vest gave a fresh supply.

Nor did her children know that she pinched herself for their sakes; as
far as they knew, she had enough, and her self-denial was not allowed
to throw a shadow over their young lives, by the thought that their
mother was starving herself that they might not suffer.

A bountiful harvest, in the autumn of 1834, put an end to the
long-continued strain, and from that time the little household had
sufficient food. When the noble mother saw her table once more well
supplied with the necessaries of life, she thanked God for all His
goodness and loving-kindness to her little flock. Her children had
indeed been saved from the pain of hunger, but she never lost the deep
lines of care and anxiety brought upon her face in those early years of
her widowhood.

CHAPTER V.

A RESTLESS SCHOLAR.

An Intelligent Child--The First School--James questions the
Teacher--Mrs. Garfield's Offer--Winning a Prize.

"Eliza, this boy will be a scholar some day!" said Abram Garfield when
speaking of James to his wife a short time before his death. Even at
that early age, for the little fellow was not two years old, his father
saw an unusual intelligence manifested, which gave him a high estimate
of his baby boy's intellect.

His mother took great delight in telling him Bible stories, and his
inquiring mind prompted him to ask many curious questions, which
sounded strange coming from one so young. His acquaintance with the
stories of Noah and the Flood, Joseph and his coat of many colours,
Moses and the Red Sea, and other old Testament incidents, was
remarkable.

Often he amused the children by asking questions, some of which none of
them could answer. Then his eyes sparkled with delight as he gave the
required information. His retentive memory never seemed to be at
fault. What he once heard he remembered. The sturdy pioneers, who had
turned their backs on towns and cities to make their homes in the
wilderness, did not wish their children to grow up in ignorance. The
little settlement soon became a village, and the opening of a school
was an event of the greatest importance.

Mrs. Garfield heard the news with thankfulness. A school only a mile
and a half away was a boon to her and her children. Now they would get
the education required to fit them for a useful life. More than this
she did not dare to look forward to.

Jimmy was only three years old when the welcome news reached the log
cabin.