Cousin Hannah's Story. O the girls and boys to fear that our fine holidays were only of Merry's Museum a story, with no truth in them, and all because you will be so lazy. I can tell you, the Merry household is too important, by far, to be put off any longer; so work away industriously, or I shall not own you as my niece Hannah any longer." really wish to hear something more of the good times at Uncle Hiram's, do they ?" "Indeed they do," cries Uncle Hiram; "look at this letter, and this, and this; all asking why you don't fulfil your promise made so long ago. I've made excuses enough for you, and shall not say anything more; my children must not be put off with promises for So saying, Uncle Hiram placed paper and pens before Hannah, and stood quietly by, till she was fairly at work. Surely the little Merrys must thank him, if they hear any more stories from Hannah Hatchet. The Raft. "Hurrah, boys and girls; all of you, hurrah; what do you say for a visit to Uncle Tracy's to-morrow ?" cried Harry Hatchet, one bright May morning, ar he came bounding in from a long walk before breakfast. "All very pleasant," said uncle ; "but when the roads are so bad, it seems rather unwise to take such a ride." "That's the very thing," replied Harry; "we won't go on the roads at all. There's a splendid freshet, and ever so many rafts are going down tomorrow. We'll go down on a raft." "A flurry, indeed, Miss Hannah, and so you wonder that I'm in a fidget, when all the Merry family are beginning to Hiram. doubt whether Hiram Hatchet and his we can niece, Hannah, really exist, and really Tracy's. "Just the very thing," said Uncle "I'll go with you; but I think go farther than your Uncle We will send word to him to day, and have him meet us, and go Harry must go immediately and see on down with us to Lanfont." what raft we can go, and when they leave." "" And now, girls, what do you say will you go with us? or are you afraid of burning your faces, and getting tanned on the water?" said Harry, turning to his sisters. "Go; of course, we will," cried Edith. "I wouldn't miss it for any thing. I never was on a raft in my life." Harry went off to make all proper arrangements, and the girls, well pleased with the novelty of the plan, chatted long about the morrow's excursion. At dinner, Harry informed the family, that neighbor Jones would send down several rafts the next day, and one of which his son would take charge, would "I wish we could go away down to leave at eight o'clock. seats to our convenience. Several bags | mentary look of astonishment to one of of provender and bundles of hay served amusement. The foremost end of the raft was already sinking over the edge of the dam, and, as it fell into the water below, it dashed up spray enough to cover the planks with water; a few who were very far forward, were wet, but our snug seats were in just the place to be dry and comfortable. We passed. many such dams in the course of the day, and really enjoyed the change of motion and the white spray, as a contrast to our gentle, gliding, almost imperceptible progress. our purpose, admirably. Just as every thing was in good order, and we were ready to start, we saw hurrying along the bank, one or two of Harry's friends, who had heard of our proposed excursion, and wished to join us. Our raft was not close to the shore, but another partly finished, lay between us and the land. On this Felix sprang, and not waiting to go to the upper end, which was lashed to it, he attempted to jump across. The log on which he stepped, slipped from under him, and down he went, just catching the side of our raft with his hands, and crawling up, dripping wet from his bath. His forlorn, disconsolate air was so laughable, that he was greeted only with a peal of merriment. He, however, made his best bow to our party, and then offered his services to work on the raft, and so keep warm and escape taking cold. The first thing which excited our interest after we became accustomed to the gliding motion of our raft, was a dam. How could we go over it? Jessie looked almost afraid, and even Edith and Lucy did not seem very comfortable, especially when Harry came to them, and in his gravest manner, told them that the next place of interest was the Falls, where rafts often were caught, but being very limber, they turned over slowly, the passengers walking quickly to the other end, ready when the under end turned up, to spring upon it, and sail on as before. A glance at Harry's laughing eyes, changed the girls' mo The sun came up hot and unclouded; one by one our cloaks and shawls were thrown aside, and we leaned over the edge of our raft, picking up the bits of wood which floated in the water and skipping them. At last Harry proposed that we should have a rainbow, and bringing a shovel from the other end of the raft, he threw shovelful after shovelful of water up in the air, that we might catch the bright rainbow colors in the drops as they fell. Harry was very successful in his experiment, though he was laughed at for imagining that he could shovel up a rainbow. In the midst. of his performances, he stopped suddenly, exclaiming : "There is Uncle Tracy, and all the children on the bank, waiting for us. Hurrah; there we'll stop in a minute ;" so saying, he dropped his shovel, and turned to one of the raftsmen to ask him to stop. "We can't stop, sir, here. We might never get started again to-day, but if they go to that pile of lumber yonder, and step on as we pass by, we'll go as | mug nor tumbler, and the whole party near as we can." were as thirsty, as a party of children in a warm day are apt to be. While we were proposing various ways of drinking without a cup, Harry's friend, Felix Crane, who had nearly recovered from the effects of his sudden bath, said he would make us a cup in a moment. He got a large augur from one of the raftsmen, and with it made several large holes in a square block of wood, taking care not to bore quite through. He then cut away the wood, so as to form a large cavity in the block, by whittling away one end he made a good handle, and there was a cup all prepared. Now what should we drink, was the question; nothing was to be had but water from the river, and though the boys and men all declared it was delicious, only a little warm, yet some of the girls were too dainty, to Harry screamed his directions to Uncle Tracy, and in a moment the whole party were scrambling over the pile of lumber; the raft was drawn slowly toward the shore, and as soon as it was safe, Uncle Hiram called out: "Here, Frank; give a spring, my boy," and caught the boy as he jumped; the others all followed his example, and in a few moments the raft was in the stream, floating steadily onward. Pretty soon Uncle Hiram sprung up from the pile of hay on which he had been reclining, and taking a little whistle from his pocket, blew a clear shrill whistle. Every one turned to see what it meant t; that's all I want," said he; "only attention enough to hear what I say-its time for dinner. You won't forget that news, I reckon." "Who is to lay the table," asked try, and preferred being thirsty to drinkLucy. "You, or any one else, who is hungry enough to take the trouble," said her father. "I'm the one, then," cried Harry. "Here, you girls, all sit down; sit as near together as you can, and I'll lay the provisions before you in first-rate style, while Lucy is thinking about it." Harry went to work in good earnest. He quietly formed a table of a board laid from a pile of lumber on one side, to a trunk belonging to one of the raftsmen on the other. The baskets were soon emptied, and a plentiful supply of good things laid on the table; but one thing was forgotten; there was neither ing such water. Notwithstanding this lack of beverages, our dinner passed off finely. Sandwiches, cakes and pies, rapidly disappeared, and a few oranges which Uncle Tracy brought, made our desert, and quenched the thirst of those who could not drink the river water. Now tired of play, and soothed into quietness by the beautiful scenery, and gently gliding motion of the raft, our whole party remained quietly seated, while Uncles Hiram and Tracy, talked of the strange things which had happened in that river since their boyhood. "There, boys," said Uncle Tracy; "do you see that high hill; I might call it a mountain, rising up beyond this little opening. My cousin Marshall, when he was a young man, had a strange hunt on that mountain once." worked his way up hill backward. Thus he was obliged te climb every hill to his home, where he arrived very late that night. Ever afterward "O, tell us the story, uncle," ex- Marshall's fur shoes were a standing claimed several voices at once. "Marshall was a strong lad, about seventeen, and early one morning, he left home alone to hunt deer. He was resolved not to come back empty handed. He found a trail, and followed over hill and dale, till just at night he came up with and shot a fine large deer, just this side of the hill I pointed out to you. It was too late to attempt to find his way home through the thick forest, so he built a fire, and, as it began to snow, made a sort of shelter for himself, with some boughs, and spent the night on the hill. Early the next morning, he made ready for his homeward journey, but the ground was covered with snow, and, as he was barefooted, his feet suffered from the cold, and the last day's tramp. He only hesitated for a moment; then taking the skin of his deer, he made himself some shoes, and thus provided against the snow, with the deer on his back, set off for home, down the hill, and along the valley; he went very well, but as he came to the next hill, his troubles again commenced. He had made his fur shoes with the fur outside, and running from the heel towards the toe, so that every step he took up hill, he slid back. He struggled in vain, but he could not get up; still he was not discouraged; but turning round, he joke to the boys in the little settlement." As Uncle Tracy's story was finished, we found that we were very near the place where we intended to stop. The raftsmen were no more willing to stop than before, but they steered their raft close as possible to a little wooden pier that was built into the river, and in a few moments we were all safely landed. We walked about the woods on the banks of the river till it was nearly time for the train. Then we went to the railroad depot of the little village, and had a pleasant ride home. And now, having been fairly compelled to begin fulfilling my long neglected promises, I shall do them all up at once. The "May-Party" will come next. It was promised for this number ; but that was a mistake. It belongs properly to June, as you will see, when you read it. I hope none of the Merry family of boys will take the liberty, from my story, to venture on a raft, without having Uncle Hiram, or a father, or some other prudent person, to take care of them. There is no fun in being drowned, you may be assured. A Spanish proverb says, "What the fool does in the end, the wise man does in the beginning." |