t the
rain? Houses, I mean, with only one or two rooms, and some of them with
chimneys made of wood, plastered with clay on the inside so that they
could not be set on fire. These were the oldest houses. Later on people
began to build larger houses, many of which were made of brick or stone.
But I am afraid there was not much comfort in the best of them. They had
no stoves, and were heated by great stone fireplaces, where big logs of
wood were burned. They made a bright and cheerful blaze, it is true, but
most of the heat went roaring up the wide chimney, and only a little of
it got out into the room. In the winter the people lived in their
kitchens, with the blazing wood-fire for heat and light, and at bed-time
went shivering off to ice-cold rooms. Do you think you would have
enjoyed that?

They had very little furniture, and the most of what they had was rude
and rough, much of it chopped out of the trees by the farmer's axe. Some
of the houses had glass windows--little diamond-shaped panes, set in
lead frames--but most of them had nothing but oiled paper, which kept
out as much light as it let in.

All the cooking was done on the great kitchen hearth, where the pots
were hung on iron cranes and the pans set on the blazing coals. They did
not have as many kinds of food to cook as we have. Mush and milk, or
pork and beans, were their usual food, and their bread was mostly made
of rye or cornmeal. The boys and girls who had nice books they wanted to
read often had to do so by the light of the kitchen fire; but I can tell
you that books were very scarce things in those days.

If any of us had lived then I know how glad we would have been to see
the bright spring time, with its flowers and warm sunshine. But we might
have shivered again when we thought of next winter. Of course, the
people had some good times. They had Thanksgiving-day, when the table
was filled with good things to eat, and election-day and training-day,
when they had outdoor sports. And they had quilting and husking-parties,
and spinning bees, and sleigh-rides and picnics and other amusements. A
wedding was a happy time, and even a funeral was followed by a great
dinner. But after all there was much more hard work than holiday, and
nearly everybody had to labor long and got little for it. They were
making themselves homes and a country, you know, and it was a very
severe task. We, to-day, are getting the good of their work.

Down South people had mor