22 rOUTY-FOUR YEARS OF 



move more than two miles apart, aud I was allowed to 

 visit often. It gave me great joy to meet them, more 

 especially the second daughter, who was about my age. 

 So things continued, until uncle became restless, and, 

 wishing to have another new home, determined to go back 

 to the Blooming Rose again. This was a hard trial for 

 me. I had all my playmates, and, the worst of all, my 

 sweet cousin to leave. I was, as I thought, in a bad vay. 

 I had the cows to drive, and I got them in front, and 

 pushed them hard, so that I could give vent to my feel- 

 ings, for I was ashamed to be seen crying in the road. 

 But by and by we arrived at our journey's end. Here I 

 was a stranger to everybody, and of course kept close at 

 home for at least a month or two. 



Our nearest neighbour was an Irish family by the name 

 of McMullen. They had five children, viz., Mary, Hugh, 

 Jane, John, and Thomas. The father's name was James 

 McMullen, and his wife's name was Rachel. One day 

 another boy and myself were in the woods near the old 

 man's farm, and our dog gave chase to something, we 

 knew not what, and ran it into a hole in the ground. I 

 sent the boy to McMullen's for the loan of a mattock to 

 dig out our game. We soon had the fellow out, and he 

 was a very large ground hog. He gave our dog at least 

 fifteen minutes' hard fighting, and when the battle ended 

 we went to the house to return the mattock. I sent the 

 boy with it, as I was a stranger, and too bashful to be 

 seen in a strange place. When the boy told that the 

 ground hog was out with me, the three oldest children 

 came to see the animal. Mary was then in her twelfth 

 year, and I was six months older. She was a beautiful 

 girl, and I was struck with her beauty, and soon got a 

 small acquaintance with the family. I was at all times 

 ready and willing to do anything that would please the 

 old people. But soon there was a school to be made up, 



