Mary Erskine | Page 9

fields. It was now, however, one
vast expanse of blackened and smoking ruins.
Albert conducted Mary Erskine and Mary Bell--for Mary Bell had
come in with them to see the fire,--to a little eminence from which they
could survey the whole scene.
"Look," said he, "is not that beautiful? Did you ever see a better burn?"
"I don't know much about burns," said Mary Erskine, "but I can see that
it will be a beautiful place for a farm. Why we can see the pond," she
added, pointing toward the south.
This was true. The falling of the trees had opened up a fine view of the
pond, which was distant about a mile from the clearing. There was a
broad stream which flowed swiftly over a gravelly bed along the lower
part of the ground, and a wild brook which came tumbling down from
the mountains, and then, after running across the road, fell into the
larger stream, not far from the corner of the farm. The brook and the
stream formed two sides of the clearing. Beyond them, and along the
other two sides of the clearing, the tall trees of those parts of the forest
which had not been disturbed, rose like a wall and hemmed the opening
closely in.
Albert and Mary Erskine walked along the road through the whole

length of the clearing, looking out for the best place to build their
house.
"Perhaps it will be lonesome here this winter, Mary," said Albert. "I
don't know but that you would rather wait till next spring."
Mary Erskine hesitated about her reply. She did, in fact, wish to come
to her new home that fall, and she thought it was proper that she should
express the cordial interest which she felt in Albert's plans;--but, then,
on the other hand, she did not like to say any thing which might seem
to indicate a wish on her part to hasten the time of their marriage. So
she said doubtfully,--"I don't know;--I don't think that it would be
lonesome."
"What do you mean, Albert," said Mary Bell, "about Mary Erskine's
coming to live here? She can't come and live here, among all these
black stumps and logs."
Albert and Mary Erskine were too intent upon their own thoughts and
plans to pay any attention to Mary Bell's questions. So they walked
along without answering her.
"What could we have to do this fall and winter?" asked Mary Erskine.
She wished to ascertain whether she could do any good by coming at
once, or whether it would be better, for Albert's plans, to wait until the
spring.
"Oh there will be plenty to do," said Albert. "I shall have to work a
great deal, while the ground continues open, in clearing up the land,
and getting it ready for sowing in the spring; and it will be a great deal
better for me to live here, in order to save my traveling back and forth,
so far, every night and morning. Then this winter I shall have my tools
to make,--and to finish the inside of the house, and make the furniture;
and if you have any leisure time you can spin. But after all it will not be
very comfortable for you, and perhaps you would rather wait until
spring."
"No," said Mary Erskine. "I would rather come this fall."

"Well," rejoined Albert, speaking in a tone of great satisfaction. "Then I
will get the house up next week, and we will be married very soon
after."
There were very few young men whose prospects in commencing life
were so fair and favorable as those of Albert. In the first place, he was
not obliged to incur any debt on account of his land, as most young
farmers necessarily do. His land was one dollar an acre. He had one
hundred dollars of his own, and enough besides to buy a winter stock of
provisions for his house. He had expected to have gone in debt for the
sixty dollars, the whole price of the land being one hundred and sixty;
but to his great surprise and pleasure Mary Erskine told him, as they
were coming home from seeing the land after the burn, that she had
seventy-five dollars of her own, besides interest; and that she should
like to have sixty dollars of that sum go toward paying for the land. The
fifteen dollars that would be left, she said, would be enough to buy the
furniture.
"I don't think that will be quite enough," said Albert.
"Yes," said Mary Erskine. "We shall not want a great deal. We shall
want a table and two chairs, and some things to cook with."
"And a bed," said Albert.
"Yes," said Mary Erskine, "but I can make that myself. The