men, as they sailed on and on, with the never-ending forest on
either shore," said Rose. "No wonder they thought it would never end,
till it bore them to the China seas."

"A wonderful highway of nations it is, though it disappointed them in
that," said Arthur. "The sad pity is, that it is not available for
commerce for more than two-thirds of the year."

"If ever the bridge they talk about should be built, it will do
something towards making this a place of importance in this part of the
world, though the long winter is against, too."

"Oh! the bridge will be built, I suppose, and the benefit will not be
confined to us. The Western trade will be benefited as well. What do
you think of your Massachusetts men, getting their cotton round this
way? This communication with the more northern cotton growing States is
more direct by this than any other way."

"Well, I ain't prepared to say much about it. Some folks wouldn't think
much of that. But I suppose you are bound to go ahead, anyhow."

But to the experienced eye of the farmer, nothing gave so much pleasure
as the cultivated country lying around the city, and beyond the
mountain, as far as the eye could reach. Of the mountain itself, he was
a little contemptuous in its character of mountain.

"A mountain with smooth fields, and even orchards, reaching almost to
the top of it! Why, our sheep pasture at Merleville is a deal more like
a mountain than that. It is only a hill, and moderate at that. You
must have been dreadful hard up for mountains, to call _that_ one.
You've forgotten all about Merleville, Rosie, to be content with that
for a mountain."

While, he admired the farms, he did not hesitate to comment severely on
the want of enterprise shown by the farmers, who seemed to be content
"to putter along" as their fathers had done, with little desire to avail
themselves of the many inventions and discoveries which modern science
and art had placed at the disposal of the farmer. In Merleville, every
man who owned ten, or even five acres of level land, had an interest in
sowing and mowing machines, to say nothing of other improvements, that
could be made available on hill or meadow. If the strength and patience
so freely expended among the stony New England hills, could but be
applied to the fertile valley of the Saint Lawrence, what a garden it
might become! And the Yankee farmer grew a little contemptuous of the
contented acquiescence of Canadians