"This was a sore and great trial to Willie Robertson, but he
consoled himself for his disappointment with the thought that
Saunders could not live long, and that he would go and prepare a
place for his Jean, and have everything ready for her reception
against the old man died.
"'I was a cousin of Willie's,' continued James, 'by the mither's
side, and he persuaded me to accompany him to Canada. We set sail
the first day of May, and were here in time to chop a small fallow
for a fall crop. Willie Robertson had more of this world's gear
than I, for his father had provided him with sufficient funds to
purchase a good lot of wild land, which he did in the township of
M - -, and I was to work with him on shares. We were one of the
first settlers in that place, and we found the work before us rough
and hard to our heart's content. But Willie had a strong motive for
exertion - and never did man work harder than he did that first year
on his bush-farm, for the love of Jeanie Burns.'
"We built a comfortable log-house, in which we were assisted by
the few neighbours we had, who likewise lent a hand in clearing
ten acres we had chopped for fall crop.
"All this time Willie kept up a constant correspondence with Jeanie
Burns, and he used to talk to me of her coming out, and his future
plans, every night when our work was done. If I had not loved and
respected the girl mysel' I should have got unco' tired o' the
subject.
"We had just put in our first crop of wheat, when a letter came
from Jeanie bringing us the news of her grandfather's death. Weel
I ken the word that Willie spak' to me when he closed that letter.
'Jamie, the auld man is gane at last - an', God forgi'e me, I feel
too gladsome to greet. Jeanie is willin' to come whenever I ha'e
the means to bring her out, an', hout man, I'm jist thinkin' that
she winna' ha'e to wait lang.'
"Good workmen were getting very high wages just then, and Willie
left the care of the place to me, and hired for three months with
auld Squire Jones. He was an excellent teamster, and could put his
hand to any sort of work. When his term of service expired he sent
Jeanie forty dollars to pay her passage out, which he hoped she
would not delay longer than the spring.
