THE GAP AMONG THE MOUNTAINS. 153

concerned about his log, for he stood leaning |
against his oxen, and looking at the persons in the
wagon, with an expression of great interest and
curiosity upon his countenance. He could not
think who it was that was coming. He at
length nodded slightly to Robert, just as he
was going by. He recollected that he had seen
him somewhere.

After they had passed, Lucy said to Robert, —

“What is he going to do with that great log?”

‘Why, that’s Mr. Emery,” said Robert ; “he’s
getting out some boards to cover his house.”

There were two things very perplexing to Lucy
in this answer. One was, that she did not see
any thing like boards. She thought Mr. Emery
was getting out a monstrous great log, and not
boards. And the other was, she did not know
what Robert meant by covering his house.

‘Where is Mr. Emery’s house,” said Lucy.

“QO, it’s up this way, pretty near his pond,”
said Robert. “We shall come to it pretty soon.”

“Then he’s going the wrong way,” said Lu-
cy. “ He’s lost his way.”

“No,” said Robert, laughing; “he’s hauling
that log down to mill, to get it sawed up into.
boards.”

“O,” said Lucy, “ yes, that’s the way he’s
going to get his boards.”

“Yes,” said Robert, “that’s the way they
always get boards.”

“That isn’t the way my father gets boards,”
said Lucy