The strategetic little god who " laughs at locksmiths," 

 would have found no locks here to shatter with his fabled 

 arrows, but doors wide open, and the entire family ready to 

 deal fairly by him — no more. The tremulous tenderness and 

 dramatic fervor marking the "grande passion" in emotional 

 natures, was here quite out of place, where sentiment \ v as 

 supplied by constancy, the tie formed made one for life. 



The quivers of the comely, dark-eyed dames of the Red 

 River were full of arrows. The man who bartered his liberty 

 for their maiden smiles was "a family man" by brevet upon 

 his wedding day. Children tumbled in upon him so fast that 

 it was a matter of not a little adroitness — in the night season — 

 to cross the floor where they slept — smothered in robes — 

 healthy exceedingly. 



This fecundity, bringing uneasiness to men of moderate 

 means elsewhere, and disturbing the Malthusian philosopher, 

 was here a source of strength and comfort. The joy of con- 

 tact being never dashed with a thought of the future, the 

 young birds leaving the parent nest, only exchanged it for one 

 near at hand — land for the taking ; a house to be built, a ivife 

 to be got — a share of the stock, some tools and simple furni- 

 ture, and the outfit was complete. The youngest son remained 

 at home to care for the old father and mother, and to him 

 came the homestead when they were laid away. The condi- 

 tions were all faithful, home life dear indeed. 



To the Hunters accepting their fall-woods with errant 

 wing, a wilder thought could scarce be broached than that of 

 solicitude as to the future of their young. Boys who sat a 

 horse almost as soon as they could walk, whose earliest play- 

 thing was a bow and arrows ; girls as apt in other ways, happy, 

 faith in their environment, one long sustained. 



With so large an infusion of Norse blood and certain 

 traditions anent " usquebah " and " barley bree " it would — 

 with so large a liberty — be naturally expected, a liberal pro- 

 portion of drouthy souls, but with an abundance of what cheers 

 and distinctly inebriates in their midst they were a temperate 

 people in its best sense, with no tippling houses to daily tempt 



