CON WELL AND HIS FAMILY. 283 



pleasing appearance rose from her seat on the entrance 

 of her son-in-law, and cordially shook his hand, while 

 two fine boys of eleven and eight jumped up to welcome 

 him ; another person in the room, a young graceful 

 girl, who at first kept modestly in the background, 

 then came forM-ard to greet her brother-in-law, who 

 addressed her as Sophy ; neither was the stranger over- 

 looked, but received a hearty welcome from all. I, 

 who, a few minutes before, had felt so deserted and 

 miserable, now experienced a silent joy, as I looked on 

 the amiable, honorable countenance of the mother, the 

 mild expression of the daughter, and the open, happy 

 faces of the two boys. It was as if I had found new 

 relations, and was once again at home. Never in my 

 life had I felt, from the first moment, so completely 

 domesticated as with these people. 



In about half an hour old Conwell came in : if ever 

 uprightness was stamped upon any countenance, it 

 was upon his ; his hair was white as snow, but his step 

 was as springy as he moved about in his hunfing- 

 shirt, leggins, moccasins, and bare neck^ as if he had 

 seen but twenty years. After we had been seated 

 about an hour, it seemed as if I had known him from 

 childhood, and the evening fiew past with incredible 

 swiftness. 



The cold was very sharp on Christmas-day, and we 

 were delighting in a glorious fire, when John, the 

 youngest boy, ran in, and said there was a large gang 

 of turkeys in the corn. I seized my rifle, called Bears- 

 grease, and was soon in the field. No sooner had the 

 dog found the scent, than he was amongst them, and 

 they flew to the neighboring trees. I knocked over 



