Annals of our ancestors; one hundred and fifty years of history in the ...

THE GREEN TREE TAVERN 185
and in the case of at least one pair, young eyes spoke to other
eyes which answered hack again. It was just the beginning
of the love story between our elder brother and bright-eyed
Julia Morris. I cannot remember that I had any suspicion of
what was to be at that time.
I think Brother William had much of our father's strong
nature, both intellectually and socially. At home we learned
to love literature and poetry especially, for father was of a
highly poetical nature, loving particularly grand and sublime
diction. He used to read aloud to mother any choice bit
he found in his reading. She enjoyed hearing him declaim
in that clear, sonorous voice of his, and declared she never
knew how much there was in a poem until she had heard our
father read it. I now think we had rare opportunities, for
our day, in that we usually heard good diction in our own
home. Even in these days of superior advantages the correct
speaking of our language is almost rare, and in our youth the
opportunities for hearing it were indeed few; but as our father
commonly read aloud and declaimed the best and purest of
English, I like to think it gave us a better habit of speech. I
shall never hear again anyone read David's Psalms with the
power and feeling of my father. Indeed I have not at any
time in my hfe heard them read as he could read them.
The young voices that sounded in grandfather's room are
always silent now or have lost their youthful buoyancy. The
freedom and gayety of spirit were long ago subdued. Little
Kin no longer darts out at the sound of small, sharp hoofs on
the stair. The naughty pet lambs used often to spy the open
door and ascend the stairs in search of mischief. They were
twins and kept Kin on the alert, for they were noted for
chewing curtains and bedclothes. When she went after them
they ran precipitately down the oaken stairway, making
enough noise for a dozen lambs. I heard they had finally
to be banished to the pasture.
Saturday brought a half holiday for the boys and after
dinner they began to wash and dress in their best to go down to
Lebanon, five miles distant. If they were ever found in bad
company I never knew it. As I remember, it was Saturday