he
had qualified himself for a better. He had hopes and ambitions about
the future, but his whole time and energies were so occupied in doing
his best, that he never for one moment felt the unrest which
accompanies a discontented spirit.

James did not know the meaning of the word "hardship" in the sense
their neighbour used it. Did it mean hard work? Not to James, for he
was able to do it. Did it mean hard fare? No, for he had enough to
satisfy all his wants. In the companionship of his mother and sisters,
with health and strength, food and raiment, where was the hardship?
That was a question which James could not answer. He had not yet seen
and coveted the pleasures, the luxuries, nor even the conveniences of
the dwellers in towns. He had not felt the want of anything he did not
possess or enjoy. Therefore, while he hoped to be such a man as his
mother had often described, he was content to leave the future to take
care of itself, and was only concerned in making the most of himself in
the present.

The first season that James had alone, when single-handed he did the
work of the farm, was a severe strain on one so young, but his
readiness to plan or invent some way of meeting difficulties again
stood him in good stead. He found that by exchanging work with a
neighbour he could help both. So he bargained with a farmer to give
him a hand when he had a little spare time, and the farmer in return
agreed to lend James his oxen when he needed them.

When the end of the season came, James felt that the responsibility he
had assumed, and the work he had carried through, had made a man of
him. The daily round of necessary toil, and the constant need for
careful consideration and foresight, were an invaluable experience and
discipline, which nothing else would have given him.

CHAPTER VIII.

HOUSE-BUILDING.

"James must be a Scholar"--Thomas returns Home and builds a New
House--A Lesson in Carpentering--The Volume of Robinson Crusoe--James
eager to Travel.

Mrs. Garfield was glad to see James so contented with his work on the
farm, but she was not satisfied to think that his life should be spent
in cultivating the soil. One day she spoke to him about this, and said
that she wished him to become a scholar. He replied that he also had
the same desire--in fact, that he should like nothing better--but he
did not see how he could obtain the education.

It was this view of the case that troubled his