108 FORTY-POUR YEARS OF 



of fresli bear-meat, good, pure, sweet milk, ami butter 

 which she had brought from our old home. 



All three were soon seated round our primitive table, 

 made of a large sheet of maple-bark, tied down on two 

 laths, to keep it from curling up at the sides ; this was laid 

 on a scaffold made by driving four small forks into our 

 clay floor, on which little cross-poles were placed, to hold 

 up the bark. This table was made in a very short time, 

 and without expense. We had a smooth, clean table, 

 large enough to accommodate at least half a dozen persons. 

 Our meal was made cheerful by the liveliest chat, and by 

 pleasant expectations ; for we had everything in common, 

 and, like the sheet which was let down to St. Peter, we 

 had nothing to do but " Rise, Meshach, slay and eat," 



My next care was to put a floor in the house, so that 

 my wife's health should not be injured ; for at that time 

 there was no fairer or healthier woman in all our country ; 

 and I was very proud of her, for she was thought to be 

 the best-looking female in those parts. I commenced 

 splitting puncheons to make the floor, and had to carry 

 them on my shoulders to the house. In laying them 

 down, some laid badly ; and I would say, " Mary, I will 

 put that one under the bed, where it will neither be seen 

 nor be in the way." But not long after that we would 

 have another bad one, and she would assign that a place 

 under the bed, too ; until at last she declared that all the 

 puncheons would have to go under the bed, and that she 

 would be compelled to sit on the ground after all our la- 

 bor She teased me about it till I was really ashamed of 

 my job. 



I mention this little matter to show how far she waa 

 from being low-spirited ; and I have often thought what 

 some of our young ladies of these days would do if placed 

 in a like situation — particularly our city girls — if, at 

 twenty yeai-s of age, — for that was the age of Mary, — 



