the good of this winter, especially as they were to
have a new teacher, whose fame had preceded him. Dan was taking it for
granted that he was the mainstay at home, and that for him school was
out of the question. But the rest thought differently; and it was
decided, much to his discontent, that when the winter's wood was
brought, to school he must go.

Great was his disgust--so great that he began to talk about going to the
woods with the lumberers; at which Shenac laughed, but Hamish looked
grave, and bade him think twice before he gave his mother so sore a
heart as such a word as that would do. Dan did think twice, and said
nothing more about the woods. His going to school, however, did not do
him much good in the way of learning, but it did in the way of
discipline. At any rate, it left him less idle time than he would
otherwise have had; and though his boyish mischief vexed Shenac often,
things might have been worse with Dan, as Hamish said, and little harm
was done.

Winter is a pleasant time in a country farm-house. In our country the
summers are so short, and so much work must be crowded into them, that
there is little time for any enjoyment, save that of doing well what is
to be done, and watching the successful issue. But in winter there is
leisure--leisure for enjoyment of various kinds, visiting, sewing,
singing; and it is generally made the most of.

As for Shenac, the feeling that all the summer's work was successfully
ended, that the farm-products were safely housed beyond loss, gave her a
sense of being at leisure, though her hands were full of work, and would
be for a long time yet. The fulled cloth and the flannel came home.
The tailor came for a week to make the lads' clothes, and she helped him
with them; and tailor McCallum, though as a general thing rather
contemptuous of woman's help, acknowledged that she helped him to
purpose.

A great deal may be learned by one who begins by thinking nothing too
difficult to learn; and Shenac's stitching and button-holes were
something to wonder at before the tailor's visit was over.

Then came Katie Matheson to help with the new gowns. Shenac felt
herself quite equal to these, but, as Shenac Dhu insisted, "Katie had
been at M--- within the year, and knew the fashions;" so Katie came for
a day or two. Of this wish to follow the fashion, the mother was
inclined to speak severely; for what had young folk with their bread to
win to do with the fash