CHAPTER II.
A RIDE.
At Catskill Mr. Cary and Julia left the boat; and Ellen, too, with her hands full of baskets, bags, and wraps.
They walked aside from the crowd on the dock, towards a man who was holding the reins of two bright bay horses.
This was uncle Benjamin. He had left his hay-field, ten miles away, and come down to the river to welcome our travellers. Smiles and black eyes lit up his sunburnt face cheerily.
If you had been looking off from the boat to see Julia go ashore, you would have wished you too might have been lifted by his strong arms into his easy carriage.
Ellen and the baskets were next put in. Mr. Cary sprang to the front seat, and uncle Benjamin got up beside him.
The horses started as if they were in a hurry to get through the bars of their green pasture-lot again. Away they went over the hills.
Julia thought there was no other man so good as uncle Benjamin. She thought he owned all that country, that all the calves and colts scampering about the farms they passed belonged to him, and many an eager question she asked about what she saw.
“O uncle Benjamin!” she shouted at last, so quickly that he half stopped his horses, as he turned to hear, “have you got any kittens for me?”
“Ha! ha!” he laughed; “I thought you had dropped your hat or bag in the road. Got any kittens? Can’t say. Charley or Johnny will know.”