I.--THE CAVERN, 11 II.--BOYISHNESS, 30 III.--THE PLOWING, 47 IV.--NEGOTIATIONS, 66 V.--PLANS FOR THE SQUIRREL, 85 VI.--DIFFICULTY, 96 VII.--THE WORK SHOP, 111 VIII.--A DISCOVERY, 130 IX.--THE ACCIDENT, 148 X.--GOOD ADVICE, 165 XI.--THE JOURNEY HOME, 181 ENGRAVINGS PAGE THE BOYS AT THE MILL--FRONTISPIECE. GOING OUT THE GATE, 18 THE CAVERN, 27 THE TRAP, 40 THE HORNET'S NEST, 57 OXEN DRINKING, 60 BEECHNUT'S ADVICE, 89 THE APPEAL, 105 FRINK ON THE BEAM, 119 DOROTHY'S FIRE, 140 THE DOCTOR'S VISIT, 163 THE EFFIGY, 168 FRINK IN THE PARLOR, 179 THE DEPARTURE, 190 SCENE OF THE STORY. Franconia, a place among the mountains at the North. The time is summer. PRINCIPAL PERSONS. MRS. HENRY, a lady residing at Franconia. ALPHONZO, commonly called Phonny, about nine years old. MALLEVILLE, Phonny's cousin from New York, seven years old. WALLACE, Malleville's brother, a college student, visiting Franconia at this season. STUYVESANT, Wallace's brother, about nine years old. ANTOINE BIANCHINETTE, commonly called Beechnut, a French boy, now about fourteen years old, living at Mrs. Henry's. STUYVESANT. CHAPTER I. THE CAVERN. One pleasant summer morning Alphonzo was amusing himself by swinging on a gate in front of his mother's house. His cousin Malleville, who was then about eight years old, was sitting upon a stone outside of the gate, by the roadside, in a sort of corner that was formed between the wall and a great tree which was growing there. Malleville was employed in telling her kitten a story. The kitten was sitting near Malleville, upon a higher stone. Malleville was leaning upon this stone, looking the kitten in the face. The kitten was looking down, but she seemed to be listening very attentively. "Now, Kitty," said Malleville, "if you will sit still and hark, I will tell you a story,--a story about a mouse. I read it in a book. Once there was a mouse, and he was white, and he lived in a cage. No I forgot,--there were three mice. I'll begin again. "Once there was a boy, and he had three white mice, and he kept them in a cage."