his house, named Isaiah. Isaiah was the
farmer's brother. He worked hard all day on the farm, and at night he
slept in a sort of garret, which they called the loft. The way to get
up to the loft was by a ladder on one side of the room.

When bed-time came, Forester and Marco climbed up this ladder, and went
to bed. They slept upon a straw bed, which was lying in a corner. They
had two clean but very coarse sheets, and a good warm coverlid. Marco
crept in well under the eaves of the house, but Forester slept on the
outer side of the bed, where the roof was higher.

Marco was awaked in the night by a strange sound, which he heard,
directly over his head. He lifted up his head and listened. It was the
pattering of rain upon the roof. The roof was, however, very tight, and
none of the rain came in. The roof was covered with shingles, which the
farmer had made himself, in a little shop near his house.

Marco listened to the rain a few minutes, and then went to sleep again.
He was glad to hear it rain, because he wanted to stay at this house the
next day, and he thought Forester would not go away in the rain.

The next that he knew was that it was morning. He spoke to Forester,
saying,

"It rains, cousin Forester."

"Does it?" said Forester. "Then I don't know what we shall do."

"We must stay here, to-day," said Marco. "Then I can see Isaiah make a
shingle. Isaiah can make a shingle. Did you know it?"

"I don't hear it rain," said Forester.

"I mean to get up and see," said Marco.

There was no glass window in this garret, but the light shone through
the chinks between the logs. There was a wooden window, as Marco called
it; that is, there was an opening in the wall, with a wooden shutter to
close it. Marco went to this window and opened it. He looked out upon
the wild and solitary scene which was before him with great interest. At
length he said,

"No, cousin Forester, it does not rain,--but I wish you would stay here
to-day."

"Very well," said Forester. "I will stay here as long as you wish."

Marco was rejoiced to hear this; and he spent two hours, after
breakfast, in rambling about the farmer's house and grounds. He went
into the little shop, and amused himself for half an hour in seeing
Isaiah make shingles. Isaiah let him try to make one himself, and he
succeeded pretty well. He carried his shingle in to Forester to show it
to him.

Forester said he thought it was a very good shingle.

"I should lik