s requires a little urging.

Although Esther is not possessed of the beauty that Jane is famous for,
still there is something earnest, honest and attractive about this
simple-hearted village maiden, that wins for her lots of friends of
about her own age; in fact, she is quite in demand among the little
children of the neighborhood also, who are ever ready to have a romp and
a game with _Ester_, as they all call her. The truth is, a great many of
the grown up inhabitants of the village call her _Ester_ also, dropping
the _h_ entirely, a habit common in Nova Scotia.

Esther's disposition is naturally mild and gentle. She can at times,
however, be very self-willed, and is bound to have her own way when her
mind is made up. If asked to do anything she does not feel like doing
she becomes very sulky and has to be humored at times to keep peace in
the family. However, all things considered, she is a good little girl
and has always borne a good reputation in every sense of the word.

There are two more boarders in the little cottage, who require a passing
notice. They are William Cox and John Teed. William is the brother of
Olive, Jane, and Esther, and is a shoemaker by trade, and one of Dan's
workmen in the factory.

The other boarder, John Teed, is Dan's brother. John, like his brother,
is an honest, hard working young man, has been raised a farmer, an
occupation he still follows when not boarding with Dan in Amherst.

As the reader may, perhaps, be anxious to know how Dan, good, honest
hard working Dan, and, his thrifty little wife Olive, look, I will
endeavor to give a short description of each. So here goes. Dan is
about thirty-five years old, and stands five feet eight in his
stockings. He has light brown hair, rather thin on top, a well shaped
head, blue eyes, well defined features, a high nose, and wears a heavy
moustache and bushy side whiskers; his complexion is florid; rheumatism
of several years standing has given him a slight halt in the left leg.
He does his work, spends his salary as he should, and leads a Christian
life, has a pew in the Wesleyan Church of which Rev. R.A. Temple is
pastor, belongs to a temperance society, and, I dare say, when he dies
will be well rewarded in the next world. Olive, as I have already said,
is not a very large woman. She is good and honest, like her husband, and
goes to church with him as a wife should. Her hair is dark brown, eyes
grey, complexion pale and slightly freckled.