The corn planted, they next turned their
attention to cutting house-logs; those which they had prepared had been
burned up; so they had their labour to begin again.
The two girls proved good helps at the raising; and in the course of a few
weeks they had the comfort of seeing a more commodious dwelling than the
former one put up. The finishing of this, with weeding the Indian corn,
renewing the fence, and fishing, and trapping, and shooting partridges and
ducks and pigeons, fully occupied their time this summer. The fruit season
was less abundant this year than the previous one. The fire had done this
mischief, and they had to go far a-field to collect fruits during the
summer months.
It so happened that Indiana had gone out early one morning with the boys,
and Catharine was alone. She had gone down to the spring for water, and on
her return was surprised at the sight of a squaw and her family of three
half-grown lads, and an innocent little brown papoose. [Footnote: An Indian
baby; but "papoose" is not an Indian word. It is probably derived from the
Indian imitation of the word "baines.
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