ENGRAVINGS.

MARY ERSKINE'S FARM-FRONTISPIECE.

CATCHING THE HORSE,

THE LOG HOUSE,

MARY BELL AT THE BROOK,

THE WIDOW AND THE FATHERLESS,

THE STRAWBERRY PARTY,.

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THE

FRANCONIA STORIES.

ORDER OF THE VOLUMES.

Malleville.

Wallace.

Mary Erskine.

Mary Bell.

Beerhunt.

SCENE OF THE STORY.

The country in the vicinity of Franconia, at the North.

MARY ERSKINE.

ALBERT.

PRINCIPAL PERSONS

PHONNY and MALLEVILLE, cousins, residing at the house of Phonny's mother.

MRS. HENRY, Phonny's mother.

ANTONIO BIANCHINETTE, a French boy, residing at Mrs. Henry's; commonly called Beechnut.

MRS. BELL, a widow lady, living in the vicinity of Mrs. Henry's.

MARY BELL, her daughter.

MARY ERSKINE.

CHAPTER I.

JEMMY.

Malleville and Phonny.

MAL

The recesses.

ALLEVILLE and her cousin Phonny generally played together at Franconia a great part of the day, and at night they slept in two separate recesses which opened out of the same room. These recesses were deep and large, and they were divided from the room by curtains, so that they formed as it were separate chambers and yet the children could speak to each other from them in the morning before they got up, since the curtains did not intercept the sound of their voices. They might have talked in the same manner at night, after they had gone to bed, but this was against Mrs. Henry's rules.

One morning Malleville, after lying awake a few minutes, listening to the birds that were singing in the yard, and wishing that the win