* * * * *

The whole party, after this, got safely home, though it was too late,
that night, to arrange their curiosities. They, however, looked them all
over the next day, and they made a very large and valuable addition to
their cabinet. The specimens of sand of different colors they arranged
in little, square, pasteboard boxes, which Mary made, covering them
neatly with blue paper upon the outside, and with white paper within.

THE THREE NORTHMEN.

The summer and autumn passed away, and the winter came on. Rollo was
having a new great-coat made. He had grown too big for the old one, and
so his mother had laid it aside, waiting for Nathan to grow up to it.

When Rollo's coat was done, he went out to show it to Jonas. It was
thick and warm, with large cuffs, and there was a good warm collar to
come up about his ears.

"And see," said Rollo, throwing the coat back, and slipping one of his
arms out, "see how easy it comes off and on!"

"Yes," said Jonas, "and that is a great convenience in a great-coat. It
is a very fine great-coat, indeed. I think, with that on, you will be
able to make your stand against all three of the Northmen."

"All three of the Northmen!" repeated Rollo. "Who are the Northmen?"

"Don't you know who the three famous Northmen are," said Jonas, "who do
so much mischief?"

"No," said Rollo, "I never heard of them before."

"Well," said Jonas, "I will tell you some time, but now I must go away
with the cart."

Jonas had been harnessing the horse into the cart, in the yard, while
Rollo had been talking with him, and now was about ready to go away.
Rollo determined to ask his mother to let him go with him.

"Where are you going, Jonas?" said he.

"Down into the woods," said Jonas.

"Wait a minute for me."

So away Rollo ran to ask his mother. She said, yes; and he accordingly
came out and took his seat, by the side of Jonas, upon a board which was
placed across the cart, from one side to the other.

Jonas was going down into the woods to bring up a load of wood which he
had obtained from the trimmings of the trees. It was a cold, frosty
morning, and the winter was near; and Jonas wished to get the wood in
before the snow should come and cover it up. Rollo was so much
interested in driving the cart down, and then in loading it with wood,
that he forgot to ask Jonas about the three famous Northmen.

About a month after this, there were a few very cold m