IIU FORTY-FOUR YEARS OF 



drecl. In that way I bought flax and wool, and Marj 

 carded it by hand, spun, wove, and made it into clothing. 

 She done washing, knitting, house-work, milking, and 

 churning, besides keeping herself, her children, and myself 

 always cleanly and nicely dressed. 



This was the manner in which people lived in those 

 times ; and I have often thought that if time could be 

 suddenly set back sixty years, and everything restored to 

 the same condition it was in then, our young people would 

 not know what to do. At the present time, if the plain- 

 est farmer's daughter gets married, she must have a girl 

 hired to help her with her work ; and at the same time 

 she has not more than she could do with all ease, if she 

 would go into it with resolution. 



In this way, Mary and I lived in quiet and peace with 

 the world, and ourselves, till fall came on. One rainy 

 morning I rose early, and told Mary that I would make a 

 short hunt. I took my gun, called Watch, and went about 

 half-a-mile from the house, when, as the rain poured down 

 in torrents, I ran under a large tree for shelter from the 

 storm. I kept a look out (for I had got accustomed to 

 be always on the look out), and presently I saw a very 

 large buck coming straight toward me. I was afraid the 

 lock of my gun would get wet when I uncovered it to 

 shoot ; so 1 took a patch, which, being used for a cover 

 to my balls, was well greased with tallow, and slipped it 

 over the pan of my lock. The buck moved on till within 

 eight steps of me, when I made a slight noise, which caused 

 him to stop suddenly. Having my gun ready before he 

 stopped, I immediately sent a ball into the middle of his 

 breast. He did not run out of sight before he fell dead. 

 I took out his entrails, and started for home, being as wet 

 as I co'ild be ; and had got in sight of the house, when 

 up bounced one of the largest-sized bucks, which, after 

 making a few jumps, stopped to look back at me. He 



