wagon. We are to return to Utica by the steam cars," Mrs. Jennings replied; and the girls felt that this statement threw distinction upon their party.

"I still consider it a most dangerous mode of travel, but 5 perhaps less so than it looks," Mr. Jennings had written.

Indeed, later, when at night a whistle and a roar and a glare of light heralded a monster that seemed about to rush into the canal, the children believed in the danger themselves. Still in the daytime there was only the 10 frightful speed to alarm, and they determined to hold their father to his promise.

The early darkness of a fall day had prevented the children from seeing just how the canal and broad Niagara River kept company for a time. They learned from the chamber15 maid, however, that they were not to miss the locks at Lockport and were too "shivery" to eat much dinner.

"I'd sit flat on deck if I were not so old," said Julia as the Mary Ann approached the locks.

"Our boat will have to give the right of way to that 20 packet, so we can see just how bad it will be," Lucy said, as she bravely placed her chair close to her sister's. "Oh, see that little girl!" she added, as with a frightful roar of falling water the lock filled, and a child on the deck of the packet seized her mother and with tight-shut eyes and 25 wide-open mouth made herself stiff with shrieks that were seen but not heard. The Jennings children resolved to maintain a quiet dignity when their turn came.

The packet "made" the lock, and then the water roared, and the lock filled for the Mary Ann. She glided forward 30 and the upper gates closed behind her. The lower gates slowly opened and down, down she sank. of the lock dripped and shone; active men with long poles

The stone sides

kept the boat free and steady; and after a few anxious moments the Mary Ann glided out of the lock, and then other locks were "made." At last, when everybody had had quite enough, the Mary Ann entered a great pond or basin.

"Let's fish in this quiet place. There are boats and boats to get out of here before our turn comes," suggested Lucy, who was somewhat shaken by her lock experience.

5

"Yes, and I will find the twine, and pins for hooks," Julia kindly responded. Soon the girls were fishing from 10 neighboring windows of the cabin, and with this calming pastime they finished the afternoon.

That evening when the girls were getting ready for bed, Julia said, "Tell us, mother, what the people on deck were saying about Lafayette - we had to fish just then."

"Well, if you do not stop undressing -" assented the mother.

"We won't," said both girls.

"His blue landing is on our large blue platter," murmured Lucy parenthetically.

15

20

"There, don't stir up Julia," said Mrs. Jennings with a warning pause. Then she continued, "When Lafayette visited America, long years after he had helped us in the Revolutionary War, they gave him a rather unusual reception at Lockport. The canal was finished as far as 25 Lockport, and they were blasting out the rocks for the locks. So they had a number of blasts all ready to touch off, and the sound of a great explosion and the sight of flying rocks greeted the general as he drove into the new settlement. Of course Lafayette was pleased, but I think 30 the Rochester surprise was more interesting."

"What was that?" asked Julia from above, for now the

ΙΟ

children were sitting on their shelves, wrapped in their

long white gowns.

"At Rochester the canal is carried in an aqueduct over the Genesee River, just above the falls. Lafayette, coming s from the West, had taken the canal at Lockport. They reached Rochester early on the second morning, and when the general was escorted on the deck there they were, boat, canal, and all, over the roaring water. That was something to show a stranger!" the mother finished proudly.

'Oh, my, the same thing will happen to us! But it will be so early will you wake us, mother?" Julia begged.

"I cannot promise, but perhaps the roaring of the water will wake us all. There, cover up; I am going to put out the lamp-ugh, how it smokes!" and Mrs. Jennings 15 opened the little window and waved a towel to hasten the airing of the alcove. The children were soon asleep, and great was their disappointment on waking to find that Rochester had been passed and the roaring of the water had not wakened even their mother. Perhaps this was as well, 20 for on the next night their dreams were much disturbed. It was expected that Mosquito Swamp would be reached at early evening.

"Hartshorn wafted about will keep the mosquitoes away," said the large lady in brown very decidedly, as the 25 ladies seated themselves in the cabin after dinner.

"I think you are quite mistaken. Camphor is far better," spoke up a lady in a checked traveling dress. The discussion that followed soon became so animated that Julia called the groups of ladies the "Hartshorns' 30 and the "Camphors."

Soon after sunset the cabin windows were closed and the curtains closely drawn, and the Mary Ann entered the

swamp. The mosquitoes arrived and settled the hartshorncamphor question at once. Neither of these remedies was of the slightest use.

For three long hours the passengers battled in the hot little cabin. At the end of that time the mosquitoes left 5 as suddenly as they had come, and merry was the laughter of everybody over everybody else, for not a passenger could boast of two open eyes and a nose unmarred.

"The "Hartshorns' were right and the 'Camphors' were right about each other," remarked Julia to her sister, and they had a little laugh all to themselves in the alcove.

"Quickly into your gowns; they will feel cool, and I'll hand up wet towels," said Mrs. Jennings as she followed her daughters into the alcove, carrying a bowl of soda and water.

IC

"They are some good," the sufferers reported after 15 shifting the cloths about, and soon, with the burning somewhat lessened, they fell asleep.

After Mosquito Swamp was passed, towns became more frequent towns that were seen in the distance and hours afterward were entered in triumph, the horses often trotting several rods. When the platform where the passengers were waiting was reached, a man with a coil of rope leaped ashore and wound the rope several times around a post to ease up the speed of the boat.

-The Weaver's Children.

1. How many people were traveling in the party to which the girls belonged? Where were they going?

2. Where is the Erie Canal? When was it opened to commerce? (See any encyclopedia or United States History.)

3. Describe a canal boat. Find a picture of one, if you can, and bring it to class. How were canal boats propelled?

4. Who were some of the interesting people on the boat? How did the girls amuse themselves?

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DAYS WE HONOR

Gladly do we look forward to a special holiday; but do we always appreciate the meaning of the day so honored? Holidays stand on the calendars as reminders to us of what we owe to some person or group of persons or to our country. If they come to mean to us only a day's escape from work, we are the losers: we then fail to give honor where honor is due, and lose just so much honor ourselves by our failure.