Recollections of his Childhood. 13 



the little town of Rheinbeck, that Washington lay 

 ill unto death. How eagerly must the boy have 

 listened to his father, as he described his beloved 

 Chief, as he had last seen him: "A grand man. 

 over six feet in height, seated gracefully and firmly 

 in his saddle, with a gentleness and graciousness of 

 manner, that bespoke the Statesman, rather than 

 the Warrior ; and an attention to personal appear- 

 ance that suited the festive hall, rather than the 

 wilds of Virginia." Then his mother spoke of " Lady 

 Washington," how she had presided over the " Fed- 

 eral Court " with stately courtesy and high toned 

 breeding. 



Perhaps, most of all, he liked to hear his father 

 tell of Washington's exploits as a hunter; how keen, 

 wary and successful he had been in field-sports, even 

 in boyhood. 



At that time there were but thirteen States in the 

 Union. The telegraph and other modern inventions 

 for transmitting news, were yet unknown ; tidings 

 came very slowly from the sick chamber at Mount 

 Vernon, where the beloved chief lay on his death 

 bed. At length a courier with dispatches rode up 

 in haste ; the great General and the first President 

 of the United States, was dead. This sad event, 

 that cast a gloom over the whole country, occurred 

 December 14th, 1799. 



In a few hours it was known in every farm-house 

 in the little town of Rheinbeck that Washington 

 was dead. Every detail of his last illness was 

 quickly gathered up, and even the children paused 



