18 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.

far; and when ‘they came to the end of it, they
began to ascend a hill. A short distance before
them, they saw a man coming with a cart and
oxen.

“T believe I'll stop,” said Lucy’s father, “and
ask him how far it is to the next tavern.”

* Yes,” said Lucy ; “I would.”

And just before they met the man, her mother

said, in a lower tone, “ Ask him, too, whether
we shall have to ford another stream.”
Just at that minute, they saw that the man was
driving his team out of the road, in order to make
room for them to pass; for the road here was
quite narrow. When they got opposite to him,
he stood among the bushes, with one arm resting
upon the yoke of his oxen, waiting for them to
pass. He nodded to them, with a frank and pleas-
ant expression of countenance.

“Will you tell me, sir,’ said Lucy’s father,
“ how far it is to the next tavern?”

“Why, it’s —not far from five miles — equal
to ten.”

“ How so?”

“O, it’s right up and down hill all the way.”

“Tt will take us two or three hours to get there,
then,” said Lucy’s father to her mother. Then
he turned to the man again, and said, —