through the air might fuse into a white enamel. All of us who saw the MOON were so delighted with its success that we felt sure " the friends " would not pause about this trifle. The rest of them, were to stay there to watch the winter, and to be ready to begin work the moment the snow had gone. Thanksgiving afternoon, how well I remember it, that good fellow, Whit- man, came and asked Polly and me to visit his family in their new quarters. They had moved for the winter into cells B and E, so lofty, spacious, and warm, and so much drier than their log-cabins. Mrs. Whitman, I remem- ber, was very cheerful and jolly ; made my children eat another piece of pie, and stuffed their pockets with raisins ; and then with great ceremony and fun we christened room B by the name of Bertha, and E, Ellen, which was Mrs. Whitman's name. And the next day we bade them all good by, little think- ing what we said, and with endless promises of what we would send and bring them in the spring.
Here are the scraps of "letters from
Orcutt, dear fellow, which tell what
more there is left to tell:—
" December loth.
" . . . . After you left we were a lit- tle blue, and hung round loose for a day or two. Sunday we missed you especially, but Asaph made a good sub- stitute, and Mrs. Leonard led the sing- ing. The next day we moved the Leonards into L and M, which we christened Leonard and Mary (Mary is for your wife). They are pretty dark, but very dry. Leonard has swung hammocks, as Whitman did.
Asaph came to me Tuesday and said he thought they had better turn to and put a shed over the unfinished circle, and so take occasion of warm days for dry work there. This we have done, and the occupation is good for us "
"December 25th.
" I have had no chance to write for a fortnight. The truth is, that the weath- er has been so open that I let Asaph go down to No. 7 and to Wilder's, and engage five-and-twenty of the best of the men, who, we knew, were hanging round there. We have all been at work most of the time since, with very good success. H is now wholly cov- ered in, and the centring is out. The men have named it Haliburton. I is well advanced. J is as you left it. The work has been good for us all, morally."
" February nth.
" . . . . We got your mail unexpect- edly by some lumbermen on their way to the 9th Range. One of them has cut himself, and takes this down.
" You will be amazed to hear that I and K are both done. We have had splendid weather, and have worked half the time. We had a great jollification when K was closed in, called it Kil- patrick, for Seth's old general. I wish you could just run up and see us. You must be quick, if you want to put in any of the last licks "
" March i2th.
" DEAR FRED, I have but an in- stant. By all means make your prep- arations to be here by the end of the month or early in next month. The weather has been faultless, you know. Asaph got in a dozen more men, and we have brought up the surface farther than you could dream. The ways are well forward, and I cannot see why, if the freshet hold off a little, we should not launch her by the loth or i2th. I do not think it worth while to wait for paint or enamel. Telegraph Brannan that he must be here. You will be amused by our quarters. We, who were the last outsiders, move into A and D to-morrow, for a few weeks. It is much warmer there.
" Ever yours, "G. O."
I telegraphed Brannan, and in reply
he came with his wife and his children
to Boston. I told him that he could
not possibly get up there, as the roads
then were ; but Ben said he would go
to Skowhegan, and take his chance
there. He would, of course, communi-
cate with me as soon he get there.
Accordingly I got a note from him at
