the priceless wealth of that undying intellect which is allowed to pour its brilliant flood, freely and untramelled, to the lowliest homes of the American world.  Having glanced along the lines and seen that our first favourites had visited us this week, our tea seemed to bear with it an added fragrance; and this, although the walls around us were of logs, we had in fairy cups of ancient porcelain from the distant land of Scotland.  And now the sun’s broad disc having vanished behind the lofty pines, and the young moon rising in the blue heavens, tell us our short twilight will soon be gone, and that if we would reach home before the stars look out upon our path, ’tis time we were on our way.

The cow bells are ringing loud and clear as the herd winds slowly homeward, looking most luxuriantly comfortable, and bearing with them the spicy scent of the cedar-woods in which they have been wandering, and which they seem to leave so unwillingly.  Philoprogenitiveness, or a deep feeling of motherly affection, being the only thing that does voluntarily induce them to come home.  To encourage this desirable feeling the leader of the herd, the lady of the bell, is allowed to suckle her calf every evening.  For this happy task she leaves all the delights of her pasture, plodding regularly homeward at the hour of sunset, the rest all meekly following in her train.

The evening is dry and clear, with no trace of rain in the atmosphere, or we would be surrounded with clouds of those awful critturs, the musquitoes, which the cattle bring home.  These are often a dreadful annoyance, nothing but a thick cloud of smoke dispelling them, and that only for a time.  At night they are particularly a nuisance, buzzing and stinging unceasingly through the silent hours, forbidding all thought of sleep till the dawn shows them clinging to the walls and windows, wearied and bloated with their night’s amusement.  Those who are sufficiently acclimated suffer comparatively little—­’tis the rich blood of the stranger that the musquito loves, and emigrants, on the first season, especially in low marshy situations, suffer extremely from their attacks.

Mary Gordon having now gone with her pails to meet her milky charge, while her mother arranges the dairy within, Helen comes to set me on my way.  Again we meet the frolickers returning rather earlier than is usual on such occasions; but there was sickness at the dwelling where they had been, which caused them to disperse soon after they had accomplished the “raising.”  Kindly greetings passed between us; for here, in this little world of ours, we have hardly room for the petty distinctions and pettier strifes of larger communities.  We are all well acquainted with each other, and know each other’s business and concerns as well as our own.  There is no concealment of affairs.  This, however, saves a vast deal of trouble—­people are much easier where there is no false appearance to be kept up; and in New Brunswick there is less of “behind the scenes” than in most places.  Many a bright eye glances under Helen’s shadowy hat:  and, see, one gallant axe-man lingers behind the others—­he pauses now by the old birch tree—­I know he is her lover, and in charity to their young hearts I must allow her to turn, while we proceed onward.