e looked up at me and asked
another question, and so I see her to this day. How should I not become
wise? If not, it is no fault of hers. My Launa, whom I led through the
woods, along the water courses, and to whom I promised, that some day we
would catch a cloud and ride around the sky visiting the moon and stars,
yes, it was Launa to whom I promised everything, and promised because
she wished it, and I felt it my business to seem able to gratify all her
desires. She already led me captive; well she knew it, and loved to test
me with impossible demands. She dared me to do a hundred things, which
attempting and failing, I boldly declared I had done. Just as willing to
be deceived as I to deceive, she never questioned my lie, but led me on
to some fresh feat, some brook or fence to leap, or inaccessible flower
or berry to bring her. Already I got out of difficulties by changing the
subject, by evading the challenge and diverting her to some other
object, play or plan to which she as readily listened. How proud, how
important and superior I felt and with what trust the little siren
permitted it. Among all my apprenticeships this to Launa Probana was
that which taught me most and is most ineffaceable.

THE SAW-MILL

The next effort to make a craftsman of me was in my tenth year. I was
put under the hands of a mill-wright. He set up the machinery of saw and
grist mills and repaired them when out of order. He had a saw mill and
shingle mill of his own, but he was often away from home, especially in
winter, and then I ran the saw mill alone. Its machinery was old
fashioned and now obsolete, an upright saw, a carriage for the logs
somewhat like that now in use, but much heavier and more clumsy. To set
the logs to the required width of boards or other lumber we used inch
rules, a bar made on purpose for the work and dogs to hold the logs in
place. The power was water turned upon the floats of a large wheel. No
large timber was left in the neighborhood, otherwise a boy of ten could
not have run the mill alone; but with a cant-hook I could usually manage
to roll the log upon the carriage and put it in position. We ran off the
slabs first and these were the perquisites of the mill owner. They were
used in his own family and some were sold or given to poor widows and
others. The saw mill was run only in winter time; the water of the mill
pond was drawn off in early spring, and where it had flooded the land,
grass grew in s