pretty feathers. We should be kind to the animals and birds for they minister to our comforts and happiness, and they cannot defend them- selves against us. The wool had to be washed and carded and spun, before it was ready for the loom. But it did not take long to trans- fer the wool from the sheep to the boys and girls. We were quite proud of our new clothes. We did not think that they were the sheep’s old clothes. We did not rob the sheep; they were made on purpose to minister to us. They would get nice new suits without any trouble or expense. Mother did most of the carding and spinning at our house. She knit our mitts and socks, and kept our clothing snug, it was a big job; many an hour’s sleep she denied herself that we might have nice warm clothing. After a time there was a carding mill within a few miles of us; this was a great-labour saving concern. I

liked to go there and see the long slender rolls coming out from the big revolving cards.

The Loom

The weaving was done by hand on looms. There were very few looms near us. We got one of our own and my sister learned to weave. It was a frame with four corner posts, like a small square house; this frame was firmly braced. There was a large roller at the back for the web and a small one at the front for the warp. The warp had to be put through heddles; these were like fish nets. The warp had to be put through the meshes of three or four sets of these nets. My sister got me to hand the threads to her; it was a tedious and distasteful job for me; she had to exercise great tact to keep me at it. but by tell- ing me stories, and coaxing and paying me a penny for each web, or piece of cloth, she kept me going till the job was done. There was a reed, like a big comb, four or five feet long, fixed into a swinging beam in front of the weaver. It was interesting to watch the shuttle flying between the shifting threads of warp, and see the web filling up. When the shuttle went through a thread ran off the spool and the weaver gave the beam a quick pull and pounded it in. This thump, thump, thump went on all day and often far into the night. It was hard work and required a good bit of skill. The cloth was firm and strong and some of the webs very beautiful. This cloth was not fit to be made into clothing until 'it was "milled”. As the "mill-

52