girl.

She had heard of David's misadventure, and rather unfeelingly rallied
him upon his loss. She however endeavored to comfort him by the
assurance that there were as good fish in the sea as had ever been
caught out of it. David did not believe in this doctrine at all, as
applied to his own case, He thought his loss utterly irretrievable. And
in his still high appreciation of himself, notwithstanding his deep
mortification, he thought that the lively Dutch girl was endeavoring to
catch him for her lover. In this, however, he soon found himself
mistaken.

She told him that there was to be a reaping frolic in their
neighborhood in a few days, and that if he would attend it, she would
show him one of the prettiest girls upon whom he ever fixed his eyes.
Difficult as he found it to shut out from his mind his lost love, upon
whom his thoughts were dwelling by day and by night, he very wisely
decided that his best remedy would be found in what Dr. Chalmers calls
"the expulsive power of a new affection;" that is, that he would try
and fall in love with some other girl as soon as possible. His own
language, in describing his feelings at that time, is certainly very
different from that which the philosopher or the modern novelist would
have used, but it is quite characteristic of the man. The Dutch maiden
assured him that the girl who had deceived him was not to be compared
in beauty with the one she would show to him. He writes:

"I didn't believe a word of all this, for I had thought that such a
piece of flesh and blood as she had never been manufactured, and never
would again. I agreed with her that the little varmint had treated me
so bad that I ought to forget her, and yet I couldn't do it. I
concluded that the best way to accomplish it was to cut out again, and
see if I could find any other that would answer me; and so I told the
Dutch girl that I would be at the reaping, and would bring as many as I
could with me."

David seems at this time to have abandoned all constant industry, and
to be loafing about with his rifle, thus supporting himself with the
game he took. He traversed the still but slightly broken forest in all
directions, carrying to many scattered farm-houses intelligence of the
approaching reaping frolic. He informed the good Quaker with whom he
had worked of his intention to be there. Mr. Kennedy endeavored to
dissuade him. He said that there would be much bad company there; that
there would be drin