husband borrowed a hatchet and manfully whacked away at the underbrush,
to clear a path to admit her to her new domain.

It was not till several years later that the house was built, and the
McAlisters actually took possession of their new home. Phebe was a baby
then, and the twins were so young that Theodora formed an abiding
impression that Indians were prone to lurk behind a certain trio of
great chestnut-trees at the far side of the grounds. The house was not
impressive. It stood on one of the three hills, and originally it had
been small, to match the income of the young doctor. Only a year later,
he had built on a new wing; and, from that time onward, the spirit of
reconstruction had entered into his soul. Hope was wont to describe the
house as a species of crazy patchwork, a patch for each year, and each
patch of a different style. From the outside point of view, the result
was not a success, and the large red house, low and rambling, had grown
beyond the limits of the hill and sprawled over the edge on a pile of
supporting piazzas and pillars. Inside, it was altogether delightful,
with odd windows and corners and lounging places, sunshine everywhere,
and the indescribable air of half-shabby, well-used cosiness which is so
dear to every one but the owners thereof. Strangers felt the charm as
soon as they crossed the threshold; the whole atmosphere of the place
was hospitable and unconventional and homelike.

Taken all in all, it was an ideal spot for growing children, and the
young McAlisters had made the most of it. On rainy days, they adjourned
to the attic, where they bumped their heads against the low rafters of
the gables, or ventured on long, perilous expeditions upon the beams of
the unfloored extension over one of the wings. They were gifted with
good imaginations, these three older children, and this
carefully-trodden territory did service alternately as Africa, Fort
Ticonderoga, and a runaway locomotive.

But that was only during stormy weather. The rest of the time they lived
out-of-doors, in winter coasting down the hills on sleds or on shingles,
according to the state of the crust; and in summer running riot among
the green things, like the very daisies which refused to be rooted out
of the lawn. A neighborhood had grown up around them; but they cared
little for other children. A wealth of imagination, and plenty of room
to let it work itself out had developed plays of long standing which
were as