an active, capable
woman, with more of ambition than sound policy. Being in debt, they
resolved to take fashionable boarders from Boston, during the summer
season. These boarders, at the time of their arrival, were projecting
a jaunt to the Springs; and they talked of Lake George crystals, and
Canadian music, and English officers, and 'dark blue Ontario,' with
its beautiful little brood of _lakelets_, as Wordsworth would call
them; and how one lady was dressed superbly at Saratoga; and how
another was scandalized for always happening to drop her fan in the
vicinity of the wealthiest beaux. All this fired the quiet imagination
of the good farmer's wife; and no sooner had the boarders departed to
enjoy themselves in spite of heat, and dust, and fever-and-ague, than
she stated her determination to follow them. 'Why have we not as good
a right to travel, as they have?' said she; 'they have paid us money
enough to go to Niagara with; and it really is a shame for people to
live and die so ignorant of their own country.' 'But then we want the
money to pay for that stock, which turned out unlucky, you know.' 'Oh,
that can be done next summer; we can always get boarders enough, and
those that will pay handsomely. Give the man a mortgage of the house,
to keep him quiet till next summer.' 'But what will you do with the
children?' 'Sally is a very smart girl; I am sure she will take as
good care of them as if I were at home.'

To make a long story short, the farmer and his wife concluded to go
to Quebec, just to show they had a _right_ to put themselves to
inconvenience, if they pleased. They went; spent all their money; had
a watch stolen from them in the steamboat; were dreadfully sea-sick
off Point Judith; came home tired, and dusty; found the babe sick,
because Sally had stood at the door with it, one chilly, damp morning,
while she was feeding the chickens; and the eldest girl screaming
and screeching at the thoughts of going to bed, because Sally, in
order to bring her under her authority, had told her a frightful
'raw-head-and-bloody-bones' story; the horse had broken into the
garden, and made wretched work with the vegetables; and fifty pounds
of butter had become fit for the grease-pot, because the hoops of the
firkin had sprung, and Sally had so much to do, that she never thought
of going to see whether the butter was covered with brine.

After six or eight weeks, the children were pretty well restored
to orderly habit