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A late 19th C Canadian carved Book-Form Box
 
An impressive size book-form box, considerably larger than a spruce gum box at 6.25"x4.5"x2.75", featuring inlaid diamonds, circles, crescent moons and hearts.
Hollowed from a single piece of pine and with deeply-incised cross-hatching and chip-carving. Exhibits a good dry surface with original reddish-brown paint.
The sliding lid has some writing on the underside which includes some arithmetic as well as what looks to be the phrase "Load Paid.” If so, this would fit in with the tradition of spruce gum boxes often being carried by lumbermen working long days in the woods hauling loads of wood. It appears this box may have also been carved as a holiday love token for a sweetheart as there is a written date of Dec. 25, 1893, and on one end of the box the name "Ruby" is lightly scratched in, and on the other end the initials "R.H.M", presumably Ruby's full initials.
There are various other indistinct writings inside the lid, one of which looks to be "Kingsco".
This box was found in Lunenburg.
See photo showing a pop can for scale. 
Dimensions: 6.25"x4.5"x2.75"