PIONEER LI

e .617096 77
L if t .

.y

ES T E L LA A DA MS

. I T H I L L . ST RA T I O N S
 I N T RO D . .T I ON

H i s to ry i s i n te ll i g ibl e t o l i t t l e c h il d r e n o nl y i n t h e
s i m p l i c i ty o f i t s p r i m i t i v e a n d p i o n ee r a s p e cts b u t i n
.

t h e s e a s p e c t s i t m ay b e m a d e o n e o f th e g r e a t e d u c a t i v e
in flu e n c e s i n c hi l d l i f e .

I t is a g o o d o me n th at a yp e o f M i s s
b oo k o f t h e t

A d a ms P i o n e L if e h a s m a d e i ts a pp e a r a n c e a n d t h a t
’
e r

i t h a s g r o w n o u t o f t h e a u t h o r s e. p e r i e n c e i n h e l p in g
’

h e r s i. y e a r o l d p u p il s t o r e cr e a t e a n d in te r p r e t th e
. .

l i v e s o f t h e i r o w n p i o n e e r f o r e f a t h e r s T h e p i ctu r in g
.

o f a p a s t s o di ff e r e n t i n i t s b a c kg r o u n d a n d d a il y a c t iv i

t i e s a n d y e t s o r e l a te d t o t h e f a m i l i a r l i f e o f t o d a y .

a ff o r d s t h e l i tt l e c hil d a n a t u r a l fi r s t s t e p in t h e d ev e l

O p m e n t o f t h e h i s to r i c i m a g in a t i o n I t i s c a l c u l a t e d to
.

d ev e l o p a d e g r e e o f r e v e r e n c e f o r t h o s e w h o s e s a cr i fi c e
h a s e s t a b l i s h e d f o r t h e c hi l d a . i d e r o p p o rtu n i ty a n d
t o s t i m u l a t e i n h i m t h e d e s i r e t o o v e r co me o b s t a c l es t o .

a d a p t m e a n s t o a n e n d t o cr e a t e a n d t o c o o p e r a t e
. .

.u t t h e s e d e s i r a bl e e n d s c a n n o t b e r e a c h e d b y t h e
m e r e r e a din g i n c l a s s o f t hi s o r a n y o t h e r s e r i e s o f
p i o n e e r s t o r i e s T h
. e r e m u s t fi r s t c o m e a sym p a t h e t i c

a n d i m a g in a t i v e e n t e r in g i n t o t h e c o n di t i o n s a n d a c t iv i

t i e s o f p i o n e e r l i f e t h r o u g h t h e a v e n ue s o f o r a l n a rr a
 I N T R O D . .T I O N

tio n . c o n v e rs a ti o n s i m p l e d r a m a ti . a t i o n h a n d wo rk
. .

d r a w i n g a n d t h e r ev i v a l o f s o m e o f t h e o l d t i m e s o n g s
.

a nd
g a m e s
. I n t h e a t m o s p h e r e o f u n d e r s t a ndin g a n d
a p r e c i a t i o n cr e a te d b y s u c h m e a n s t h e r e a din g t o
p
g e t h e r o f t hi s l i tt l e
g r ou
p o f s t o r i es s h ou l d be a d e l i h t
g
t o c hil d r e n a n d t e a c h e r s a l i ke . I t i s a di s t in ct c o n tr i
b u t i o n t o a s t e a dil y g r o w in g l i s t o f l i tt l e c h il d r e n s r e a d
’

i n g b o o ks w h i c h h a v e b e e n d e v e l o p e d u p o n a t h o u g h t
c o n te n t t h a t i s i n i ts e l f w o rth w h il e .

L A . RA F RA .EE .
PI O N E E R LI F E
 P I O N E E R L I FE

L ong ago the Indians lived here .

The y lived in wigwams .

Wi g wams were made of skins .

The y were made o f bear skins .

The s kins were stretched o n poles .

T he wi g wams were in t he woods .

The y were a l so on the banks o f streams .

Indians bui l t the i r fi res out d oors.

 P I ON E ER L I FE

Indi a n wi g w a ms were no t w a rm .

Th e y ke p t o ff t he r a in .

The fire w a s m a de ou t doors .

The Indi a n s g a t hered t h e s t i c k s .

T hey rubbed dry stick s t o g e t h e r t o m ak e

s p a rks.

The s p arks lit the fire .

The Indi a n s cooked t hei r me a t o v e r t h e fi re .

.a n you make a fire in t h a t w a y ?

I n the woods where the Indi a n s liv e d t h e re

were many bears and wo l ves .

There were man y b i g trees .

There were lit t le trees and bushes .

R abbits an d squi rrel s lived in the woods .

Indians made p a t h s throu g h t he woods .

T he paths were called Indi a n trail s .

Beavers lived in the river s
.

There were many d eer in the wood s .

The y ma d e paths throu gh t he bushes .

Bu ffa l oes ma d e pat h s t o o

. .

The y ma d e paths d own to the creeks .

They went to t he creeks to bathe.

They went to the creeks to drink .

 P I ON EE R L I FE

Come J ohn le t u s play Indian

. .
.

Get you r b o w and arrow .

Indians shoot bears and rabbits .

We can shoot at a tree .

. o u shoot first J ohn

.
.

T here y o u hit the tree

.
.

J ohn you would make a good Indian

. .

N o w let me tr y to s hoot t he tre e .

In di ans h ave b rown sk in .

They have lon g black hai r .

The y wear blankets .

Indians l ike red and yellow bl a nk e t s .

The men we a r fea t hers in thei r hai r .

The fea t her s are red a n d yellow .

Indian s p a int t hei r faces

.

The y like re d and y el l ow pa i nt

.
 P I ON EER L I FE
L i tt le Indian bo y s could run v e ry fa s t .

They l ike d to run races .

T hey cou ld shoot and fish .

T hey cou ld not rea d .

They cou ld not write .

Indian b o y s cou l d te ll al l ab out the trees .

T hey c ou ld tell a rabbit s track in t h e snow

’
.

Do y ou kno w h o w a r a bbit s t rack looks ?

’

Li tt l e In di an g i r l s wear moccas i ns .

Moccasins are ma d e o f skins .

Th ey have p ret ty be a d s o n t hem .

The girls wear beads a n d fe a t hers t o o . .

They do n o t have cu rls
.

They have s t raight black hai r.

The y wear short dresses .

These dresses have be a ds o n t hem .

They are trimmed wi t h fringe .

 P I ON EE R L I FE
Indian girls c a rr y wood for t he fire .

They s t ring red a n d y el l ow bead s .

They make p ret t y b a skets .

T he baskets are ma d e of s weet g ra s s e s .

The gir l s make b owls o f c l ay .

T hey paint t he bowls after the y are dry .

T hey carry w a t er in t hese bowls .

Can y ou make a cl a y bow l ?

Indian gi r l s help to p l a nt t he corn .

The y carry the corn in baskets .

T hey d rop the grains of corn o n t he g rou nd

an d stamp them i n with thei r feet .

Th e corn baske t s are ma d e o f wil l ow twi g s .

They gather t h e corn when it is ripe .

The gi rls he l p to grind the corn .

They grind i t between two ston e s .

A ft er the corn is g round it is c a ll e d c o rn me a l .

ro P I ON E E R L I .E

Th em e a t i s ro a sted over t he fire .

Som e t ime s t h e y cook the me a t in t h e k e tt l e .

The ke tt l e i s hun g o ver the fire .

An Indi a n b a b y is called a papoo s e .

The moth e r c a rries the b a b y o n her b a ck .

She carries i t in a cradle .

The bab y is tied in t he cradl e .

It d oes not cry .

Some t ime s the mother h a n g s t h e c ra dl e u p in

a t ree.

.a n you make a pictu re o f a n Indi a n c ra dle ?

Indi a ns built ver y li g h t canoes .

They u s ed the b a rk of t he birch tree .

The bou ghs o f the ced a r tree held t h e c a n o e in

sh a p e .

The roots o f the l arch tree w e re u s e d t o bind

t h e ends together .

The fi r tree gave t hem b a l s a m a n d re s in t o

clo s e t h e se a ms o f t he c a noe .
 Some t imes Indian s made pic t u res o n the sides
o f t hei r canoes
.

The canoes were so light they would float l ike

a l ea f o n the water
.

T he seams were so t i g ht the water cou ld n ot

come i nto the boat .
12 P I ON EE R L I FE
Indi a n s liked t o ride u p a n d down t h e ri v e r s
.

Th e y would p a ddle in a n d out a mon g the

bu s he s s t o p p in g h e re a n d t h e re to hunt
.
.

Some t ime s t he y brou g h t a red deer in t hei r

c a noes.

Some t im e s s t rin g s o f fi s h were brou g h t hom e

t o t he Indi a n c a m p
.

Hun t ing a n d fi s hin g w e r e fa vorit e p a s t imes

with the Indi a n s .

All Indi a n bo y s cou ld fi s h a n d s wim.

 Jus t a s s oon a s bo y s were o l d enou g h t h e y were
t a u g h t t o paddl e a c a noe
.

If t he canoe t u rned over t h e bo y s were n o t

a fr a id
.

The y cou ld ea s il y swim a n d climb b a ck in t o

t he c a noe.
14 P I ON E E R L I FE
Indi a n wri t in g w a s m a d e u p of p ic t u re s
.

I f t he y wro t e a le tt e r a bout t he nigh t li tt l e

.

s t ars were dr a wn .

.o r the d a yt i m e a b o w w a s m a d e for t h e s ky
.

and a s t rai g h t lin e for t he e a rth .

F oo t p rin t s poin t ing toward the . i g w a m

me a nt a n invi t a t ion t o V isit
.

W a ving line s me a nt rain and cloudy we a t her .

If t he l e tt er t old a bou t the hun t r a bbi t s a n d

.

d e e r were drawn .
The s e p ic t u res were dr a wn on bi rch
Som e were colored wi t h t hei r p a ints.

.a n y ou wri t e a n Indi a n l e t ter ?

.a n y ou s how a n Indi a n c a m p fire ?
16 P I ON EE R L I FE
Indians mov e d from p l a c e t o pl a ce .

T hey took t hei r wi g wams wi t h them .

T hey took thei r kettle s a n d t hei r deer s kins .

The women carr i e d the kett l es a n d the deer

s kins
.

The gi r l s carr i e d t h e corn i n baskets .

T he bo y s carrie d thei r bows and a rrow s .

Many Indi a ns moved at o n e time .

After a w hil e d eer an d bu ffaloe s b e came

scarce .

Then t he In di an s wanted to move .

They wanted to fin d a new home where t here

were m a n y deer.
The men built fires i n the woo d s .

They shot rabbi t s an d squi rre l s

.

T he men d i d not have b ows an d arrows .

T hey ha d gun s with them .

Thei r meat was cooked over a fi re i n t h e

woods .

Corn cake s were cooked a s t he Indi a n s cooke d

t hem .
 P I ON E E R L I FE 19

The people who came in t he big wa g ons were

c a l led p i oneers
.

Th e y came t o t his new cou ntry .

O n l y the Indian s live d here then .

T here were no schools nor chu rches .

T here were no warm houses .

Th ere were many many trees

. .

Th e pioneers brou ght thei r a xes .

The y cho p p ed d o wn the tree s .

T he pioneer s liked to live b y t he cre e ks to o . .

Do you know why ?

A fte r the y choppe d d own the trees the y buil t
thei r houses.
20 P I ON E ER L I FE
These were log hou s e s .

T hey had nei t her floors nor win d ows .

T hey hung up a bear skin for a door .

A t first they ma d e thei r fire o u t o f doors .

Th ey cooke d the i r meat a nd cor n brea d on

this fire .

Th e p i oneers b u il t the i r be d s i n the corner of

t h e room .

T hey sp rea d b ra n c h es o f trees an d covere d

them w i th skins .

Sometimes they h a d feat h er be d s .

They b rou ght t h e feather bed s in t he big

wagons .
 The t a ble w a s buil t in a no t her corner of t he
room .

The stool s were ma d e of blocks of woo d and

h a d t hree l e g s
.

Some of t he p ioneers buil t fire plac e s in t hei r

cabins .

The y were ver y l arge an d deep .

A bi g l o g would bu rn in t hese fire p laces .

2 2 P I ON EE R L I FE
The chimneys were mad e of s ticks a n d clay .

T he mother cooke d in front o f the fire .

She had kett l es an d pots to cook in.

T he kettle hung o n a big i ron crane .

T he b rea d w a s baked in an i ron oven .

F i r e w a s put over and u nder the oven .

It was called a Dutch oven .

The pioneer mo t hers brou ght t h e ir s p inning

wheels .

O ne wheel was large the other one wa s small

.
.

The l arge wheel spun woo l .

T he men cut the wool from t h e sheep .

T his wool was spun into thread b y t he girls .

L itt l e gi rls could n o t re a ch t he b ig wheel so .

t he y stood o n blocks to make t hemselve s t a ll .

.a n y ou make a pictu re o f a li tt l e g i r l spin

ning ?
The wool threads were woven into cloth .

F rom this cloth the g i rls dresses were made

’
.

Coat s for the boys an d me n were made o f this

cloth.

T he wome n co l ore d th e c l ot h w i t h walnu t

hulls.

Thi s ma d e t h e c l oth brown .

Sometimes they colore d the c l o t h wi t h indigo .

T his made the c l oth blue .

 l P I ON EER L I FE
I
i
Some o f t h e w o o l t hre a d s w e r e u s e d in kni t
ting .

The women and gi r l s di d the kni tt ing .

Some pioneer bo y s learned how to kni t .

They kni t sock s an d s tockings .

The y kni t ca p s and muffl ers .

B o y s kni t t hei r o wn su spenders

T hey colored t hei r s tockings . i t h ocher .

Thi s mad e t hem y e llow .

Pi oneer bo y s wore coon skin caps .

The tail o f the coon hun g down behind .

The y wore . e a n s t rou s e r s and co a t s.

Some t ime s the y wore co a t s m a d e o f d e e r s kin .

2 6 P I ON E ER L I .E

There were no to y shop s in pioneer d a y s .

T he g i rls ma d e d o l ls o f corn cobs .

The y dre s sed them w i th corn husks .

They l ove d thei r d olls as muc h as you l ove

y ou rs .

T hey h a d no bea d s l ike the In di an gi r l s .

They strung rose hips and nuts for beads .

Can you make a string o f bea d s o f the p retty

red r o s e hip s ?

P i o neer mo t hers loved thei r childr e n d e a rl y .

T hey were a l wa y s very b usy .

T hey cooke d i n f ront o f the fi re p l ace .

T hey had n o cook stoves .

T hey spun t he woo l i nto t h rea d .

They wove the t hrea d into cloth .

The y cu t t he cloth and m a de clothes for the

childr e n .
 P I ON EE R L I FE 2 7

Some pion e er mo t h e r s h a d sm a ll s p innin g

whee l s .

O n these whee l s t he y s pun flax .

Th ey ra i sed t he flax i n the fi eld s .

Th e flax h a s a beautifu l b l ue flow e r .

After the fla . blooms it i s cut .

h i s t h en l ef t out in the ra i n .

A ft er a while t he flax is bea t e n wi t h s t i c k s .

.
Come M a ry g e t out t he li tt l e spinnin g
. .

wheel .
.

We must sp i n the fla . to day .

.
.

F a t her needs a new shir t .

.

Mother must have s ome new s h e e t s .

Mar y sits at her wheel s p innin g .

S h e sin g s a li tt le s o n g .

.
Sp i n l a s s i e spin
. . .

The t hre a d g oe s o u t an d in .

.a n y o u s in g th e s p innin g s on g ?
2 8 P I ON EE R L I .E
The p i oneers raised ever y thing they used .

The sheep gave them meat to eat and woo l t o

sp i n .

The flax gave t h em t he i r l inen .

F rom the corn they ma d e thei r meal f o r bread

and cakes .

The coons an d b ears cau ght I n the woods

gave them warm sk i ns .

The s e skins were u se d o n the beds .

P ioneer fathers were bu s y busy men

. .

They worked a ll d ay in the woods chopping

down trees .

They pile d up the l ogs an d bu rne d t hem .

This was called c l earing the land .

Boys cou l d help to pi l e up the lo g s .

The y could watch the big fi res .

The y did no t let t he fire s g o o u t .

 P I ON E E R L I FE 2 9

Aft er the land wa s cl e a r e d i t w a s r e a d y for

p l owing .

The pioneers p l anted corn pumpkin s and

.

b ean s in thei r gardens .

The y built a rail fence to keep out th e be a r s

and wolves .

The y cou ld not k e e p o u t t he r a bbi t s and

squirre l s.

They came in and a t e t he y oung corn an d

be a ns.

Th e l o g cabins some ti mes ha d floors .

These floors were made o f puncheons .

P uncheons were large sl a bs o f wood .

The y were split from blocks of wood .

They were made smoo t h o n top .

30 P I ON EER L I FE
The cra ck s in t he log w a lls wer e filled wi t h
c l ay .

The chimne y w a s ma d e O f clay a n d l aths .

The cla y w a s mixed with the fu . . o f the cat

tai l.

The y w e re c a lled c a t a n d cla y chimne y s

.

Some c a bin s h a d a loft u p s t a i r s

.

T he bo y s a n d men s l ep t i n t he lo ft
.

The s t ep s were made by putting sticks b e

tween t he logs .

Th e bo y s a n d men slept on skins .

There w a s no fire upstai rs .

It O ft en snowe d in throu gh the cracks i n the

l o g wall s .

Would y o ulike t o live in a l o g c a bin ?

 P I ON EER L I FE 3 1

Some o f t he p ioneers liv e d a lon g w a y from

t h e mill
.

T he y ma d e t hei r corn in t o mea l

.

T he y filled an O ld t in wi t h holes
.

T he y fa s t ened t he t in to a boar d
.

O n this the y grated ears o f corn .

It w a s a slow wa y t o grind c o m .

Al l the O ld tin w a s s aved for grat e rs .

This meal was made into b read and b a ked b e

fore the fi re p l a ce
.

Sometimes pion e er boy s t ook t he corn t o the

mill.

The mill w a s o n t h e ri v er
.
The bo y s rode o n horseb a ck .

They carried t he corn in s a cks .

T hey put the sacks o n t he horse s back ’

.

Sometimes the y rode ten mi l es to t he mill .

T he y a lwa y s t ook t hei r g uns wi t h them .

P ioneer bo y s wer e very brave .

There were man y wolve s in the wood s .

Th e b o y s rod e t hrou g h t he wood s t o t h e mill .

 P I ON EER L I FE
Mo s t o f t he p i o neer di s h e s were ma de o f
pewter .

T he spoon s were m a d e o f i ron .

The l a r g e p l a t ters were m a de o f wood .

Horn handled knives and forks were use d

.
.

Chi l dren drank t hei r milk from pewter mu gs .

Some o f the pioneers ha d o l d b l ue di shes .

T he y were ke p t o n the she lf

.

The first pioneer houses had no g l a ss win

d ows .

Th e win d ows were filled w i t h greased p aper .

Sometimes greased deer skin was use d .

The door was made o f t hick boar d s .

It was hung on wooden hinges .

A wooden l a t ch was raised from the out s ide .

A latch string hung o n the outside of the door

.

.
 P I ON EE R L I FE 35

P ioneer g I rl s h e l p ed t hei r m o t her s .

They spun woo l an d fla . .

They he l pe d to make candles a n d so a p .

T he y rocke d the bab y in his wooden cra dle .

The little girl s ha d few pl a yt hings .

They did not go to visi t o t her g irls .

T hey playe d wi t h the i r corn cob dolls a n d bit s

O f broken dishes .

After a long t ime the pioneers buil t sch o o l s .

T hey were built o f logs t oo . .

They ha d no g lass windows .

T he fi re was in a large fire p l ace .

There were no d esks nor blackboar d s .

T here were few books .

The children s t udied t he i r l essons out loud .

The y w a lked many miles to schoo l throu g h

the woods .
P ion e er children pl a y ed man y games .

T h e boy s pla y ed ball a n d lea p fro g .

The y t hr e w the b a ll over the l o g s ch o o l h o u s e

.

.
Then t hey called Hand y over
.
.

Then the bo y s o n the o t her side c a u g h t t he

b a ll
.

Th e g irl s p l a y e d L ond o n B rid g e and The

J oll y Miller .
 P I ON E E R L I FE 37

The pioneers h a d ver y cold win t ers .

Th ey were often very hungr y .

Sometimes they had no corn .

Then they ground up acorns .

O ut o f this meal the y made bre a d .

The y ha d meat when t he men wen t hun t in g .

The y had wild t u rke y s a n d ducks .

The trails throu g h the woods were v e r y b a d .

T hese trails were m a de in t o ro a ds .

More trees were cut and the roads were m a de

w i de
.

S t ill the s t ump s were left and t he r o a d s were

very muddy .

O ften t he mud w a s ver y dee p .

In these place s lo g s were l a id s ide by side .

These were called l o g roads .

 In t he s p rin g t he p ion e ers m a d e t hei r s u g a r.

Ho l es w e re made in the side s of the maple

t rees.

L i t t l e hollow s t icks were put into t hese ho l es .

Buckets were hun g a t t he e nd s o f the s t ick s .

T he s a p from t he trees d ripped i nto t hese

buckets .

T he s a p was pou red into a l a rge kettle .

A b ig fire w a s buil t und e r t he ke tt le .

The s a p boiled a l ong time a n d t hen chan g ed

into maple si rup .
 P I ON EE R L I FE 39

The p i o n e er s did n o t h a ve t e a such a s w e

drink .

The y m a de t hei r t ea o f t he s p ice bush .

The s p ice bu s h g rew in the woods .

They did not have co ffee to drink .

They use d parc h e d corn an d ot h er g r a ins .

T he nuts were a ll gathere d by the children .

Sometimes t hese were groun d i nto mea l .

Berries were g a t hered b y the chi ld ren too . .

Wi l d hone y was foun d in the trees in t he

woo d s .

L ittle children learned t o re a d and wri t e a t

home .

T he school was too far awa y .

The i r mo t hers were t hei r teachers .

T h ey sang t he i r A B C s
’
.

Th ey l earned to write w i t h a pen m a de o f a

goose quill .

The y made ink o f w a lnu t shell s .

Sometimes they u s ed the . uice o f t he p oke

berry .
 P I ON EE R L I FE
The children in olden t imes h a d f e w b o o k s .

They had no pictu re books .

T hey l earned t o spell long wor ds .

T hey could not go to school wi t hou t p a y ing

P oor boys chopped wo od to pa y thei r way I n
s c h ooL

Sometime s t he y buil t t he fire for the teacher .

Some t im e s a p oor boy slept i n the schoo l

hou se .

P ioneer bo y s worked ver y hard .

The y spli t r a ils a n d m a de r a il fence s.

They chopped wood and rode to the mill .

The y cut toy s o u t o f wood f o r t he b a b y .

These bo y s g rew s t ron g a n d s t rai g ht

.

Birds and trees i n the woods were t h e i r

.

friends .

Th e y knew h o w to tra p bears a n d foxes .

R a bbit s a n d squi rrels were e a s y to t ra p .

4 2 P I ON EE R L I .E
In the evenin g the pioneers sat around t he
fi re .

The mo t her was a l way s busy spinning .

Gi r l s an d bo y s shelled corn a n d pee l ed a ppl e s .

Sometimes t h e f ather men d ed the bo y s shoes ’

.

The only l i ght they ha d was can dl e light .

The g i rls parc h ed some o f t h e cor n .

Mother u se d the cobs f o r kindling .

Indians tau ght the pioneers how to mak e

baskets .

They tau gh t them h ow to cook t h e d eer meat .

In dia n s often came to V isit the pioneers .

T hey ha d never seen a spinning wheel .

T hey h ad never seen the l ooms the p i oneers

wove thei r cloth on .

R ag carpets were woven o n t h e l ooms too .

.

Ca n you sew carpet rags ?

44 P I ON EER L I FE
The pioneer children loved to see the stage
coach go b y .

I t was drawn b y fou r horses.

The horses had bells o n t hei r necks

.

T he stage driver alwa y s blew his horn .

T he chil d re n coul d hear him coming throu gh

t h e woo d s
.

Somet i mes h e b rou gh t t h em a l etter

.

T here was n o postman in t h ose days .

 P A R T TW O
f
TH E S TOR. O. T wo P I ON EE R C H IL DRE N
48 P I ON E ER L I FE

J OHN A ND MA R.

J ohn and Mary were p io n eer children .

They came to this cou n try i n a big white c o y

.

e red wagon .

F ou r strong horses p ull e d t h e wagon .

They came t hrou gh the great woods .

There were no roa d s .

Their fa t her oft en ha d to cut d ow n trees to

make a pa t h throu gh the woods .

Sometimes J ohn and Mary ra n a h ea d o f t h e

wagon .

They gat h ere d flowers an d berri es .

The y lis t ened t o t he bi rds sin g

.

A t ni g h t t he y slept in the big wagon .

5 0 P I ON EER L I FE

C OO . I N G I N TH E W OO DS

Mary s fa t h e r buil t a fi re I n the wood s

’
.

He sa id N ow children gather the s t ick s

.
.

. .

an d we sha ll soon have a fine fire .

.

The chil d ren gathered piles o f sticks .

They d id not g o f a r a w a y .

They were a frai d of t he In di a ns .

A fter the fire was made J ohn wen t t o t he

.

sp ring for water .

Tray went wi t h him .

Tray was not afraid O f the Indians .

Mary helped her mo t her to get the dinner .

T hey cooked t he rabbit thei r fa t her h a d

cau ght i n the woods .

They baked corn b rea d and fi sh .

The children were hun g ry .

Do y ou like fi s h f o r dinner ?
 P I ON E E R L I FE 5 1

B . I L DI N G TH E RA FT

On e d a y they c a me t o a river .

John sa id F ather how can we cro s s ?

.
.
.

F ather sai d We wil l build a raft

.
.
.
.

There were man y trees I n the woods .

F a t her cut some o f the sm a ller t rees .

He trimme d Off the b r a nche s .

These logs m a de the r a ft .

The horses swam ac ro s s the river .

T he wagon had to be t aken a p a rt before i t

coul d be taken o n the raft .

Then t he famil y crossed t he river on the raft .

Soon they were on t he o t her side of t he river .

They built a lar g e fire a n d dried t hei r clo t he s .

Th a t ni g h t t he y reach e d t h e i r new home .

 TH E N EW HOME

The new home was in a beautiful forest .

It was on the bank of a river .

John s father sa i d We wi ll build ou r house

’ .
.

here .
.
 P I ONEE R L I FE 53

All day the y worked .

The next day they helped t o build t he l og

h ouse.

T h ey ma d e the ch imne y o f c l a y an d sticks .

Th ey ma d e a door o f rou gh boar d s .

In one corne r the y built the be d .

In another corner they made a tab l e .

T hey made stools for J ohn an d Mary .

A t n ight father sa id We sha ll s l eep in ou r

.
.

new home .
.

Ho w happy the y were in t h e i r new l o g cabin .

54 P I ON EER L I FE

O L D F R I E N DS

J ohn and Mar y found man y friends near t hei r

new home .

Th e y knew t he s y camore free wi t h i t s whi t e

b a rk a n d li tt le balls
.

They knew the beech tree with its three sided .

nut s.

The rabbi t s and squirrels were old friend s bu t.

the y were a fra id o f Tra y.

O n e d a y t he children s a w a bear i n the woods .

Tra y was a fra id o f the bear .

Tra y did n o t bark at it

.

He ra n a n d hid in t he house .

J ohn and Mary ran and hid t oo . .

 P I ON E E R L I FE 55

N E W F R I E N DS

O ne day John saw an Indi a n bo y .

He wa s hunting w i th his b o w a n d a rrow .

He ha d some rabbits a n d squi rrels .

The In d ian showed J ohn how to shoo t wi t h a

bow and arrow .

He s h owe d him the bes t pl a ce t o fish in t h e

r i ver
.

John cou ld not run so fast as the I n dian .

John showe d the Indian his pet dog .

Tray stoo d up on his hind leg s .

He let J ohn pu t a bone o n his nose .

The Indian s a id Tra y w a s a fine d o g .

5 6 P I ON EE R L I FE

MA . I N G GA R D EN

In the sprin g J ohn and Mary hel p ed make

gar den .

F a t her ha d cle a red the lan d .

John had b u rne d all the logs a n d stumps .

J ohn s father d id the plowing

’
.

J ohn was too sma l l to d rive the oxen .

A fter the groun d was p l owe d J ohn p l ante d

the corn .

Mary helpe d h i m to keep the rows straight .

J ohn b uilt a rail fence aroun d the gar den .

It kept the cow and horse ou t o f the gard en .

but it di d not keep the squi rre l s out .

Tra y kept them o u t f o r t h ey were afraid o f

.

him .
58 P I ON EER L I FE

G O I N G T O M I LL

O ne d a y the meal was all gone .

T he mill w a s fou r miles up the river .

J ohn sai d I wil l take the corn to the mill

.
.
.

V ery we l l sa i d mother hu rry h ome

. . . .
.
. .

J o h n pu t t he corn i n a large bag .

He put the bag on the horse s back i n f ront of ’

him .

He went Off whis t lin g throu gh the woo d s .

IVh e n he re a ched t he mill the miller was very

busy .

J ohn w ai t ed a lon g t ime before h is corn was

ground .

I t w a s dark when he s tarted for home .

J ohn w a s a fra id of the wolves but h e k e p t .

r i ght o n .

How gl a d he w a s when he s a w the c a ndle in

the win d ow .

J ohn s mo t h e r w a s g l a d wh e n he cam e home

’
.
 P I ON EE R L I FE 59

T H E N E W L AM P

J ohn made a l a mp for his mother .

He made a cup o f c l ay .

He made i t smooth and round .

T hen he baked the c u p in the fire p l a ce

When the cup was h a rd J ohn filled I t wi t h
b ear s Oil
’
.

He mad e a wick o f cotton .

O ne en d o f the wick he put in the o i l .

That night the y lit t he new lamp .

What a fine light th e y ha d .

Mother sai d she cou ld see to s p i n .

F a t her read from h i s book b y the li g h t o f t he

new l amp .
60 P I ON EE R L I FE

TH E STAG E C O AC H

O h mo t her come quick t he s t

. . .
co a ch i s age .

com i ng .
.

J o hn ran d own to the ro a d .

Th e st a ge d r i ver blew his horn .

.
Here is company Master J ohn . .

Jo h n cou ld h ar dl y wa i t t ill the sta g e door w a s

opene d .

O ut steppe d a li tt l e o ld l a d y .

S h e wore a warm b row n shaw l .

S h e wore a big b rown b onnet .

Can you guess who the o ld l a d y was ?

It was J ohn s gran dmother
’
.

How happy J ohn was to see h e r .

He l ed her up the walk to the l og cabin .

H e blew t he b ig horn to l et f at h er know t h a t

company had come .
62 P I ON E E R L I FE

G RA N D M O T H E R ’
S ST O R I E S

Ho w many s t ories gran d mother had to tell t h e

c h ildren that night .

She to ld ab out t h e n ew roa d t h at was b e in g

bu il t.

She sa id i t was wi d e e n ou g h for two wagons

to pass .

She told abou t the new h ou ses t h at were b e i ng

built o f b ricks .

S h e gave J ohn a new boo k t h at was ful l o f

p i ctu res .

T hey were pictu res o f all kin d s o f an i ma l s .

J ohn could name man y o f the anima l s .

She g a ve Mary a l ove ly new doll .

.o u know Mary s dolls were a ll made o f corn

’

cob s .

T he new d oll w a s a l ove ly ra g doll .

M a r y hu gge d h e r n ew dol l a n d c a lled her

B ets ey .
 P I ON EER L I F E 63

T EA TIM E

T he best thing gr a ndm o t h e r brou ght was

some tea for mother .

Mother ha d n o t tasted t ea since she came to

t h e N ew Countr y
.
. .
.

F at he r s a id Get t h e kett l e fil l e d J ohn

.
.
. .
.

.
We wi ll ha ng it on the crane by the fi re
’

Soon the ke tt le boi l e d .

Then mo t her made t he tea i n h er beau t i fu l

blue teapot .

She got down h er best b l ue cups an d saucers .

.
N othing is too goo d for grandmother sai d .
.

she .

How goo d the tea taste d to J ohn an d Mary .

What fun i t was to u se t he blue cups and
s a ucer s .
64 P I ON EE R L I FE

TH E N E W T E AC H E R

Grandmo t her told the children a new teacher

came i n t he stage w i th her .

He was to open a schoo l the next week .

The school was a mi l e away from J ohn s ’

home .

He an d Mary were to start to school t he next

Mon d a y .

J ohn cou l d har d l y wait for Mon d a y to come .

He c l eane d h i s s l ate an d foun d h i s spe lli ng

book .

Mary ha d n o b ook s Sh e h a d n ever b ee n to

.

sc h ooL
She lear n e d a li tt l e poem t o say fo r t h e n ew

teacher .

I t w a s a poem ab out T ra y .

Wou ld y ou l ike to hear it ?

66 P I ON EE R L I FE

SC H OOL

E arl y Monda y mornin g M a ry and J ohn

star t ed f o r school
.

J ohn was dressed in deer skin and wore a coon

skin cap .

Mary had o n a wool dress and wore a warm

shawl .

J ohn carried h is s late and dinner pail .

Mary carried t he spellin g book .

T he way wa s l ong and i t was ver y cold .

Grandmother had made mittens for bo t h the

c h ildren.

T hei r han d s were not col d

.

A t last t he y reached the schoo l

.

The t eacher w a s glad to see t hem .

He had six boys and five g i rls in h is sch o ol .

 P I ON E ER L I FE 67

M a r y soon learned t o read in her p rimer .

S h e said her le s s on s f o r mo t her .

She could re a d t he lit t le s hor t s t orie s .

She liked t o read

Ishe in ?
He is in .

Is h e up ?
He is u p .

She le a rned a new verse in school .

I t was a short verse .

L ove . o d wi t h a l l y ou r s o u l and s t ren g t h .

Wi t h a l l y ou r he a r t a n d mind .

And love y ou r nei g hbor a s y ou rself

Be faithful . . u s t a n d kin d .
68 P I ON EER L I FE

TH E C H R I STMAS CA N D LE

O ne nigh t Mary saw mother makin g a new

kind o f candle .

S h e had knit a heavy wick .

She pu lled it throu gh the end of t he dinner

horn .

Then she fil le d the horn wi t h mel t ed t allow .

O h mother what a lovel y candle that will

.

. .

make .
.

Why are you makin g it so large ?

. .

Why Mar y don t y o u know t o morrow is

.

. .
’
.

Christmas ? .

Mary . um p ed u p and down a n d cl a p p ed her

h an d s .

O f c ou rse t he y alw a y s had a b ig candle for

.

Christmas .
She ran Off t o tell J ohn the good news .

J ohn J ohn t o morrow is Chris tma s and

.

. .
.

mother is pou ring the big candle .

.
 P I ON E E R L I FE 69

C H R I STMAS EV E

It is the night before Chris t m a s .

All around the l o g c a bin the snow is white

and deep .

A big l o g bla . es in the fi re p l ace .

The spinning wheel is p u t awa y .

There is no corn to shell to night .

.

Mother is knitting by the si d e of t he fire .

Gran dmother is knitt i ng i n her o l d rocker .

J ohn and Mary are sitting on thei r stools .

F ather open s the big book an d beg i ns to rea d .

He reads a bout the she p herds out w i th thei r

flocks .

He rea d s about a beautiful shining s t ar .

He reads about t hree wise kings .

He re a ds about a dear li tt le b a b y .

Do y o u know t he s t or y li tt le bo y s a n d g i rl s ?
.

THE E N D