"I hope he is not angry," said Paul, timidly.

"Pshaw! And who cares, Paul? Let him cool, if he is mad, the darned
fool," said uncle Jacob. "I am glad to have the house shet of him."

Paul and uncle Jacob, with whom he was of late becoming a great
favorite, retired for the evening to the latter's bed room, where Paul
was accustomed to read aloud for him out of his Catholic books of
instruction.




CHAPTER IX.

THE PRYING FAMILY.


The farms of the brothers Prying were situated in a beautiful valley. On
the one side were the Vermont snow-crowned and cloud-capped mountains,
rising up like eternal ramparts against all eastern hostile incursions
of the elements. On the other, or the western side, were the pleasant
hills of York State, which, in contrast with the mountains of Vermont,
looked like so many tumuli of the deceased Indian giants of ages gone
by. In the centre between, in a southerly course, ran a clear, silver
brook, well stocked with an abundance of trout and other species of the
finny tribe. On both sides of this stream were situated the extensive
farms of the Pryings. They had abundance of woods from the elevated
extremes on either side. The rivulet constituted a cooling retreat for
cattle in summer, and in spring afforded an abundant source of