144 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.

“O, yes, ma’am,” said Robert, “I know he
will; he wants it burned.”

Robert pulled out a large brand from'the fire,
and gave it to Eben to carry.

*« Give me one, too,” said Lucy.

“© And me,” said her mother.

Robert got brands for them all, and they
marched along in a fiery procession towards the
great heap. They put the brands all together in a
hole under the heap, and then went back for
more. In this way they soon got quite a little
fire burning under the great heap; but still Rob-
ert said that he did not believe the heap itself
would burn. He said that the log? and stumps
were very wet when they were taken out of the
swamp, and that they had not had time to dry.
The children, however, worked upon it some time,
and then left it, and went to the other fire; and
after a while they returned to the great heap
again. But they found, as Robert had predicted,
it did not appear to burn very well. There was
a great smoke coming up out of the middle of it,
but they could not decide whether it was going
to burn, or whether it was going out. They
pushed under some more dry wood, and then
waited some time longer. But, at length, Lucy’s
mother said that it was time to go home, and they