making us welcome in her way.

"There's lots of milk--plenty; you're welcome to it; and there'll be
boilin' water presently. If I could only get a holt of that Alice, I'd
make things lively for her! I'm wore out with her entirely. If you've
brought your own provisions all right; but there have been so many
travellers by lately, there isn't a bite in the house, till me eldest
darter comes and bakes for me to-morrow." Yes, she had seven darters, all
well married round about, blessed be God! and they came turn and turn
about to look after the old people, do the work, and see after things,
while she just kept the bit thing Alice to do the chores and wait on her;
but she warn't much good.

Thus our hostess ran on, until the horse was extricated, and we got
possession of our rugs and provisions. The boiling water appearing at the
same time, we soon sat down to tea; and, as it was too late to pitch our
tent that night, we spread our rugs and blankets on the two bedsteads "up
ter chamber"--a mere unfurnished garret--and were soon in bed.

Not long afterwards, hearing a great deal of laughter downstairs, I
listened, and gathered that "Stick-in-the-Mud" had arrived, and the men
were chaffing him for having paid the half-breed two dollars for lending
him two oxen for five minutes to extricate his train.

Tired as I was, the mosquitoes were so attentive that I found it
impossible to sleep. About midnight "that wretched Alice" crept up the
stairs, and lay down in a corner, partitioned off from the rest of the
garret by a grey blanket nailed to the rafters. I am sure she did not
undress much, nor could she have slept long, as she was downstairs again
before three o'clock, and I heard the old woman rating her from her bed.