ed, but in winter and on holidays they wore
Indian moccasins gayly decorated with porcupine quills,
shells, and colored beads. Instead of hats they wore 30
bright-colored handkerchiefs, interlaced with gay ribbons
and sometimes wreathed with flowers.

The men wore long vests drawn over their shirts, leggings
of buckskin or of coarse woolen cloth, and wooden clog
shoes or moccasins of heavy leather. In winter they
wrapped themselves in long overcoats with capes and hoods
that could be drawn over their heads and thus serve for 5
hats. In summer their heads were covered with blue
handkerchiefs worn turbanlike as a protection from mosquitoes
as well as from the rays of the sun.

After the morning devotions were over, each person
betook himself to whatever business or amusement was 10
most necessary or congenial; and the priest went out to
visit the sick, giving them medicine and consoling them in
whatever way he could. In the afternoon those who chose
to do so came again to the church to be taught the catechism.
During the rest of the day the priest walked about 15
the village, talking with old and young and entering into
sympathy with all their hopes and plans. In the evening
the people would meet together again to chant the hymns
of the church. This daily round of duty and devotion
was often varied by the coming of holidays and festivals 20
and sometimes by occurrences of a sadder nature--death,
or misfortune, or the threatened invasion of savage foes.

--_The Discovery of the Old Northwest._

1. Contrast the life of these French communities
with the life of the Dutch settlers as described in
pages 70-72. How did it differ from pioneer life in
Ohio (pages 62-67)?

2. Why did the French communities not make
progress? Why did the English colonists finally
overcome them?

3. Longfellow's _Evangeline_ describes French life
in Nova Scotia. If you have read it, tell your
classmates how Evangeline lived.

4. Find from your histories what parts of North
America were settled by the French. What parts of
it are still peopled largely by French?

A BEAR STORY

BY MAURICE THOMPSON

Not the least of the perils of the pioneers were
the wi