenever I choose, and you must give
+him up to me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, sir,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;I will. And I wish that you would not agree to
+sell him to any body else, without letting me know.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; replied Mr. Edwards, &quot;I will not. So you may take him, and keep
+him till I send for him,&mdash;that is, provided he will go with you of his
+own accord. I can't drive him away from his old home.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jonas thanked Mr. Edwards, and rose to go. Mr. Edwards took his hat, and
+followed him to the door, to see whether the dog would go willingly.
+When he was upon the step, he called him.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Ney,&quot; said he, &quot;Ney.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Ney looked up, and, in a moment afterwards, jumped out of the sleigh,
+and came running up to the door.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now,&quot; continued Mr. Edwards, &quot;if you can call him back, while I am
+standing here, it is pretty good proof that you have been kind to him,
+and that he would like to go with you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So Jonas walked down towards the gate, looking back, and calling,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Franco, Franco, Franco!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The dog ran down towards him a little way, and then stopped, looked
+back, and, after a moment's pause, he returned a few steps towards his
+former master. He seemed a little at a loss to know which to choose.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas got into his sleigh.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Franco!&quot; said he.</p>
+
+<p>Franco looked at him, then at Mr. Edwards, then at Jonas; and finally he
+went back to the door, and began to lick his old master's hand.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas turned his horses' heads a little towards the road, and moved them
+on a step.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Come, Franco,&quot; said he; &quot;Franco, come.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Franco, hearing these words, and seeing that Jonas was actually going,
+seemed to come to a final decision. He leaped off the steps, and bounded
+down the road, through the gate, and jumped up into Jonas's sleigh. Mr.
+Edwards continued to call him, but he paid no attention to it. He
+curled down before Jonas a moment, then he raised himself up a little,
+so as to look back towards the house; but he showed no disposition to
+get out again. Jonas put his hand upon his head, and patted it gently as
+he drove away; and, when he found that Franco was really going with him,
+he turned his head back, and said, with a look of great satisfaction,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Good-by, sir. I'm very much obliged to you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Good-by, Jonas. Take good care of Ney.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, sir,&quot; said he, &quot;I certainly will.&quot;</p>
+<p><img src="images/jonas5.jpg" align="right" width="287" height="254"
+alt="Three dogs at a doghouse."></p>
+
+<p>&quot;You're a good dog, Franco,&quot; he continued, patting his head, &quot;to come
+with me,&mdash;very good dog, Franco, to choose the coarse hay for a bed
+under the old General's crib, rather than that good warm carpet, for the
+sake of coming with me. I'll make you a little house, Franco,&mdash;I
+certainly will, and I'll put a carpet on the floor. I'll make it as soon
+as I get home.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And Jonas did, the next evening after he got home, make Franco a house,
+just big enough for him; and he found an old piece of carpet to put
+upon the floor. He put Franco in; but the next morning he found him in
+his old place under the General's crib. Franco liked that place better.
+The truth was, it was rather warmer; and then, besides, he liked the old
+General's company.</p>
+
+
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<a name="5"></a><h2>CHAPTER V.</h2>
+<br>
+
+<p><b>SIGNS OF A STORM</b></p>
+
+<p>One evening early in February, the farmer told Jonas that his work, the
+next day, would be to get out four or five bushels of corn and grain,
+and go to mill. Accordingly, after he had got through with his morning's
+work of taking care of the stock, he took a half-bushel measure, and
+several bags, and went into the granary. The granary was a small, square
+building, with narrow boards and wide cracks between them on the south
+side. The building itself was mounted on posts at the four corners, with
+flat stones upon the top of the posts, for the corners to rest upon.</p>
+
+<p>The open work upon the side was to let the air in, to dry the corn; and
+the high posts and the flat stones were to keep the mice from getting in
+and eating it up.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas put a short board across the top of the half-bushel, and sat upon
+it. Then he began taking the corn and shelling it off from the cob, by
+rubbing it against the edge of the board. As he sat thus at work, he
+occasionally looked up, and he could see out of the open door of the
+granary, into the farm-yards.</p>
+
+<p>It was a very pleasant morning. The sun shone beautifully; and now and
+then a drop fell from the roof on the south side of the barn. The cattle
+were standing, basking in the sun, in the barn-yard, and in the sheds,
+where the sun could shine in upon them. The whole area of the barn-yard
+was trodden smooth and hard by the footsteps of the cattle; and broad
+and smooth paths had been worn in every direction, about the house.
+Behind the barn was a large sheep-yard, also well worn with the
+footsteps of the sheep. A great many sheep were there,&mdash;now and then
+eating hay from a long rack, which extended across the yard.</p>
+
+<p>When Jonas had shelled out the corn, he carried the bags, and put them
+into the sleigh, which was generally used in going to mill. Then he
+locked the granary, and put the key away, and afterwards went to the
+barn, and opened the great doors, which led in to the barn floor. He
+climbed up a tall ladder to a loft under the roof of the barn, and threw
+down some sheaves of wheat,&mdash;as many as he thought would be necessary
+to produce the quantity of grain which the farmer had ordered. He then
+descended the ladder, and got a flail, and began to thresh them out.</p>
+
+<p>Standing, now, in a new position, he had a different prospect before
+him. Beyond the barn-yard he could see another larger yard nearer the
+house, in which the snow had also been beaten down by the going and
+coming of teams, sleds, and all sorts of travel, for two or three weeks,
+during which there had been no new falls of snow. Upon one side of this
+yard was an enormous heap of wood, which Jonas and Oliver had been
+hauling nearly all the winter. On the other side was a quantity of
+timber, of all sizes and lengths, which the farmer and Amos had been
+getting out for the new barn. Some of it was hewed, and some not; and
+several large pieces were laid out upon the level surface of the yard,
+and the farmer and Amos were sitting upon them, working upon the frame.
+Amos was boring holes with an auger, and the farmer was cutting the
+holes thus made into a square form with a chisel. Josey was there, too,
+and Amelia. They were building a house of the blocks which had been
+sawed off from the ends of the timbers.</p>
+
+<p>When, however, they heard the sound of Jonas's flail, they left their
+play, and came along to the barn to see him. Josey came into the barn;
+Amelia remained at the door.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What are you doing, Jonas?&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Threshing some wheat,&quot; replied Jonas; &quot;but stand back, or I shall hit
+you with the flail.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Are you going to mill?&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, I or somebody else. I am getting a grist ready.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Here comes uncle,&quot; said Josey; &quot;I mean to ask him to let me go.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The farmer came in, and told Jonas that he expected that they were going
+to have a snow-storm, and, therefore, as soon as his grist was ready, he
+might harness a horse into the sleigh, and drive directly to mill.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Then,&quot; said he, &quot;you may come directly back, and not wait to have it
+ground; for I want you to go up to the woods this afternoon, and bring
+down a load of small spruces, which I cut for rafters. I want them down
+before the road gets blocked up with snow.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The farmer had reflected
+that, about this time in the winter, they were generally exposed to long
+and driving snow-storms, by which the roads were often blocked up. He
+usually endeavored to get all out of the woods which he had to get,
+early in the season, while the snow was not deep. He had now got down
+all his wood, and all his timber, except one or two loads of rafters;
+and he wished, therefore, to get those down, so that, in case of a
+severe storm, he would not have to break out the road again.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas accordingly despatched his preparations for going to mill, as
+rapidly as possible, and soon was ready. In driving out, he stopped
+opposite the place where the farmer was at work upon his frame.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;All ready, I believe, sir,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Very well,&quot; said the farmer. &quot;The pond road is a little the nearest,
+isn't it?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, sir,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And Josey wants to go with you; have you any objection to take him?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, sir,&quot; said Jonas; &quot;I should like very much to have him go.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, Josey, get your great-coat, and come.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, no, sir,&quot; said Josey;
+&quot;I don't need any great-coat; it isn't cold.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Very well, then; jump in.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Josey got in upon the top of the bags, and Jonas drove on. After riding
+a short distance, they turned down by a road which led to the pond,
+which was now covered with so thick and solid a sheet of ice, that it
+was safe travelling upon it, and it was accordingly intersected with
+roads in every direction. They rode down at a rapid trot to the ice,
+followed by Franco, who was always glad to go upon an expedition.</p>
+
+<p>The road led them over, very nearly, the same part of the pond that
+Jonas had navigated in his boat, when he fitted a sail to it,&mdash;though
+now the appearances were so different all around, that one would hardly
+have supposed the scene to have been the same. There was the same level
+surface, but it was now a solid field, white with snow, instead of the
+undulating expanse of water, of the deep-blue color reflected from the
+sky. There were the same islands, and promontories, and beaches; but the
+verdure was gone, and the naked whiteness of the beach seemed to have
+spread over the whole landscape. It was a very pleasant ride, however.
+The road was level, though very winding, as it passed around capes and
+headlands, and now and then took a wide circuit to avoid a
+breathing-hole. The sun shone pleasantly, too.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't see what signs there are of a snow-storm,&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Such a calm and pleasant day in February portends a storm,&quot; said Jonas.
+&quot;Besides, the wind, what there is, is north-east; and don't you see that
+snow-bank off south?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Josey looked in the direction in which they were going, which was
+towards the south-west, and he saw a long, white bank of cloud,
+extending over that quarter of the heavens.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Is that a snow-bank?&quot; asked Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It is a bank of snow-clouds, I suppose,&quot; said Jonas. &quot;They call it a
+snow-bank.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>By the time that the boys reached the mill, a hazy appearance had
+overspread the whole sky. They took out the grist, and left it to be
+ground, and then immediately got into the sleigh again, and commenced
+their return. Before they had gone far, the sky became entirely
+overcast, and the distant hills to the south-east were enveloped in
+what appeared to be a kind of mist, but which was really falling snow.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How windy it is!&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;it is not much more windy than it was when we came;
+but then we were riding with it, and now we are going against it. You
+feel cold, don't you?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, yes, a little,&quot; said Josey, &quot;now the sun has gone, and the wind
+has come.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, then,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;get down in the bottom of the sleigh, and
+I'll cover you up with buffaloes.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So Josey crept down into the bottom of the sleigh, and Jonas covered him
+up; and he found his place very warm and comfortable.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How do you like your place?&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Very well,&quot; said Josey, &quot;only I can't see where we are going.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Trust yourself to me,&quot; said Jonas. &quot;I'll drive you safely.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I know it,&quot; said Josey, &quot;and I wish you'd tell me, now and then, what
+you see.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; replied Jonas, &quot;I see a load of hay coming along on the pond
+before us.&quot; </p>
+
+<p>&quot;A large load?&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; replied Jonas; &quot;and now we're going pretty near the round island.
+There, the load of hay is turning off by another road. O, there is a
+sleigh behind it; it was hid before. The sleigh is coming this way.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't hear any bells,&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We are too far off yet; you'll hear them presently.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Very soon Josey did hear the bells. They came nearer and nearer, and at
+last jingled by close to his ears. As soon as the sound had gone by, he
+threw up the buffalo with his arms, and looked out, saying to Jonas,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I guess they wondered what you had got here, covered up with the
+buffalo, Jonas.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jonas smiled, and Josey covered himself up again. Not long after this,
+it began to snow, and Jonas said that he could hardly see the shore in
+some places.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Suppose it should snow so fast,&quot; said Josey, &quot;that you could not see
+the land at all; then, if you should come to two roads, how could you
+tell which one to take?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, one way, replied Jonas, &quot;would be to let Franco trot on before us;
+and he'd know the way.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Is Franco coming along with us?&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;he is close behind.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why don't you call him Ney?&quot; asked Josey; &quot;that is his real name.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I was uncertain which to call him for some time,&quot; said Jonas; &quot;but
+finally I concluded to let him keep both names, and so now he is Franco
+Ney.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said Josey, &quot;I think that is a good plan.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>A short time after this, Jonas turned up off from the pond, and soon
+reached home.</p>
+
+<p class="ctr"><img src="images/jonas6.jpg" width="207" height="165"
+alt="A bird on the ground."></p>
+
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<a name="6"></a><h2>CHAPTER VI.</h2>
+<br>
+
+<p><b>THE RESCUE</b></p>
+
+<p>Jonas found, when he reached home, that it was about dinner-time. The
+farmer said that the storm was coming on sooner than he had expected,
+and he believed that they should have to leave the rafters where they
+were. But Jonas said that he thought he could get them without any
+difficulty, if the farmer would let him take the oxen and sled.</p>
+
+<p>The farmer, finding that Jonas was very willing to go, notwithstanding
+the storm, said that he should be very glad to have him try. And Josey,
+he said, might accompany him or not, just as he pleased.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I wouldn't go, Jonas,&quot; said Josey, &quot;if I were you. It is going to be a
+great storm.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He, however, walked along with Jonas to the barn, to see him yoke the
+oxen. The yard was covered with a thin coating of light snow, which made
+the appearance of it very different from what it had been when they had
+left it. The cows and oxen stood out still exposed, their backs whitened
+a little with the fine flakes which had fallen upon them. Jonas went to
+the shed, and brought out the yoke.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Jonas,&quot; said Josey, &quot;I wouldn't go.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, I think it very likely that you wouldn't. You are not a very
+efficient boy.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What is an <i>efficient</i> boy?&quot; asked Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;One that has energy and resolution enough to go on and accomplish his
+object, even if there are difficulties in the way.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Is that what you mean by being efficient?&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes;&mdash;a boy that hasn't some efficiency, isn't good for much.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>As he said this, Jonas had got one of the oxen yoked. He then went to
+bring up the other.</p>
+
+<p>When the other ox was up in his place, Jonas raised the end of the yoke,
+and put it over his neck.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You see,&quot; continued he, &quot;your uncle wants all those rafters got down.
+It will be a little harder getting them, in the storm; but I care
+nothing for that. It will be a great satisfaction to him to have them
+all safe down here before it drifts. He doesn't <i>require</i> me to go; but
+if I go voluntarily and bring them down, don't you think that, to-morrow
+morning, when he finds two feet of snow on the ground, he'll be glad to
+think that all his rafters are safe in the yard?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, yes,&quot; said Josey. &quot;I've a great mind to go with you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Do just as you please,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, do you want me to go?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, I should like your company very well; and, besides, perhaps you
+can help me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said Josey, &quot;I'll go.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He accordingly followed Jonas as he drove the oxen along to the sled.
+Jonas held up the tongue, while Josey backed the oxen, so that he could
+enter the end of the tongue into the ring attached to the lower side of
+the yoke. He then put the iron pin in, and all was ready.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas drove the oxen along, till he came to the great gate in the back
+yard, and then he stopped to go and get some chains. The chains he
+fastened to the stakes, which were in the sides of the sled. Then he
+opened the great gate, and the oxen went through; after which he seated
+himself upon the sled by the side of Josey, and so they rode along up
+into the woods.</p>
+
+<p>The storm increased, though very slowly. The road into the woods, which
+had become well worn, was now beginning to be covered, here and there,
+with little white patches, wherever new snow, driven along by the wind,
+found places where it could lodge. At length, however, they came to the
+woods; and there they were sheltered from the wind, and the snow fell
+more equally. Josey had found it quite cold riding in the open ground,
+for the wind was against them; but under the shelter of the trees he
+found it quite warm and comfortable.</p>
+
+<p>The forest appeared very silent and solitary. It is true they could hear
+the moaning of the wind upon the tops of the trees, but there was no
+sound of life, and no motion but that of the fine flakes descending
+through the air in a gentle shower. The whole surface of the ground, and
+every thing lying upon it, was covered with the snow; for the branches,
+and the stumps, and the stems trimmed up for timber, and the places
+where the old snow had been trampled down by the oxen and by the
+woodcutters, were now all whitened over again and concealed.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Who would think,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;that there could be any thing alive
+here?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Is there any thing?&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, thousands of animals, all covered up in the snow,&mdash;mice in the
+ground, and squirrels in the hollow logs, and millions of insects,
+frozen up in the bark of the dead trees.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And they'll be covered up deeper before morning,&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;and so would our rafters, if we didn't get them out.
+We could not have found half of them, if we had left them till after
+this storm.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The rafters were lying around upon the old snow, wherever small trees,
+from which they had been formed, had fallen. They could be distinguished
+very plainly now, although covered with an inch of snow.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas and Josey immediately went to work, getting them together, and
+placing them upon the sled. When they had been at work in this way for
+some time, Jonas said,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We shall not get half of them, at this load.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Then what shall you do?&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, come up again, and get the rest.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But then it will be dark before you get home.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That will be no matter,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Only you'll get lost, and buried up in the snow.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Jonas; &quot;there might be some danger to-morrow evening, after
+it shall have been snowing four and twenty hours; but not to-night. The
+snow will not be more than a foot deep at midnight.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>When they had got as many of the rafters upon the sled as Jonas thought
+the oxen could conveniently draw, he secured the load by the chains, and
+collected the rest of the sticks together a little, on the ground. Then
+he told Josey to climb up to the top of the load and ride. He said that
+he would walk along by the side of the oxen. Josey found it more
+comfortable going back, than it was coming up, for the wind was now
+behind him, and the snow did not drive into his face. Jonas walked along
+in the snow, which was now nearly ankle deep, and after they had got
+out of the woods, there were some places where it had drifted much
+deeper.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Do you suppose that uncle has got his frame done?&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I presume he has left it, if he hasn't finished it,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why? Why couldn't he stay out in the storm to work, as well as we?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Because,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;the snow would wet his tools, and fill up his
+mortises, and so trouble him a great deal more than it does us. You
+can't do carpenter's work out of doors in a snow-storm.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Do you mean to go after the other load?&quot; asked Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; replied Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>The boys found, when they reached the yard, that it was as Jonas had
+predicted. The farmer and Amos had left their work and gone in. They
+were in the shop grinding their tools. The farmer asked Jonas if he had
+got all the rafters.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, sir,&quot; said Jonas; &quot;there is another load.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, we'll let them go,&quot; said the farmer. &quot;I'm very glad you've got
+one load down.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I think, sir,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;if you have no objection,
+I'd better go and get the rest. I know just where they are, and I can
+get them all down here before night.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You won't have time to get down before it will be dark,&quot; said the
+farmer.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Just as you think best, sir,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;but I think I can get out of
+the woods before dark; and it is of no consequence about the rest of the
+way.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Very well,&quot; said the farmer, &quot;you may go. Don't you want Amos to go
+with you?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, sir, it isn't necessary.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, sir,&quot; said Josey, &quot;I can go with him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So Jonas threw off his load, and then turned his team about, and once
+more set out for the woods. He and Josey sat upon the sled, talking by
+the way,&mdash;the storm continuing without much change. The snow gradually
+increased in depth, but the oxen walked along without difficulty through
+it. Sometimes they came to a drift where the snow was so deep as to come
+in a little upon the bars, where the boys were sitting; but in general
+the sled runners glided along through it very smoothly.</p>
+
+<p>The woods appeared still more somber and solitary than they had done
+before. The new snow was deeper, and it was falling faster; and,
+besides, as it was now nearly sundown, there was only a gloomy sort of
+twilight, under the trees. Jonas and Josey loaded the sled as fast as
+they could. They put on the last of the rafters, which Jonas had
+collected, with great satisfaction. Josey, especially, began to be in
+haste to set out on his return.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;I'll look around a little, just to see that there
+are none left behind.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, no, I wouldn't,&quot; said Josey; &quot;let us go. We've got them all, I
+know.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I want to be sure,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;and make thorough work of it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So saying, he began wading about in the snow, to see if he could find
+any more rafters. He, however, soon satisfied himself that they were all
+upon the sled. He then secured his load carefully, with the chains, and
+they set out upon their return, as before.</p>
+
+<p>It grew dark rapidly, and the wind and storm increased. When they came
+out of the woods, they found that the air was very thick with the
+falling flakes, and the drifts had begun to be quite large, so that
+sometimes, in plunging through them, the snow would bank up quite high,
+before the sled, against the ends of the rafters. Jonas said that, if
+they had been two hours later, they could not have got along.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You said that the snow wouldn't be a foot deep by midnight,&quot; said
+Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It is coming faster than I thought it would,&quot; said Jonas. &quot;It is almost
+a foot deep now.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The road by which the boys were advancing, led along the bank of the
+brook, until it reached nearly to the shore of the pond, and then it
+turned off, and went towards the house, at a little distance from the
+shore. When they reached this part of the road, the storm, which here
+swept down across the pond, beat upon them with unusual fury. The wind
+howled; the snow was driven through the air, and seemed to scud along
+the ground with great violence; and the drifts, running diagonally
+across the road, were once or twice so deep, that the oxen could hardly
+get the load through. It was now almost dark, too, and all the traces of
+the road were obliterated,&mdash;though Jonas knew, by the land and fences,
+how to go.</p>
+
+<p>Just at this time, when the wind seemed to lull for an
+instant, Jonas thought he heard a cry. He stopped his oxen to listen.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Josey, &quot;I don't believe it is any thing; let us go on.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>In fact, Josey was afraid, and wanted to get home as soon as he could.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Wait a minute,&quot; said Jonas. He listened again, and in a moment he heard
+the cry again. It seemed to be a cry of distress, but he could not
+distinguish any words.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It is somebody off upon the pond,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Is the pond out that way?&quot; asked Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;and I verily believe somebody is out on it, and has
+lost his way.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said Josey, &quot;let us go home as fast as we can, and tell uncle.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;that won't do.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jonas turned in the direction from which the sound appeared to come,
+and, putting his hands up to his mouth in the shape of a
+speaking-trumpet, he called out, as loud as he could call,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Hal&mdash;loo!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He listened after he had thus called, but there was no answer. In a few
+minutes, the cry which he had heard first was repeated, in the same tone
+as before.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;They don't hear me,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Hal&mdash;loo!&quot; cried out Josey, as loud as he could call.</p>
+
+<p>There was no answer; but, in a few seconds afterwards, the cry was
+repeated, as at first.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You see,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;that the wind blows this way, and they can't
+hear us. We must go out after them.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Josey tried to dissuade Jonas from this plan; but Jonas said he must go,
+and that, as they had oxen with them, there would be no danger. &quot;First,&quot;
+said he, &quot;we must throw off our load.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So he and Josey went to work, and threw off the rafters, as fast as they
+could. Jonas reserved four or five rafters, which he left upon the sled.
+Then he turned the oxen in the direction from which the cry had come.
+They continued to hear it at moderate intervals.</p>
+
+<p>They descended gradually a short distance across the field, and then
+they came to the shore of the pond. Here Jonas took off one of his
+rafters, and laid it upon the shore, with one end raised up out of the
+snow.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What is that for?&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;To show us the way back to our road,&quot; said Jonas. &quot;I place it so that
+it points right back,&mdash;the way we came.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We can tell by our tracks,&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Jonas; &quot;our tracks will all be covered up before we come
+back.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jonas then drove down upon the pond, guiding his oxen in the direction
+of the cry. He kept Josey upon the sled, so as not to exhaust his
+strength. He rode himself, too, as much as he could; but he was obliged
+to jump off very frequently, to keep the oxen in a right direction. He
+stopped occasionally to put down a rafter, placing it so that its length
+should be in the line of his road, and taking care to sink one end into
+the snow, so as to leave the other out as far as possible, to prevent
+its being all buried up before they should return. Every now and then,
+too, he would answer the cry, as loud as he could call.</p>
+
+<p>At last, after they had toiled along in this way for some time, Jonas
+thought that he succeeded in making the travellers hear; for,
+immediately after his call, he would hear a calling from them, following
+it, and speaking in a different way, though Jonas could not understand
+what was said. He kept pressing forward steadily, and, before long, he
+found that the travellers were silent, excepting immediately after he
+called to them,&mdash;when there was a sound as if intended for a response,
+though Jonas could not tell what was said.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We shall get to them, Josey,&quot; said he.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Who do you suppose it is?&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't know; very probably some travellers lost upon the pond.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jonas was right in his conjecture: as they came nearer and nearer, the
+sounds became more distinct.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Hal&mdash;loo!&quot; vociferated Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Hal&mdash;loo!&quot; was the answer. &quot;Can&mdash;you&mdash;come&mdash;and&mdash;help&mdash;us?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Ay, ay,&quot; said Jonas; &quot;we're coming.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Ay, ay,&quot; shouted Josey, in his loudest voice, which, being more shrill
+than that of Jonas, was perhaps heard farther.</p>
+
+<p>Still nothing was to be seen. Besides being dark, the atmosphere was
+thick with snow. So it was not until they got very near to the
+travellers, that they could see them at all. They saw at last, however,
+some dark-looking object before them. On coming up to it, they found
+that it was a horse and sleigh. The horse was in a very deep snow-drift,
+and was half lying down. There was a woman in the sleigh, with a small
+child in her arms, and a boy, about as large as Josey, standing at the
+horse's head.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, I am so glad you have got some oxen, sir!&quot; said the woman. &quot;We
+couldn't have got out without oxen.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't see how the snow happens to be so deep just here.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, it's that island,&quot; said the woman; &quot;I suppose there is an island
+off there. I told Isaiah it would be drifted under this island; and now
+the horse is all beat out; and, besides, we don't know the way.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;I'll hook the oxen on, and we'll soon get you to
+the land. Isaiah, you take your horse out of the sleigh.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So Isaiah went to work to unhook the traces and the hold-backs, in order
+to get the horse free from the sleigh.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'll get out,&quot; said the woman.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Jonas; &quot;you sit still, and keep your child warm.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>As soon as Isaiah had taken the horse out, Jonas told him to lead him
+around behind the sleigh, while he turned the shafts over back against
+the dasher, and then he brought the oxen up in front of the sleigh. He
+first, however, drove the oxen out of the road with the sled, so as to
+leave that where it would not be in the way. Then he took two chains
+from the sled, and attached the oxen, by means of them, to the forward
+part of the sleigh. When all was ready, he put Josey in with the woman,
+and let Isaiah lead his horse behind. He then started the oxen.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Are you going to leave the sled here?&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;we can come and get it after the storm is over.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The oxen drew the sleigh along very easily. The snow was quite deep for
+a little distance, and then it became less so; but it was very dark, and
+it was difficult for Jonas to follow his track. The snow blew across it
+with great violence, and was fast filling it up.</p>
+
+<p>However, Jonas soon
+came to his first rafter, and this encouraged him. It was a good deal
+covered with snow, but the end was out, and the direction of it showed
+him which way to go, in order to find the next one. After he had passed
+this guide, the path was no more to be distinguished. He went on,
+however, as nearly as he could in the direction indicated by the rafter;
+and, after going the proper distance, he began to look out before him
+for the second. He began to be a little anxious lest he had missed it,
+when he observed something dark in the snow, at a little distance on the
+right. He went to it, and found that it was the rafter.</p>
+
+<p>Thus he was upon his track again; but his having so narrowly escaped
+missing it, made him afraid that he should not be able to follow the
+train very far. His fears proved well grounded. All his efforts to
+discover the third rafter were entirely unavailing.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Tis of no consequence,&quot; said Jonas; &quot;we can't be far from the shore.
+I'll keep straight on, and we shall strike the land somewhere, not far
+from the house.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>But it is much easier to get bewildered in a storm than Jonas had
+supposed. The darkness, the obscurity produced by the falling snow, the
+perfect and unvarying level of the surface, in every direction the same,
+and the agitation of mind which even the most resolute must experience
+in such a situation, all conspired to make it difficult, in a case like
+this, to find the way. Jonas drove on in the direction which he thought
+would have led to the shore; but, after going amply far enough to reach
+it, no shore was to be seen. The fact was, that he had insensibly
+deviated just so far from his course, as to be going along parallel with
+the shore, instead of in the direction towards it. Jonas began to be
+somewhat concerned, and Josey was in a state of great anxiety and fear.</p>
+
+<p>He rose up in the sleigh, and attempted to look around; and his fear was
+suddenly changed into terror, at seeing a large black animal, like a
+bear, coming furiously up behind them, bounding over the snow. Josey
+screamed aloud.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What is the matter?&quot; said the woman.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, Franco! Franco!&quot; said Jonas, &quot;how could you get here?&quot;</p>
+
+<p><img src="images/jonas7.jpg" width="579" height="371"
+alt="'That can't be the way, Franco,' said Jonas."></p>
+
+<p>It was Franco, true enough. He came  swiftly along,
+leaping and staggering through the deep snow; and he seemed delighted to
+have found Jonas and his party at last. Jonas patted his head. Both
+Jonas and Franco were overjoyed to see each other.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas patted Franco's head and praised him, while the dog wagged his
+tail, whisked about, and shook the snow off from his back and sides.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What dog is that?&quot; said the woman.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;This is Franco,&quot; said Jonas. &quot;Franco Ney is his name. Now we shall have
+no trouble in getting out.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Franco turned off, short, from the road in which Jonas was going. He
+knew by instinct which way the shore lay from them. Jonas at first
+hesitated about following him.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That can't be the way, Franco,&quot; said he.</p>
+
+<p>But Franco, after plunging on a few steps, looked round and whined. Then
+he came back towards Jonas again a few steps, looking him full in the
+face, and then whisked about again, and went on farther than
+before,&mdash;and then stopped and looked back, as if to see whether Jonas
+was going to follow him. Jonas stood just in advance of the oxen,
+hesitating.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That must be the way,&quot; said Jonas. &quot;Franco knows.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, that isn't the way,&quot; said the woman; &quot;the dog don't know any thing
+about it. We must go straight forward.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;it will be safest to follow Franco.&quot; And so saying,
+he began to turn his oxen in the direction indicated by Franco.</p>
+
+<p>The woman remonstrated against this with great earnestness. She said
+that they should only get entirely lost, for he was leading them
+altogether out of their way. But Jonas considered that the
+responsibility properly belonged to him, and that he must act according
+to his own discretion. So he pushed forward steadily after Franco.</p>
+
+<p>But his progress was now interrupted by hearing another loud call behind
+him, back upon the pond.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What's that?&quot; said Josey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Somebody calling,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;More travellers lost,&quot; said the woman.&mdash;&quot;O dear me!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He listened again, and heard the calls more distinctly. He thought he
+could distinguish his own name. He answered the call, and was himself
+answered in return by men's voices, which now seemed more distinct and
+nearer.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I know now who it is,&quot; said Jonas. &quot;It is your uncle and Amos, coming
+out after us. Franco was with them.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jonas was right. In a few minutes, the farmer and Amos came up, and they
+were exceedingly surprised when they saw Jonas with his oxen, drawing a
+sleigh, with a woman in it, off the pond, instead of a sled load of
+rafters from the woods.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Jonas,&quot; said he with astonishment, &quot;how came you here?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I came to help Isaiah get off the pond,&quot; said Jonas. &quot;But how did you
+find out where we were?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Franco guided us,&quot; said the farmer. &quot;He followed the road along some
+time, and then he wanted to turn off suddenly towards the pond. We
+wouldn't follow him for some time; but he <i>would</i> go that way, and no
+other. When he came to the shore of the pond, we found your rafter laid
+there, and that made us think you must have gone upon the ice, but we
+couldn't imagine what for. At last, we found where you had left the
+sled, and then we began to halloo to you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But, uncle,&quot; said Josey, &quot;didn't you see our heap of rafters, by the
+road where we turned off?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said his uncle.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We put a load there.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Then they must have got pretty well covered up,&quot; said he, &quot;for we
+didn't observe them.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The whole party followed Franco, who led them out to the shore the
+shortest way. They took Isaiah and his mother to the house, and gave
+them some supper, and let them stay there that night. The next morning,
+when Jonas got up, he found that it was clearing away; and when, after
+breakfast, he looked out upon the pond, to see if he could see any thing
+of his sled, he observed, away out half a mile from shore, two short
+rows of stakes, sticking up in the snow, not far from on island. The
+body of the sled was wholly buried up and concealed from view.</p>
+
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<a name="7"></a><h2>CHAPTER VII.</h2>
+<br>
+
+<p><b>A FIRE</b></p>
+
+<p>The last of February drew nigh, which was the time fixed upon for Josey
+to go home. He had remained with his uncle much longer than his father
+had at first intended; but now they wanted him to return, before the
+roads broke up in the spring.</p>
+
+<p>The evening before Josey was to go, the farmer was sitting by the fire,
+when Jonas came in from the barn.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Jonas,&quot; said the farmer, &quot;I have got to write a letter to my brother,
+to send by Josey to-morrow; why won't you take a sheet of paper and
+write for me, and I'll tell you what to say. You are rather handier with
+the pen than I am.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jonas accordingly brought a sheet of paper
+and a pen and ink, and took his place at a
+table at the back side of the room, and the
+farmer dictated to him as follows:</p>
+
+<p class="blkquot">
+&quot;Dear Brother,
+<br><br>
+&quot;I take this opportunity to inform you
+that we are all alive and well, and I hope
+that you may be the same. This will be
+handed to you by Josey, who leaves us to-morrow,
+according to your orders. We have
+been very glad to have him with us, though
+he hasn't had opportunity to learn much.
+However, I suppose he'll fetch up again in
+his learning, when he gets home. He has
+behaved pretty fair on the whole, as boys go.
+He will make a smart man, I've no doubt,
+though he don't seem to take much to farming.
+<br><br>
+&quot;We hope to have you, and your wife and
+children, come and pay us a visit this coming
+summer,&mdash;say in raspberry time, which will
+be just after haying.&quot;</p>
+
+
+<p>&quot;There,&quot; said the farmer, &quot;now fold it up, and write my brother's name
+on the back, and to-morrow morning I'll look it over, and sign my name
+to it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jonas accordingly folded the letter up, and wrote upon the back, <i>Joseph
+Jones, Esq., Bristol.</i> When it was done, he laid it on the table.</p>
+
+<p>Amos came and took it up. &quot;Jonas,&quot; said he, &quot;I wish I could write
+as well as that.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The farmer had a daughter whose name was Isabella. She was about
+eighteen years old. She was at this time spinning in a corner of the
+room, near a window. She came forward to look at the letter.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, Jonas,&quot; said she, &quot;you write beautifully. I wish you'd teach me to
+write like that.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Very well,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;that I can do.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How can you do it?&quot; said Isabella.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, we can have an evening school, these long evenings,&quot; replied
+Jonas. &quot;You get through your spinning in time to have half an hour for
+school before bed-time.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Half an hour wouldn't be enough,&quot; said Amos.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, yes,&quot; replied Jonas; &quot;half an hour every day will amount to a great
+deal in three months.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said the farmer, &quot;that's a very good plan; you shall have an
+evening school, and Jonas shall teach you;&mdash;an excellent plan.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What shall we study?&quot; said Isabella.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Whatever you want to learn,&quot;
+replied Jonas. &quot;You say you want to learn to write; that will do for one
+thing.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And I want to learn more arithmetic,&quot; said Amos.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Very well,&quot; said Jonas. &quot;We'll have an evening school, half an hour
+every evening, beginning at eight o'clock. Have you got any school-books
+in the house, Isabella?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Isabella said there were some on a shelf up stairs.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;bring them to me, and I'll look over them, and form
+a plan.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Isabella brought Jonas the school-books, and he looked them over, but
+said nothing then about his plan. He reflected upon the subject until
+the next day, because he did not wish to propose any thing to them,
+until it was well matured.</p>
+
+<p>The next evening, at eight o'clock, Isabella put up her spinning, and
+took a seat by the fire, to hear Jonas's plan. Amos sat by a table at
+the back side of the room. The farmer's wife was sitting upon the
+settle, knitting; and the farmer himself was asleep in his arm-chair, at
+the opposite corner.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;I like the plan of having an evening school, and I
+am willing to be either teacher or pupil; only, if I am teacher, I must
+<i>direct</i>, and you must both do as I say.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Isabella, &quot;you mustn't direct entirely; we'll talk over the
+plans, all together, and then do as we all agree.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;I have no idea of having all school-time spent in
+talking. I'm perfectly willing that either of you should be teacher, and
+I'll obey. I'll set copies, or do any thing else you please, only I
+won't have any responsibility about the arrangements. Or, if you wish,
+I'm willing to be teacher; but then, in that case, I must direct every
+thing, just as I think is best,&mdash;and you must do just as I say.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said Isabella, &quot;what are your orders? We'll obey.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Amos and Oliver also agreed that they would obey his directions. Jonas
+then consented to take the station of teacher, and he proceeded to give
+his directions.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I have been looking at the books,&quot; said he, &quot;and I find we haven't got
+but one of each kind.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Then we can't have any classes in our school,&quot;
+said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes we can,&quot; said Jonas. &quot;The first evening, Amos may take the
+arithmetic and the slate, and cipher, while Isabella writes, and Oliver
+studies a good long spelling lesson. Then, the second evening, Amos
+shall study the spelling lesson, and Isabella cipher, and Oliver write.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But I don't want to cipher,&quot; said Isabella. &quot;I don't like arithmetic; I
+never could understand it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You promised to obey my orders,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said Isabella, &quot;I'll try; but I know I can't do the sums.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Then, the third evening,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;Isabella shall study the
+spelling lesson, Oliver the arithmetic, and Amos take the writing-book.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What, ain't you going to have but one writing-book?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Jonas; &quot;one is enough; because you won't all write the same
+evening. So you can write one page, Oliver another, and Amos the third.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Isabella; &quot;I don't like that. I want every scholar to have
+his own book.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If you'll be the teacher,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;you can have it so.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But I want to have it so, and you be the teacher,&quot; said Isabella.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Jonas; &quot;if I have the responsibility of teacher, I must have
+the power too.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said Isabella, &quot;I suppose we had better submit.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But what's the reason, Jonas,&quot; said Oliver, &quot;that you ain't willing
+that we should all have writing-books of our own?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;There are two or three reasons,&quot; said Jonas. &quot;But it is very poor
+policy for a schoolmaster to spend his time in convincing his scholars
+that his regulations are good. He must make them obey, and let them see
+that the regulations turn out to be good in the end.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But it seems to me, you've grown arbitrary all at once,&quot; said Amos,
+with a smile.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;I'm always arbitrary when I'm in command; if you
+mean, by arbitrary, determined to have my own way. I won't <i>usurp</i> any
+power; but, if you put it upon me, I shall use it, you may depend upon
+it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jonas had two good reasons why he wanted to have only one writing-book
+for all his scholars. One was, that he thought it uncertain how long
+their school plan would last, and he did not want to trouble the farmer
+to look up some paper, and then make a parade of preparing so many
+writing-books; and then, perhaps, the whole plan might be abandoned,
+when they had written four or five pages in each. And, therefore, as he
+found one old writing-book of Oliver's, half full, he determined to make
+the blank leaves of that answer for all.</p>
+
+<p>But he had another reason still. He thought that, if all his scholars
+should write, in succession, in the same book, their writing would come
+into such close juxtaposition and comparison, that each one would be
+stimulated to write with greater attention and care; as each one would
+wish his or her own page to look as neatly written as the rest. He knew
+that Isabella, when it came to her turn to write, would naturally,
+without any thing being said, look at Amos's work on the page before,
+and that she would observe its excellences and its faults, and that her
+page would probably be written better, in consequence of her criticism
+upon his.</p>
+
+<p>Thus, though Jonas had good reasons, he chose not to give them. He
+preferred, if he was going to be teacher, that they should not be in the
+habit of expecting him to give reasons for all his directions. So he
+simply expressed his decision upon the subject, by saying,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You may do just as you please about making me teacher; but, if you put
+me into the office, you must expect to have to obey.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's right, Jonas,&quot; said the farmer's wife: &quot;I am glad to see you
+make 'em mind.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>It was settled, without any further discussion, that Jonas's plan in
+regard to the writing should be adopted, and that his scholars would
+obey his directions in other things, whatever they might be. Jonas then
+proceeded as follows:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now, you see that, if we go on so three evenings, you will all have got
+three lessons, and the fourth evening we will have for recitation. I
+will hear you spell, and examine your writing, and see if your sums are
+done right.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jonas's exposition of the plan of his school was here interrupted by the
+farmer's wife, who, as she sat at the end of the settle towards the
+fire, had her face somewhat turned towards the window, and she saw a
+light at a distance near the horizon.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What light is that?&quot; said she.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas and all his school rose, and went to the window to see.</p>
+
+<p>The window looked towards the pond. They looked off across a sort of
+bay, beyond which there was a long point of land,&mdash;the one which the
+boys had had to sail around when they went to mill. Just over this land,
+and near the extremity of it, a light was to be seen, as if from a fire,
+beyond and behind the land.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's exactly in the direction of the village,&quot; said Amos.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It is a house on fire, I know,&quot; said Oliver,&mdash;&quot;or a store.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It looks like a fire, certainly,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said the farmer's wife; &quot;and you must go, boys, and help put it
+out.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It is several miles off,&quot; said Amos.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, but put Kate into the light
+sleigh, and she'll carry you there over the pond in twenty
+minutes.&mdash;Here, husband, husband,&quot; she continued, calling to the farmer,
+who was still asleep in his chair, &quot;here's a fire.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The farmer opened his eyes, and sat upright in his chair, and asked what
+was the matter.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Here's a fire,&quot; she repeated, &quot;over in the village; hadn't the boys
+better go and put it out?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The farmer rose, walked very deliberately to the window, looked a minute
+at the light, and then said,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It's nothing but the moon.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The moon?&mdash;no, it can't be the moon, husband,&quot; said she. &quot;The moon
+don't rise there.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said the farmer, &quot;that's just about the place.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Besides,&quot; said she, &quot;it isn't time for the moon to rise. It don't rise
+now till midnight.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He turned away, and walked slowly across the room, to where the almanac
+was hanging. He seemed very sleepy. He turned over the leaves, and then
+said, &quot;Moon rises&mdash;eight hours and fifty minutes; that is,&mdash;let's
+see,&mdash;ten minutes before nine.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said his wife, &quot;and 'tisn't much past eight now.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It's the moon, you may depend,&quot; said the farmer; &quot;perhaps our time is a
+little out.&quot; So he returned to the chair, sat down in it, and put his
+feet out towards the fire.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said his wife, &quot;we shall know pretty soon; for, if it is the
+moon, it will soon rise higher.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So they all stood a few minutes, and watched the light. It seemed to
+enlarge a little, and to grow somewhat brighter; but it did not move
+from its place.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It certainly must be a fire,&quot; said the farmer's wife again; &quot;and I
+wish, husband, that you'd let the boys take Kate in the sleigh, and go
+along the pond and see.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I've no objection,&quot; said the farmer, &quot;if they've a mind to take that
+trouble; but they'll find nothing but the moon, they may depend.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Let's go,&quot; said Amos.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Very well,&quot; said Jonas; &quot;I'm ready.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We'll go too, boys,&quot; said the farmer's wife, &quot;Isabella and I. You can
+put in two seats. There are no hills, and Kate will take us all along
+like a bird. I never saw a fire in my life.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The boys hastened to the barn, and got Kate out of the stall. Franco,
+who knew that something extraordinary must have taken place, though he
+could not tell what, came out from his place, leaped about, and
+indicated, by his actions, that, wherever they were going, he meant to
+go too.</p>
+
+<p>The sleigh was soon harnessed. They drove up to the door, and found
+Isabella and her mother all ready. They took their places upon the back
+seat, while Amos and Jonas sat upon another seat, which they had placed
+in, before. Oliver came running with a bucket, which he put in under the
+forward seat, and then he jumped on behind, standing upon the end of the
+runner, and clinging to the corner of the sleigh, close to Isabella's
+shoulder.</p>
+
+<p>Kate set off at a rapid trot down the road, which led to the pond. The
+sleigh went very easily, for the road was smooth. There had been rain
+and thaws lately, and cold weather after them, so that the surface of
+the road had melted, and then become frozen again; and this made it
+icy. They found the ice of the pond in the same state. The rain and the
+thaws had melted the snow, upon the top of the ice, and made it a sheet
+of water. Then this had frozen again, so that now the surface of the
+pond was almost every where hard and smooth; and when they came down
+upon it, and turned to go across the bay, the horse being at his full
+speed, the sleigh swept round sideways over the ice, in a great circle,
+and made the farmer's wife very much afraid that she should be upset. It
+seemed as if the sleigh was trying to get before the horse.</p>
+
+<p>However, Amos, who was driving, contrived to get the horse ahead again,
+and then they went on with great speed. It was a mile across to the end
+of the point of land; but Kate carried them over this space in a very
+few minutes. As they drew near to the point, they watched the light. It
+did not rise at all.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It cannot be the moon,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;for it is now full a quarter of an
+hour since we first saw it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said the farmer's wife, &quot;I knew it couldn't be the moon.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Just at this moment, the sleigh came around the point with great speed, and
+brought into view a very bright but distant fire, far before them.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It is a fire!&quot; they all exclaimed.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But it isn't in the direction of the village,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It must be some farm-house,&quot; said the farmer's wife, &quot;on the shore.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;I think it is on the ice.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>It very soon became evident that the fire was upon the ice. It was
+plainly a large fire, though the distance made it look rather small. It
+was very bright, and it flashed up high; and a cloud of illuminated
+smoke arose from it, and floated off to the northward. The party in the
+sleigh could soon perceive, also, a number of small, bright spots near
+it, which seemed to be in motion about the fire. They looked like the
+moons about the planet Jupiter, seen through a telescope.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I wonder what it is,&quot; said Isabella.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I presume,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;that the boys are out skating, and this is a
+fire on the ice, which they have built.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And are those the boys moving about?&quot; asked Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Jonas. &quot;When they are near the fire, the light shines upon
+their faces.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>As they rode on, it became gradually more and more evident that Jonas
+was right. The forms of the skaters, as they stood before the fire, or
+came wheeling up to it, became more and more distinct, and, in fact, the
+ringing sound of the skates soon became audible. The horse, in the mean
+time, went on, with great speed, directly towards the fire. When they
+arrived near the fire, the skaters came around them in great numbers,
+wondering who could have come. Jonas asked them where they got the wood
+to build their fire.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;All along the shore,&quot; said a large boy, with a long stick in his hand.
+&quot;Let's go and get some more, boys,&quot; he added, &quot;and brighten up our
+fire.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So saying, he wheeled round and skated away, the whole crowd of skaters,
+small and great, following him at full speed. As they swept round by the
+fire, the light glared brightly upon their faces and forms, but they
+soon disappeared from view in the darkness beyond; only Jonas could
+hear the sound of their skates, ringing over the ice, as they receded.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What a great, hot fire!&quot; said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Isabella, &quot;I never saw such a large fire on the ice. I don't
+see how they got all the wood.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I suppose,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;that they got out the wood from the forest,
+along the shore, and threw it out upon the ice, before they put on their
+skates, and then they could easily bring it to the fire. But hark! they
+are coming back again.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The fire was so bright where they were, and it flashed so strongly upon
+the ice around, that they could not see the skaters until they came
+pretty near. The dark figures, however, soon began to appear. The
+foremost was a tall young man, who came forward with great speed,
+pushing before him a long and slender log, half decayed and dry. One end
+he held before him in his hands, and the other glided along upon the
+smooth ice towards the fire.</p>
+
+<p>There followed close behind him another skater, with the fragment of an
+old stump upon his shoulder; then several others, with branches,
+sticks, dry bushes, and fragments of every shape and size. These they
+piled upon the fire as they swept up alongside of it, and then wheeled
+away back from the heat which radiated from it. Two large boys came on,
+bringing a long log between them, one at each end. It looked large, but
+it was really not very heavy, as it was hollow and decayed. They hove it
+up, with great effort, upon the fire, and its fall upon the heap threw
+up a large, bright column of sparks and flame. Another boy had the top
+of a young spruce, which he had cut off with his knife, by dint of great
+labor; it made a great roaring and crackling when it was put upon the
+fire. And, finally, behind all the rest, there came a little boy not so
+big as Oliver, tugging away at a long branch, which he dragged behind
+him, and put it upon the fire too.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said the farmer's wife, after a little time, &quot;we mustn't stay
+here much longer.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We'll drive around the fire, in one great sweep,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>So he started the horse on, and took a great circuit about the fire. The
+skaters went with him on each side of the sleigh. Then they turned
+their course towards home again. The light of the fire shone upon the
+distant point of land, and illuminated it faintly, but in a very
+beautiful manner, and showed Jonas which way to drive.</p>
+
+<p>Isabella turned back her head repeatedly, to look at the fire, as they
+rode on and left it far behind them. It seemed to grow smaller and
+smaller, as they receded; and at length, when Jonas turned around the
+point of land, it disappeared entirely. In a few minutes afterward, the
+moon arose, and lighted them the rest of the way home.</p>
+
+<p class="ctr"><img src="images/jonas8.jpg" width="337" height="169"
+alt="A mother hen and chicks by a pond."></p>
+
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<a name="8"></a><h2>CHAPTER VIII.</h2>
+<br>
+
+<p><b>THE CARDING-MILL</b></p>
+
+<p>Jonas was often sent away to transact business for the farmer. He was a
+very excellent hand to do business. It requires several qualities to
+make a boy good at business. He must be gentlemanly in his manners, so
+as to speak to the persons that he is sent to, in a respectful and
+proper manner; he must be faithful, so as not to neglect what is
+intrusted to him; and he must be patient and persevering. Then he must
+also have considerable judgment and discretion; for when he is sent away
+from home on business, he must often be placed in circumstances that are
+unforeseen, and where he must act without instructions. In such cases,
+he will have to exercise his own judgment and discretion. Jonas was
+placed in such circumstances at one time, when he was sent to the
+carding-mill to get some rolls for Isabella.</p>
+
+<p>The rolls which Isabella
+wanted were rolls of wool, as they are prepared at the mill ready for
+spinning. The wool is carded very fine, and then, by curious machinery,
+it is rolled out into rolls about three feet long, and as large round as
+a whip-handle at the middle. These rolls Isabella used to spin into
+yarn, at her spinning-wheel.</p>
+
+<p>Isabella had spun nearly all her rolls, and she wanted Jonas to carry
+some wool to the carding-mill, and get some more. The carding-mill was
+not in the village upon the outlet stream; but it was upon another
+stream, which emptied into the pond, instead of flowing from it. It was
+the same stream that flowed by the land which Jonas and Oliver had
+cleared when he first came to live with the farmer; only the mill was at
+some distance from the mouth of the stream, back towards the high land.
+It was more than two miles, by the road, from the farmer's house.</p>
+
+<p>The farmer told Jonas where to get the wool, and then gave him some more
+business, at a place in the woods, about two miles beyond the mill.
+Oliver wanted to go too, and his father gave him leave. Oliver always
+liked to go to the mill, as the machine for carding the wool was a great
+curiosity.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas put up the wool in a very large bundle, which almost filled up the
+bottom of the sleigh. Jonas himself sat upon the seat, with his feet
+under the bundle; but Oliver sat upon the bundle. He said it made a very
+soft seat.</p>
+
+<p>They rode along pleasantly towards the mill. The snow-drifts were very
+high in some places on each side of the road; and the fences and walls
+were almost buried up.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I wish that Josey was here,&quot; said Oliver. &quot;I think that he would like
+to see the carding-mill very much indeed.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Only,&quot; replied Oliver, &quot;perhaps it would be dangerous to take him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why?&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, because,&quot; said Oliver, &quot;I suppose he would touch the machinery,
+and perhaps get his hands torn off.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;boys sometimes do get very badly hurt in
+mills,&mdash;careless and disobedient boys especially.&quot;</p>
+
+<img src="images/jonas9.jpg" width="580" height="376"
+alt="He said it made a very soft seat.">
+
+<p>&quot;I think that he is a careless and disobedient boy,&quot; said Oliver.
+&quot;Yes,
+but it is his misfortune, rather than his fault,&quot; replied Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;His misfortune?&quot; repeated Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Jonas; &quot;his father's situation is such, that it is very
+unfortunate for him. I expect he is very unhappily situated at home, in
+many respects.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How?&quot; said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, in the first place,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;he lives, I'm told, in a large and handsome house.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And then,&quot; continued Jonas, &quot;your aunt, I have heard, is a very fine woman, and has a great deal of company.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And then,&quot; continued Jonas, &quot;they can buy Josey any thing he wants, for playthings.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Oliver; &quot;he told me he had got a rocking-horse. But I don't call that being unfortunate.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It is very fortunate for the father and mother, but such a kind of life
+is generally unfortunate for the child. You see, if a man has been
+industrious himself, when he was a boy, and has grown up to be a good
+business man, and to acquire a great deal of property, and builds a
+good house, and has plenty of books, and journeys, it is all very well
+for him. He can bear it, but it very often spoils his children.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why does it spoil his children?&quot; asked Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;In the first place, it makes them conceited and vain,&mdash;not always, but often. The children of wealthy men are very often conceited. They wear
+better clothes than some other boys, and have more books and prettier
+playthings; and so they become vain, and think that they are very
+important, when, in fact, they owe every thing to their fathers.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Then, besides,&quot; continued Jonas, &quot;they don't form good habits of industry. Their fathers don't make them work, and so they don't acquire
+any habits of industry, and patience, and perseverance.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If I was a man, and had ever so much money,&quot; said Oliver, &quot;I would make my boys work.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That is very doubtful,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why is it doubtful?&quot; asked Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Because,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;you would be very busy, and couldn't attend to it. It would be a great deal more trouble to make your boys do any
+thing, than it would be to hire another man to do it; and so you would
+hire a man, to save your trouble.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes; but then, Jonas, farmers are very busy, and yet they make their
+boys work.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;True,&quot; replied Jonas; &quot;but farmers are busy about such kind of work as that their boys can help them do it,&mdash;so they can keep them at work without any special trouble. But men of property are employed in such
+kind of business as boys cannot do; and so they must work, if they work
+at all, at something else; and that makes a good deal of trouble.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Then I'd send my boys to some farmer, and let him make them work,&quot; said
+Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;that would do pretty well.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So saying, Jonas stopped the horse a moment, and stepped out of the
+sleigh. He was at the foot of a long, steep hill in the woods. He was
+going to walk up. Oliver remained in the sleigh, and rode. When they
+reached the top, Jonas got in again, and they rode on.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But then, Jonas,&quot; said Oliver, &quot;there is one thing to be thought of,
+and that is, that rich men's sons will not have to work when they grow
+up; and so they don't need so much to grow industrious.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, yes, they will,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, Josey told me that he didn't expect to work when he should be a
+man.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, he doesn't <i>expect</i> to work, but he'll find that it is different
+from what he had expected, when he grows up.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How?&quot; said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, a great many rich men's boys find, when they get to be twenty-one,
+that they have to go out into the world, and earn their own living,
+without any money.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why?&quot; said Oliver; &quot;won't their fathers give them any money?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Their fathers cannot generally give them enough to support them,&quot; said
+Jonas, &quot;even if they are disposed to do it; because, you see, they have
+their own families still to support. Besides, if they were to divide
+their property at once among all their children, it would only be a
+small portion for each one. It wouldn't be enough for the boys to live
+as expensively as they have been living while at home. Therefore, as
+fast as they grow up young men, they have to go away into the world,
+and earn their own money by some kind of work, head work or hand work.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jonas would probably have given Oliver some further explanations on this
+subject, were it not that about this time they arrived at the mill.
+Oliver tied the horse at a post, while Jonas took out the great bundle
+of wool, and went in. Oliver followed immediately after him.</p>
+
+<p>The machinery made a heavy, rumbling sound, which grew louder and louder
+as the boys went up stairs. Jonas opened a door into a large room, and
+at this the noise increased very loudly, so that Oliver and Jonas could
+hardly hear each other talk. Jonas put down the bundle of wool by the
+door, and then he and Oliver went in among the wheels and machinery.
+There were a great many separate machines at different parts of the
+room, with girls tending them. There was a large, round beam of wood,
+overhead, slowly revolving. There were wheels upon it in different
+parts, with straps passing around these wheels, and also around other
+wheels connected with the machines below.</p>
+
+<p>Oliver saw Jonas walk to a man who was writing at a desk in the corner
+of a room, and say something to him. Oliver could not hear what it was.
+Jonas pointed, while he was talking to the man, to the great bundle of
+wool. Presently the man came and took the bundle of wool, and dragged it
+off to one of the machines, which was not in motion. He called a girl to
+come and tend it.</p>
+
+<p>At one end of the machine was a broad band of cloth, passing around two
+rollers. One roller was close to the wheels and other large rollers of
+the machine itself. The other was back from it a little; and the cloth,
+being extended from one of these to the other, formed a sort of flat
+table just before the machine.</p>
+
+<p>The girl who came to tend the machine immediately opened the great
+bundle of wool, and then she took up a handful of it, and began to
+spread it evenly over the cloth. When she had got the cloth pretty
+nearly covered she pulled a handle pretty near her, and that, in some
+mysterious way or other, set the machinery a-going. The cloth, with all
+the wool upon it, began to move towards the great rollers of the
+machine. These rollers were covered with card teeth, and the wool, as it
+was drawn in between them, was carded fine, and spread evenly over all
+the surface; and in a few minutes Jonas and Oliver found that it began
+to come out at the other end, in the shape of rolls. One roll after
+another dropped out, in a very singular manner. Oliver thought that it
+was a very curious machine indeed, to take in wool in that way at one
+end, and drop it out in beautiful long rolls at the other.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now,&quot; said Jonas, after a few minutes, to Oliver, &quot;I am going away
+farther, and shall come back here in about an hour. You may go with me,
+or you may stay here,&mdash;just which you prefer.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said Oliver, &quot;I'll stay here.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Good-by, then,&quot; said Jonas; &quot;I shall be back again in about an hour.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So Jonas went down stairs, and Oliver began to walk about the room a
+little. There was a window in the back side of the room, which he
+happened to pass pretty near to, and he stopped to look out at it. He
+saw the dam and the waterfall below. There was a large pond above the
+fall, which was made by the dam. The pond was frozen over, and the ice
+was covered with snow. The water was open for a short distance above the
+edge of the fall, and it was also open below the fall, where there was a
+great foaming, and tumbling, and whirling of currents.</p>
+
+<p>Oliver looked at it a moment, and then he concluded that it would be
+better for him to go with Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I have seen,&quot; said he to himself, &quot;pretty much all of the machinery,
+and I shall be very tired of waiting here an hour.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So he concluded that he would run down, quick, and see if Jonas had
+gone.</p>
+
+<p>When he got down stairs, and out at the door, he found that the sleigh
+was not at the post. He ran around the corner, and saw Jonas at some
+distance, just at the foot of a hill. He ran after him, calling,
+&quot;Jo-nas! Jo-nas!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Just at this time, Jonas stopped to let his horse walk up the hill, and
+so he heard Oliver calling; for the bells did not make so much noise
+when the horse was walking, as they did before.</p>
+
+<p>So Jonas stopped until Oliver overtook him; and they went on the rest of
+the way together.</p>
+
+<p class="ctr"><img src="images/jonas10.jpg" width="315" height="219"
+alt="Three boys flying kites."></p>
+
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<a name="9"></a><h2>CHAPTER IX.</h2>
+<br>
+
+<p><b>DIFFICULTY</b></p>
+
+<p>Although it was winter when the boys were taking this ride, yet the sun
+was shining in a very warm and pleasant manner, and the snow was every
+where softening in the fields and melting in the roads, indicating that
+the spring was coming on.</p>
+
+<p>There was a little stream of water, coming down the hill in the middle
+of the road, and forming a long pool at the bottom. Jonas turned his
+horse to one side, to avoid this pool of water, and waited until Oliver
+came up.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, Oliver,&quot; said he,&mdash;&quot;tired of the mill already?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, no,&quot; said Oliver, &quot;only I thought that, on the whole, I'd rather go with you. I didn't think that you were going to be gone so long.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It is about two miles,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Where are you going?&quot; said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, to see about some logs. I thought you heard your father tell me to go and see about some logs.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What about the logs?&quot; said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, to make the boards of, for the barn.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O,&quot; replied Oliver, &quot;I didn't know that.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; continued Jonas, &quot;when we want boards, we have to go to somebody who owns some pine timber in the woods, and get him to cut down some of
+them, and haul them to the mill. Then they saw them up, and make
+boards.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What mill?&quot; said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;At that saw-mill near the carding-mill. The mill down in the village,
+you know, is a grist-mill.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>By this time, the boys had got to the top of the hill, and they got into
+the sleigh, and rode along. Presently, they came to a place where Jonas
+was going to turn off, into a sort of by-road which led away into the
+woods, where the pine-trees grew. The man that owned the trees lived
+pretty near, in a farm-house.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Is that the road that we are going in?&quot; asked Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;but it does not look very promising.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The road was filled up nearly full of snow. It had been hard, so that
+they could travel upon it pretty well; but the warm sun had softened the
+snow so much, that the horses' feet sunk down into it, in some places,
+very deep. However, Jonas went along as well as he could.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Let us get out and walk, Jonas,&quot; said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;that will not do much good; for it is the weight of the horse himself, that makes him sink into the snow, not the weight of the sleigh.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So the boys both continued to ride in the sleigh. They soon came into
+the woods, where, the ground being sheltered by the trees above, the
+snow lay more evenly upon it; and, though the horse slumped a little,
+yet he got along very comfortably.</p>
+
+<p>At length, however, they came out of the woods into an opening. The road
+went along under a high bank, with a deep brook on the other side. The
+wind, during the storms in the winter, had blown in over this bank, and
+filled up the road entirely.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;I am afraid we're in difficulty.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why?&quot; said Oliver; &quot;is that a very bad place?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;it looks like a very bad place.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Oliver saw that the snow was very deep on the upper side of the road,
+and that it sloped away in such a manner that it would be very difficult
+for them to get along, even if the road-way was hard.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Perhaps it is hard,&quot; said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;I think it cannot be, for the bank slopes to the
+south, and the sun has been shining upon it all day. However, we must
+try it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The horse hesitated a moment when he came to this place, for he knew by
+instinct that it would be very hard for him to get through it.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Come, General,&quot; said Jonas. &quot;Though, stop a moment, Oliver; perhaps we
+had better get out and walk, or the sleigh may upset.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So they got out. Oliver walked by the horse, keeping on the upper side
+of the road. Jonas went behind, taking hold of the back part of the
+sleigh, so as to hold it in case it should tip down too far. They went
+on thus for some distance tolerably well. The horse sometimes got in
+pretty far, and for a moment would plunge and stagger, as if he could
+hardly get along; but then he would work his way out, and go on a little
+farther.</p>
+
+<p>At length, however, the old General came to a full stop. He sank down,
+shoulders under, in the snow. The more he struggled to get free, the
+deeper he got in. Jonas stepped on before him, and patted him on the
+head, and tried to quiet him.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Jonas,&quot; said Oliver, &quot;let us stop; I don't believe we can go any
+farther.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Nor I,&quot; said Jonas. &quot;At least I don't think we can get the old General
+any farther.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Nor back again either,&quot; said Oliver, &quot;as I see.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The boys stood still, looking upon the horse a moment, utterly at a loss
+what to do.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oliver,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;should you be willing to stay here and take care
+of the horse, while I go on and see about the logs?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why&mdash;I&mdash;don't know,&quot; said Oliver. &quot;I'm afraid he won't stand quiet.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, I shall get him out of the snow, first,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;and take him
+to some level place, where he'll stand well.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How shall you get him out?&quot; asked Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, we will unharness him first,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;and then draw the
+sleigh back out of the way.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So Jonas began to unbuckle the straps of the harness, in order to
+liberate the horse. Oliver tried to help him, but he could not do much,
+the horse was so deep in the snow. And, besides, he was standing, or
+rather lying, in such a position, that many parts of the harness were
+drawn so tense, that Oliver had not strength enough to unbuckle them.</p>
+
+<p>However, Jonas at length got the sleigh separated from the horse, and
+drew it back out of the way. He trampled the snow down around the horse,
+as much as he could, and then the horse, with a leap and a plunge,
+recovered his footing. He stood deep in the snow yet, however.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;where shall we put him till I come back?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Oliver looked across the brook, and saw there, upon a bank, under some
+trees, a spot which was bare. The reason why it was bare was, that the
+snow had nearly all blown off during the storms; and then the sun, which
+had been shining for some days so pleasantly, had melted away what there
+had been left; and now the ground was bare, and almost dry. But the
+difficulty was to get to it; for it was upon the other side of the
+stream, and the bed of the stream was filled with water and ice.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I wouldn't lead him over there,&quot; said Oliver. &quot;I think you had better
+go home, and not do any thing about the timber.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, father will not think you did wrong to give it up, when we got
+into such trouble,&quot; said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, I don't suppose he would; but I'd rather carry him back an answer,
+if I can.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Then let me go with you,&quot; said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, it is a long and very hard walk,&quot; said Jonas. &quot;There is no work so
+hard as travelling in soft snow, without snow-shoes. If we had a pair of
+snow-shoes, we could get along very well.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Did you ever see any snow-shoes?&quot; said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; replied Jonas,
+&quot;but I have read about them. They are very large and flat, and your foot
+stands in the middle of them, and so presses them upon the snow; and
+they are so large that they will not sink in very far.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>While Jonas was saying this, he was climbing down to the bank of the
+brook, with a pole in his hands, with which he was going to see if he
+could find firm footing, for the horse to go across.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said he, punching his pole down to the bottom of the brook; &quot;yes,
+it isn't deep. The old General will get down here very well, I think.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So he and Oliver trampled a sort of path down to the brook, and then
+they led the old General down. He seemed a little reluctant, at first,
+to step into the water. However, he soon went in, and walked over, and
+Oliver fastened him to a tree, so that he could stand upon the bare
+piece of ground. Jonas then pulled the sleigh out of the road, so that
+it should not be in the way, if any body should come along with any
+other team; then he bade Oliver good-by, and went on alone.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas traveled along, as well as he could, through the snow, though he found
+it very laborious walking. In some places, he found hard footing for
+some distance; but then he would sink down again for several successive
+steps. After a short distance, he got out of the deep drift, which had
+prevented the horse from going on, and then he could advance faster.
+There was a singular-looking track in the road. It consisted of a smooth
+groove in the snow, as if the end of a large log had been dragged along.</p>
+
+<p>It was, in fact, made by a log which had been drawn along that road
+towards the mill. One end of the log had been placed upon a sled, and
+the other left to drag along in the snow; and this was what made the
+smooth groove, which Jonas observed. He did not see it before, because
+the man who drove the sled had turned out of the main road, into a
+by-way across the fields, to avoid the deep drift where Jonas's horse
+got into difficulty.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas found it pretty good walking after this. The snow was not so deep
+as it had been; and the path which the log had made was hard and smooth.
+He concluded that it must have been made by such a log, and, of course,
+if he followed it, that it would take him directly to the house of the
+man whom he wanted to see.</p>
+
+<p>After walking about a mile, he came to the house. It was a small
+farm-house, in the woods. There were a great many large logs, lying each
+side of the road near it, ready to be drawn to the mill.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas went up towards the door, which was in the end of the house. As he
+drew near to it, he saw a boy's head behind an enormous pile of wood. He
+went around it, and found that the boy was about as big as Jonas
+himself. He was rolling down a large stick of wood, and had an axe in
+his hand, as if he was going to chop it.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Does Mr. Woodman live here?&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said the boy; &quot;but he isn't at home.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Where is he?&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He is out in the lot, falling trees,&quot; said the boy.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How far is it from here?&quot; asked Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, about a good half mile.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Which way?&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Out yonder,&quot; said the boy; and he pointed
+back of the house, where a rough sled-road led into the woods. &quot;You can
+hear his axe.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jonas listened, and he heard distinctly the sound of an axe in the woods
+behind; presently it ceased. Immediately after, there was a prolonged
+crash, which echoed back from the mountains.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;There goes a tree,&quot; said the boy.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas was sorry to have to leave Oliver so long, but he wished to
+persevere until he should find the man, as he knew that the farmer was
+very desirous of having the business done that day. So he told the boy
+that he believed he would go and see if he could find Mr. Woodman; and
+then he set off in the direction which the boy had indicated.</p>
+
+<p>This road was so sheltered by the woods, that the snow was not much
+drifted; and, besides, it had been kept open by the teams, which had
+been employed in hauling out pine logs. When Jonas got in to the end of
+the road, he heard the strokes of the axe, at a short distance on the
+right.</p>
+
+<p>He looked that way, and found that the man was standing at the
+foot of a tall tree, of very large size; and he was cutting through the
+trunk of it, about two feet from the top of the snow. He saw that it was
+nearly off, and so he thought he would wait a moment, where he was, and
+see it fall. He observed that Mr. Woodman occasionally looked up the
+stem of the tree, between the strokes of his axe, as if to see whether
+it was beginning to fall.</p>
+
+<p>After a few strokes more, he stepped back from the foot of the tree to
+one side. Jonas wondered why he left his work before the tree fell. He
+looked up to the top of it, and he perceived that it was moving. It was
+bending over very slowly indeed. It moved, however, faster and faster,
+and presently began to come tearing down between the branches of the
+other trees, and, at length, descended with a mighty crash to the
+ground. Jonas thought that it was a very fine spectacle indeed. He
+wished that Oliver had been there to see it.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas then went to Mr. Woodman, and transacted his business
+successfully, according to the farmer's directions. Then he turned
+around, and began to walk back, as fast as he could go.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I am afraid,&quot; said he to himself, &quot;that Oliver is almost out of
+patience waiting for me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="ctr"><img src="images/jonas11.jpg" width="340" height="191"
+alt="A pond surrounded by trees."></p>
+
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<a name="10"></a><h2>CHAPTER X.</h2>
+<br>
+
+<p><b>A SURPRISE</b></p>
+
+<p>Jonas walked on until he came out of the woods, at the house where he
+had seen the boy cut wood. As he approached the place, he saw that the
+boy was there still; but there was a man with him. The man had a
+goad-stick in his hand.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He is driving a team somewhere,&quot; said Jonas to himself. &quot;I wonder where
+his oxen are.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>A moment afterwards, Jonas came in sight of the oxen, which were in the
+road, having been hid from his view before, by the wood pile.</p>
+
+<p>The man and the boy looked at Jonas, as he walked towards them. The man
+smiled a little, as if he knew Jonas; but Jonas thought that he had
+never seen him before.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, Jonas,&quot; said the man, &quot;did you find Mr. Woodman?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, sir,&quot;
+replied Jonas. He wondered how the man happened to know his name.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'm glad of it,&quot; said he; &quot;and you'd better make haste back. Rollo is
+almost tired of waiting for you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oliver, you mean,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said the man,&mdash;&quot;Rollo; he said his name was Rollo.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Rollo?&quot; said Jonas; &quot;his name is Oliver. I don't see what made him tell
+you that his name was Rollo.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So saying, Jonas walked thoughtfully away, wondering what this could
+mean. He had never known Oliver to do any such thing before. Oliver, he
+thought, would not tell a falsehood on any account. He was not inclined
+to say any thing of that kind by way of jest. He was a very sober and
+sedate, as well as honest boy. Besides, he could not think what should
+have put Rollo into Oliver's head. He did not recollect that he had said
+any thing of Rollo for a long time. In fact, he had seldom told Oliver
+any thing about him; and what could have induced him to call himself
+Rollo, he could not conceive.</p>
+
+<p>However, he had nothing to do but to go
+on, for the more he attempted to imagine some explanation of the
+mystery, the more he was puzzled. So he walked on as diligently as he
+could.</p>
+
+<p>He came, at length, in sight of the spot where he had left the horse and
+Oliver. The horse was there, but Oliver was not to be seen.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He has got tired of waiting, and has gone away,&quot; said Jonas; &quot;or
+perhaps he is playing about near.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This last supposition was pretty soon, for a moment, confirmed; for
+Jonas saw, very soon after, a boy's head on the bank of the brook, at a
+little distance below.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;There he is now,&quot; said Jonas to himself. &quot;No, it isn't he. That boy
+isn't dressed like Oliver. I wonder who it is.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The boy had a long pole in his hand, and was pushing cakes of ice with
+it. He was so intent upon this amusement, that at first he did not see
+Jonas; but, presently, looking up, his eye suddenly caught a view of
+Jonas, coming, and he instantly dropped his pole, and ran towards him,
+shouting,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Jonas!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, Rollo!&quot; exclaimed Jonas, in his turn. &quot;How came you to
+be here?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>It was Rollo, indeed. Jonas was astonished. He could scarcely believe
+his senses. &quot;Is it possible that this is you?&quot; said he.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Rollo, laughing with great delight, &quot;I believe it is.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And how came you here? I left Oliver here an hour ago, little thinking
+that he would turn into Rollo while I was gone.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oliver?&quot; said Rollo, &quot;who is Oliver?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, don't you know Oliver?&quot; said Jonas. &quot;He is the farmer's son. He came with me, and I left him here to the care of the sleigh. Haven't you
+seen any thing of him?&quot;
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; replied Rollo, &quot;nothing; there was nobody here when I came.&quot;
+
+<p>&quot;What can have become of him, then?&quot; said Jonas. &quot;I hope he is not lost
+in the woods.&quot;
+
+<p>So saying, Jonas began to call aloud, &quot;Oliver! Oliver!&quot; But no Oliver
+answered.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Let us see if we can find any tracks,&quot; said he; and he and Rollo began
+to look about for tracks.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What's this?&quot; said Rollo, looking down intently upon the snow, pretty
+near where the horse had been tied.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Any tracks?&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Rollo, &quot;but some writing in the snow.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So Rollo began to read the writing in a slow manner, as he walked along
+from one word to another; for, the letters being large, the sentence
+extended quite a distance from where it first attracted his attention.
+He read as follows:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Jonas,&mdash;I&mdash;am&mdash;tired of writing,'&mdash;no, 'waiting. I am
+going&mdash;back&mdash;to&mdash;the&mdash;mill.'&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Let me see,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>So Jonas came to the place, and saw the writing. Rollo had read it
+correctly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;he has gone back to the mill, no doubt. We will go,
+and we shall find him there;&mdash;but when did you come from home? and how
+did you find where I was?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Rollo, in answer to Jonas's question, explained to him that his father
+had given him permission to take the horse and sleigh and Nathan, and
+come and pay Jonas a visit. He had arrived at the farmer's that day,
+just after Jonas and Oliver had set out. The farmer told them where
+Jonas had gone, and he was very desirous of going after him. He said
+that he had no doubt that he could find him.</p>
+
+<p>The farmer had hesitated a little; but finally he gave his consent, and
+Rollo set off, leaving Nathan at the farmer's, as he was rather tired.
+He had followed Jonas to the mill, and then he inquired of the people
+whether Jonas had been there. A man in the road told him that he had
+seen Jonas ride away on a certain road; and so Rollo had followed on in
+the road pointed out to him, as he knew that it was not far that he was
+to go.</p>
+
+<p>When Rollo had got so far in his story, Jonas interrupted him to ask,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Were you on foot, Rollo?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; replied Rollo, &quot;in my sleigh.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And where is your sleigh?&quot; asked Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, I left it out here a little way. When I found that the snow was
+deep, and my horse slumped in pretty bad, I left him by the side of the
+road, and walked on to see if I could see any thing of you. I soon found
+your sleigh, run out of the path, and the horse tied under a tree over
+the brook. So I knew that you couldn't be far off.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And you did not go any farther.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Rollo; &quot;I thought it would be better for me to stay by the
+sleigh, and wait for you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jonas asked Rollo a great many questions about all the people at
+home&mdash;his father and mother, and his cousin Lucy; and he said that he
+was very glad indeed, that Rollo had come to see him.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Do you have a pretty good time upon the farm?&quot; said Rollo.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;very good indeed. You would like to be here very
+much.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Are there any boys for me to play with?&quot; said Rollo.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;there is Oliver, though he don't play much. He works
+nearly all the time. But then there is Josey, though he has gone home
+now.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I saw a boy at the mill,&quot; said Rollo, &quot;when I came along. I verily
+believe it was Oliver.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How big was he?&quot; asked Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, about as big as I am,&quot; said Rollo.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And what was he doing?&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, he was playing about on the rocks, under the falls. But he didn't
+seem to have much to do. He stopped and looked at me when I was coming
+by.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Very likely it was he,&quot; said Jonas. &quot;If he had only known who you were,
+he would have liked very much to have come along with you; and you would
+have been good company for each other.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And O, Rollo,&quot; said Jonas again, very eagerly, &quot;there's somebody you'll
+like very much indeed.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Who is it?&quot; said Rollo.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Franco Ney,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Franco Ney!&quot; repeated Rollo; &quot;I never heard a boy named Franco before.
+How old is he?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't know,&quot; said Jonas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Don't know? Well, where does he live?&mdash;at your house?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Jonas. Jonas was correct in this answer, for Franco was
+accustomed to live in the barn.</p>
+
+<p>After some other conversation, Rollo, suddenly looking up, said,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How far is it, Jonas, from your house to Mr. Ney's?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jonas laughed very heartily at this question, but gave no answer. Rollo
+could not imagine what he could he laughing at. Jonas, however, would
+not tell him, but said that he would know all about it, when he should
+come to see Franco Ney.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said Rollo, &quot;I'll ask him why you wouldn't tell me where his
+father lives.&quot;</p>
+
+<p><img src="images/jonas12.jpg" align="right" width="213" height="139"
+alt="A nursing kid goat."></p>
+
+<p>Very soon Rollo and Jonas arrived at the mill. They found Oliver safe
+there, waiting for them; and the rolls, too, were ready. As they did not
+like to tumble the rolls, Oliver rode with Rollo in his sleigh, and
+Jonas took care of the rolls.</p>
+
+<p>Rollo was greatly astonished, as well as very much pleased, when he came
+to see Franco Ney.</p>
+
+
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<a name="11"></a><h2>CHAPTER XI.</h2>
+<br>
+
+<p><b>THE SNOW FORT, OR GOOD FOR EVIL</b></p>
+
+<p>The next morning, after breakfast, Oliver proposed to Rollo, that they
+should go down to the pond, and build a snow fort. During the night,
+there had been a slight thaw, accompanied with some rain. The body of
+snow on the ground had become softened and adhesive by the moisture, and
+was, as Jonas said, &quot;in prime condition for all sorts of snow work.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Oliver borrowed of Jonas the large wooden snow-shovel, with a blade
+nearly two feet square, used in cutting out the paths around the house.
+Rollo assisted him to strap it on the hand-sled, together with some
+boards, two iron shovels, and a hoe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Conqueror&quot;&mdash;for that was the name of his sled&mdash;&quot;will have to be
+captive to-day,&quot; said Oliver, as he bound the load upon the sled, which
+he and Rollo were going to drag down to the pond.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You had better take
+the garden-reel and line,&quot; said Jonas to Oliver, &quot;if you intend to make
+a good fort. You will want to stretch your line so as to make the sides
+square, and to guide you in cutting out your blocks of snow.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, we don't want to be so particular as that,&quot; said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But I thought,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;that your plan last evening was, to do
+your work in a workmanlike manner. If you want a substantial fort to
+last all winter, you must lay a good foundation, and cut your courses
+true, so that they will rest firmly one upon the other,&mdash;and especially
+if you are going to have a roof.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We mean to have a roof,&quot; said Rollo, &quot;or we cannot illuminate it in the
+evening.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, then,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;I advise you to take the line, and build
+according to rule.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Oliver had not forgotten what Jonas had often told him about doing his
+work like a workman.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<i>What is worth doing at all, is worth doing well</i>&quot; Jonas used to say.</p>
+
+<p>So Oliver went to get the reel and line.</p>
+
+<p>While he was gone to the tool-house, Rollo thought of Franco Ney, and
+began to call aloud, &quot;Franco! Franco!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Franco did not come.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Franco! Franco&mdash;o! Franco&mdash;o! Where <i>is</i> Franco?&quot; said Rollo; &quot;we can't
+go without him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He won't mind you,&quot; said Oliver, as he came running back.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You call him, then,&quot; said Rollo.</p>
+
+<p>Oliver whistled the dog call, and in a moment, Franco came running from
+the poultry yard with a bone in his mouth, which he had been gnawing for
+a breakfast. At that moment, Nathan came running out of the door, with a
+luncheon in his hand for them all. The farmer's wife had put up in a
+paper an apple turn-over and a nut-cake for each of the boys, as they
+were going on so important an expedition.</p>
+
+<p>Very soon, every thing was ready, and they started for the scene of
+operations, eager for their work, Oliver and Rollo drawing the sled, and
+Nathan and Franco following on behind.</p>
+
+<p>When they arrived near the pond, Oliver pointed to a little mound, not
+far from the edge of the water, which overlooked the principal
+skating-ground of the village boys in winter.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;There, Rollo,&quot; said Oliver, &quot;there's the place for a fort. Many a
+pleasant time we have had there, in a clear winter night, watching the
+skaters all the way up to the head of the pond. The fires look
+splendidly.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It is a good place for a lookout,&quot; said Rollo; &quot;but then I wouldn't
+build it here. Let us go down nearer the pond.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Oliver; &quot;if we go down near the pond, as likely as not, the
+first skating night, some of the boys will tear our fort all to pieces.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What if they do?&quot; said Rollo.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I want it to last all winter,&quot; said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>Rollo yielded to Oliver's wishes, and they began together to unbind
+their load of boards and tools.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Come, Nathan,&quot; said Oliver, &quot;we want you to help us now.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Rollo and Nathan measured with the reel and line, while Oliver planted a
+stake firmly in the snow at the four corners of the square.</p>
+
+<p>According to Jonas's advice, the evening before, they had agreed to make
+their fortification twelve feet square, and the walls about one foot
+thick.</p>
+
+<p>Rollo and Nathan held the cord, stretched from corner to corner, just
+along the surface of the snow, while Oliver, with the shovel, cut the
+snow square down to the ground, more than a foot and a half deep.</p>
+
+<p>In this way they went round the whole enclosure, outside. They then went
+inside, and, by a similar process, cut away the snow so as to leave an
+unbroken line of snow wall about ten feet square and one foot wide.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;There,&quot; said Oliver, &quot;there are the sills, as Jonas called them. It is
+what <i>I</i> call a good foundation.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>After this, Oliver asked Rollo to bring in the measuring-board inside of
+the fort.</p>
+
+<p>Oliver and Rollo remembered what Jonas had told them about &quot;commanding
+and obeying,&quot; and agreed to take turns in being &quot;director.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>It was Oliver's turn for the first hour, and Rollo was to obey him.
+Nathan was to assist them both, when he was wanted.</p>
+
+<p>Oliver, therefore, took the command, and directed where and how to cut
+out the snow, in the manner which Jonas had described.</p>
+
+<p>They proceeded with the measuring-board, to mark off, and cut out by it, solid blocks
+of snow about four feet long, one foot wide, and one thick.</p>
+
+<p>Rollo laid down the measuring-board on the snow, and then both of them,
+with the shovels, cut down the snow perpendicularly along the edges, so
+as to have all the snow-blocks of precisely the same length, breadth,
+and thickness. These they laid in courses, on the top of the foundation.</p>
+
+<p>It took just three blocks to form a side, excepting the side where the
+door was, which they left three feet wide.</p>
+
+<p>After working more than two hours, and laying two courses, they shoveled
+out all the broken snow that remained inside, and then sat down on the
+sled to eat their luncheon and rest.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How do you like the looks of it, Rollo?&quot; said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<i>Well</i>,&quot; said Rollo; &quot;only I don't see how we can make a roof.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Jonas will help us do that,&quot; said Oliver, &quot;if we do the rest of the
+work well.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The boys, however, were now pretty tired. They had worked very hard.
+They pulled off their caps, and with their handkerchiefs wiped the
+perspiration from their foreheads.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Don't let us work any longer now,&quot; said Nathan, rubbing his hands, and
+knocking one foot against the other. &quot;I think we have done enough for
+one day; and my feet are <i>so</i> cold!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<i>We've</i> done enough!&quot; said Oliver. &quot;I think Rollo and I have had the
+principal <i>doing</i> to do. You and Franco have been looking on.&quot;</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+&quot;'What you've to do<br>
+Get done to-day,<br>
+And do not for to-morrow stay;<br>
+There's always danger in delay'&mdash;<br>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>said Rollo. &quot;I think we had better finish
+it now. Come, Nathan, jump about here
+on the sled, and you will soon be warm.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So they went briskly at work again, Rollo taking the command. They found
+it very hard, after the second course, to get the snow-blocks up on the
+snowy wall. Often they would slip away out of their hands, just as they
+were lodging them safely on the top, and fall over on one side of the
+wall, and break to pieces.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Let us cut them in two,&quot; said Oliver; &quot;we
+can handle them better so.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Before they got through the fourth course, they were glad to cut all
+their materials into pieces of one foot square.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How high are the walls now?&quot; said Rollo, as they stopped to look at the
+appearance of the last course.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Between five and six feet,&quot; said Oliver. &quot;The foundation is at least a
+foot and a half high, and we have laid four courses.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Oliver, Rollo, and Nathan went to work together, then, stopping up all
+the chinks in the wall, inside and out, with soft snow.</p>
+
+<p>When this was well done, Oliver took the hoe, and with the sharp edge
+shaved down all around on both sides, making the walls look even and
+true.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said Rollo, &quot;that is the best snow fort I ever saw. Jonas does
+know how to do things, doesn't he, Oliver? But I don't see how we are to
+get a roof on.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't care about a roof,&quot; said Oliver. &quot;We don't want to play in it
+only in pleasant weather.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'll tell you what we might do,&quot; said Rollo. &quot;We could make a
+partition through the middle, and put a roof over half of it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;So we can,&quot; said Oliver. &quot;We'll do that this afternoon. It's time to go
+to dinner now.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The boys then gathered all the tools, &amp;c., and laid them together, as
+Jonas had taught them to do, when they finished work, and then started
+for home.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Halloo, Franco,&quot; said Rollo, &quot;are you here still?&quot; They had been so
+busy at work, they had taken no notice of him. But Franco had watched
+their operations, and now went running on in the path before the boys,
+wagging his tail, as if he had as much pleasure as they, in
+contemplating the result of their morning's labor.</p>
+
+<p>When Jonas came home to dinner, at noon, the boys were impatient to tell
+him what they had done.</p>
+
+<p>But Jonas was too much engaged in some work about the new barn to listen
+to their story then. He told them, however, that he would go down about
+sunset, and look at their work, and hear the account, in the evening, of
+the experiment in doing work like workmen.</p>
+
+<p>After dinner, Oliver was
+excused from many of his regular duties, on account of the visit of
+Rollo and Nathan; and the three boys hastened to return to their fort.
+They were so intent on finishing it, that they lost all interest in
+playing with Franco, or each other.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What shall we call our fort?&quot; said Oliver, as they walked along.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We don't want any name, do we?&quot; said Rollo.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, yes,&quot; said Oliver, &quot;let us have a name. I always like to have a
+name. There's the old 'General,'&mdash;we have had many a good time with him;
+and my 'Conqueror,'&mdash;there isn't a boy in town that doesn't know my
+sled.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We might call it 'Gibraltar,'&quot; said Rollo.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, that's a good name,&quot; said Oliver. &quot;How do you like 'Iceberg
+Castle'? Jonas was telling us all about the icebergs the other evening;
+and I read a story, about a famous 'Ice Palace' in Russia; how do you
+like that?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't like that,&quot; said Rollo. &quot;Ours is a <i>fort</i>; it isn't a palace.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If you are going to have it a palace,&quot; said Nathan, &quot;whom will you
+have for a <i>king</i>?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You may be king, Nathan,&quot; said Rollo, &quot;and we will soon demolish your
+palace, and make a prisoner of you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, no,&quot; said Oliver, &quot;the fort shall stand as long as ice will last. I
+mean to pour water all over it, and freeze it into solid ice; and I
+expect the last ice to be seen any where about next spring, will be the
+ruins of the old fort.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>After some discussion, the boys agreed to call it &quot;Iceberg Castle.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>They then took a survey, inside and out, of their morning's work, and
+decided to proceed at once and build the partition which Rollo proposed
+before dinner. At Oliver's suggestion, Rollo was director.</p>
+
+<p>For more than an hour they continued their toil, in constructing the
+partition. Jonas had given them no instructions about this; and they
+found it much more difficult than the walls, on account of the small,
+low door, which they had to make, to lead from one apartment into the
+other.</p>
+
+<p>At last, as Oliver and Nathan were drawing through the outer door a
+small heap of loose snow, which they had gathered up from the floor of
+the inner room, Rollo followed them, shouting, as they emerged from the
+fort, &quot;Done, boys, done!&mdash;Hurrah for Iceberg Castle!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I wish Jonas was here now,&quot; said Oliver; &quot;but I suppose it will be two
+or three hours before he can come down.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Can't we do something more?&quot; said Rollo. &quot;I wish we could put on a
+roof, before he comes.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't believe we can do that,&quot; said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>The boys walked in and out, and all around the fort, again and again,
+admiring its appearance, and thinking what else they could do.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It wouldn't be a bad plan to have a king, as Nathan said, in our
+castle; would it, Oliver?&quot; said Rollo.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Not at all,&quot; said Oliver. &quot;Let us make a king, or a giant, to keep the
+premises for us, when we are away.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So saying, they all set to work rolling snow-balls to make him.</p>
+
+<p>Oliver rolled up a huge mass, for his body, larger than they could at
+first get through the doors.</p>
+
+<p>Rollo rolled one for his head, and Nathan made several small ones.</p>
+
+<p>In one corner of the inner room, they laid a small platform, of several
+square, flat blocks of snow, for a throne, as Rollo called it; and here
+they placed his &quot;Majesty.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It seems to me,&quot; said Oliver, &quot;that the King of the Frozen Regions
+ought to have a crown and a court.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>No sooner said than done. A little band of snow-balls, in double rows,
+soon encircled his brow, surmounted, too, with icicles and stalactites,
+which Nathan brought from the brook.</p>
+
+<p>The opposite corners of the room were soon decorated with corresponding
+figures, whom Rollo introduced as Lord and Lady Frost.</p>
+
+<p>He had scarcely pronounced the names, when Jonas walked in, to the
+surprise and great delight of the boys.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well done, boys,&quot; said Jonas; &quot;I think you have followed directions
+this time. I give you credit for doing your work in a workmanlike
+manner. But I can't stay to talk with you about it now. Your father,
+Oliver, wishes me to go out on the pond, and bring home the sled we left
+there, the other night, in the storm. The wind has come out in the
+north-west, and there is every prospect of a bitter cold night. It has
+begun to stiffen already, and, before morning, the sled may be locked up
+in solid ice.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jonas hurried away, and the boys, not a little disappointed, gathered
+all their implements together to return home.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It <i>will</i> be a cold night; won't it?&quot; said Oliver, as he looked off to
+the north-west. How fast it grows cold! It freezes now. I was in hopes
+we should have one more mild day. But we can't get a roof on after
+this.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Won't it make good skating on the pond,&quot; asked Rollo, &quot;if the water
+freezes now?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, indeed,&quot; said Oliver. &quot;I shouldn't be surprised if there was
+skating there to-night. It's only a thin sheet of water over the ice and
+snow. Three or four hours of real cold will make ice enough for that.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Come, Nathan, jump on the sled, and you shall have a ride. Rollo and I
+will be your horses. Mother will have supper ready by the time we get
+home.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Nathan, glad of a ride, took his seat, and they were soon at the house.</p>
+
+<p>Oliver took the snow-shovels and the other tools, and returned them to
+their proper places, and then drew up his sled into a corner of the
+wagon-house.</p>
+
+<p>After tea, Oliver and Rollo went out into the yard to feel the air, and
+judge of the impression the night would probably make upon &quot;Iceberg
+Castle&quot; and its inhabitants.</p>
+
+<p>It was clear and cold. The stars twinkled brightly. The moon was not up.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;See there!&quot; said Oliver; &quot;I do believe they are building a fire down on
+the pond already. There'll be a skating party to-night, no doubt.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The boys returned to a cheerful room with a good fire, and were seated
+round the table, to amuse themselves for the evening. They passed the
+time pleasantly until Jonas returned from the pond.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O Jonas, Jonas,&quot; they all said, as he came in, &quot;what made you stay so
+long?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jonas gave them an account of his adventures, and of his meeting a party
+of skaters, who were already on the pond, expecting to be joined, in
+the course of the evening, by a much larger number from the village.</p>
+
+<p>After Jonas had taken his supper, the boys gathered around him to talk
+about their fort, every now and then running to the door or window, to
+see the fire on the pond.</p>
+
+<p>Long before it went out, Oliver, Rollo, and Nathan, were in a sound
+sleep.</p>
+
+<p>The next morning, early, they appeared as impatient to run down to the
+&quot;Castle,&quot; as if they had dreamed of it all night long; and before the
+fire was well burning in the great room, they all three came running
+back to Jonas, out of breath, and with sad faces, exclaiming,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O Jonas! Jonas! our fort is all torn to pieces!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>True enough, some of the boys of the skating party had completely
+demolished the Castle.</p>
+
+<p>Oliver and Rollo were greatly excited; they were grieved, and they were
+angry, and could scarcely refrain from expressing wishes of vengeance
+which it was not in their power to execute.</p>
+
+<p>Jonas sympathized with them in their severe disappointment.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Tis <i>too bad</i>,&quot; said Rollo.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Tis <i>too bad</i>,&quot; repeated Oliver. &quot;How shall we pay them for it? Jonas,
+tell us how?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Pay them for it?&quot; said Jonas; &quot;that isn't the way I should do.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, I think they deserve it,&quot; said Rollo.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;So do I,&quot; said Oliver.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What do you mean by paying them for it?&quot; said Jonas; &quot;giving them as
+much injury and pain as they have given you? Don't you remember the
+lesson that Franco taught us, that to return good for evil was good
+policy as well as good morals?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, what would you do, Jonas?&quot; they both asked together.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't know now,&quot; said Jonas, &quot;what I would do. I will think of it.
+But this I know,&mdash;that we ought <i>never to be overcome of evil, but to
+overcome evil with good</i>.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Oliver and Rollo wondered what Jonas would do.</p>
+<br>
+
+<br>
+<hr class="full" size="5" noshade>
+
+<p>***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JONAS ON A FARM IN WINTER***</p>
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+</html>
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+The Project Gutenberg eBook, Jonas on a Farm in Winter, by Jacob Abbott
+
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+
+
+
+Title: Jonas on a Farm in Winter
+
+Author: Jacob Abbott
+
+Release Date: May 4, 2004  [eBook #12260]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: US-ASCII
+
+
+***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JONAS ON A FARM IN WINTER***
+
+
+E-text prepared by Internet Archive Children's Library; University of
+Florida; and Thaadd, Stan Goodman, and the Project Gutenberg Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team
+
+
+
+Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this
+      file which includes the original illustrations.
+      See 12260-h.htm or 12260-h.zip:
+      (https://www.gutenberg.org/1/2/2/6/12260/12260-h/12260-h.htm)
+      or
+      (https://www.gutenberg.org/1/2/2/6/12260/12260-h.zip)
+
+      Images of the original pages are available through the Florida
+      Board of Education, Division of Colleges and Universities,
+      PALMM Project, 2001. (Preservation and Access for American and
+      British Children's Literature, 1850-1869.) See
+      http://fulltext10.fcla.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=
+      juv&idno=UF00001875&format=jpg
+      or
+      http://fulltext10.fcla.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=
+      juv&idno=UF00001875&format=pdf
+
+
+
+
+
+JONAS ON A FARM IN WINTER.
+
+BY JACOB ABBOTT
+
+Author of the Rollo Books
+
+MDCCCLI.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: Jonas stopping at the house of Mr. Edwards.]
+
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE.
+
+
+This little work, with its companion, _Jonas On A Farm In Summer_,
+is intended as the continuation of a series, the first two volumes
+of which, _Jonas's Stories_ and _Jonas A Judge_, have already been
+published. They are all designed, not merely to interest and amuse
+the juvenile reader, but to give him instruction, by exemplifying
+the principles of honest integrity, and plain practical good sense,
+in their application to the ordinary circumstances of childhood.
+
+
+
+CONTENTS.
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+Morning
+
+CHAPTER II.
+Commanding And Obeying
+
+CHAPTER III.
+Franco
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+Dog Lost
+
+CHAPTER V.
+Signs Of A Storm
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+The Rescue
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+A Fire
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+The Carding-Mill
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+Difficulty
+
+CHAPTER X.
+A Surprise
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+The Snow Fort, Or Good For Evil
+
+
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+
+MORNING
+
+Early one winter morning, while Jonas was living upon the farm, in the
+employment of Oliver's father, he came groping down, just before
+daylight, into the great room.
+
+The great room was, as its name indicated, quite large, occupying a
+considerable portion of the lower floor of the farmer's house. There was
+a very spacious fireplace in one side, with a settle, which was a long
+seat, with a very high back, near it. The room was used both for kitchen
+and parlor, and there was a great variety of furniture in different
+parts of it. There were chairs and tables, a bookcase with a desk below,
+a loom in one corner by a window, and a spinning-wheel near it. Then,
+there were a great many doors. One led out into the back yard, one up
+stairs, one into a back room,--which was used for coarse work, and which
+was generally called the kitchen,--and one into a large store closet
+adjoining the great room.
+
+Jonas groped his way down stairs; but as soon as he opened the great
+room door, he found the room filled with a flickering light, which came
+from the fireplace. There was a log there, which had been buried in the
+ashes the night before. It had burned slowly, through the night, and the
+fire had broken out at one end, which now glowed like a furnace, and
+illuminated the whole room with a faint red light.
+
+Jonas went up towards the fire. The hearth was very large, and formed of
+great, flat stones. On one side of it was a large heap of wood, which
+Jonas had prepared the night before, to be ready for his fire. On the
+other side was a black cat asleep, with her chin upon her paws. When the
+cat heard Jonas coming, she rose up, stretched out her fore paws, and
+then began to purr, rubbing her cheeks against the bottom of the settle.
+
+"Good morning, Darco," said Jonas. "It is time to get up."
+
+The cat's name was Darco.
+
+Jonas took a pair of heavy iron tongs, which stood by the side of the
+fire, and pulled forward the log. He found that it had burned through,
+and by three or four strokes with the tongs, he broke it up into large
+fragments of coal, of a dark-reddish color. The air being thus admitted,
+they soon began to brighten and crackle, until, in a few minutes, there
+was before him a large heap of glowing and burning coals. He put a log
+on behind, then placed the andirons up to the log, and a great forestick
+upon the andirons. He placed the forestick so far out as to leave a
+considerable space between it and the backlog, and then he put the coals
+up into this space,--having first put in a slender stick, resting upon
+the andirons, to keep the coals from falling through. He then placed on
+a great deal more wood, and he soon had a roaring fire, which crackled
+loud, and blazed up into the chimney.
+
+"Now for my lantern," said Jonas.
+
+So saying, he took down a lantern, which hung by the side of the fire.
+The lantern was made of tin, with holes punched through it on all sides,
+so as to allow the light to shine through; and yet the holes were not
+large enough to admit the wind, to blow out the light.
+
+Jonas opened the lantern, and took out a short candle from the socket
+within. Just as he was lighting it, the door opened, and Amos came in.
+
+"Ah, Jonas," said he, "you are before me, as usual."
+
+"Why, the youngest hand makes the fire, of course," said Jonas.
+
+"Then it ought to be Oliver," said Amos,--"or else Josey."
+
+"There! I promised to wake Oliver up," said Jonas.
+
+"O, he's awake; and he and Josey are coming down. They have found out
+that there is snow on the ground."
+
+"Is there much snow?" asked Jonas.
+
+"I don't know," said Amos; "the ground seems pretty well covered. If
+there is enough to make sledding, you are going after wood to-day."
+
+"And what are you going to do?" said Jonas.
+
+"I am going up among the pines to get out the barn frame, I believe."
+
+Here a door opened, and Oliver came in, followed by Josey shivering
+with the cold, and in great haste to get to the fire.
+
+"Didn't your father say," said Amos to Oliver, "that he was going with
+me to-day, to get out the timber for the barn frame?"
+
+"Yes," said Oliver, "he is going to build a great barn next summer. But
+I'm going up into the woods with Jonas, to haul wood. There's plenty of
+snow."
+
+"I'd go too," said Josey, "if it wasn't so cold."
+
+"It won't be cold in the woods," said Jonas. "There's no wind in the
+woods."
+
+While they had been talking thus, Jonas had got his lantern ready, and
+had gone to the door, and stood there a minute, ready to go out.
+
+"Jonas," said Josey, "are you going out into the barn?"
+
+"Yes," said Jonas.
+
+"Wait a minute, then, for me, just till I put on my other boot."
+
+Jonas waited a minute, according to Josey's request, and then they all
+went out together.
+
+They found the snow pretty deep, all over the yard, but they waded
+through it to the barn. They had to go through a gate, which led them
+into the barn-yard. From the barn-yard they entered the barn itself, by
+a small door near one corner.
+
+There were two great doors in the middle of the barn, made so large
+that, when they were opened, there was space enough for a large load of
+hay to go in. Opposite these doors there was a space floored over with
+plank, pretty wide, and extending through the barn to the back side.
+This was called the barn floor. On one side was a place divided off for
+stables for the horses, and on the other side was the _tie-up_, a place
+for the oxen and cows. There was also the bay, and the lofts for hay and
+grain; and at the end of the tie-up there was a door leading into a
+calf-pen, and thence, by a passage behind the calf-pen, to a work-shop
+and shed. The small door where the boys came in, led to a long and
+narrow passage, between the tie-up and the bay.
+
+They walked along, Jonas going before with his lantern in his hand. The
+cattle which had lain down, began to get up, and the horses neighed in
+their stalls; for the shining of the lantern in the barn was the
+well-known signal which called them to breakfast.
+
+Jonas clambered up by a long ladder to the hay-loft, to pitch down some
+hay, and Josey and Oliver followed him; while Amos remained below to
+"feed out" the hay, as he called it, as fast as they pitched it down. It
+was pretty dark upon the loft, although the lantern shed a feeble light
+upon the rafters above.
+
+"Boys," said Jonas, "it is dangerous for you to be up here; I'd rather
+you'd go down."
+
+"Well," said Oliver, and he began to descend.
+
+"Why?" said Josey; "I don't think there's any danger."
+
+"Yes," said Jonas, "a pitchfork wound is worse than almost any other. It
+is what they call a _punctured_ wound."
+
+"What kind of a wound is that?" said Josey.
+
+"I'll tell you some other time," said Jonas. "But don't stay up here. You
+don't obey so well as Oliver. Go down and give the old General some
+hay."
+
+The old General was the name of a large white horse, quite old and
+steady, but of great strength. When he was younger, he belonged to a
+general, who used to ride him upon the parade, and this was the origin
+of his name.
+
+Josey, at this proposal, made haste down the ladder, and began to put
+some hay over into the old General's crib. He then went round into the
+General's stall, and, patting him upon the neck, he asked him if his
+breakfast was good.
+
+In the mean time, Oliver opened the great barn doors, and, taking a
+shovel, he began to clear away the snow from before them. The sky in the
+east was by this time beginning to be quite bright; and a considerable
+degree of light from the sky, and from the new-fallen snow, came into
+the barn. Josey got a shovel, and went out to help Oliver. After they
+had shoveled away the snow from the great barn doors, they went to the
+house, and began to clear the steps before the doors, and to make paths
+in the yards. They worked in this way for half an hour, and then, just
+as the sun began first to show its bright, glittering rays above the
+horizon, they went into the house. They found that the great fire which
+Jonas had built, was burnt half down; the breakfast-table was set, and
+the breakfast itself was nearly ready.
+
+The boys came to the fireplace, to see what they were going to have for
+breakfast.
+
+"Boys," said the farmer's wife, while she was turning her cakes, "go and
+call Amos in to family prayers,--and Jonas."
+
+"You go, Oliver," said Josey.
+
+Oliver said nothing, but obeyed his mother's direction. He went into the
+barn-yard, and he found Amos and Jonas at work in a shed beyond, getting
+down a sled which had been stowed away there during the summer. It was a
+large and heavy sled, and had a tongue extending forward to draw it by.
+
+"What are you getting out that sled for?" said Oliver.
+
+"To haul wood on," said Jonas. "We're going to haul wood after
+breakfast, and I want to get all ready."
+
+There was another smaller and lighter sled, which had been upon the top
+of the heavy one, before Amos and Jonas had taken it off. This smaller
+sled had two shafts to draw it by, instead of a tongue. Jonas knew by
+this, that it was intended to be drawn by a horse, while the one with a
+tongue was meant for oxen.
+
+"Oliver," said Jonas, "I think it would be a good plan for you and Josey
+to take this sled and the old General, and go with me to haul wood."
+
+"Well," said Oliver, "I should like it very much."
+
+"We can all go up together. You and Josey can be loading the horse-sled,
+while I load the ox-sled, and then we can drive them down, and so get
+two loads down, instead of one."
+
+"Well," said Oliver, "I mean to ask my father."
+
+"Or perhaps," continued Jonas, "you can be teamster for the oxen, and
+Josey can drive the horse, and so I remain up in the woods, cutting and
+splitting."
+
+"No," said Oliver, "because we can't unload alone."
+
+"No," said Jonas; "I had forgotten that."
+
+"But I mean to ask my father," said Oliver, "to let me have the old
+General, and haul a load down when you come."
+
+So saying, the boys walked along towards the house. The sun was now
+shining beautifully upon the fresh snow, making it sparkle in every
+direction, all around. They walked in by the path which Oliver and Josey
+had shoveled.
+
+"Why didn't you make your path wider?" said Amos. "This isn't wide
+enough for a cow-path."
+
+"O, yes, Amos," said Jonas, "it will do very well. I can widen it a
+little when I come out after breakfast."
+
+When they got to the door, Jonas stopped a moment to look around. The
+fields were white in every direction, and the branches of the trees near
+the house were loaded with the snow. The air was keen and frosty, and
+the breaths of the boys were visible by the vapor which was condensed by
+the cold. The pond was one great level field of dazzling white. All was
+silent--nothing was seen of life or motion, except that Darco, who came
+out when the door was opened, looked around astonished, took a few
+cautious steps along the path, and then, finding the snow too deep and
+cold, went back again to take her place once more by the fire.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+
+COMMANDING AND OBEYING
+
+About an hour after breakfast, Jonas with the oxen, and Oliver and Josey
+with the horse, were slowly moving along up the road which led back from
+the pond towards the wood lot. The wood lot was a portion of the forest,
+which had been reserved, to furnish a supply of wood for the winter
+fires. The road followed for some distance the bank of the brook, which
+emptied into the pond at the place where Jonas and Oliver had cleared
+land, when Jonas first came to live on this farm.
+
+It was a very pleasant road. The brook was visible here and there
+through the bushes and trees on one side of it. These bushes and trees
+were of course bare of leaves, excepting the evergreens, and they were
+loaded down with the snow. Some were bent over so that the tops nearly
+touched the ground.
+
+The brook itself, too, was almost buried and concealed in the snow. In
+the still places, it had frozen over; and so the snow had been supported
+by the ice, and thus it concealed both ice and water. At the little
+cascades and waterfalls, however, which occurred here and there, the
+water had not frozen. Water does not freeze easily where it runs with
+great velocity. At these places, therefore, the boys could see the
+water, and hear it bubbling and gurgling as it fell, and disappeared
+under the ice which had formed below.
+
+At last, they came to the wood lot. The wood which they were going to
+haul had been cut before, and it had been piled up in long piles,
+extending here and there under the trees which had been left. These
+piles were now, however, partly covered with the snow, which lay light
+and unsullied all over the surface of the ground.
+
+The sticks of wood in these piles were of different sizes, though they
+were all of the same length. Some had been cut from the tops of the
+trees, or from the branches, and were, consequently, small in diameter;
+others were from the trunks, which would, of course, make large logs.
+These logs had, however, been split into quarters by a beetle and
+wedges, when the wood had been prepared, so that there were very few
+sticks or logs so large, but that Jonas could pretty easily get them on
+to the sled.
+
+Jonas drove his team up near to one end of the pile, while Josey and
+Oliver went to the other, where the wood was generally small. While
+Jonas was loading, he heard a conversation something like this between
+the other boys:--
+
+"Let's put some good large logs on our sled," said Josey.
+
+"Well," said Oliver, "as large as we can; only we'd better put this
+small wood on first."
+
+"I wish you'd go around to the other side, Oliver," said Josey again;
+"you're in my way."
+
+"No," said Oliver, "I can't work on that side very well."
+
+"Then I mean to move the old General round a little."
+
+"No," said Oliver, "the sled stands just right now; only you get up on
+the top of the pile, and I'll stay here." "No," said Josey, "I'd rather
+stand here myself."
+
+So the boys continued at work a few minutes longer, each being in the
+other's way.
+
+At length, Josey said again,--
+
+"O, here is a large log, and I mean to get it out, and put it upon our
+sled."
+
+The log was covered with smaller wood, so that Josey could only get hold
+of the end of it. He clasped his hands together under this end, and
+began to lift it up, endeavoring to get it free from the other wood. He
+succeeded in raising it a little, but it soon got wedged in again, worse
+than before.
+
+"Come, Oliver," said Josey, "help me get out this log. It is rock
+maple."
+
+"No," said Oliver, "I'm busy."
+
+"Jonas," said Josey, calling out aloud, "Jonas, here's a stick of wood,
+which I can't get out. I wish you'd come and help me."
+
+In answer to this request, Jonas only called both the boys to come to
+him.
+
+They accordingly left the old General standing in the snow, with his
+sled partly loaded, and came to the end of the pile, where Jonas was at
+work.
+
+"I see you don't get along very well," said Jonas.
+
+"Why, you see," said Josey, "that Oliver wouldn't help me put on a great
+log."
+
+"The difficulty is," said Jonas, "that you both want to be master.
+Whereas, when two people are working together, one must be master, and
+the other servant."
+
+"_I_ don't want to be servant," said Josey.
+
+"It's better to be servant on some accounts," said Jonas; "then you have
+no responsibility."
+
+"Responsibility?" repeated Josey.
+
+"Yes," said Jonas. "Power and responsibility always go together;--or at
+least they ought to. But come, boys, be helping me load, while we are
+settling this difficulty, so as not to lose our time."
+
+So the boys began to put wood upon Jonas's sled, while the conversation
+continued as follows:--
+
+"Can't two persons work together, unless one is master, and the other
+servant?" asked Josey.
+
+"At least," replied Jonas, "one must take the lead, and the other
+follow, in order to work to advantage. There must be subordination. For
+you see that, in all sorts of work, there are a great many little
+questions coming up, which are of no great consequence, only they ought
+to be decided, one way or the other, quick, or else the work won't go
+on. You act, in your work, like Jack and Jerry, when they ran against
+the horse-block."
+
+"Why, how was that?" said Josey.
+
+"They were drawing the wagon along to harness the horse in, and the
+horse-block was in the way; so they both got hold of the shafts, and
+Jack wanted to pull it around towards the right, while Jerry said it
+would be better to have it go to the left. So they pulled, one one way,
+and the other the other, and thus they got it up chock against the
+horse-block, one shaft on each side. Here they stood pulling in
+opposition for some time, and all the while their father was waiting for
+them to turn the wagon, and harness the horse."
+
+"What did he say to them," said Oliver, "when he found it out?"
+
+"He made Jack bring it round Jerry's way, and then made Jerry draw it
+back again, and bring it along Jack's way.
+
+"When men are at work," continued Jonas, "one acts as director, and the
+rest follows on, as he guides. Then all the unimportant questions are
+decided promptly."
+
+"Well," said Josey, "let us do so, Oliver. I'll be director."
+
+"How do they decide who shall be director?" said Oliver.
+
+"The oldest and most experienced directs, generally; or, if one is the
+employer, and the others are employed by him, then the employer directs
+the others. If a man wants a stone bridge built, and hires three men to
+do it, there is always an understanding, at the beginning, who shall
+have the direction of the work, and all the others obey.
+
+"So," continued Jonas, "if a carpenter were to send two of his men into
+the woods to cut down a tree for timber, without saying which of them
+should have the direction,--then the oldest or most experienced, or the
+one who had been the longest in the carpenter's employ, would take the
+direction. He would say, 'Let us go out this way,' and the other would
+assent; or, 'I think we had better take this tree,' and the other would
+say, perhaps, 'Here's one over here which looks rather straighter; won't
+you come and look at this?' But they would not dispute about it. One
+would leave it to the other to decide."
+
+"Suppose," said Josey, "one was just as old and experienced as the
+other."
+
+"Why, if there was no reason, whatever, why one should take the lead,
+rather than the other, then they would not either of them be tenacious
+of their opinion. If one proposed to do a thing, the other would comply
+without making any objection, unless he had a very decided objection
+indeed. So they would get along peaceably.
+
+"Now," continued Jonas, "boys are very apt to have different opinions,
+and to be very tenacious of them, and so get into disputes and
+difficulties when they are working together. Therefore, when boys are
+set to work, it is generally best to appoint one to take charge; for
+they haven't, generally, good sense enough to find out, themselves,
+which it is most proper should be in charge.
+
+"For instance, now," continued Jonas, "which of you, do you think, on
+the whole, is the proper one to take the direction of the work, when you
+are set to work together?"
+
+"I," said Josey, with great promptness.
+
+Oliver did not answer at all.
+
+"There's one reason why you ought _not_ to be the one," said Jonas.
+
+"What is it?" said Josey.
+
+"Why, you don't obey very well. No person is well qualified to command,
+until he has learned to obey."
+
+"I obey," said Josey, "I'm sure."
+
+"Not always," said Jonas. "This morning, when you were upon the haymow,
+and I told you both to go down, Oliver went down immediately; but you
+remained up, and made excuses instead of obeying."
+
+Josey was silent. He perceived that Jonas's charge against him was just.
+
+"Besides," continued Jonas, "there are some other reasons why Oliver
+should command, rather than you. First he understands more of farmer's
+work, being more accustomed to it; secondly, he is older."
+
+"No," interrupted Josey, "he isn't older. I'm the oldest."
+
+"Are you?" said Jonas.
+
+"Yes," replied Josey. "I'm two months older than he is."
+
+Oliver had so much more prudence and discretion, and being, besides, a
+little larger than Josey, made Jonas think that he was older.
+
+"Well," said Jonas, "at any rate, he has more judgement and experience,
+and he certainly obeys better. So you may go back to your work, and let
+Oliver take the command, and then, after a little while, if Oliver says
+that you have obeyed him well, I'll try the experiment of letting you,
+Josey, command."
+
+The boys accordingly went back, and finished loading up the old General.
+Oliver took the direction, and Josey obeyed very well. Now and then he
+would forget for a moment, and begin to argue; but Josey would submit
+pretty readily, for he was very desirous that Jonas would let him
+command next time; and he thought that he would not allow him to command
+until he had learned to obey.
+
+They had the two sleds loaded nearly at the same time, and then went
+down. When they were going back after the second load, they all got on
+to Jonas's sled, which was forward, to ride, leaving the old General to
+follow with his sled. He was so well trained that he walked along very
+steadily. Oliver fastened the reins to one of the stakes, so that they
+should not get down under the horse's feet. The boys all got together
+upon the forward sled, in order that they might talk with one another as
+they were going back to the woods.
+
+"Now, Josey," said Jonas, "we will let you have the command for the next
+trip, and, while we are going back, I will give you both some
+instructions."
+
+"About obeying?" said Josey.
+
+"Yes, and about commanding too," said Jonas. "It requires rather more
+skill to know how to command, than how to obey; to know how to direct
+work, than to know how to execute it. A good director, in the first
+place, takes care to plan wisely, and he feels a responsibility about
+the work, and a desire to have it go on to good advantage. If some men
+build a way, and, after it is finished, it tumbles down, the man who had
+charge of the work would feel more concerned about it than any of the
+others, because the chief responsibility comes upon him. So with your
+work,--if you have the command, and you and Oliver idle away the time,
+and when my sled is loaded, yours has but little wood in it, you would
+be more to blame than Oliver."
+
+"What, if I didn't play any more than Oliver?"
+
+"Yes," said Jonas, "because you are responsible. It is your duty to be
+industrious, and it is also your duty to see that Oliver is industrious,
+if you are the director,--so that you neglect two duties.
+
+"It is a good plan, too," said Jonas, "for a director to give his
+directions in a mild and gentle tone. Some boys are very domineering and
+authoritative in their manner."
+
+"How do you mean?" said Josey.
+
+"Why, they would say, for example, 'Get out of the way, John, quick.'
+Whereas, it would be better to say, 'John, you are in the way, where we
+want to come along.' Some men give their directions with great noise and
+vociferation, and others give them quietly and gently."
+
+"I shouldn't think they'd mind 'em," said Josey.
+
+"Yes," said Jonas. "Directions ought to be given very distinctly, so
+as to be plainly understood; but they are not obeyed any better for
+violence and noise in giving them.
+
+"A commander ought to have a regard for those under him," continued
+Jonas, "and deal justly by them. If a number of boys were going to ride
+a wagon, and their father put one of them in charge, he ought not to
+keep the best seat in the wagon for himself."
+
+While talking thus, the oxen continued slowly advancing along the road.
+Their previous trip had broken out the road, but the pathway was filled
+with loose snow of a pure and spotless white, through which the great
+sled runners, following the oxen, ploughed their way. On each side of
+the track which they had made, the surface was smooth and unbroken,
+excepting under some of the trees, where masses of snow had fallen down
+from above. They saw, at length, as they were passing along by the
+brook, a little track, like a double dotting, running along, in a
+winding way, under the trees,--then crossing the road, and disappearing
+under the trees upon the other side.
+
+"What's that?" asked Josey.
+
+"That's a rabbit track," replied Oliver.
+
+"Let's go and catch him," said Josey.
+
+"No," said Jonas, "we must go on with our work."
+
+At a little distance farther on, they saw another track. It was larger
+than the first, and not so regular.
+
+"What sort of a track is that?" said Josey.
+
+"I don't know," said Oliver; "it looks like a dog's track; but I
+shouldn't think there would be a dog out here in the woods."
+
+They found that this track followed the road along for some distance.
+The animal which made it, seemed sometimes to have gone in the middle
+of the road, and sometimes out at the side; and Jonas said that he had
+passed there since they went down with the first load of wood.
+
+"How do you know?" said Oliver.
+
+"Because," said Jonas, "his track is made upon the broken snow, in the
+middle of the road."
+
+They watched the track for some time, and then they lost sight of it.
+Presently, however, they saw it again.
+
+"I wonder which way he went," said Oliver.
+
+"I'll jump off, and look at the track," said Jonas.
+
+So saying, he jumped off the sled, and examined the track.
+
+"He went up," said Jonas, "the same way that we are going. It may be a
+dog which has lost his master. Perhaps we shall find him up by our wood
+piles."
+
+Jonas was right, for, when the boys arrived at the wood piles, they
+found there, waiting for them, a large black dog. He stood near one end
+of a wood pile, with his fore feet upon a log, by which his head and
+shoulders were raised, so that he could see better who was coming. He
+was of handsome form, and he had an intelligent and good-natured
+expression of countenance. He was looking very intently at the party
+coming up, to see whether his master was among them.
+
+"Whose dog is that?" said Josey.
+
+"I don't know," said Oliver; "I never saw him before."
+
+"I wonder what his name is," said Josey. "Here! Towzer, Towzer, Towzer,"
+said he.
+
+"Here! Caesar, Caesar, Caesar," said Oliver.
+
+"Pompey, Pompey, Pompey," said Jonas.
+
+[Illustration: "He was looking very intently at the party coming up, to
+see whether his master was among them."]
+
+The dog remained motionless in his position, until, just as the boys had
+finished their calls, and as the foremost sled was drawn pretty near
+him, he suddenly wheeled around with a leap, and bounded away through
+the snow, for half the length of the first wood pile, and then stopped,
+and again looked round.
+
+"I wish we had something for him to eat," said Jonas.
+
+"I've got a piece of bread and butter," said Josey. "I went in and got
+it when you and Oliver were unloading."
+
+So Josey took his bread and butter out of his pocket. There were two
+small slices put together, and folded up in a piece of paper. Jonas took
+a piece, and walked slowly towards the dog.
+
+"Here! Franco, Franco," said Jonas.
+
+"He's coming," said Josey, who remained with Oliver at the sled.
+
+The dog was slowly and timidly approaching the bread which Jonas held
+out towards him.
+
+"He's coming," said Josey. "His name is Franco. I wonder how Jonas
+knew."
+
+"Franco, Franco," said Jonas again. "Come here, Franco. Good Franco!"
+
+The dog came timidly up to Jonas, and took the bread and butter from
+Josey's hand, and devoured it eagerly. While he was doing it, Jonas
+patted him on the head.
+
+"He's very hungry," said Jonas; "bring the rest of your bread and
+butter, Josey."
+
+So Josey brought the rest of his luncheon, and the dog ate it all.
+
+After this, he seemed to be quite at ease with his new friends. He staid
+about there with the boys until the sleds were loaded, and then he went
+down home with them. There they fed him again with a large bone. Jonas
+said that he was undoubtedly a dog that had lost his master, and had
+been wandering about to find him, until he became very hungry. So he
+said they would leave him in the yard to gnaw his bone, and that then
+he would probably go away. Josey wanted to shut him up and keep him, but
+Jonas said it would be wrong.
+
+So the boys left the dog gnawing his bone, and went up after another
+load; but before they had half loaded their sleds, Oliver saw Franco
+coming, bounding up the road, towards them. He came up to Jonas, and
+stood before him, looking up into his face and wagging his tail.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+
+FRANCO
+
+Franco followed the boys all that forenoon, as they went back and forth
+for their wood. At dinner, they did not say any thing about him to the
+farmer, because they supposed that he would go away, when they came in
+and left him, and that they should see no more of him in the afternoon.
+But when Jonas went out, after dinner, to get the old General, to
+harness him for work again, he found Franco lying snugly in the
+General's stall, under the crib.
+
+At night, therefore, he told the farmer about him. The farmer said that
+he was some dog that had strayed away from his master; and he told Jonas
+to go out after supper and drive him away. Josey begged his uncle to
+keep him, but his aunt said she would not have a dog about the house.
+She said it would cost as much to keep him as to keep a sheep, and that,
+instead of bringing them a good fleece, a dog was good for nothing, but
+to track your floors in wet weather, and keep you awake all night with
+his howling.
+
+So the farmer told Jonas to go out after supper, and drive the dog away.
+
+"Let us give him some supper first, father," said Oliver.
+
+"No," said his father; "the more you give him, the more he won't go
+away. I expect now, you've fooled with him so much, that it will be hard
+to get him off, at any rate."
+
+"_Jonas_ has not fooled with him any," said Oliver.
+
+"Nor I," said Josey.
+
+After supper, Jonas went out, according to orders, to drive Franco away.
+It was a raw, windy night, but not very cold. Franco was in a little
+shed where there was a well, near the back door. He was lying down, but
+he got up and came to Jonas when he saw him appear at the door.
+
+"Come, Franco," said Jonas, "come with me."
+
+Franco wagged his tail, and followed Jonas.
+
+Jonas walked out into the road, Franco after him. He walked along until
+he had got to some distance from the house, Franco keeping up with him
+all the way, sometimes on one side of the road, and sometimes on the
+other. At length, when Jonas thought that he had gone far enough, he
+stopped. Franco stopped too, and looked up at Jonas.
+
+"Now, Franco, I've got to send you away. It's a hard case, Franco, but
+you and I must both submit to orders. So go off, Franco, as fast as you
+can."
+
+So saying, Jonas pointed along the road, in the direction away from the
+house, and said, "St---- boy! St---- boy!"
+
+Franco darted along the road a few steps, barked once, and then turned
+round, and looked eagerly at Jonas, as if he did not know what he wanted
+him to do.
+
+"_Get home_!" said Jonas, in a stern and severe tone; "_get home_!" and
+he stamped with his foot upon the ground, and looked at Franco with a
+countenance of displeasure.
+
+Franco bounded forward a few steps over the smooth and icy road, and
+then he turned round, and stood in the middle of the road, facing Jonas,
+and looking very much astonished.
+
+"Get home, Franco!" said Jonas again; and, stooping down, he took a
+piece of hardened snow or ice from the road, and threw it towards him.
+The ice fell, before it reached Franco, and rolled along towards his
+feet, which made him scamper along a little farther; and then he
+stopped, and turned around, and looked at Jonas, as before.
+
+Jonas began slowly to turn backwards, keeping his eye on Franco.
+
+"It's a hard case, Franco, I acknowledge. If I had a barn of my own, I'd
+let you sleep in a corner of it; but I must obey orders. You must go and
+find your master."
+
+So saying, Jonas turned round and walked slowly home. Just before he
+turned to go into the house, he looked back, to see what had become of
+the dog. He was standing motionless in the place where Jonas had left
+him.
+
+"I wish the farmer would let me give him a bone," said he to himself;
+and then he turned away, and walked slowly around to the barn, to fodder
+the cattle.
+
+That night, just before bed-time, he went to the front door, and looked
+out into the road, and all around, to see if he could see any thing of
+Franco. It was rather dark and windy,--though he could see the moon
+shining dimly through the broken clouds, which were driving across the
+sky. The roads looked black, as they do about the commencement of a
+thaw. Presently the moon shone out full through the interstices of the
+clouds. Jonas took advantage of the opportunity to look all up and down
+the road; but Franco was nowhere to be seen.
+
+The next morning, however, when he went out into the stable to give the
+cattle some hay, he found Franco in his old place, under the General's
+crib.
+
+"Why, Franco," said Jonas, "how came you here?"
+
+Franco said nothing, but stood looking up into Jonas's face, and wagging
+his tail.
+
+"Franco," said Jonas, "how could you get in here?"
+
+Franco remained in the same position; the light of the lantern shining
+in his face, and his tail wagging a very little. He could not tell
+certainly whether Jonas was scolding him or not.
+
+Franco remained about the barn until breakfast-time, and then Jonas, at
+the table, told the farmer that he tried to drive the dog away the
+night before, but that in the morning he found him in the barn.
+
+"I don't believe you really tried," said the farmer's wife. "_I_ can
+drive him away, I know,--as I'll show you after breakfast."
+
+Accordingly, after breakfast, putting on hastily an old straw bonnet,
+she went out into the yard and took a small stick from the wood pile, to
+use for a club, and then called to Franco.
+
+"Franco," said she, "come here."
+
+Franco looked first at her, and then at Jonas, who was standing in the
+door-way, as if at a loss to know what to do.
+
+"Go, Franco," said Jonas.
+
+The farmer's wife walked out in front of the house into the wind,
+calling Franco to follow. She then attempted to drive him along the
+road, much as Jonas had done. She brandished her stick at him, and, when
+she had succeeded in getting him as far from her as she could, by stern
+and threatening language, in order to drive him farther, she threw the
+stick at him with all her force.
+
+Franco jumped out of its way. The stick rolled along the road before
+him. He sprang forward to it, seized it in his mouth, and came trotting
+back to the farmer's wife, and laid it down at her feet; and then,
+standing back a few steps, he looked up into her face, with a very
+earnest expression of countenance, which seemed to say,--
+
+"What do you want me to do next?"
+
+This very act of Franco's embarrassed the woman considerably. She could
+not bear to take up the very stick, which Franco had himself brought to
+her, and throw it at him again; and, on the other hand, she could not
+bear to give up, and let Franco remain. She, however, picked up the
+stick, and brandished it again towards Franco, and, stamping with her
+foot at him, she said,--
+
+"Away with you, dog; get home!"
+
+What the result of this contest would have been, it is very difficult to
+say, had it not been that it was soon decided by the occurrence of a
+singular incident; for, as the farmer's wife nodded her head, and
+stamped at the dog, the jar or the motion seemed to give the wind a
+momentary advantage over her bonnet, which, in her haste, she had not
+tied on very securely. A strong gust carried it clear from her head, and
+blew it away over Franco, upon the snow by the side of the road beyond.
+Franco, who was all ready for a spring, bounded after it, and pursued it
+at full speed. The snow was nearly level with the top of the stone
+walls, and the wind carrying it diagonally from the road, it rolled over
+the little ridge of stones which remained above the drifts, and then
+swept across the field, down a long descent, like a feather before the
+gale.
+
+Franco pursued it with flying leaps over the snow, which had become
+sufficiently consolidated to support his steps. He gained upon it
+rapidly, and at length overtook and seized it; and then, turning round,
+he trotted swiftly back, leaped over the top of the wall, and brought
+the bonnet, and laid it down at its owner's feet, with an air of great
+satisfaction.
+
+The good woman took up her bonnet, and threw her stick away, and,
+turning around, walked back to the house. The farmer, who had been
+looking out at the window, was laughing heartily. She herself smiled as
+she returned to her work, saying,--
+
+"The dog has something in him, I acknowledge; go and see if you can't
+find him a bone, Jonas." "Yes, Jonas," said the farmer, "you may have
+him for your dog till the owner comes and claims him."
+
+And this is the way that Jonas first got his dog Franco. He told Oliver
+that morning, as he was patting his head under the old General's crib,
+that the dog had taught them one good lesson.
+
+"What is it?" asked Oliver.
+
+"Why, that the Christian duty of returning good for evil, is good policy
+as well as good morals."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+
+DOG LOST
+
+About the middle of the winter, the farmer went to market with his
+produce. The vehicle on which he carried it was a kind of box upon
+runners, with a pole in front, to which two horses were fastened. He was
+gone three days.
+
+When he came back, he said that he had bargained for another load of his
+produce, at the market town, and that he was going to send Jonas with
+it. Jonas was very glad when he heard this. He liked to take journeys.
+
+"What day shall I go, sir?" said Jonas.
+
+"Day after to-morrow," said the farmer, "as early as possible. We'll let
+the horses rest one day."
+
+About the middle of the afternoon, on the day following the one on which
+this conversation had taken place, Jonas and the farmer began to load
+up the box sleigh, in order to have it ready for the morning. He had
+about forty miles to go, and he wanted to get to market, deliver his
+load, and return five or ten miles that same evening.
+
+It was quite cold that afternoon, and it seemed to be growing colder and
+colder. Jonas got the box sleigh ready under a shed, first shoveling in
+some snow under the runners, in order that the horses might draw the
+sled out easily, when it was loaded. He put in the various articles of
+produce, which were contained in bags, and firkins, and boxes. Over
+these he spread blankets and buffalo-skins, and put in a bag of oats for
+his horses, and a box of bread and cheese for himself. He did not know
+whether Franco was to go with him, or not; but he arranged the bags in
+such a way, that he could easily make a warm nest for him in one corner,
+if the farmer should allow him to go.
+
+The farmer helped him about all the arrangements, and, when they were
+completed, he told Jonas to go in and get his supper, and go to bed, so
+as to get up and set off early in the morning.
+
+"It will be a fine starlight night," said he, "and you'd better be ten
+miles on your way by sunrise."
+
+When Amos got up the next morning, and went out with his lantern, to go
+to the barn, as he passed by the shed on his way, he saw that the sleigh
+was gone. He proceeded to the barn, and, as he opened the door, he was
+startled at something which suddenly darted past him and rushed out.
+
+"What's that?" said Oliver, who was behind him. "It is Franco," said he.
+"Where is he going?"
+
+Franco ran off to the shed where Jonas had harnesses his horses, and
+began smelling around upon the ground. He followed the scent along the
+yard, up to a post by the side of the house, where Jonas had stopped a
+moment ago to go in and get his great-coat, when all was ready; and
+then, after pausing here a moment, he darted off towards the road.
+
+"Here! Franco, Franco," said Amos, "come back here."
+
+"Franco, Franco," repeated Oliver, "here--here--here--here."
+
+Franco paid no attention to these calls, but ran off along the road at
+full speed.
+
+In the mean time, Jonas had traveled rapidly onward, by the light of the
+stars, over the glittering and frosty road.
+
+The keen air made his ears tingle a little, but he rubbed them, and they
+soon became warm. His feet were comfortably stowed away down in his box,
+among the bags and buffalo-skins, so that they were warm and
+comfortable.
+
+The horses trotted along at good speed, and soon brought Jonas and his
+load to the village at the mill. The street was vacant, and the houses
+dark, excepting that a faint light shone behind a curtain in one chamber
+window. Jonas supposed that somebody was sick there. Even the mill
+was silent, and the gate shut down; and, instead of the ordinary roar
+of the water under the wheel, only a hissing sound was heard, where
+the imprisoned water spouted through the crevices of the flume. Vast
+stalactites of ice extended continuously along the whole face of
+the dam, like a frozen waterfall, behind which the water percolated
+curiously down into the foaming abyss, at the bottom of the fall. Jonas
+thought that all this, seen by starlight, looked very cold.
+
+The horses trotted across the bridge with a loud sound, which
+reverberated far and wide in the still night. He ascended the hill
+beyond, and drove on. His woollen comforter, tied about his neck,
+became frosted over from his breath; and the breasts, and mane, and
+sides, of the horses were gradually sprinkled with white, in the same
+way. They were both black horses,--the General having been left at home.
+They trotted down the hills and along the level portions of the road,
+and wheeled around the curves, with great speed. Jonas found that he
+had no occasion for his whip, and so he put it away behind him, under
+the buffaloes.
+
+He went on in this way, without any special adventure, for a couple of
+hours, and then began to see a gray light appearing in the eastern sky.
+About the same time, the windows of the farm-houses, which he passed on
+the road, began to be illuminated by the fires, which they were kindling
+within. Now and then, he could see a man hurrying out to a barn, to feed
+the cattle. Jonas thought that they ought to be up earlier. The sun rose
+soon after, and the fields on every side sparkled by the reflection of
+his rays, from the crystalline surface of the snow. Tall columns of
+dense white smoke ascended from the chimneys, some erect, others leaning
+a little, some one way, some another. In a word, it was a cold, still,
+winter morning.
+
+At length, as Jonas was walking his horses up a long hill, he heard
+light footsteps behind him. He turned round to see what was coming, and,
+to his utter astonishment, he saw Franco, coming up, upon the full run,
+and close behind the sleigh. He came to the side of it, and looked up,
+with every appearance of exultation and joy.
+
+"Why, Franco," said Jonas, "how came you here?"
+
+He stopped his horses, and Franco leaped up before him. His ears, and
+the glossy black hair which curled under his neck and upon his sides,
+were tipped with frost. Jonas patted him upon his head, saying,--
+
+"Why, Franco, how did you get out of the barn? and how did you find out
+which way I came?"
+
+Franco wagged his tail, and curled down around Jonas's feet, but he made
+no reply.
+
+Jonas was very much surprised, for, as he had no permission to take
+Franco, he had concluded that it was his duty not to take him; and when
+he found that he was inclined to come with him, at the time that he was
+harnessing the horses, he conducted him back into the barn, and, to make
+it secure, he fastened up the place where he had got in, the first night
+that he lodged there. He knew that the barn would be opened when Amos
+came out in the morning, to take care of the old General and the oxen,
+but said he to himself, "I shall by that time be ten miles off, and it
+will be too late for him to follow or find me." Jonas was therefore very
+much surprised, when he found that Franco had contrived to make his
+escape, and to track his master so many miles.
+
+Jonas drove on very prosperously, until it was about time for him to
+stop and give his horses some breakfast. As for himself, he ate his
+breakfast from his box, when they were coming up a long hill. He
+accordingly stopped at a tavern, and took his horses out of their
+harness, and rubbed them down well, and gave them a good drink of water,
+and plenty of oats, which he bought of the tavern-keeper. He kept the
+oats in his bag to use in the town. By the time that he stopped, he was
+comfortably warm, for he had taken some exercise walking up the hills.
+Franco always got out when Jonas did, at the bottom of the hills, and
+then got in again at the top. He remained in the sleigh, however, at the
+tavern, keeping guard, while Jonas went into the house; and he would
+growl a little if any body came near the sleigh, and thus warn them not
+to touch any thing that was in it.
+
+While the horses were eating, Jonas went into the tavern, and sat down
+by the kitchen fire. The fire was very large, and many persons were busy
+getting breakfast. Jonas wished that he was going to have a cup of the
+coffee that they were making; but he thought it better that he should
+content himself with what the farmer had provided for him. There was a
+young woman in the back part of the room, at a window, sewing. She asked
+Jonas how far he had come that morning, and he told her. Then she said
+that he must have set out very early; and she said that he had a pair of
+very handsome black horses. She had seen them as Jonas passed the
+window.
+
+There was a small girl sitting near her, with a slate, ciphering. She
+seemed very busy for a few minutes, and then she looked up to the young
+woman, and said,--
+
+"My sum does not come right, aunt Lucia."
+
+"Doesn't it? I'm sorry, but I can't help you now, very well," replied
+aunt Lucia. "I am very busy with my sewing."
+
+The little girl then got up, and came towards the fire, with her slate
+hanging by a string from her finger, and her Arithmetic under her arm.
+
+"Where are you ciphering?" asked Jonas.
+
+"In fractions," said the girl.
+
+"If you will let me look at your sum, perhaps I can tell you how to do
+it," replied Jonas.
+
+The girl handed her book to him, and showed him the sum in it. She
+also let him see the work upon her slate. Jonas looked it over very
+carefully, and then said,--
+
+"You have done very well indeed, with such a hard sum. There is only one
+mistake."
+
+And Jonas pointed out the mistake to her, and she corrected it, and then
+the answer was right. She then went and put away her slate and book,
+with an appearance of great satisfaction. As she passed by the window,
+aunt Lucia whispered to her, to say,--
+
+"I think you had better thank that young man, and give him a mug of
+coffee."
+
+"Well," said the little girl, "I will." So she went to a cupboard at the
+side of the room, and took down a tin mug. She poured out some coffee
+from a coffee-pot, and put in some milk and sugar, and then brought it
+to Jonas, and asked him if he wouldn't like a little coffee. Jonas
+thanked her, and took the coffee; and he liked it very much.
+
+After this, Jonas harnessed his horses again, and went on. He traveled
+until nearly noon, and then he arrived at the town where he was to leave
+his load. He had a letter to a merchant, who had bought the produce of
+the farmer, and, in a very short time, his load was taken out, and the
+other articles put in, which he was to carry back in exchange. He had
+some money given him by the merchant, in part payment for his load of
+produce. It was in bank-notes, and he put it into his waistcoat pocket,
+and pinned it in.
+
+Then he set out on his return. His load was light, the road was smooth,
+and his horses, though they had traveled fast, had been driven
+carefully, and they carried him rapidly over the ground. It was the
+middle of the afternoon, however, before he set out, and the days were
+then so short, that the sun soon began to go down. He had to ride quite
+into the evening, before he reached the place where he was to stop for
+the night.
+
+He put up his horses, and then went into the house. He called for some
+supper, for his own provisions had long since been exhausted. After
+supper, he carried out something for Franco, whom he had left in the
+sleigh in the barn, lying upon a good warm buffalo, to watch the
+property.
+
+"Franco," said he, "here is your supper."
+
+Franco jumped up when he heard Jonas's voice, and leaped out of the
+sleigh. He took his supper, and Jonas, after once more feeding his
+horses, went out, and shut the door, leaving Franco to finish his bone
+by himself.
+
+Jonas went back into the tavern, and took his seat by the fire. There
+was a table before the fire, with a lamp upon it; and there were one
+or two books and an old newspaper lying upon another table, in the
+back part of the room. Jonas looked at the books, but they were not
+interesting to read. One was a dictionary. He read the newspaper for
+some time, and then he took the lamp up, and began to look at some
+pictures of the prodigal son, which were hung up upon the wall over the
+mantel-piece.
+
+Beyond the pictures were some advertisements. One was for a farm for
+sale. Jonas read the description, and he wished that he was old enough
+to buy a farm, and then he would go and look at that.
+
+The next advertisement was about some machinery, which a man had
+invented; and the next was headed, in large letters, _Dog Lost._ This
+caught Jonas's attention immediately. It was in writing, and he could
+not read it very easily, it was so high. So he got a chair, and stood up
+in it, and read as follows:--
+
+"'DOG LOST.
+
+"'_Strayed or stolen from the subscriber, a valuable dog, of large size
+and black color_.'
+
+"I wonder if it isn't Franco," said Jonas, interrupting himself in his
+reading.
+
+"'_He had on a brass collar marked with the owner's name_.'
+
+"No," said Jonas, "there was no collar. But then the man that stole him
+might have taken it off.
+
+"'_Answers to the name of Ney_.'
+
+"Ney, Ney," said Jonas,--"I never called him Ney. I wonder if he would
+answer, if I should call him Ney.
+
+"'_Is kind and docile, and quite intelligent_.'
+
+"Yes," said Jonas, "I verily believe it is Franco.
+
+"'_Any person who will return said dog to the subscriber, at his
+residence at Walton Plain, shall be suitably rewarded_.
+
+"'JAMES EDWARDS.'
+
+"I verily believe it is Franco," said Jonas, as he slowly got down from
+the chair,--"Walton Plain."
+
+He stood a moment, looking thoughtfully into the fire.
+
+"Yes," he repeated, "I verily believe it is Franco. I wonder where
+Walton Plain is."
+
+Jonas had learned from Mr. Holiday, that it was never wise to
+communicate important information relating to private business, unless
+necessary. So he said nothing about Franco to any of the people at the
+tavern, but quietly went to bed; and, after thinking some time what to
+do, he went to sleep, and slept finely until morning.
+
+About daylight, he arose, and, as he had paid his bill the night before,
+he went to the barn, harnessed his horses, and set off. At the first
+village that he came to after sunrise, he stopped at a store, and
+inquired whether there was any such town as Walton Plain, in that
+neighborhood.
+
+"Yes," said the boy, who stood with a broom in his hand, with which he
+was sweeping out the store,--"yes, it is about five miles from here,
+right on the way you are going."
+
+Jonas thanked the boy, got into his sleigh, and rode on.
+
+"Poor Franco," said he, "I am afraid I must lose you."
+
+He had hoped that Walton Plain would have proved to be off of his road,
+so that he could have had a good reason for not doing any thing about
+restoring the dog, until after he had gone home, and reported the facts
+to the farmer. But now, as he found that it was on his way, and as he
+would very probably go directly by Mr. Edwards's door, he concluded
+that he ought, at any rate, to call and let him look at Franco, and see
+whether it was his dog or not.
+
+When he reached Walton Plain, he inquired whether Mr. James Edwards
+lived in the village. They told him that he lived about half a mile out
+of the village. They said it was a handsome white house, under the
+trees, back from the road, with a portico over the door.
+
+Jonas rode on, observing all the houses as he passed; and he at once
+recognized the one which had been described to him. He stopped before
+the great gate, and fastened his horses to a post. He then walked along
+a road-way, which led in by the end of the house, and presently came to
+a door, where he stopped and knocked. A girl came and opened the door.
+
+"Is Mr. Edwards at home?"
+
+"Yes," said the girl.
+
+"Will you ask him to come to the door a minute?"
+
+"You'd better walk in, and I'll speak to him."
+
+[Illustration: Jonas stopping at the house of Mr. Edwards.]
+
+Jonas stepped into an entry, which was carpeted, and which had a large
+map, hanging against the wall. The girl opened a door into a little
+room, which looked somewhat like Mr. Holiday's study. There was a great
+deal of handsome furniture in it, and book-shelves around the walls. A
+large table was in the middle of the room, covered with books and
+papers.
+
+The girl handed Jonas a seat.
+
+"Who shall I say has called?" said she to Jonas, as she was about to go
+out of the room.
+
+"Why--I--my name is Jonas," he replied; "but I don't suppose Mr. Edwards
+knows me. I came to see him about his dog."
+
+At this remark, the girl looked around towards the fire, and Jonas
+involuntarily turned his eyes in the same direction. He saw there a
+large dog, very much like Franco in form and size, lying upon the
+carpet. He was as handsome as Franco. Jonas was surprised to see him.
+The girl, too, looked surprised. She, however, said nothing, but went
+out, and shut the door.
+
+In a few minutes, the door opened, and an elderly gentleman, with
+grayish hair, and a mild and pleasant expression of countenance, came
+in. He nodded to Jonas as he entered, and Jonas rose to receive him.
+The gentleman then took a seat by the fire, and asked Jonas to sit down
+again.
+
+"I came to see you, sir, about your dog," said Jonas.
+
+"Well, my boy," replied the man, "and what about my dog?" and, as he
+said this, he looked down at the dog, which was lying upon the floor.
+
+"I don't know but that I have got him."
+
+"You have got him?" repeated Mr. Edwards.
+
+"Yes, sir; a dog like that one came to me in the woods one day this
+winter."
+
+"O," said Mr. Edwards, "you mean the dog that I lost.--Yes,--I had
+forgotten that, it is so long ago. When did you find him?"
+
+Jonas then told the whole story of the dog's coming to them, and
+of their attempt to drive him away; and also of his seeing the
+advertisement in the tavern. Mr. Edwards asked him a great many
+questions, such as what his name was, where he lived, and how long he
+had lived there, and how he happened to be journeying now. At last he
+said,--
+
+"I think it very probable that it is my dog. I lost one of that
+description six or eight months ago, and advertised him; but I couldn't
+hear any thing of him, and so I got another as much like him as I could.
+It is probable yours is the same dog; but I don't know that there is any
+particular proof of it. You haven't called him Ney, have you?"
+
+"No, sir," said Jonas; "we call him Franco."
+
+"If he should come at the call of Ney, that would be proof. Where is he
+now?"
+
+"He is with me, sir; he is out in my sleigh."
+
+"O, well, then," said the man, "we can tell in a moment. I'll step to
+the door and call him."
+
+So Mr. Edwards put on his hat, and stepped to the door. The dog was
+standing up in the sleigh, and looking wildly around. When he saw Mr.
+Edwards, he seemed more excited still.
+
+"Here, Ney," said Mr. Edwards.
+
+The dog leaped down from the sled, and came bounding up the road. He
+leaped first about Mr. Edwards, and then about Jonas, as if at a loss
+which was his master.
+
+"Why, Ney," said Mr. Edwards,--"poor Ney,--have you got back at last?
+Come, walk in, Ney."
+
+Ney slipped in through the door, and turned immediately into the little
+room, as if he was perfectly familiar with the localities. Jonas and Mr.
+Edwards followed. They shut the door, and took their seats again. Ney
+ran around the room, and examined every thing. He looked at the strange
+dog lying so comfortably in his old place upon the warm carpet, and then
+came and gazed up eagerly into his old master's face a moment. He came
+to Jonas, and wagged his tail, and then he went to the door and whined,
+as if he wanted to go out.
+
+"Won't you let him out?" said Mr. Edwards. "We will see what he will
+do."
+
+Jonas opened the door, and the dog ran out into the entry, and then made
+the same signs to have the outer door opened. Jonas opened it, and let
+him out. Jonas stepped out himself a moment, to see what he would do,
+and presently returned again to the room where he had left Mr. Edwards.
+
+"Where did he go?" said Mr. Edwards.
+
+"He has run to the sleigh," said Jonas, "and jumped up into it, and is
+lying down on the buffalo."
+
+"The dog seems to have become attached to you, Jonas," said Mr. Edwards,
+"and I presume that you have become somewhat attached to him."
+
+"Yes, sir, very much indeed," replied Jonas.
+
+Mr. Edwards was silent a few minutes, appearing lost in thought.
+
+"I hardly know what to say about this dog," he continued, at length.
+"You did very right to come and let me know about him. I am afraid that
+some boys would have kept him, without saying any thing about it. I am
+glad that you were honest. I valued the dog very much, and would have
+given a large sum to have recovered him, when he was first lost. But I
+have got another now, and don't really need two. Should you be disposed
+to buy him?"
+
+"Yes, sir," said Jonas, "if I could. But I haven't got but a dollar at
+my command, and I suppose he is worth more than that."
+
+Jonas had a dollar of his own. Mr. Holiday had given it to him when he
+left his house, thinking it probable that he would want to buy something
+for himself. Jonas had taken this money with him when he left the
+farmer's, intending to expend a part of it in the market town; but he
+did not see any thing that he really wanted, and so the money was in his
+pocket now.
+
+"Why, yes," said Mr. Edwards, "I gave a great deal more for him than
+that. Haven't you any more money with you?"
+
+"Not of my own," said Jonas.
+
+"I suppose you got some for your produce."
+
+"Yes, sir," said Jonas; "but it belongs to the farmer that I work with."
+
+"And don't you think that he would be willing to have you pay a part of
+it for the dog?"
+
+"I don't know, sir," said Jonas. "I know he likes the dog very much, but
+I have no authority to buy him with his money."
+
+If Jonas had been willing to have used his employer's money without
+authority, Mr. Edwards would not have taken it. He made the inquiry to
+see whether Jonas was trustworthy.
+
+After a few minutes' pause, Mr. Edwards resumed the conversation, as
+follows:--
+
+"Well, Jonas," said he, "I have been thinking of this a little, and have
+concluded to let you keep the dog for me a little while,--that is, if he
+is willing to go with you. But remember he is my property still, and I
+shall have a right to call for him, whenever I choose, and you must give
+him up to me."
+
+"Yes, sir," said Jonas, "I will. And I wish that you would not agree to
+sell him to any body else, without letting me know."
+
+"Well," replied Mr. Edwards, "I will not. So you may take him, and keep
+him till I send for him,--that is, provided he will go with you of his
+own accord. I can't drive him away from his old home."
+
+Jonas thanked Mr. Edwards, and rose to go. Mr. Edwards took his hat, and
+followed him to the door, to see whether the dog would go willingly.
+When he was upon the step, he called him.
+
+"Ney," said he, "Ney."
+
+Ney looked up, and, in a moment afterwards, jumped out of the sleigh,
+and came running up to the door.
+
+"Now," continued Mr. Edwards, "if you can call him back, while I am
+standing here, it is pretty good proof that you have been kind to him,
+and that he would like to go with you."
+
+So Jonas walked down towards the gate, looking back, and calling,--
+
+"Franco, Franco, Franco!"
+
+The dog ran down towards him a little way, and then stopped, looked
+back, and, after a moment's pause, he returned a few steps towards his
+former master. He seemed a little at a loss to know which to choose.
+
+Jonas got into his sleigh.
+
+"Franco!" said he.
+
+Franco looked at him, then at Mr. Edwards, then at Jonas; and finally he
+went back to the door, and began to lick his old master's hand.
+
+Jonas turned his horses' heads a little towards the road, and moved them
+on a step.
+
+"Come, Franco," said he; "Franco, come."
+
+Franco, hearing these words, and seeing that Jonas was actually going,
+seemed to come to a final decision. He leaped off the steps, and bounded
+down the road, through the gate, and jumped up into Jonas's sleigh. Mr.
+Edwards continued to call him, but he paid no attention to it. He
+curled down before Jonas a moment, then he raised himself up a little,
+so as to look back towards the house; but he showed no disposition to
+get out again. Jonas put his hand upon his head, and patted it gently as
+he drove away; and, when he found that Franco was really going with him,
+he turned his head back, and said, with a look of great satisfaction,--
+
+"Good-by, sir. I'm very much obliged to you."
+
+"Good-by, Jonas. Take good care of Ney."
+
+"Yes, sir," said he, "I certainly will."
+
+"You're a good dog, Franco," he continued, patting his head, "to come
+with me,--very good dog, Franco, to choose the coarse hay for a bed
+under the old General's crib, rather than that good warm carpet, for the
+sake of coming with me. I'll make you a little house, Franco,--I
+certainly will, and I'll put a carpet on the floor. I'll make it as soon
+as I get home."
+
+And Jonas did, the next evening after he got home, make Franco a house,
+just big enough for him; and he found an old piece of carpet to put
+upon the floor. He put Franco in; but the next morning he found him in
+his old place under the General's crib. Franco liked that place better.
+The truth was, it was rather warmer; and then, besides, he liked the old
+General's company.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+
+SIGNS OF A STORM
+
+One evening early in February, the farmer told Jonas that his work, the
+next day, would be to get out four or five bushels of corn and grain,
+and go to mill. Accordingly, after he had got through with his morning's
+work of taking care of the stock, he took a half-bushel measure, and
+several bags, and went into the granary. The granary was a small, square
+building, with narrow boards and wide cracks between them on the south
+side. The building itself was mounted on posts at the four corners, with
+flat stones upon the top of the posts, for the corners to rest upon.
+
+The open work upon the side was to let the air in, to dry the corn; and
+the high posts and the flat stones were to keep the mice from getting in
+and eating it up.
+
+Jonas put a short board across the top of the half-bushel, and sat upon
+it. Then he began taking the corn and shelling it off from the cob, by
+rubbing it against the edge of the board. As he sat thus at work, he
+occasionally looked up, and he could see out of the open door of the
+granary, into the farm-yards.
+
+It was a very pleasant morning. The sun shone beautifully; and now and
+then a drop fell from the roof on the south side of the barn. The cattle
+were standing, basking in the sun, in the barn-yard, and in the sheds,
+where the sun could shine in upon them. The whole area of the barn-yard
+was trodden smooth and hard by the footsteps of the cattle; and broad
+and smooth paths had been worn in every direction, about the house.
+Behind the barn was a large sheep-yard, also well worn with the
+footsteps of the sheep. A great many sheep were there,--now and then
+eating hay from a long rack, which extended across the yard.
+
+When Jonas had shelled out the corn, he carried the bags, and put them
+into the sleigh, which was generally used in going to mill. Then he
+locked the granary, and put the key away, and afterwards went to the
+barn, and opened the great doors, which led in to the barn floor. He
+climbed up a tall ladder to a loft under the roof of the barn, and threw
+down some sheaves of wheat,--as many as he thought would be necessary
+to produce the quantity of grain which the farmer had ordered. He then
+descended the ladder, and got a flail, and began to thresh them out.
+
+Standing, now, in a new position, he had a different prospect before
+him. Beyond the barn-yard he could see another larger yard nearer the
+house, in which the snow had also been beaten down by the going and
+coming of teams, sleds, and all sorts of travel, for two or three weeks,
+during which there had been no new falls of snow. Upon one side of this
+yard was an enormous heap of wood, which Jonas and Oliver had been
+hauling nearly all the winter. On the other side was a quantity of
+timber, of all sizes and lengths, which the farmer and Amos had been
+getting out for the new barn. Some of it was hewed, and some not; and
+several large pieces were laid out upon the level surface of the yard,
+and the farmer and Amos were sitting upon them, working upon the frame.
+Amos was boring holes with an auger, and the farmer was cutting the
+holes thus made into a square form with a chisel. Josey was there, too,
+and Amelia. They were building a house of the blocks which had been
+sawed off from the ends of the timbers.
+
+When, however, they heard the sound of Jonas's flail, they left their
+play, and came along to the barn to see him. Josey came into the barn;
+Amelia remained at the door.
+
+"What are you doing, Jonas?" said Josey.
+
+"Threshing some wheat," replied Jonas; "but stand back, or I shall hit
+you with the flail."
+
+"Are you going to mill?" said Josey.
+
+"Yes, I or somebody else. I am getting a grist ready."
+
+"Here comes uncle," said Josey; "I mean to ask him to let me go."
+
+The farmer came in, and told Jonas that he expected that they were going
+to have a snow-storm, and, therefore, as soon as his grist was ready, he
+might harness a horse into the sleigh, and drive directly to mill.
+
+"Then," said he, "you may come directly back, and not wait to have it
+ground; for I want you to go up to the woods this afternoon, and bring
+down a load of small spruces, which I cut for rafters. I want them down
+before the road gets blocked up with snow."
+
+The farmer had reflected that, about this time in the winter, they were
+generally exposed to long and driving snow-storms, by which the roads
+were often blocked up. He usually endeavored to get all out of the woods
+which he had to get, early in the season, while the snow was not deep.
+He had now got down all his wood, and all his timber, except one or two
+loads of rafters; and he wished, therefore, to get those down, so that,
+in case of a severe storm, he would not have to break out the road
+again.
+
+Jonas accordingly despatched his preparations for going to mill, as
+rapidly as possible, and soon was ready. In driving out, he stopped
+opposite the place where the farmer was at work upon his frame.
+
+"All ready, I believe, sir," said Jonas.
+
+"Very well," said the farmer. "The pond road is a little the nearest,
+isn't it?"
+
+"Yes, sir," said Jonas.
+
+"And Josey wants to go with you; have you any objection to take him?"
+
+"No, sir," said Jonas; "I should like very much to have him go."
+
+"Well, Josey, get your great-coat, and come."
+
+"O, no, sir," said Josey; "I don't need any great-coat; it isn't cold."
+
+"Very well, then; jump in."
+
+Josey got in upon the top of the bags, and Jonas drove on. After riding
+a short distance, they turned down by a road which led to the pond,
+which was now covered with so thick and solid a sheet of ice, that it
+was safe travelling upon it, and it was accordingly intersected with
+roads in every direction. They rode down at a rapid trot to the ice,
+followed by Franco, who was always glad to go upon an expedition.
+
+The road led them over, very nearly, the same part of the pond that
+Jonas had navigated in his boat, when he fitted a sail to it,--though
+now the appearances were so different all around, that one would hardly
+have supposed the scene to have been the same. There was the same level
+surface, but it was now a solid field, white with snow, instead of the
+undulating expanse of water, of the deep-blue color reflected from the
+sky. There were the same islands, and promontories, and beaches; but the
+verdure was gone, and the naked whiteness of the beach seemed to have
+spread over the whole landscape. It was a very pleasant ride, however.
+The road was level, though very winding, as it passed around capes and
+headlands, and now and then took a wide circuit to avoid a
+breathing-hole. The sun shone pleasantly, too.
+
+"I don't see what signs there are of a snow-storm," said Josey.
+
+"Such a calm and pleasant day in February portends a storm," said Jonas.
+"Besides, the wind, what there is, is north-east; and don't you see that
+snow-bank off south?"
+
+Josey looked in the direction in which they were going, which was
+towards the south-west, and he saw a long, white bank of cloud,
+extending over that quarter of the heavens.
+
+"Is that a snow-bank?" asked Josey.
+
+"It is a bank of snow-clouds, I suppose," said Jonas. "They call it a
+snow-bank."
+
+By the time that the boys reached the mill, a hazy appearance had
+overspread the whole sky. They took out the grist, and left it to be
+ground, and then immediately got into the sleigh again, and commenced
+their return. Before they had gone far, the sky became entirely
+overcast, and the distant hills to the south-east were enveloped in
+what appeared to be a kind of mist, but which was really falling snow.
+
+"How windy it is!" said Josey.
+
+"No," said Jonas, "it is not much more windy than it was when we came;
+but then we were riding with it, and now we are going against it. You
+feel cold, don't you?"
+
+"Why, yes, a little," said Josey, "now the sun has gone, and the wind
+has come."
+
+"Well, then," said Jonas, "get down in the bottom of the sleigh, and
+I'll cover you up with buffaloes."
+
+So Josey crept down into the bottom of the sleigh, and Jonas covered him
+up; and he found his place very warm and comfortable.
+
+"How do you like your place?" said Jonas.
+
+"Very well," said Josey, "only I can't see where we are going."
+
+"Trust yourself to me," said Jonas. "I'll drive you safely."
+
+"I know it," said Josey, "and I wish you'd tell me, now and then, what
+you see."
+
+"Well," replied Jonas, "I see a load of hay coming along on the pond
+before us."
+
+"A large load?" said Josey.
+
+"Yes," replied Jonas; "and now we're going pretty near the round island.
+There, the load of hay is turning off by another road. O, there is a
+sleigh behind it; it was hid before. The sleigh is coming this way."
+
+"I don't hear any bells," said Josey.
+
+"We are too far off yet; you'll hear them presently."
+
+Very soon Josey did hear the bells. They came nearer and nearer, and at
+last jingled by close to his ears. As soon as the sound had gone by, he
+threw up the buffalo with his arms, and looked out, saying to Jonas,--
+
+"I guess they wondered what you had got here, covered up with the
+buffalo, Jonas."
+
+Jonas smiled, and Josey covered himself up again. Not long after this,
+it began to snow, and Jonas said that he could hardly see the shore in
+some places.
+
+"Suppose it should snow so fast," said Josey, "that you could not see
+the land at all; then, if you should come to two roads, how could you
+tell which one to take?"
+
+"Why, one way," replied Jonas, "would be to let Franco trot on before us;
+and he'd know the way."
+
+"Is Franco coming along with us?" said Josey.
+
+"Yes," said Jonas, "he is close behind."
+
+"Why don't you call him Ney?" asked Josey; "that is his real name."
+
+"I was uncertain which to call him for some time," said Jonas; "but
+finally I concluded to let him keep both names, and so now he is Franco
+Ney."
+
+"Well," said Josey, "I think that is a good plan."
+
+A short time after this, Jonas turned up off from the pond, and soon
+reached home.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+
+THE RESCUE
+
+Jonas found, when he reached home, that it was about dinner-time. The
+farmer said that the storm was coming on sooner than he had expected,
+and he believed that they should have to leave the rafters where they
+were. But Jonas said that he thought he could get them without any
+difficulty, if the farmer would let him take the oxen and sled.
+
+The farmer, finding that Jonas was very willing to go, notwithstanding
+the storm, said that he should be very glad to have him try. And Josey,
+he said, might accompany him or not, just as he pleased.
+
+"I wouldn't go, Jonas," said Josey, "if I were you. It is going to be a
+great storm."
+
+He, however, walked along with Jonas to the barn, to see him yoke the
+oxen. The yard was covered with a thin coating of light snow, which made
+the appearance of it very different from what it had been when they had
+left it. The cows and oxen stood out still exposed, their backs whitened
+a little with the fine flakes which had fallen upon them. Jonas went to
+the shed, and brought out the yoke.
+
+"Jonas," said Josey, "I wouldn't go."
+
+"No, I think it very likely that you wouldn't. You are not a very
+efficient boy."
+
+"What is an _efficient_ boy?" asked Josey.
+
+"One that has energy and resolution enough to go on and accomplish his
+object, even if there are difficulties in the way."
+
+"Is that what you mean by being efficient?" said Josey.
+
+"Yes;--a boy that hasn't some efficiency, isn't good for much."
+
+As he said this, Jonas had got one of the oxen yoked. He then went to
+bring up the other.
+
+When the other ox was up in his place, Jonas raised the end of the yoke,
+and put it over his neck.
+
+"You see," continued he, "your uncle wants all those rafters got down.
+It will be a little harder getting them, in the storm; but I care
+nothing for that. It will be a great satisfaction to him to have them
+all safe down here before it drifts. He doesn't _require_ me to go; but
+if I go voluntarily and bring them down, don't you think that, to-morrow
+morning, when he finds two feet of snow on the ground, he'll be glad to
+think that all his rafters are safe in the yard?"
+
+"Why, yes," said Josey. "I've a great mind to go with you."
+
+"Do just as you please," said Jonas.
+
+"Well, do you want me to go?"
+
+"Yes, I should like your company very well; and, besides, perhaps you
+can help me."
+
+"Well," said Josey, "I'll go."
+
+He accordingly followed Jonas as he drove the oxen along to the sled.
+Jonas held up the tongue, while Josey backed the oxen, so that he could
+enter the end of the tongue into the ring attached to the lower side of
+the yoke. He then put the iron pin in, and all was ready.
+
+Jonas drove the oxen along, till he came to the great gate in the back
+yard, and then he stopped to go and get some chains. The chains he
+fastened to the stakes, which were in the sides of the sled. Then he
+opened the great gate, and the oxen went through; after which he seated
+himself upon the sled by the side of Josey, and so they rode along up
+into the woods.
+
+The storm increased, though very slowly. The road into the woods, which
+had become well worn, was now beginning to be covered, here and there,
+with little white patches, wherever new snow, driven along by the wind,
+found places where it could lodge. At length, however, they came to the
+woods; and there they were sheltered from the wind, and the snow fell
+more equally. Josey had found it quite cold riding in the open ground,
+for the wind was against them; but under the shelter of the trees he
+found it quite warm and comfortable.
+
+The forest appeared very silent and solitary. It is true they could hear
+the moaning of the wind upon the tops of the trees, but there was no
+sound of life, and no motion but that of the fine flakes descending
+through the air in a gentle shower. The whole surface of the ground, and
+every thing lying upon it, was covered with the snow; for the branches,
+and the stumps, and the stems trimmed up for timber, and the places
+where the old snow had been trampled down by the oxen and by the
+woodcutters, were now all whitened over again and concealed.
+
+"Who would think," said Jonas, "that there could be any thing alive
+here?"
+
+"Is there any thing?" said Josey.
+
+"Yes, thousands of animals, all covered up in the snow,--mice in the
+ground, and squirrels in the hollow logs, and millions of insects,
+frozen up in the bark of the dead trees."
+
+"And they'll be covered up deeper before morning," said Josey.
+
+"Yes," said Jonas, "and so would our rafters, if we didn't get them out.
+We could not have found half of them, if we had left them till after
+this storm."
+
+The rafters were lying around upon the old snow, wherever small trees,
+from which they had been formed, had fallen. They could be distinguished
+very plainly now, although covered with an inch of snow.
+
+Jonas and Josey immediately went to work, getting them together, and
+placing them upon the sled. When they had been at work in this way for
+some time, Jonas said,--
+
+"We shall not get half of them, at this load."
+
+"Then what shall you do?" said Josey.
+
+"O, come up again, and get the rest."
+
+"But then it will be dark before you get home."
+
+"That will be no matter," said Jonas.
+
+"Only you'll get lost, and buried up in the snow."
+
+"No," said Jonas; "there might be some danger to-morrow evening, after
+it shall have been snowing four and twenty hours; but not to-night. The
+snow will not be more than a foot deep at midnight."
+
+When they had got as many of the rafters upon the sled as Jonas thought
+the oxen could conveniently draw, he secured the load by the chains, and
+collected the rest of the sticks together a little, on the ground. Then
+he told Josey to climb up to the top of the load and ride. He said that
+he would walk along by the side of the oxen. Josey found it more
+comfortable going back, than it was coming up, for the wind was now
+behind him, and the snow did not drive into his face. Jonas walked along
+in the snow, which was now nearly ankle deep, and after they had got
+out of the woods, there were some places where it had drifted much
+deeper.
+
+"Do you suppose that uncle has got his frame done?" said Josey.
+
+"I presume he has left it, if he hasn't finished it," said Jonas.
+
+"Why? Why couldn't he stay out in the storm to work, as well as we?"
+
+"Because," said Jonas, "the snow would wet his tools, and fill up his
+mortises, and so trouble him a great deal more than it does us. You
+can't do carpenter's work out of doors in a snow-storm."
+
+"Do you mean to go after the other load?" asked Josey.
+
+"Yes," replied Jonas.
+
+The boys found, when they reached the yard, that it was as Jonas had
+predicted. The farmer and Amos had left their work and gone in. They
+were in the shop grinding their tools. The farmer asked Jonas if he had
+got all the rafters.
+
+"No, sir," said Jonas; "there is another load."
+
+"Well, we'll let them go," said the farmer. "I'm very glad you've got
+one load down."
+
+"I think, sir," said Jonas, "if you have no objection, I'd better go
+and get the rest. I know just where they are, and I can get them all
+down here before night."
+
+"You won't have time to get down before it will be dark," said the
+farmer.
+
+"Just as you think best, sir," said Jonas, "but I think I can get out of
+the woods before dark; and it is of no consequence about the rest of the
+way."
+
+"Very well," said the farmer, "you may go. Don't you want Amos to go
+with you?"
+
+"No, sir, it isn't necessary."
+
+"No, sir," said Josey, "I can go with him."
+
+So Jonas threw off his load, and then turned his team about, and once
+more set out for the woods. He and Josey sat upon the sled, talking by
+the way,--the storm continuing without much change. The snow gradually
+increased in depth, but the oxen walked along without difficulty through
+it. Sometimes they came to a drift where the snow was so deep as to come
+in a little upon the bars, where the boys were sitting; but in general
+the sled runners glided along through it very smoothly.
+
+The woods appeared still more somber and solitary than they had done
+before. The new snow was deeper, and it was falling faster; and,
+besides, as it was now nearly sundown, there was only a gloomy sort of
+twilight, under the trees. Jonas and Josey loaded the sled as fast as
+they could. They put on the last of the rafters, which Jonas had
+collected, with great satisfaction. Josey, especially, began to be in
+haste to set out on his return.
+
+"Now," said Jonas, "I'll look around a little, just to see that there
+are none left behind."
+
+"O, no, I wouldn't," said Josey; "let us go. We've got them all, I
+know."
+
+"I want to be sure," said Jonas, "and make thorough work of it."
+
+So saying, he began wading about in the snow, to see if he could find
+any more rafters. He, however, soon satisfied himself that they were all
+upon the sled. He then secured his load carefully, with the chains, and
+they set out upon their return, as before.
+
+It grew dark rapidly, and the wind and storm increased. When they came
+out of the woods, they found that the air was very thick with the
+falling flakes, and the drifts had begun to be quite large, so that
+sometimes, in plunging through them, the snow would bank up quite high,
+before the sled, against the ends of the rafters. Jonas said that, if
+they had been two hours later, they could not have got along.
+
+"You said that the snow wouldn't be a foot deep by midnight," said
+Josey.
+
+"It is coming faster than I thought it would," said Jonas. "It is almost
+a foot deep now."
+
+The road by which the boys were advancing, led along the bank of the
+brook, until it reached nearly to the shore of the pond, and then it
+turned off, and went towards the house, at a little distance from the
+shore. When they reached this part of the road, the storm, which here
+swept down across the pond, beat upon them with unusual fury. The wind
+howled; the snow was driven through the air, and seemed to scud along
+the ground with great violence; and the drifts, running diagonally
+across the road, were once or twice so deep, that the oxen could hardly
+get the load through. It was now almost dark, too, and all the traces of
+the road were obliterated,--though Jonas knew, by the land and fences,
+how to go.
+
+Just at this time, when the wind seemed to lull for an instant, Jonas
+thought he heard a cry. He stopped his oxen to listen.
+
+"No," said Josey, "I don't believe it is any thing; let us go on."
+
+In fact, Josey was afraid, and wanted to get home as soon as he could.
+
+"Wait a minute," said Jonas. He listened again, and in a moment he heard
+the cry again. It seemed to be a cry of distress, but he could not
+distinguish any words.
+
+"It is somebody off upon the pond," said Jonas.
+
+"Is the pond out that way?" asked Josey.
+
+"Yes," said Jonas, "and I verily believe somebody is out on it, and has
+lost his way."
+
+"Well," said Josey, "let us go home as fast as we can, and tell uncle."
+
+"No," said Jonas, "that won't do."
+
+Jonas turned in the direction from which the sound appeared to come, and,
+putting his hands up to his mouth in the shape of a speaking-trumpet,
+he called out, as loud as he could call,--
+
+"Hal--loo!"
+
+He listened after he had thus called, but there was no answer. In a few
+minutes, the cry which he had heard first was repeated, in the same tone
+as before.
+
+"They don't hear me," said Jonas.
+
+"Hal--loo!" cried out Josey, as loud as he could call.
+
+There was no answer; but, in a few seconds afterwards, the cry was
+repeated, as at first.
+
+"You see," said Jonas, "that the wind blows this way, and they can't
+hear us. We must go out after them."
+
+Josey tried to dissuade Jonas from this plan; but Jonas said he must go,
+and that, as they had oxen with them, there would be no danger. "First,"
+said he, "we must throw off our load."
+
+So he and Josey went to work, and threw off the rafters, as fast as they
+could. Jonas reserved four or five rafters, which he left upon the sled.
+Then he turned the oxen in the direction from which the cry had come.
+They continued to hear it at moderate intervals.
+
+They descended gradually a short distance across the field, and then
+they came to the shore of the pond. Here Jonas took off one of his
+rafters, and laid it upon the shore, with one end raised up out of the
+snow.
+
+"What is that for?" said Josey.
+
+"To show us the way back to our road," said Jonas. "I place it so that
+it points right back,--the way we came."
+
+"We can tell by our tracks," said Josey.
+
+"No," said Jonas; "our tracks will all be covered up before we come
+back."
+
+Jonas then drove down upon the pond, guiding his oxen in the direction
+of the cry. He kept Josey upon the sled, so as not to exhaust his
+strength. He rode himself, too, as much as he could; but he was obliged
+to jump off very frequently, to keep the oxen in a right direction. He
+stopped occasionally to put down a rafter, placing it so that its length
+should be in the line of his road, and taking care to sink one end into
+the snow, so as to leave the other out as far as possible, to prevent
+its being all buried up before they should return. Every now and then,
+too, he would answer the cry, as loud as he could call.
+
+At last, after they had toiled along in this way for some time, Jonas
+thought that he succeeded in making the travellers hear; for,
+immediately after his call, he would hear a calling from them, following
+it, and speaking in a different way, though Jonas could not understand
+what was said. He kept pressing forward steadily, and, before long, he
+found that the travellers were silent, excepting immediately after he
+called to them,--when there was a sound as if intended for a response,
+though Jonas could not tell what was said.
+
+"We shall get to them, Josey," said he.
+
+"Who do you suppose it is?" said Josey.
+
+"I don't know; very probably some travellers lost upon the pond."
+
+Jonas was right in his conjecture: as they came nearer and nearer, the
+sounds became more distinct.
+
+"Hal--loo!" vociferated Jonas.
+
+"Hal--loo!" was the answer. "Can--you--come--and--help--us?"
+
+"Ay, ay," said Jonas; "we're coming."
+
+"Ay, ay," shouted Josey, in his loudest voice, which, being more shrill
+than that of Jonas, was perhaps heard farther.
+
+Still nothing was to be seen. Besides being dark, the atmosphere was
+thick with snow. So it was not until they got very near to the
+travellers, that they could see them at all. They saw at last, however,
+some dark-looking object before them. On coming up to it, they found
+that it was a horse and sleigh. The horse was in a very deep snow-drift,
+and was half lying down. There was a woman in the sleigh, with a small
+child in her arms, and a boy, about as large as Josey, standing at the
+horse's head.
+
+"O, I am so glad you have got some oxen, sir!" said the woman. "We
+couldn't have got out without oxen."
+
+"I don't see how the snow happens to be so deep just here."
+
+"Why, it's that island," said the woman; "I suppose there is an island
+off there. I told Isaiah it would be drifted under this island; and now
+the horse is all beat out; and, besides, we don't know the way."
+
+"Well," said Jonas, "I'll hook the oxen on, and we'll soon get you to
+the land. Isaiah, you take your horse out of the sleigh."
+
+So Isaiah went to work to unhook the traces and the hold-backs, in order
+to get the horse free from the sleigh.
+
+"I'll get out," said the woman.
+
+"No," said Jonas; "you sit still, and keep your child warm."
+
+As soon as Isaiah had taken the horse out, Jonas told him to lead him
+around behind the sleigh, while he turned the shafts over back against
+the dasher, and then he brought the oxen up in front of the sleigh. He
+first, however, drove the oxen out of the road with the sled, so as to
+leave that where it would not be in the way. Then he took two chains
+from the sled, and attached the oxen, by means of them, to the forward
+part of the sleigh. When all was ready, he put Josey in with the woman,
+and let Isaiah lead his horse behind. He then started the oxen.
+
+"Are you going to leave the sled here?" said Josey.
+
+"Yes," said Jonas, "we can come and get it after the storm is over."
+
+The oxen drew the sleigh along very easily. The snow was quite deep for
+a little distance, and then it became less so; but it was very dark, and
+it was difficult for Jonas to follow his track. The snow blew across it
+with great violence, and was fast filling it up.
+
+However, Jonas soon came to his first rafter, and this encouraged him.
+It was a good deal covered with snow, but the end was out, and the
+direction of it showed him which way to go, in order to find the next
+one. After he had passed this guide, the path was no more to be
+distinguished. He went on, however, as nearly as he could in the
+direction indicated by the rafter; and, after going the proper distance,
+he began to look out before him for the second. He began to be a little
+anxious lest he had missed it, when he observed something dark in the
+snow, at a little distance on the right. He went to it, and found that
+it was the rafter.
+
+Thus he was upon his track again; but his having so narrowly escaped
+missing it, made him afraid that he should not be able to follow the
+train very far. His fears proved well grounded. All his efforts to
+discover the third rafter were entirely unavailing.
+
+"'Tis of no consequence," said Jonas; "we can't be far from the shore.
+I'll keep straight on, and we shall strike the land somewhere, not far
+from the house."
+
+But it is much easier to get bewildered in a storm than Jonas had
+supposed. The darkness, the obscurity produced by the falling snow, the
+perfect and unvarying level of the surface, in every direction the same,
+and the agitation of mind which even the most resolute must experience
+in such a situation, all conspired to make it difficult, in a case like
+this, to find the way. Jonas drove on in the direction which he thought
+would have led to the shore; but, after going amply far enough to reach
+it, no shore was to be seen. The fact was, that he had insensibly
+deviated just so far from his course, as to be going along parallel with
+the shore, instead of in the direction towards it. Jonas began to be
+somewhat concerned, and Josey was in a state of great anxiety and fear.
+
+He rose up in the sleigh, and attempted to look around; and his fear was
+suddenly changed into terror, at seeing a large black animal, like a
+bear, coming furiously up behind them, bounding over the snow. Josey
+screamed aloud.
+
+"What is the matter?" said the woman.
+
+"Why, Franco! Franco!" said Jonas, "how could you get here?"
+
+It was Franco, true enough. He came swiftly along,
+leaping and staggering through the deep snow; and he seemed delighted to
+have found Jonas and his party at last. Jonas patted his head. Both
+Jonas and Franco were overjoyed to see each other.
+
+[Illustration: "'That can't be the way, Franco,' said Jonas."]
+
+Jonas patted Franco's head and praised him, while the dog wagged his
+tail, whisked about, and shook the snow off from his back and sides.
+
+"What dog is that?" said the woman.
+
+"This is Franco," said Jonas. "Franco Ney is his name. Now we shall have
+no trouble in getting out."
+
+Franco turned off, short, from the road in which Jonas was going. He
+knew by instinct which way the shore lay from them. Jonas at first
+hesitated about following him.
+
+"That can't be the way, Franco," said he.
+
+But Franco, after plunging on a few steps, looked round and whined.
+Then he came back towards Jonas again a few steps, looking him full in
+the face, and then whisked about again, and went on farther than
+before,--and then stopped and looked back, as if to see whether Jonas
+was going to follow him. Jonas stood just in advance of the oxen,
+hesitating.
+
+"That must be the way," said Jonas. "Franco knows."
+
+"No, that isn't the way," said the woman; "the dog don't know any thing
+about it. We must go straight forward."
+
+"No," said Jonas, "it will be safest to follow Franco." And so saying,
+he began to turn his oxen in the direction indicated by Franco.
+
+The woman remonstrated against this with great earnestness. She said
+that they should only get entirely lost, for he was leading them
+altogether out of their way. But Jonas considered that the
+responsibility properly belonged to him, and that he must act according
+to his own discretion. So he pushed forward steadily after Franco.
+
+But his progress was now interrupted by hearing another loud call behind
+him, back upon the pond.
+
+"What's that?" said Josey.
+
+"Somebody calling," said Jonas.
+
+"More travellers lost," said the woman.--"O dear me!"
+
+He listened again, and heard the calls more distinctly. He thought he
+could distinguish his own name. He answered the call, and was himself
+answered in return by men's voices, which now seemed more distinct and
+nearer.
+
+"I know now who it is," said Jonas. "It is your uncle and Amos, coming
+out after us. Franco was with them."
+
+Jonas was right. In a few minutes, the farmer and Amos came up, and they
+were exceedingly surprised when they saw Jonas with his oxen, drawing a
+sleigh, with a woman in it, off the pond, instead of a sled load of
+rafters from the woods.
+
+"Jonas," said he with astonishment, "how came you here?"
+
+"I came to help Isaiah get off the pond," said Jonas. "But how did you
+find out where we were?"
+
+"Franco guided us," said the farmer. "He followed the road along some
+time, and then he wanted to turn off suddenly towards the pond. We
+wouldn't follow him for some time; but he _would_ go that way, and no
+other. When he came to the shore of the pond, we found your rafter laid
+there, and that made us think you must have gone upon the ice, but we
+couldn't imagine what for. At last, we found where you had left the
+sled, and then we began to halloo to you."
+
+"But, uncle," said Josey, "didn't you see our heap of rafters, by the
+road where we turned off?"
+
+"No," said his uncle.
+
+"We put a load there."
+
+"Then they must have got pretty well covered up," said he, "for we
+didn't observe them."
+
+The whole party followed Franco, who led them out to the shore the
+shortest way. They took Isaiah and his mother to the house, and gave
+them some supper, and let them stay there that night. The next morning,
+when Jonas got up, he found that it was clearing away; and when, after
+breakfast, he looked out upon the pond, to see if he could see any thing
+of his sled, he observed, away out half a mile from shore, two short
+rows of stakes, sticking up in the snow, not far from on island. The
+body of the sled was wholly buried up and concealed from view.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+
+A FIRE
+
+The last of February drew nigh, which was the time fixed upon for Josey
+to go home. He had remained with his uncle much longer than his father
+had at first intended; but now they wanted him to return, before the
+roads broke up in the spring.
+
+The evening before Josey was to go, the farmer was sitting by the fire,
+when Jonas came in from the barn.
+
+"Jonas," said the farmer, "I have got to write a letter to my brother,
+to send by Josey to-morrow; why won't you take a sheet of paper and
+write for me, and I'll tell you what to say. You are rather handier with
+the pen than I am."
+
+Jonas accordingly brought a sheet of paper and a pen and ink, and took
+his place at a table at the back side of the room, and the farmer
+dictated to him as follows:
+
+
+    "Dear Brother,
+
+    "I take this opportunity to inform you that we are all alive
+    and well, and I hope that you may be the same. This will be
+    handed to you by Josey, who leaves us to-morrow, according
+    to your orders. We have been very glad to have him with us,
+    though he hasn't had opportunity to learn much. However, I
+    suppose he'll fetch up again in his learning, when he gets
+    home. He has behaved pretty fair on the whole, as boys go.
+    He will make a smart man, I've no doubt, though he don't
+    seem to take much to farming.
+
+    "We hope to have you, and your wife and children, come and
+    pay us a visit this coming summer,--say in raspberry time,
+    which will be just after haying."
+
+"There," said the farmer, "now fold it up, and write my brother's name
+on the back, and to-morrow morning I'll look it over, and sign my name
+to it."
+
+Jonas accordingly folded the letter up, and wrote upon the back, _Joseph
+Jones, Esq., Bristol._ When it was done, he laid it on the table.
+
+Amos came and took it up. "Jonas," said he, "I wish I could write as
+well as that."
+
+The farmer had a daughter whose name was Isabella. She was about
+eighteen years old. She was at this time spinning in a corner of the
+room, near a window. She came forward to look at the letter.
+
+"Yes, Jonas," said she, "you write beautifully. I wish you'd teach me to
+write like that."
+
+"Very well," said Jonas, "that I can do."
+
+"How can you do it?" said Isabella.
+
+"Why, we can have an evening school, these long evenings," replied
+Jonas. "You get through your spinning in time to have half an hour for
+school before bed-time."
+
+"Half an hour wouldn't be enough," said Amos.
+
+"O, yes," replied Jonas; "half an hour every day will amount to a great
+deal in three months."
+
+"Yes," said the farmer, "that's a very good plan; you shall have an
+evening school, and Jonas shall teach you;--an excellent plan."
+
+"What shall we study?" said Isabella.
+
+"Whatever you want to learn," replied Jonas. "You say you want to learn
+to write; that will do for one thing."
+
+"And I want to learn more arithmetic," said Amos.
+
+"Very well," said Jonas. "We'll have an evening school, half an hour
+every evening, beginning at eight o'clock. Have you got any school-books
+in the house, Isabella?"
+
+Isabella said there were some on a shelf up stairs.
+
+"Well," said Jonas, "bring them to me, and I'll look over them, and form
+a plan."
+
+Isabella brought Jonas the school-books, and he looked them over, but
+said nothing then about his plan. He reflected upon the subject until
+the next day, because he did not wish to propose any thing to them,
+until it was well matured.
+
+The next evening, at eight o'clock, Isabella put up her spinning, and
+took a seat by the fire, to hear Jonas's plan. Amos sat by a table at
+the back side of the room. The farmer's wife was sitting upon the
+settle, knitting; and the farmer himself was asleep in his arm-chair, at
+the opposite corner.
+
+"Now," said Jonas, "I like the plan of having an evening school, and I
+am willing to be either teacher or pupil; only, if I am teacher, I must
+_direct_, and you must both do as I say."
+
+"No," said Isabella, "you mustn't direct entirely; we'll talk over the
+plans, all together, and then do as we all agree."
+
+"No," said Jonas, "I have no idea of having all school-time spent in
+talking. I'm perfectly willing that either of you should be teacher, and
+I'll obey. I'll set copies, or do any thing else you please, only I
+won't have any responsibility about the arrangements. Or, if you wish,
+I'm willing to be teacher; but then, in that case, I must direct every
+thing, just as I think is best,--and you must do just as I say."
+
+"Well," said Isabella, "what are your orders? We'll obey."
+
+Amos and Oliver also agreed that they would obey his directions. Jonas
+then consented to take the station of teacher, and he proceeded to give
+his directions.
+
+"I have been looking at the books," said he, "and I find we haven't got
+but one of each kind."
+
+"Then we can't have any classes in our school," said Oliver.
+
+"Yes we can," said Jonas. "The first evening, Amos may take the
+arithmetic and the slate, and cipher, while Isabella writes, and Oliver
+studies a good long spelling lesson. Then, the second evening, Amos
+shall study the spelling lesson, and Isabella cipher, and Oliver write."
+
+"But I don't want to cipher," said Isabella. "I don't like arithmetic; I
+never could understand it."
+
+"You promised to obey my orders," said Jonas.
+
+"Well," said Isabella, "I'll try; but I know I can't do the sums."
+
+"Then, the third evening," said Jonas, "Isabella shall study the
+spelling lesson, Oliver the arithmetic, and Amos take the writing-book."
+
+"What, ain't you going to have but one writing-book?"
+
+"No," said Jonas; "one is enough; because you won't all write the same
+evening. So you can write one page, Oliver another, and Amos the third."
+
+"No," said Isabella; "I don't like that. I want every scholar to have
+his own book."
+
+"If you'll be the teacher," said Jonas, "you can have it so."
+
+"But I want to have it so, and you be the teacher," said Isabella.
+
+"No," said Jonas; "if I have the responsibility of teacher, I must have
+the power too."
+
+"Well," said Isabella, "I suppose we had better submit."
+
+"But what's the reason, Jonas," said Oliver, "that you ain't willing
+that we should all have writing-books of our own?"
+
+"There are two or three reasons," said Jonas. "But it is very poor
+policy for a schoolmaster to spend his time in convincing his scholars
+that his regulations are good. He must make them obey, and let them see
+that the regulations turn out to be good in the end."
+
+"But it seems to me, you've grown arbitrary all at once," said Amos,
+with a smile.
+
+"Yes," said Jonas, "I'm always arbitrary when I'm in command; if you
+mean, by arbitrary, determined to have my own way. I won't _usurp_ any
+power; but, if you put it upon me, I shall use it, you may depend upon
+it."
+
+Jonas had two good reasons why he wanted to have only one writing-book
+for all his scholars. One was, that he thought it uncertain how long
+their school plan would last, and he did not want to trouble the farmer
+to look up some paper, and then make a parade of preparing so many
+writing-books; and then, perhaps, the whole plan might be abandoned,
+when they had written four or five pages in each. And, therefore, as he
+found one old writing-book of Oliver's, half full, he determined to make
+the blank leaves of that answer for all.
+
+But he had another reason still. He thought that, if all his scholars
+should write, in succession, in the same book, their writing would come
+into such close juxtaposition and comparison, that each one would be
+stimulated to write with greater attention and care; as each one would
+wish his or her own page to look as neatly written as the rest. He knew
+that Isabella, when it came to her turn to write, would naturally,
+without any thing being said, look at Amos's work on the page before,
+and that she would observe its excellences and its faults, and that her
+page would probably be written better, in consequence of her criticism
+upon his.
+
+Thus, though Jonas had good reasons, he chose not to give them. He
+preferred, if he was going to be teacher, that they should not be in the
+habit of expecting him to give reasons for all his directions. So he
+simply expressed his decision upon the subject, by saying,--
+
+"You may do just as you please about making me teacher; but, if you put
+me into the office, you must expect to have to obey."
+
+"That's right, Jonas," said the farmer's wife: "I am glad to see you
+make 'em mind."
+
+It was settled, without any further discussion, that Jonas's plan in
+regard to the writing should be adopted, and that his scholars would
+obey his directions in other things, whatever they might be. Jonas then
+proceeded as follows:--
+
+"Now, you see that, if we go on so three evenings, you will all have got
+three lessons, and the fourth evening we will have for recitation. I
+will hear you spell, and examine your writing, and see if your sums are
+done right."
+
+Jonas's exposition of the plan of his school was here interrupted by the
+farmer's wife, who, as she sat at the end of the settle towards the
+fire, had her face somewhat turned towards the window, and she saw a
+light at a distance near the horizon.
+
+"What light is that?" said she.
+
+Jonas and all his school rose, and went to the window to see.
+
+The window looked towards the pond. They looked off across a sort of
+bay, beyond which there was a long point of land,--the one which the
+boys had had to sail around when they went to mill. Just over this land,
+and near the extremity of it, a light was to be seen, as if from a fire,
+beyond and behind the land.
+
+"That's exactly in the direction of the village," said Amos.
+
+"It is a house on fire, I know," said Oliver,--"or a store."
+
+"It looks like a fire, certainly," said Jonas.
+
+"Yes," said the farmer's wife; "and you must go, boys, and help put it
+out."
+
+"It is several miles off," said Amos.
+
+"Yes, but put Kate into the light sleigh, and she'll carry you there
+over the pond in twenty minutes.--Here, husband, husband," she
+continued, calling to the farmer, who was still asleep in his chair,
+"here's a fire."
+
+The farmer opened his eyes, and sat upright in his chair, and asked what
+was the matter.
+
+"Here's a fire," she repeated, "over in the village; hadn't the boys
+better go and put it out?"
+
+The farmer rose, walked very deliberately to the window, looked a minute
+at the light, and then said,--
+
+"It's nothing but the moon."
+
+"The moon?--no, it can't be the moon, husband," said she. "The moon
+don't rise there."
+
+"Yes," said the farmer, "that's just about the place."
+
+"Besides," said she, "it isn't time for the moon to rise. It don't rise
+now till midnight."
+
+He turned away, and walked slowly across the room, to where the almanac
+was hanging. He seemed very sleepy. He turned over the leaves, and then
+said, "Moon rises--eight hours and fifty minutes; that is,--let's
+see,--ten minutes before nine."
+
+"Well," said his wife, "and 'tisn't much past eight now."
+
+"It's the moon, you may depend," said the farmer; "perhaps our time is a
+little out." So he returned to the chair, sat down in it, and put his
+feet out towards the fire.
+
+"Well," said his wife, "we shall know pretty soon; for, if it is the
+moon, it will soon rise higher."
+
+So they all stood a few minutes, and watched the light. It seemed to
+enlarge a little, and to grow somewhat brighter; but it did not move
+from its place.
+
+"It certainly must be a fire," said the farmer's wife again; "and I
+wish, husband, that you'd let the boys take Kate in the sleigh, and go
+along the pond and see."
+
+"I've no objection," said the farmer, "if they've a mind to take that
+trouble; but they'll find nothing but the moon, they may depend."
+
+"Let's go," said Amos.
+
+"Very well," said Jonas; "I'm ready."
+
+"We'll go too, boys," said the farmer's wife, "Isabella and I. You can
+put in two seats. There are no hills, and Kate will take us all along
+like a bird. I never saw a fire in my life."
+
+The boys hastened to the barn, and got Kate out of the stall. Franco,
+who knew that something extraordinary must have taken place, though he
+could not tell what, came out from his place, leaped about, and
+indicated, by his actions, that, wherever they were going, he meant to
+go too.
+
+The sleigh was soon harnessed. They drove up to the door, and found
+Isabella and her mother all ready. They took their places upon the back
+seat, while Amos and Jonas sat upon another seat, which they had placed
+in, before. Oliver came running with a bucket, which he put in under the
+forward seat, and then he jumped on behind, standing upon the end of the
+runner, and clinging to the corner of the sleigh, close to Isabella's
+shoulder.
+
+Kate set off at a rapid trot down the road, which led to the pond. The
+sleigh went very easily, for the road was smooth. There had been rain
+and thaws lately, and cold weather after them, so that the surface of
+the road had melted, and then become frozen again; and this made it
+icy. They found the ice of the pond in the same state. The rain and the
+thaws had melted the snow, upon the top of the ice, and made it a sheet
+of water. Then this had frozen again, so that now the surface of the
+pond was almost every where hard and smooth; and when they came down
+upon it, and turned to go across the bay, the horse being at his full
+speed, the sleigh swept round sideways over the ice, in a great circle,
+and made the farmer's wife very much afraid that she should be upset. It
+seemed as if the sleigh was trying to get before the horse.
+
+However, Amos, who was driving, contrived to get the horse ahead again,
+and then they went on with great speed. It was a mile across to the end
+of the point of land; but Kate carried them over this space in a very
+few minutes. As they drew near to the point, they watched the light. It
+did not rise at all.
+
+"It cannot be the moon," said Jonas, "for it is now full a quarter of an
+hour since we first saw it."
+
+"Yes," said the farmer's wife, "I knew it couldn't be the moon."
+
+Just at this moment, the sleigh came around the point with great speed,
+and brought into view a very bright but distant fire, far before them.
+
+"It is a fire!" they all exclaimed.
+
+"But it isn't in the direction of the village," said Jonas.
+
+"It must be some farm-house," said the farmer's wife, "on the shore."
+
+"No," said Jonas, "I think it is on the ice."
+
+It very soon became evident that the fire was upon the ice. It was
+plainly a large fire, though the distance made it look rather small. It
+was very bright, and it flashed up high; and a cloud of illuminated
+smoke arose from it, and floated off to the northward. The party in the
+sleigh could soon perceive, also, a number of small, bright spots near
+it, which seemed to be in motion about the fire. They looked like the
+moons about the planet Jupiter, seen through a telescope.
+
+"I wonder what it is," said Isabella.
+
+"I presume," said Jonas, "that the boys are out skating, and this is a
+fire on the ice, which they have built."
+
+"And are those the boys moving about?" asked Oliver.
+
+"Yes," said Jonas. "When they are near the fire, the light shines upon
+their faces."
+
+As they rode on, it became gradually more and more evident that Jonas
+was right. The forms of the skaters, as they stood before the fire, or
+came wheeling up to it, became more and more distinct, and, in fact, the
+ringing sound of the skates soon became audible. The horse, in the mean
+time, went on, with great speed, directly towards the fire. When they
+arrived near the fire, the skaters came around them in great numbers,
+wondering who could have come. Jonas asked them where they got the wood
+to build their fire.
+
+"All along the shore," said a large boy, with a long stick in his hand.
+"Let's go and get some more, boys," he added, "and brighten up our
+fire."
+
+So saying, he wheeled round and skated away, the whole crowd of skaters,
+small and great, following him at full speed. As they swept round by the
+fire, the light glared brightly upon their faces and forms, but they
+soon disappeared from view in the darkness beyond; only Jonas could
+hear the sound of their skates, ringing over the ice, as they receded.
+
+"What a great, hot fire!" said Oliver.
+
+"Yes," said Isabella, "I never saw such a large fire on the ice. I don't
+see how they got all the wood."
+
+"I suppose," said Jonas, "that they got out the wood from the forest,
+along the shore, and threw it out upon the ice, before they put on their
+skates, and then they could easily bring it to the fire. But hark! they
+are coming back again."
+
+The fire was so bright where they were, and it flashed so strongly upon
+the ice around, that they could not see the skaters until they came
+pretty near. The dark figures, however, soon began to appear. The
+foremost was a tall young man, who came forward with great speed,
+pushing before him a long and slender log, half decayed and dry. One end
+he held before him in his hands, and the other glided along upon the
+smooth ice towards the fire.
+
+There followed close behind him another skater, with the fragment of an
+old stump upon his shoulder; then several others, with branches,
+sticks, dry bushes, and fragments of every shape and size. These they
+piled upon the fire as they swept up alongside of it, and then wheeled
+away back from the heat which radiated from it. Two large boys came on,
+bringing a long log between them, one at each end. It looked large, but
+it was really not very heavy, as it was hollow and decayed. They hove it
+up, with great effort, upon the fire, and its fall upon the heap threw
+up a large, bright column of sparks and flame. Another boy had the top
+of a young spruce, which he had cut off with his knife, by dint of great
+labor; it made a great roaring and crackling when it was put upon the
+fire. And, finally, behind all the rest, there came a little boy not so
+big as Oliver, tugging away at a long branch, which he dragged behind
+him, and put it upon the fire too.
+
+"Well," said the farmer's wife, after a little time, "we mustn't stay
+here much longer."
+
+"We'll drive around the fire, in one great sweep," said Jonas.
+
+So he started the horse on, and took a great circuit about the fire. The
+skaters went with him on each side of the sleigh. Then they turned
+their course towards home again. The light of the fire shone upon the
+distant point of land, and illuminated it faintly, but in a very
+beautiful manner, and showed Jonas which way to drive.
+
+Isabella turned back her head repeatedly, to look at the fire, as they
+rode on and left it far behind them. It seemed to grow smaller and
+smaller, as they receded; and at length, when Jonas turned around the
+point of land, it disappeared entirely. In a few minutes afterward, the
+moon arose, and lighted them the rest of the way home.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+
+THE CARDING-MILL
+
+Jonas was often sent away to transact business for the farmer. He was a
+very excellent hand to do business. It requires several qualities to
+make a boy good at business. He must be gentlemanly in his manners, so
+as to speak to the persons that he is sent to, in a respectful and
+proper manner; he must be faithful, so as not to neglect what is
+intrusted to him; and he must be patient and persevering. Then he must
+also have considerable judgment and discretion; for when he is sent away
+from home on business, he must often be placed in circumstances that are
+unforeseen, and where he must act without instructions. In such cases,
+he will have to exercise his own judgment and discretion. Jonas was
+placed in such circumstances at one time, when he was sent to the
+carding-mill to get some rolls for Isabella.
+
+The rolls which Isabella wanted were rolls of wool, as they are prepared
+at the mill ready for spinning. The wool is carded very fine, and then,
+by curious machinery, it is rolled out into rolls about three feet long,
+and as large round as a whip-handle at the middle. These rolls Isabella
+used to spin into yarn, at her spinning-wheel.
+
+Isabella had spun nearly all her rolls, and she wanted Jonas to carry
+some wool to the carding-mill, and get some more. The carding-mill was
+not in the village upon the outlet stream; but it was upon another
+stream, which emptied into the pond, instead of flowing from it. It was
+the same stream that flowed by the land which Jonas and Oliver had
+cleared when he first came to live with the farmer; only the mill was at
+some distance from the mouth of the stream, back towards the high land.
+It was more than two miles, by the road, from the farmer's house.
+
+The farmer told Jonas where to get the wool, and then gave him some more
+business, at a place in the woods, about two miles beyond the mill.
+Oliver wanted to go too, and his father gave him leave. Oliver always
+liked to go to the mill, as the machine for carding the wool was a great
+curiosity.
+
+Jonas put up the wool in a very large bundle, which almost filled up the
+bottom of the sleigh. Jonas himself sat upon the seat, with his feet
+under the bundle; but Oliver sat upon the bundle. He said it made a very
+soft seat.
+
+They rode along pleasantly towards the mill. The snow-drifts were very
+high in some places on each side of the road; and the fences and walls
+were almost buried up.
+
+"I wish that Josey was here," said Oliver. "I think that he would like
+to see the carding-mill very much indeed."
+
+"Yes," said Jonas.
+
+"Only," replied Oliver, "perhaps it would be dangerous to take him."
+
+"Why?" said Jonas.
+
+"Why, because," said Oliver, "I suppose he would touch the machinery,
+and perhaps get his hands torn off."
+
+"Yes," said Jonas, "boys sometimes do get very badly hurt in
+mills,--careless and disobedient boys especially."
+
+"I think that he is a careless and disobedient boy," said Oliver.
+
+[Illustration: "He said it made a very soft seat."]
+
+"Yes, but it is his misfortune, rather than his fault," replied Jonas.
+
+"His misfortune?" repeated Oliver.
+
+"Yes," said Jonas; "his father's situation is such, that it is very
+unfortunate for him. I expect he is very unhappily situated at home, in
+many respects."
+
+"How?" said Oliver.
+
+"Why, in the first place," said Jonas, "he lives, I'm told, in a large
+and handsome house."
+
+"Yes," said Oliver.
+
+"And then," continued Jonas, "your aunt, I have heard, is a very fine
+woman, and has a great deal of company."
+
+"Well," said Oliver.
+
+"And then," continued Jonas, "they can buy Josey any thing he wants, for
+playthings."
+
+"Yes," said Oliver; "he told me he had got a rocking-horse. But I don't
+call that being unfortunate."
+
+"It is very fortunate for the father and mother, but such a kind of life
+is generally unfortunate for the child. You see, if a man has been
+industrious himself, when he was a boy, and has grown up to be a good
+business man, and to acquire a great deal of property, and builds a
+good house, and has plenty of books, and journeys, it is all very well
+for him. He can bear it, but it very often spoils his children."
+
+"Why does it spoil his children?" asked Oliver.
+
+"In the first place, it makes them conceited and vain,--not always, but
+often. The children of wealthy men are very often conceited. They wear
+better clothes than some other boys, and have more books and prettier
+playthings; and so they become vain, and think that they are very
+important, when, in fact, they owe every thing to their fathers.
+
+"Then, besides," continued Jonas, "they don't form good habits of
+industry. Their fathers don't make them work, and so they don't acquire
+any habits of industry, and patience, and perseverance."
+
+"If I was a man, and had ever so much money," said Oliver, "I would make
+my boys work."
+
+"That is very doubtful," said Jonas.
+
+"Why is it doubtful?" asked Oliver.
+
+"Because," said Jonas, "you would be very busy, and couldn't attend to
+it. It would be a great deal more trouble to make your boys do any
+thing, than it would be to hire another man to do it; and so you would
+hire a man, to save your trouble."
+
+"Yes; but then, Jonas, farmers are very busy, and yet they make their
+boys work."
+
+"True," replied Jonas; "but farmers are busy about such kind of work as
+that their boys can help them do it,--so they can keep them at work
+without any special trouble. But men of property are employed in such
+kind of business as boys cannot do; and so they must work, if they work
+at all, at something else; and that makes a good deal of trouble."
+
+"Then I'd send my boys to some farmer, and let him make them work," said
+Oliver.
+
+"Yes," said Jonas, "that would do pretty well."
+
+So saying, Jonas stopped the horse a moment, and stepped out of the
+sleigh. He was at the foot of a long, steep hill in the woods. He was
+going to walk up. Oliver remained in the sleigh, and rode. When they
+reached the top, Jonas got in again, and they rode on.
+
+"But then, Jonas," said Oliver, "there is one thing to be thought of,
+and that is, that rich men's sons will not have to work when they grow
+up; and so they don't need so much to grow industrious."
+
+"O, yes, they will," said Jonas.
+
+"Why, Josey told me that he didn't expect to work when he should be a
+man."
+
+"No, he doesn't _expect_ to work, but he'll find that it is different
+from what he had expected, when he grows up."
+
+"How?" said Oliver.
+
+"Why, a great many rich men's boys find, when they get to be twenty-one,
+that they have to go out into the world, and earn their own living,
+without any money."
+
+"Why?" said Oliver; "won't their fathers give them any money?"
+
+"Their fathers cannot generally give them enough to support them," said
+Jonas, "even if they are disposed to do it; because, you see, they have
+their own families still to support. Besides, if they were to divide
+their property at once among all their children, it would only be a
+small portion for each one. It wouldn't be enough for the boys to live
+as expensively as they have been living while at home. Therefore, as
+fast as they grow up young men, they have to go away into the world,
+and earn their own money by some kind of work, head work or hand work."
+
+Jonas would probably have given Oliver some further explanations on this
+subject, were it not that about this time they arrived at the mill.
+Oliver tied the horse at a post, while Jonas took out the great bundle
+of wool, and went in. Oliver followed immediately after him.
+
+The machinery made a heavy, rumbling sound, which grew louder and louder
+as the boys went up stairs. Jonas opened a door into a large room, and
+at this the noise increased very loudly, so that Oliver and Jonas could
+hardly hear each other talk. Jonas put down the bundle of wool by the
+door, and then he and Oliver went in among the wheels and machinery.
+There were a great many separate machines at different parts of the
+room, with girls tending them. There was a large, round beam of wood,
+overhead, slowly revolving. There were wheels upon it in different
+parts, with straps passing around these wheels, and also around other
+wheels connected with the machines below.
+
+Oliver saw Jonas walk to a man who was writing at a desk in the corner
+of a room, and say something to him. Oliver could not hear what it was.
+Jonas pointed, while he was talking to the man, to the great bundle of
+wool. Presently the man came and took the bundle of wool, and dragged it
+off to one of the machines, which was not in motion. He called a girl to
+come and tend it.
+
+At one end of the machine was a broad band of cloth, passing around two
+rollers. One roller was close to the wheels and other large rollers of
+the machine itself. The other was back from it a little; and the cloth,
+being extended from one of these to the other, formed a sort of flat
+table just before the machine.
+
+The girl who came to tend the machine immediately opened the great
+bundle of wool, and then she took up a handful of it, and began to
+spread it evenly over the cloth. When she had got the cloth pretty
+nearly covered she pulled a handle pretty near her, and that, in some
+mysterious way or other, set the machinery a-going. The cloth, with all
+the wool upon it, began to move towards the great rollers of the
+machine. These rollers were covered with card teeth, and the wool, as it
+was drawn in between them, was carded fine, and spread evenly over all
+the surface; and in a few minutes Jonas and Oliver found that it began
+to come out at the other end, in the shape of rolls. One roll after
+another dropped out, in a very singular manner. Oliver thought that it
+was a very curious machine indeed, to take in wool in that way at one
+end, and drop it out in beautiful long rolls at the other.
+
+"Now," said Jonas, after a few minutes, to Oliver, "I am going away
+farther, and shall come back here in about an hour. You may go with me,
+or you may stay here,--just which you prefer."
+
+"Well," said Oliver, "I'll stay here."
+
+"Good-by, then," said Jonas; "I shall be back again in about an hour."
+
+So Jonas went down stairs, and Oliver began to walk about the room a
+little. There was a window in the back side of the room, which he
+happened to pass pretty near to, and he stopped to look out at it. He
+saw the dam and the waterfall below. There was a large pond above the
+fall, which was made by the dam. The pond was frozen over, and the ice
+was covered with snow. The water was open for a short distance above the
+edge of the fall, and it was also open below the fall, where there was a
+great foaming, and tumbling, and whirling of currents.
+
+Oliver looked at it a moment, and then he concluded that it would be
+better for him to go with Jonas.
+
+"I have seen," said he to himself, "pretty much all of the machinery,
+and I shall be very tired of waiting here an hour."
+
+So he concluded that he would run down, quick, and see if Jonas had
+gone.
+
+When he got down stairs, and out at the door, he found that the sleigh
+was not at the post. He ran around the corner, and saw Jonas at some
+distance, just at the foot of a hill. He ran after him, calling,
+"Jo-nas! Jo-nas!"
+
+Just at this time, Jonas stopped to let his horse walk up the hill, and
+so he heard Oliver calling; for the bells did not make so much noise
+when the horse was walking, as they did before.
+
+So Jonas stopped until Oliver overtook him; and they went on the rest of
+the way together.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+
+DIFFICULTY
+
+Although it was winter when the boys were taking this ride, yet the sun
+was shining in a very warm and pleasant manner, and the snow was every
+where softening in the fields and melting in the roads, indicating that
+the spring was coming on.
+
+There was a little stream of water, coming down the hill in the middle
+of the road, and forming a long pool at the bottom. Jonas turned his
+horse to one side, to avoid this pool of water, and waited until Oliver
+came up.
+
+"Well, Oliver," said he,--"tired of the mill already?"
+
+"Why, no," said Oliver, "only I thought that, on the whole, I'd rather
+go with you. I didn't think that you were going to be gone so long."
+
+"It is about two miles," said Jonas.
+
+"Where are you going?" said Oliver.
+
+"O, to see about some logs. I thought you heard your father tell me to
+go and see about some logs."
+
+"What about the logs?" said Oliver.
+
+"Why, to make the boards of, for the barn."
+
+"O," replied Oliver, "I didn't know that."
+
+"Yes," continued Jonas, "when we want boards, we have to go to somebody
+who owns some pine timber in the woods, and get him to cut down some of
+them, and haul them to the mill. Then they saw them up, and make
+boards."
+
+"What mill?" said Oliver.
+
+"At that saw-mill near the carding-mill. The mill down in the village,
+you know, is a grist-mill."
+
+By this time, the boys had got to the top of the hill, and they got into
+the sleigh, and rode along. Presently, they came to a place where Jonas
+was going to turn off, into a sort of by-road which led away into the
+woods, where the pine-trees grew. The man that owned the trees lived
+pretty near, in a farm-house.
+
+"Is that the road that we are going in?" asked Oliver.
+
+"Yes," said Jonas, "but it does not look very promising."
+
+The road was filled up nearly full of snow. It had been hard, so that
+they could travel upon it pretty well; but the warm sun had softened the
+snow so much, that the horses' feet sunk down into it, in some places,
+very deep. However, Jonas went along as well as he could.
+
+"Let us get out and walk, Jonas," said Oliver.
+
+"No," said Jonas, "that will not do much good; for it is the weight of
+the horse himself, that makes him sink into the snow, not the weight of
+the sleigh."
+
+So the boys both continued to ride in the sleigh. They soon came into
+the woods, where, the ground being sheltered by the trees above, the
+snow lay more evenly upon it; and, though the horse slumped a little,
+yet he got along very comfortably.
+
+At length, however, they came out of the woods into an opening. The road
+went along under a high bank, with a deep brook on the other side. The
+wind, during the storms in the winter, had blown in over this bank, and
+filled up the road entirely.
+
+"Now," said Jonas, "I am afraid we're in difficulty."
+
+"Why?" said Oliver; "is that a very bad place?"
+
+"Yes," said Jonas, "it looks like a very bad place."
+
+Oliver saw that the snow was very deep on the upper side of the road,
+and that it sloped away in such a manner that it would be very difficult
+for them to get along, even if the road-way was hard.
+
+"Perhaps it is hard," said Oliver.
+
+"No," said Jonas, "I think it cannot be, for the bank slopes to the
+south, and the sun has been shining upon it all day. However, we must
+try it."
+
+The horse hesitated a moment when he came to this place, for he knew by
+instinct that it would be very hard for him to get through it.
+
+"Come, General," said Jonas. "Though, stop a moment, Oliver; perhaps we
+had better get out and walk, or the sleigh may upset."
+
+So they got out. Oliver walked by the horse, keeping on the upper side
+of the road. Jonas went behind, taking hold of the back part of the
+sleigh, so as to hold it in case it should tip down too far. They went
+on thus for some distance tolerably well. The horse sometimes got in
+pretty far, and for a moment would plunge and stagger, as if he could
+hardly get along; but then he would work his way out, and go on a little
+farther.
+
+At length, however, the old General came to a full stop. He sank down,
+shoulders under, in the snow. The more he struggled to get free, the
+deeper he got in. Jonas stepped on before him, and patted him on the
+head, and tried to quiet him.
+
+"Jonas," said Oliver, "let us stop; I don't believe we can go any
+farther."
+
+"Nor I," said Jonas. "At least I don't think we can get the old General
+any farther."
+
+"Nor back again either," said Oliver, "as I see."
+
+The boys stood still, looking upon the horse a moment, utterly at a loss
+what to do.
+
+"Oliver," said Jonas, "should you be willing to stay here and take care
+of the horse, while I go on and see about the logs?"
+
+"Why--I--don't know," said Oliver. "I'm afraid he won't stand quiet."
+
+"O, I shall get him out of the snow, first," said Jonas, "and take him
+to some level place, where he'll stand well."
+
+"How shall you get him out?" asked Oliver.
+
+"Why, we will unharness him first," said Jonas, "and then draw the
+sleigh back out of the way."
+
+So Jonas began to unbuckle the straps of the harness, in order to
+liberate the horse. Oliver tried to help him, but he could not do much,
+the horse was so deep in the snow. And, besides, he was standing, or
+rather lying, in such a position, that many parts of the harness were
+drawn so tense, that Oliver had not strength enough to unbuckle them.
+
+However, Jonas at length got the sleigh separated from the horse, and
+drew it back out of the way. He trampled the snow down around the horse,
+as much as he could, and then the horse, with a leap and a plunge,
+recovered his footing. He stood deep in the snow yet, however.
+
+"Now," said Jonas, "where shall we put him till I come back?"
+
+Oliver looked across the brook, and saw there, upon a bank, under some
+trees, a spot which was bare. The reason why it was bare was, that the
+snow had nearly all blown off during the storms; and then the sun, which
+had been shining for some days so pleasantly, had melted away what there
+had been left; and now the ground was bare, and almost dry. But the
+difficulty was to get to it; for it was upon the other side of the
+stream, and the bed of the stream was filled with water and ice.
+
+"I wouldn't lead him over there," said Oliver. "I think you had better
+go home, and not do any thing about the timber."
+
+"No," said Jonas.
+
+"Why, father will not think you did wrong to give it up, when we got
+into such trouble," said Oliver.
+
+"No, I don't suppose he would; but I'd rather carry him back an answer,
+if I can."
+
+"Then let me go with you," said Oliver.
+
+"Why, it is a long and very hard walk," said Jonas. "There is no work so
+hard as travelling in soft snow, without snow-shoes. If we had a pair of
+snow-shoes, we could get along very well."
+
+"Did you ever see any snow-shoes?" said Oliver.
+
+"No," replied Jonas, "but I have read about them. They are very large
+and flat, and your foot stands in the middle of them, and so presses
+them upon the snow; and they are so large that they will not sink in
+very far."
+
+While Jonas was saying this, he was climbing down to the bank of the
+brook, with a pole in his hands, with which he was going to see if he
+could find firm footing, for the horse to go across.
+
+"Yes," said he, punching his pole down to the bottom of the brook; "yes,
+it isn't deep. The old General will get down here very well, I think."
+
+So he and Oliver trampled a sort of path down to the brook, and then
+they led the old General down. He seemed a little reluctant, at first,
+to step into the water. However, he soon went in, and walked over, and
+Oliver fastened him to a tree, so that he could stand upon the bare
+piece of ground. Jonas then pulled the sleigh out of the road, so that
+it should not be in the way, if any body should come along with any
+other team; then he bade Oliver good-by, and went on alone.
+
+Jonas traveled along, as well as he could, through the snow, though he
+found it very laborious walking. In some places, he found hard footing
+for some distance; but then he would sink down again for several
+successive steps. After a short distance, he got out of the deep drift,
+which had prevented the horse from going on, and then he could advance
+faster. There was a singular-looking track in the road. It consisted of
+a smooth groove in the snow, as if the end of a large log had been
+dragged along.
+
+It was, in fact, made by a log which had been drawn along that road
+towards the mill. One end of the log had been placed upon a sled, and
+the other left to drag along in the snow; and this was what made the
+smooth groove, which Jonas observed. He did not see it before, because
+the man who drove the sled had turned out of the main road, into a
+by-way across the fields, to avoid the deep drift where Jonas's horse
+got into difficulty.
+
+Jonas found it pretty good walking after this. The snow was not so deep
+as it had been; and the path which the log had made was hard and smooth.
+He concluded that it must have been made by such a log, and, of course,
+if he followed it, that it would take him directly to the house of the
+man whom he wanted to see.
+
+After walking about a mile, he came to the house. It was a small
+farm-house, in the woods. There were a great many large logs, lying each
+side of the road near it, ready to be drawn to the mill.
+
+Jonas went up towards the door, which was in the end of the house. As he
+drew near to it, he saw a boy's head behind an enormous pile of wood. He
+went around it, and found that the boy was about as big as Jonas
+himself. He was rolling down a large stick of wood, and had an axe in
+his hand, as if he was going to chop it.
+
+"Does Mr. Woodman live here?" said Jonas.
+
+"Yes," said the boy; "but he isn't at home."
+
+"Where is he?" said Jonas.
+
+"He is out in the lot, falling trees," said the boy.
+
+"How far is it from here?" asked Jonas.
+
+"O, about a good half mile."
+
+"Which way?" said Jonas.
+
+"Out yonder," said the boy; and he pointed back of the house, where a
+rough sled-road led into the woods. "You can hear his axe."
+
+Jonas listened, and he heard distinctly the sound of an axe in the woods
+behind; presently it ceased. Immediately after, there was a prolonged
+crash, which echoed back from the mountains.
+
+"There goes a tree," said the boy.
+
+Jonas was sorry to have to leave Oliver so long, but he wished to
+persevere until he should find the man, as he knew that the farmer was
+very desirous of having the business done that day. So he told the boy
+that he believed he would go and see if he could find Mr. Woodman; and
+then he set off in the direction which the boy had indicated.
+
+This road was so sheltered by the woods, that the snow was not much
+drifted; and, besides, it had been kept open by the teams, which had
+been employed in hauling out pine logs. When Jonas got in to the end of
+the road, he heard the strokes of the axe, at a short distance on the
+right.
+
+He looked that way, and found that the man was standing at the foot of a
+tall tree, of very large size; and he was cutting through the trunk of
+it, about two feet from the top of the snow. He saw that it was nearly
+off, and so he thought he would wait a moment, where he was, and see it
+fall. He observed that Mr. Woodman occasionally looked up the stem of
+the tree, between the strokes of his axe, as if to see whether it was
+beginning to fall.
+
+After a few strokes more, he stepped back from the foot of the tree to
+one side. Jonas wondered why he left his work before the tree fell. He
+looked up to the top of it, and he perceived that it was moving. It was
+bending over very slowly indeed. It moved, however, faster and faster,
+and presently began to come tearing down between the branches of the
+other trees, and, at length, descended with a mighty crash to the
+ground. Jonas thought that it was a very fine spectacle indeed. He
+wished that Oliver had been there to see it.
+
+Jonas then went to Mr. Woodman, and transacted his business
+successfully, according to the farmer's directions. Then he turned
+around, and began to walk back, as fast as he could go.
+
+"I am afraid," said he to himself, "that Oliver is almost out of
+patience waiting for me."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+
+A SURPRISE
+
+Jonas walked on until he came out of the woods, at the house where he
+had seen the boy cut wood. As he approached the place, he saw that the
+boy was there still; but there was a man with him. The man had a
+goad-stick in his hand.
+
+"He is driving a team somewhere," said Jonas to himself. "I wonder where
+his oxen are."
+
+A moment afterwards, Jonas came in sight of the oxen, which were in the
+road, having been hid from his view before, by the wood pile.
+
+The man and the boy looked at Jonas, as he walked towards them. The man
+smiled a little, as if he knew Jonas; but Jonas thought that he had
+never seen him before.
+
+"Well, Jonas," said the man, "did you find Mr. Woodman?"
+
+"Yes, sir," replied Jonas. He wondered how the man happened to know his
+name.
+
+"I'm glad of it," said he; "and you'd better make haste back. Rollo is
+almost tired of waiting for you."
+
+"Oliver, you mean," said Jonas.
+
+"No," said the man,--"Rollo; he said his name was Rollo."
+
+"Rollo?" said Jonas; "his name is Oliver. I don't see what made him tell
+you that his name was Rollo."
+
+So saying, Jonas walked thoughtfully away, wondering what this could
+mean. He had never known Oliver to do any such thing before. Oliver, he
+thought, would not tell a falsehood on any account. He was not inclined
+to say any thing of that kind by way of jest. He was a very sober and
+sedate, as well as honest boy. Besides, he could not think what should
+have put Rollo into Oliver's head. He did not recollect that he had said
+any thing of Rollo for a long time. In fact, he had seldom told Oliver
+any thing about him; and what could have induced him to call himself
+Rollo, he could not conceive.
+
+However, he had nothing to do but to go on, for the more he attempted
+to imagine some explanation of the mystery, the more he was puzzled.
+So he walked on as diligently as he could.
+
+He came, at length, in sight of the spot where he had left the horse and
+Oliver. The horse was there, but Oliver was not to be seen.
+
+"He has got tired of waiting, and has gone away," said Jonas; "or
+perhaps he is playing about near."
+
+This last supposition was pretty soon, for a moment, confirmed; for
+Jonas saw, very soon after, a boy's head on the bank of the brook, at a
+little distance below.
+
+"There he is now," said Jonas to himself. "No, it isn't he. That boy
+isn't dressed like Oliver. I wonder who it is."
+
+The boy had a long pole in his hand, and was pushing cakes of ice with
+it. He was so intent upon this amusement, that at first he did not see
+Jonas; but, presently, looking up, his eye suddenly caught a view of
+Jonas, coming, and he instantly dropped his pole, and ran towards him,
+shouting,--
+
+"Jonas!"
+
+"Why, Rollo!" exclaimed Jonas, in his turn. "How came you to be here?"
+
+It was Rollo, indeed. Jonas was astonished. He could scarcely believe
+his senses. "Is it possible that this is you?" said he.
+
+"Yes," said Rollo, laughing with great delight, "I believe it is."
+
+"And how came you here? I left Oliver here an hour ago, little thinking
+that he would turn into Rollo while I was gone."
+
+"Oliver?" said Rollo, "who is Oliver?"
+
+"Why, don't you know Oliver?" said Jonas. "He is the farmer's son. He
+came with me, and I left him here to the care of the sleigh. Haven't you
+seen any thing of him?"
+
+"No," replied Rollo, "nothing; there was nobody here when I came."
+
+"What can have become of him, then?" said Jonas. "I hope he is not lost
+in the woods."
+
+So saying, Jonas began to call aloud, "Oliver! Oliver!" But no Oliver
+answered.
+
+"Let us see if we can find any tracks," said he; and he and Rollo began
+to look about for tracks.
+
+"What's this?" said Rollo, looking down intently upon the snow, pretty
+near where the horse had been tied.
+
+"Any tracks?" said Jonas.
+
+"No," said Rollo, "but some writing in the snow."
+
+So Rollo began to read the writing in a slow manner, as he walked along
+from one word to another; for, the letters being large, the sentence
+extended quite a distance from where it first attracted his attention.
+He read as follows:--
+
+"'Jonas,--I--am--tired of writing,'--no, 'waiting. I am
+going--back--to--the--mill.'"
+
+"Let me see," said Jonas.
+
+So Jonas came to the place, and saw the writing. Rollo had read it
+correctly.
+
+"Yes," said Jonas, "he has gone back to the mill, no doubt. We will go,
+and we shall find him there;--but when did you come from home? and how
+did you find where I was?"
+
+Rollo, in answer to Jonas's question, explained to him that his father
+had given him permission to take the horse and sleigh and Nathan, and
+come and pay Jonas a visit. He had arrived at the farmer's that day,
+just after Jonas and Oliver had set out. The farmer told them where
+Jonas had gone, and he was very desirous of going after him. He said
+that he had no doubt that he could find him.
+
+The farmer had hesitated a little; but finally he gave his consent, and
+Rollo set off, leaving Nathan at the farmer's, as he was rather tired.
+He had followed Jonas to the mill, and then he inquired of the people
+whether Jonas had been there. A man in the road told him that he had
+seen Jonas ride away on a certain road; and so Rollo had followed on in
+the road pointed out to him, as he knew that it was not far that he was
+to go.
+
+When Rollo had got so far in his story, Jonas interrupted him to ask,--
+
+"Were you on foot, Rollo?"
+
+"No," replied Rollo, "in my sleigh."
+
+"And where is your sleigh?" asked Jonas.
+
+"Why, I left it out here a little way. When I found that the snow was
+deep, and my horse slumped in pretty bad, I left him by the side of the
+road, and walked on to see if I could see any thing of you. I soon found
+your sleigh, run out of the path, and the horse tied under a tree over
+the brook. So I knew that you couldn't be far off."
+
+"And you did not go any farther."
+
+"No," said Rollo; "I thought it would be better for me to stay by the
+sleigh, and wait for you."
+
+Jonas asked Rollo a great many questions about all the people at
+home--his father and mother, and his cousin Lucy; and he said that he
+was very glad indeed, that Rollo had come to see him.
+
+"Do you have a pretty good time upon the farm?" said Rollo.
+
+"Yes," said Jonas, "very good indeed. You would like to be here very
+much."
+
+"Are there any boys for me to play with?" said Rollo.
+
+"Yes," said Jonas, "there is Oliver, though he don't play much. He works
+nearly all the time. But then there is Josey, though he has gone home
+now."
+
+"I saw a boy at the mill," said Rollo, "when I came along. I verily
+believe it was Oliver."
+
+"How big was he?" asked Jonas.
+
+"O, about as big as I am," said Rollo.
+
+"And what was he doing?" said Jonas.
+
+"O, he was playing about on the rocks, under the falls. But he didn't
+seem to have much to do. He stopped and looked at me when I was coming
+by."
+
+"Very likely it was he," said Jonas. "If he had only known who you were,
+he would have liked very much to have come along with you; and you would
+have been good company for each other.
+
+"And O, Rollo," said Jonas again, very eagerly, "there's somebody you'll
+like very much indeed."
+
+"Who is it?" said Rollo.
+
+"Franco Ney," said Jonas.
+
+"Franco Ney!" repeated Rollo; "I never heard a boy named Franco before.
+How old is he?"
+
+"I don't know," said Jonas.
+
+"Don't know? Well, where does he live?--at your house?"
+
+"No," said Jonas. Jonas was correct in this answer, for Franco was
+accustomed to live in the barn.
+
+After some other conversation, Rollo, suddenly looking up, said,--
+
+"How far is it, Jonas, from your house to Mr. Ney's?"
+
+Jonas laughed very heartily at this question, but gave no answer. Rollo
+could not imagine what he could he laughing at. Jonas, however, would
+not tell him, but said that he would know all about it, when he should
+come to see Franco Ney.
+
+"Well," said Rollo, "I'll ask him why you wouldn't tell me where his
+father lives."
+
+Very soon Rollo and Jonas arrived at the mill. They found Oliver safe
+there, waiting for them; and the rolls, too, were ready. As they did not
+like to tumble the rolls, Oliver rode with Rollo in his sleigh, and
+Jonas took care of the rolls.
+
+Rollo was greatly astonished, as well as very much pleased, when he came
+to see Franco Ney.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+
+THE SNOW FORT, OR GOOD FOR EVIL
+
+The next morning, after breakfast, Oliver proposed to Rollo, that they
+should go down to the pond, and build a snow fort. During the night,
+there had been a slight thaw, accompanied with some rain. The body of
+snow on the ground had become softened and adhesive by the moisture, and
+was, as Jonas said, "in prime condition for all sorts of snow work."
+
+Oliver borrowed of Jonas the large wooden snow-shovel, with a blade
+nearly two feet square, used in cutting out the paths around the house.
+Rollo assisted him to strap it on the hand-sled, together with some
+boards, two iron shovels, and a hoe.
+
+"The Conqueror"--for that was the name of his sled--"will have to be
+captive to-day," said Oliver, as he bound the load upon the sled, which
+he and Rollo were going to drag down to the pond.
+
+"You had better take the garden-reel and line," said Jonas to Oliver,
+"if you intend to make a good fort. You will want to stretch your line
+so as to make the sides square, and to guide you in cutting out your
+blocks of snow."
+
+"O, we don't want to be so particular as that," said Oliver.
+
+"But I thought," said Jonas, "that your plan last evening was, to do
+your work in a workmanlike manner. If you want a substantial fort to
+last all winter, you must lay a good foundation, and cut your courses
+true, so that they will rest firmly one upon the other,--and especially
+if you are going to have a roof."
+
+"We mean to have a roof," said Rollo, "or we cannot illuminate it in the
+evening."
+
+"Well, then," said Jonas, "I advise you to take the line, and build
+according to rule."
+
+Oliver had not forgotten what Jonas had often told him about doing his
+work like a workman.
+
+"_What is worth doing at all, is worth doing well_" Jonas used to say.
+
+So Oliver went to get the reel and line.
+
+While he was gone to the tool-house, Rollo thought of Franco Ney, and
+began to call aloud, "Franco! Franco!"
+
+Franco did not come.
+
+"Franco! Franco--o! Franco--o! Where _is_ Franco?" said Rollo; "we can't
+go without him."
+
+"He won't mind you," said Oliver, as he came running back.
+
+"You call him, then," said Rollo.
+
+Oliver whistled the dog call, and in a moment, Franco came running from
+the poultry yard with a bone in his mouth, which he had been gnawing for
+a breakfast. At that moment, Nathan came running out of the door, with a
+luncheon in his hand for them all. The farmer's wife had put up in a
+paper an apple turn-over and a nut-cake for each of the boys, as they
+were going on so important an expedition.
+
+Very soon, every thing was ready, and they started for the scene of
+operations, eager for their work, Oliver and Rollo drawing the sled, and
+Nathan and Franco following on behind.
+
+When they arrived near the pond, Oliver pointed to a little mound, not
+far from the edge of the water, which overlooked the principal
+skating-ground of the village boys in winter.
+
+"There, Rollo," said Oliver, "there's the place for a fort. Many a
+pleasant time we have had there, in a clear winter night, watching the
+skaters all the way up to the head of the pond. The fires look
+splendidly."
+
+"It is a good place for a lookout," said Rollo; "but then I wouldn't
+build it here. Let us go down nearer the pond."
+
+"No," said Oliver; "if we go down near the pond, as likely as not, the
+first skating night, some of the boys will tear our fort all to pieces."
+
+"What if they do?" said Rollo.
+
+"I want it to last all winter," said Oliver.
+
+Rollo yielded to Oliver's wishes, and they began together to unbind
+their load of boards and tools.
+
+"Come, Nathan," said Oliver, "we want you to help us now."
+
+Rollo and Nathan measured with the reel and line, while Oliver planted a
+stake firmly in the snow at the four corners of the square.
+
+According to Jonas's advice, the evening before, they had agreed to make
+their fortification twelve feet square, and the walls about one foot
+thick.
+
+Rollo and Nathan held the cord, stretched from corner to corner, just
+along the surface of the snow, while Oliver, with the shovel, cut the
+snow square down to the ground, more than a foot and a half deep.
+
+In this way they went round the whole enclosure, outside. They then went
+inside, and, by a similar process, cut away the snow so as to leave an
+unbroken line of snow wall about ten feet square and one foot wide.
+
+"There," said Oliver, "there are the sills, as Jonas called them. It is
+what _I_ call a good foundation."
+
+After this, Oliver asked Rollo to bring in the measuring-board inside of
+the fort.
+
+Oliver and Rollo remembered what Jonas had told them about "commanding
+and obeying," and agreed to take turns in being "director."
+
+It was Oliver's turn for the first hour, and Rollo was to obey him.
+Nathan was to assist them both, when he was wanted.
+
+Oliver, therefore, took the command, and directed where and how to cut
+out the snow, in the manner which Jonas had described.
+
+They proceeded with the measuring-board, to mark off, and cut out by it,
+solid blocks of snow about four feet long, one foot wide, and one thick.
+
+Rollo laid down the measuring-board on the snow, and then both of them,
+with the shovels, cut down the snow perpendicularly along the edges, so
+as to have all the snow-blocks of precisely the same length, breadth,
+and thickness. These they laid in courses, on the top of the foundation.
+
+It took just three blocks to form a side, excepting the side where the
+door was, which they left three feet wide.
+
+After working more than two hours, and laying two courses, they shoveled
+out all the broken snow that remained inside, and then sat down on the
+sled to eat their luncheon and rest.
+
+"How do you like the looks of it, Rollo?" said Oliver.
+
+"_Well_," said Rollo; "only I don't see how we can make a roof."
+
+"Jonas will help us do that," said Oliver, "if we do the rest of the
+work well."
+
+The boys, however, were now pretty tired. They had worked very hard.
+They pulled off their caps, and with their handkerchiefs wiped the
+perspiration from their foreheads.
+
+"Don't let us work any longer now," said Nathan, rubbing his hands, and
+knocking one foot against the other. "I think we have done enough for
+one day; and my feet are _so_ cold!"
+
+"_We've_ done enough!" said Oliver. "I think Rollo and I have had the
+principal _doing_ to do. You and Franco have been looking on."
+
+  "'What you've to do
+    Get done to-day,
+    And do not for to-morrow stay;
+    There's always danger in delay'"--
+
+said Rollo. "I think we had better finish it now. Come, Nathan, jump
+about here on the sled, and you will soon be warm."
+
+So they went briskly at work again, Rollo taking the command. They found
+it very hard, after the second course, to get the snow-blocks up on the
+snowy wall. Often they would slip away out of their hands, just as they
+were lodging them safely on the top, and fall over on one side of the
+wall, and break to pieces.
+
+"Let us cut them in two," said Oliver; "we can handle them better so."
+
+Before they got through the fourth course, they were glad to cut all
+their materials into pieces of one foot square.
+
+"How high are the walls now?" said Rollo, as they stopped to look at the
+appearance of the last course.
+
+"Between five and six feet," said Oliver. "The foundation is at least a
+foot and a half high, and we have laid four courses."
+
+Oliver, Rollo, and Nathan went to work together, then, stopping up all
+the chinks in the wall, inside and out, with soft snow.
+
+When this was well done, Oliver took the hoe, and with the sharp edge
+shaved down all around on both sides, making the walls look even and
+true.
+
+"Well," said Rollo, "that is the best snow fort I ever saw. Jonas does
+know how to do things, doesn't he, Oliver? But I don't see how we are to
+get a roof on."
+
+"I don't care about a roof," said Oliver. "We don't want to play in it
+only in pleasant weather."
+
+"I'll tell you what we might do," said Rollo. "We could make a partition
+through the middle, and put a roof over half of it."
+
+"So we can," said Oliver. "We'll do that this afternoon. It's time to go
+to dinner now."
+
+The boys then gathered all the tools, &c., and laid them together, as
+Jonas had taught them to do, when they finished work, and then started
+for home.
+
+"Halloo, Franco," said Rollo, "are you here still?" They had been so busy
+at work, they had taken no notice of him. But Franco had watched their
+operations, and now went running on in the path before the boys, wagging
+his tail, as if he had as much pleasure as they, in contemplating the
+result of their morning's labor.
+
+When Jonas came home to dinner, at noon, the boys were impatient to tell
+him what they had done.
+
+But Jonas was too much engaged in some work about the new barn to listen
+to their story then. He told them, however, that he would go down about
+sunset, and look at their work, and hear the account, in the evening, of
+the experiment in doing work like workmen.
+
+After dinner, Oliver was excused from many of his regular duties, on
+account of the visit of Rollo and Nathan; and the three boys hastened
+to return to their fort. They were so intent on finishing it, that they
+lost all interest in playing with Franco, or each other.
+
+"What shall we call our fort?" said Oliver, as they walked along.
+
+"We don't want any name, do we?" said Rollo.
+
+"O, yes," said Oliver, "let us have a name. I always like to have a
+name. There's the old 'General,'--we have had many a good time with him;
+and my 'Conqueror,'--there isn't a boy in town that doesn't know my
+sled."
+
+"We might call it 'Gibraltar,'" said Rollo.
+
+"Yes, that's a good name," said Oliver. "How do you like 'Iceberg
+Castle'? Jonas was telling us all about the icebergs the other evening;
+and I read a story, about a famous 'Ice Palace' in Russia; how do you
+like that?"
+
+"I don't like that," said Rollo. "Ours is a _fort_; it isn't a palace."
+
+"If you are going to have it a palace," said Nathan, "whom will you
+have for a _king_?"
+
+"You may be king, Nathan," said Rollo, "and we will soon demolish your
+palace, and make a prisoner of you."
+
+"No, no," said Oliver, "the fort shall stand as long as ice will last. I
+mean to pour water all over it, and freeze it into solid ice; and I
+expect the last ice to be seen any where about next spring, will be the
+ruins of the old fort."
+
+After some discussion, the boys agreed to call it "Iceberg Castle."
+
+They then took a survey, inside and out, of their morning's work, and
+decided to proceed at once and build the partition which Rollo proposed
+before dinner. At Oliver's suggestion, Rollo was director.
+
+For more than an hour they continued their toil, in constructing the
+partition. Jonas had given them no instructions about this; and they
+found it much more difficult than the walls, on account of the small,
+low door, which they had to make, to lead from one apartment into the
+other.
+
+At last, as Oliver and Nathan were drawing through the outer door a
+small heap of loose snow, which they had gathered up from the floor of
+the inner room, Rollo followed them, shouting, as they emerged from the
+fort, "Done, boys, done!--Hurrah for Iceberg Castle!"
+
+"I wish Jonas was here now," said Oliver; "but I suppose it will be two
+or three hours before he can come down."
+
+"Can't we do something more?" said Rollo. "I wish we could put on a
+roof, before he comes."
+
+"I don't believe we can do that," said Oliver.
+
+The boys walked in and out, and all around the fort, again and again,
+admiring its appearance, and thinking what else they could do.
+
+"It wouldn't be a bad plan to have a king, as Nathan said, in our
+castle; would it, Oliver?" said Rollo.
+
+"Not at all," said Oliver. "Let us make a king, or a giant, to keep the
+premises for us, when we are away."
+
+So saying, they all set to work rolling snow-balls to make him.
+
+Oliver rolled up a huge mass, for his body, larger than they could at
+first get through the doors.
+
+Rollo rolled one for his head, and Nathan made several small ones.
+
+In one corner of the inner room, they laid a small platform, of several
+square, flat blocks of snow, for a throne, as Rollo called it; and here
+they placed his "Majesty."
+
+"It seems to me," said Oliver, "that the King of the Frozen Regions
+ought to have a crown and a court."
+
+No sooner said than done. A little band of snow-balls, in double rows,
+soon encircled his brow, surmounted, too, with icicles and stalactites,
+which Nathan brought from the brook.
+
+The opposite corners of the room were soon decorated with corresponding
+figures, whom Rollo introduced as Lord and Lady Frost.
+
+He had scarcely pronounced the names, when Jonas walked in, to the
+surprise and great delight of the boys.
+
+"Well done, boys," said Jonas; "I think you have followed directions
+this time. I give you credit for doing your work in a workmanlike
+manner. But I can't stay to talk with you about it now. Your father,
+Oliver, wishes me to go out on the pond, and bring home the sled we left
+there, the other night, in the storm. The wind has come out in the
+north-west, and there is every prospect of a bitter cold night. It has
+begun to stiffen already, and, before morning, the sled may be locked up
+in solid ice."
+
+Jonas hurried away, and the boys, not a little disappointed, gathered
+all their implements together to return home.
+
+"It _will_ be a cold night; won't it?" said Oliver, as he looked off to
+the north-west. How fast it grows cold! It freezes now. I was in hopes
+we should have one more mild day. But we can't get a roof on after
+this."
+
+"Won't it make good skating on the pond," asked Rollo, "if the water
+freezes now?"
+
+"Yes, indeed," said Oliver. "I shouldn't be surprised if there was
+skating there to-night. It's only a thin sheet of water over the ice and
+snow. Three or four hours of real cold will make ice enough for that.
+
+"Come, Nathan, jump on the sled, and you shall have a ride. Rollo and I
+will be your horses. Mother will have supper ready by the time we get
+home."
+
+Nathan, glad of a ride, took his seat, and they were soon at the house.
+
+Oliver took the snow-shovels and the other tools, and returned them to
+their proper places, and then drew up his sled into a corner of the
+wagon-house.
+
+After tea, Oliver and Rollo went out into the yard to feel the air, and
+judge of the impression the night would probably make upon "Iceberg
+Castle" and its inhabitants.
+
+It was clear and cold. The stars twinkled brightly. The moon was not up.
+
+"See there!" said Oliver; "I do believe they are building a fire down on
+the pond already. There'll be a skating party to-night, no doubt."
+
+The boys returned to a cheerful room with a good fire, and were seated
+round the table, to amuse themselves for the evening. They passed the
+time pleasantly until Jonas returned from the pond.
+
+"O Jonas, Jonas," they all said, as he came in, "what made you stay so
+long?"
+
+Jonas gave them an account of his adventures, and of his meeting a party
+of skaters, who were already on the pond, expecting to be joined, in
+the course of the evening, by a much larger number from the village.
+
+After Jonas had taken his supper, the boys gathered around him to talk
+about their fort, every now and then running to the door or window, to
+see the fire on the pond.
+
+Long before it went out, Oliver, Rollo, and Nathan, were in a sound
+sleep.
+
+The next morning, early, they appeared as impatient to run down to the
+"Castle," as if they had dreamed of it all night long; and before the
+fire was well burning in the great room, they all three came running
+back to Jonas, out of breath, and with sad faces, exclaiming,--
+
+"O Jonas! Jonas! our fort is all torn to pieces!"
+
+True enough, some of the boys of the skating party had completely
+demolished the Castle.
+
+Oliver and Rollo were greatly excited; they were grieved, and they were
+angry, and could scarcely refrain from expressing wishes of vengeance
+which it was not in their power to execute.
+
+Jonas sympathized with them in their severe disappointment.
+
+"'Tis _too bad_," said Rollo.
+
+"'Tis _too bad_," repeated Oliver. "How shall we pay them for it? Jonas,
+tell us how?"
+
+"Pay them for it?" said Jonas; "that isn't the way I should do."
+
+"Well, I think they deserve it," said Rollo.
+
+"So do I," said Oliver.
+
+"What do you mean by paying them for it?" said Jonas; "giving them as
+much injury and pain as they have given you? Don't you remember the
+lesson that Franco taught us, that to return good for evil was good
+policy as well as good morals?"
+
+"Well, what would you do, Jonas?" they both asked together.
+
+"I don't know now," said Jonas, "what I would do. I will think of it.
+But this I know,--that we ought _never to be overcome of evil, but to
+overcome evil with good_."
+
+Oliver and Rollo wondered what Jonas would do.
+
+
+
+***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JONAS ON A FARM IN WINTER***
+
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