perilous and doubly wicked to set a bad example before him. Coupled with his observation, this quality made him sharp and critical, for one of his years.

“School will keep through the winter,” said Mehetabel to her mother, as she came home one day, near the close of the term. “Jacob’s father is raising the money to pay the master,”

“How did you learn? I have not heard of it,” answered Mrs. Garfield.

“Several of the scholars said so; and they are all going.”

“Going to have a vacation?” inquired her mother.

“Yes; two or three weeks; school will begin in December for the winter.”

“I am very glad indeed that you can have such an opportunity to attend school,” continued her mother.

“Then I can go, can I?”

“Yes; you can all go except Jimmy. He cannot go so far in the winter; and it will be too hard for you to carry him through the snow.”

“Will Tom go?”

“I hope so; he has worked very hard that the rest of you might go, and now he should go.”

Ten minutes afterwards Thomas was discussing the matter, and presenting reasons why he could not attend.

“I shall find enough to do taking care of the cows and chopping wood, even if there is no snow to shovel, which is not very likely.”

“But we must let some things go undone, if possible, that you may learn when you can,” suggested his mother.

“In this new country you must take education when you can get it.”

“I can study at home, evenings and stormy days,” replied Thomas.

“That is what Jimmy must do—study at home,” continued Mrs. Garfield. “He has a good start now, and he can make a good reader before next summer.”

The result was that Thomas did not attend the winter term, nor James. Their two sisters went, and Mrs. Garfield instructed James and assisted Thomas somewhat in his studies.

Long winter evenings in the woods were favourable for study by the light of the blazing fire, that made the cabin more cheerful even than it was in the daytime. Pioneers could not afford the luxury of a tallow candle or an oil lamp. Sometimes they adopted a substitute for both—the pitch-pine knot. But usually in winter pioneers depended upon the light of the fireplace. Fire-places were very large, so as to admit logs four feet long, with a quantity of smaller fuel in like proportion. When the mass of combustible material was fairly ablaze, the light and heat penetrated into every corner of the cabin; and the heat below greatly modified the excessive cold of the loft above.

That winter was a memorable one for James. He made decided progress in spelling and reading before the next summer came, with its hot days and growing crops. It was after the winter was over and gone, and the warm sunlight was bathing the forests and gladdening the earth, that James came into possession