oming up a long hill. He
accordingly stopped at a tavern, and took his horses out of their
harness, and rubbed them down well, and gave them a good drink of water,
and plenty of oats, which he bought of the tavern-keeper. He kept the
oats in his bag to use in the town. By the time that he stopped, he was
comfortably warm, for he had taken some exercise walking up the hills.
Franco always got out when Jonas did, at the bottom of the hills, and
then got in again at the top. He remained in the sleigh, however, at the
tavern, keeping guard, while Jonas went into the house; and he would
growl a little if any body came near the sleigh, and thus warn them not
to touch any thing that was in it.

While the horses were eating, Jonas went into the tavern, and sat down
by the kitchen fire. The fire was very large, and many persons were busy
getting breakfast. Jonas wished that he was going to have a cup of the
coffee that they were making; but he thought it better that he should
content himself with what the farmer had provided for him. There was a
young woman in the back part of the room, at a window, sewing. She asked
Jonas how far he had come that morning, and he told her. Then she said
that he must have set out very early; and she said that he had a pair of
very handsome black horses. She had seen them as Jonas passed the
window.

There was a small girl sitting near her, with a slate, ciphering. She
seemed very busy for a few minutes, and then she looked up to the young
woman, and said,--

"My sum does not come right, aunt Lucia."

"Doesn't it? I'm sorry, but I can't help you now, very well," replied
aunt Lucia. "I am very busy with my sewing."

The little girl then got up, and came towards the fire, with her slate
hanging by a string from her finger, and her Arithmetic under her arm.

"Where are you ciphering?" asked Jonas.

"In fractions," said the girl.

"If you will let me look at your sum, perhaps I can tell you how to do
it," replied Jonas.

The girl handed her book to him, and showed him the sum in it. She
also let him see the work upon her slate. Jonas looked it over very
carefully, and then said,--

"You have done very well indeed, with such a hard sum. There is only one
mistake."

And Jonas pointed out the mistake to her, and she corrected it, and then
the answer was right. She then went and put away her slate and book,
with an appearance of great satisfaction. As she passed by the window,
aunt Lucia wh