148 LIBERTY AND A LIVING. 



off by a glorious morning soon after seven 

 o'clock, taking, of course, all the children and a 

 friend with us. As we marched down to the 

 boat, our axes, fishing-poles, and oars over our 

 shoulders, we met the first stage starting from 

 our little hotel for the railroad station, full of 

 unfortunate business men bound to New York 

 for another week's heat, worry, fatigue, and 

 money. I suppose that every one of them 

 hoped to make at least one hundred dollars by 

 the week's work, for life is expensive when one 

 has a large family and boards at the country 

 inn. That would be about fifteen dollars a day. 

 I was going to earn enough firewood, or rather 

 enough pine knots, to give a balsamic scent to 

 our fires for half the winter. Probably I could 

 have hired a man to go and do the work for me 

 and bring back more wood than I should re- 

 quire, all for three or four dollars. If money is 

 the object of life, then my conscience ought to 

 prick me to the quick as we nod good-bye to 

 the money-makers and keep on down to the 

 bay. There is but little breeze stirring, scarcely 

 enough to send us along. Nevertheless, up 

 goes the sail, the children throwing aboard 

 their baskets and bags containing the lunch- 



