We even put samplers up on the wall, like pictures, for people to see. 我们甚至可以把绣样像画一样挂在墙上，供人们观赏。

You must take good care of this, Mary. 玛丽，你一定要保管好这个绣样。

Not many little girls have one of them." 没有多少小女孩能有像这样的一件绣样。

"Is it really three hundred years old?" asked Peter. 它真有300年的历史吗，彼得问道。

"Yes," said Mother. "Here is the year, 1631, sewed in it, and here are the alphabet and the name 'Polly.' But the bright colors have faded." 是的，母亲说，这里是年份，1631年，就绣在上面，这里是字母和名字，波利。但它的光泽已经褪去了。

"It must have been hard to sew all those letters," Mary said. 绣这些字母一定不容易，玛丽说。

"Girls and boys did many hard things long ago," answered Mother, 很久以前男孩和女孩会去做许多困难的事情，妈妈回答说，

"There was so much work to be done in this new country that children helped all they could. 这个刚建立不久的国家有好多好多的工作要做，所有的孩子都要尽全部所能来帮忙。

Polly learned to sew, spin, knit, and make her own clothes. She also helped to do the cooking and to take care of the house." 波利学会了绣花、纺织、针织，还会给自己做衣服，她还要帮忙做饭、收拾屋子。

"What did the boys do in 1631?" asked Peter. 那1631年的时候，男孩子们在做什么呢？

"Polly's brother helped his father take care of the farm animals," answered Mother. 彼得问道。波利的哥哥要帮着他的爸爸照看农场的牲口，妈妈回答说。

"He picked berries,weeded the garden, and cut wood for the big fireplace. 他要采摘浆果，给花园锄草，还要为大壁炉去砍些柴火。

In those days there were no stoves, and Polly and her mother had to do their cooking in pans and in big pots hanging over the fire in the fireplace." 在那个年代没有炉子，波利和她的妈妈必须用平底锅和吊挂在壁炉上的大罐子来做饭。

"Didn't the children go to school?" asked Peter. 孩子们不上学吗？彼得问。

"Yes,"said Mother, "They went to a small log schoolhouse, where the children sat on benches. 他们上学啊，妈妈说，他们会去一间小木屋，坐在长凳上上课。

They had to sit there a long time, too, for school began at eight o'clock in the morning. 孩子们要等很长时间，早上8点钟才开始上课。

The boys and girls went home to dinner at eleven o'clock and came back at one. 11点钟的时候回家吃饭，下午1点钟再过去上课。

Then they stayed in school until four." 接下来他们会在学校一直待到下午4点钟。

"They must have got tired," said Mary. 他们一定很累，玛丽说。

"I'm sure they did," said Mother. 我觉得也是，妈妈说。