God,
Dr. Thomas H. Skinner. Here she passed the next six years of her life.
Here she wrote the larger portion of "Stepping Heavenward." And here the
cup of her domestic joy, and of joy in her God and Saviour often ran
over. Here, too, some of her dearest Christian friendships were formed
and enjoyed.

The summer of 1867 was passed at Dorset. In less than a month of it
she wrote one of her best children's books, _Little Lou's Sayings and
Doings_; and much of the remainder was spent in discussing with her
husband the project of building a cottage of their own. In a letter to
her cousin, Miss Shipman, dated Sept. 21, she writes:

We have had our heads full all summer, of building a little cottage
here. We are having a plan made, and have about fixed on a lot. We are
rather tired of boarding; George hates it, and Dorset suits us as well,
I presume, as any village would. It is a lovely spot, and the people
are as intelligent as in other parts of New England. The Professor is
disappointed at our choosing this rather than Williamstown, but it would
be no rest to us to go there. We have not decided to build; it may turn
out too expensive; but we have taken lots of comfort in talking about
it. We have been on several excursions, one of them to the top of
Equinox. It is a hard trip, fully six miles walking and climbing. I have
amused myself with writing some little books of the Susy sort: four in
less than a month, A.'s sickness taking a good piece of time out of that
period. They are to appear, or a part of them, in the Riverside next
winter, and then to be issued in book-form by Hurd and Houghton. This
will a good deal more than furnish our cottage and what trees and shrubs
we want, so that I feel justified in undertaking that expense. We had
two weeks at Newport before we came here, and Mr. and Mrs. McCurdy
overwhelmed us with kindness, paying our traveling expenses, etc., and
keeping up one steady stream of such favors the whole time. I never
saw such people. How delightful it must be to be able to express such
benevolence! Well; you and I can be faithful in that which is least, at
any rate.

We have all had plenty to read all summer, and have sat out of doors
and read a good deal. I am going now to carry a little wreath to a
missionary's wife who is spending the summer here; a nice little woman;
this will give me a three miles walk and about use up the rest of the
forenoon. In the afternoon I have promised to go to the wo