The Log House by the Lake | Page 8

sitting-room was a table covered with a most attractive looking meal,
though decked with neither china, glass, nor plate. A bright lamp
hanging from the roof lighted up the little room, and gave it much of
the appearance of a cabin. "We have only to fancy," said Philip, "that
we are on board ship without the danger of shipwreck, or being
tumbled about in a storm, and we may congratulate ourselves on the
extent of our accommodation. We have twice as many cubic feet of air
for each person as the passengers on board an emigrant ship, and can
admit as much more as we please. There, make yourselves at home.
Father will now do the honours, and Jem is boiling the kettle for tea in
the kitchen. I must be off, and hope to be back soon with D'Arcy and
your traps."
Away went Philip down to the boat, whence his father with the rest had
been bringing up her lading. Who could have recognised in the
energetic, high-spirited backwoodsman Philip had become, the refined
and somewhat sedate and stiff young student of a year ago. By-the-bye,
the kitchen of which he spoke was a lean-to of birch-bark, under which
a camp stove had been placed; near it was a shed prepared for the
reception of the stores, among which Peter proposed to take up his
abode. Philip's plan of fitting up the cottage was much admired. To the
walls and roof he had first nailed some common canvas, on this he had
pasted newspapers, which he had again covered with a common

cheerful-looking paper, such as is used generally for covering walls.
The table itself consisted of some rough planks nailed to tressels, and
the bedsteads were formed of rough pine poles with canvas stretched
across them. Shelves and pegs round the rooms would enable their
inmates to keep them as neat as cabins.
The voices of the rest of the party were heard sooner than was expected.
"We pressed the third boat on the lake into our service and have
brought everything," said Philip, entering with a slight young man, who,
in spite of a very rough, much worn costume, looked the gentleman. "I
have the pleasure of introducing my friend Mr Lawrence D'Arcy, my
fellow labourer, who, let me tell you, made every inch of the furniture
of our mansion in a wondrous brief time. He had not begun it yesterday
morning, for he was helping me to paper the walls till nearly noon."
"It is the work of a self-taught artist," said Lawrence D'Arcy. "But,
really, there is little to boast of in having put together a few rough poles.
The plan is the only thing to merit commendation."
Of course everybody thanked Mr D'Arcy, and he at once felt himself
perfectly at home. Never did the finest baronial mansion afford more
satisfaction to the occupiers than did Philip's quickly-built cottage. It
stood on a platform on the side of the hill, looking south over the lake,
and sheltered by the ground above it from the icy blast of the north.
There was not space on the platform for a larger building; but a little
way off was a much wider piece of level ground, and here already logs
were laid for a log house.
"The cottage was an after-thought," said Philip, showing the plan of the
log house. "I knew that we could not get this fitted up in time, and
planking being abundant and cheap, I bethought me of running up a
plank cottage which will serve you till you can get into the more
substantial mansion. With a stove and additional banking up outside it
may be made warm enough even for winter." Never was a family more
busy, or one more contented and happy.
"Our present abode will make a magnificent dairy when we get into the
big mansion," cried Agnes, as she saw the walls of the log house

quickly rising. "How clean and nice the pans will look arranged round
the walls and the churn in the middle."
"Your notions are rather too grand, I fear, dear," said her mother. "We
have only got one cow, and there will be room here for the milk of
fifty."
"Ah! but the day will come when we may have fifty. That beautiful
meadow by the side of the stream to the right will feed almost that
number," said Agnes.
"I should be content with four or five, so that we may make our own
butter and cheese, and have cream and milk in abundance," observed
Fanny. "I should like to have time to attend to our garden, and poultry,
and pigs; and then, remember, we are not to grow into savages, so we
must have reading, and keep up our music and drawing,