ood wives of this province.
For many years she was a hardworking housewife, when helps were beings
not to be procured for love or money. The station of life which I then
occupied was different to what I now fill, but my good wife has had no
ambition to change her style of dress or living with our change of
circumstances, from the feeling that she might appear out of place. In
fact, my dear madam, you will understand that she is not vulgar, and is
essentially free from all vulgar ambition. Here I must bring the sketch
of my early life to a conclusion, remarking that what my brother and I
did, hundreds of others have done in this province, and thousands more
will do if they will practise self-control, labour industriously in
whatever station they are placed, and be ready to step into any opening
which may present itself, always doing their duty, and praying for
strength and guidance above."

CHAPTER TEN.

Although the Canadian winter impedes agricultural operations, there is
plenty of work to be done both out-of-doors and in-doors, especially on
a newly-cleared farm. Chopping down the trees goes on, and if the
brushwood has been collected before the snow falls, the huge trunks can
be dragged together and piled in heaps to be burnt off. It may seem a
sad waste of good timber, but it is the least expensive way of getting
rid of what cumbers the ground; besides which, the ashes very much
assist to fertilise it. The Ashtons, however, found that they could
dispose of theirs at the newly-erected saw-mills, if they could get the
logs there. Not a tree could be moved, however, by any force they could
command, till the snow fell and hardened. The logs then were dragged
down over it on to the ice, where they were easily formed into a raft
and floated across the lake to the mills at breaking up of the ice in
spring.

The first fall of snow had entirely disappeared, and the lake had become
free of ice, to be covered again, however, by a far thicker coat than
before, and equally smooth. Harry and Charley were eager to have an
ice-boat, and they persuaded Philip, in spite of his many avocations, to
assist them in making one. The great point was to have good runners.
These should have been made of iron, but as that was not to be procured,
they got some hard wood of sufficient length, which being slightly
curved up at the ends, served admirably. The boat had, therefore, what
Harry called two keels. This was the most im