Library Collections: Document: Full Text

The company found George a go-ahead "Young American" of the old school. And as he hung tight to his peculiar opinions, the conversation passed on to other and to some personal matters. For instance, as Eliza smilingly prepared tea for her visitors, old Mr. Warren remarked --

"I must have known your mother, Mrs. Rodman. She was married to Mr. McDougal when she was young -- I think about seventeen or eighteen years old -- and soon after left us for the West, as New York and Eastern Ohio were then called. I remember her well by her family name."

"Do you, indeed, sir? I am rejoiced to hear it. I presume you can tell me many things about her early life? I should be most happy to hear any thing you can recollect of her, believe me."

"Well, it is forty years since she went from here. If living, she would now be nearly, or quite, sixty years of age. She has somewhat dimmed on my recollection, but let me say that I remember her as a romantic, fearless girl, rather fond of adventure, and good at contriving plays and amusements."

"Well, she always was, to her very dying day, Mr. Warren," said the pleased and excited Mrs. Rodman.

"True, very true!" reechoed her husband.

"Ah! I remember hearing her say she was going out to get acquainted with the Western Indians, for she liked the Indian character, and wasn't a bit afraid of them."

"Just like her, for all the world! Was it not, husband?"

"Precisely."

"Then she said she would give more to see the great lakes, and sail across them, than two Atlantic Oceans."

"And then, husband, you know what a passion she always had for a sail in a schooner; and later, for a steamboat excursion on the lakes, Mr. Rodman?"

"I know it well," said he.

"She also said -- I well remember it," said the old man -- "'if a person had any disposition to do good, the West was the place for it then, and would be for a thousand years to come.'"

"Dear soul I" exclaimed Mrs. Rodman -- "she always had a Bible and a Testament, or other good book, large or small, to give to every one whom she thought needed it."

"And would frequently teach the children in the neighborhood to read," said Mr. Rodman.

"She was neat and tidy too in her dress and appearance," said the old gentleman, "very careful of trinkets and mementoes; an early riser, brisk and cheerful walker, and a great reader."

"Was she, indeed! Even when so young?"

"Yes, even then, and I remember she studied Latin, and recited it to our minister before she was thirteen.

And I should like to know if she retained her knowledge of it?" he inquired.

"To some extent," said Mrs. Rodman, "but not enough to be of much help to her children, whom, however, she had invariably attend to it. My mother, sir, neither wore out, lost, nor seemed to neglect any thing. If she had a ribbon on her hat that was not immediately wanted for further use, it was ' done up' carefully and put away in her box of 'collars,' 'wrist-bands,' 'muslins,' 'beads,' 'rings,' 'patterns,' and 'gloves.' She had boxes of trinkets all arranged with care, mementoes of her own early life, and of all the children. She always kept things in the most perfect system. She could in a moment find anything she wanted that was in the house. And she was neither parsimonious nor selfish, but was liberal, and always bestowing on others such things as they seemed to need. But there are always some things, you know, sir, that do not seem to get out of the house any way -- and these she kept in perfect order, making every thing do double the work that we, many of us, seem capable of doing."

"You are a pretty good type though," said her husband.

"Thank you, husband. For example, my mother, sir, kept her striped silk wedding-dress more than thirty years, and I remember she would often bring it forward, and put it into some new form, and wear it about, looking in it as sweet and dear as you ever saw her, I dare say, in her best and loveliest youth."

"Very likely," said the old gentleman, highly gratified.

"Then she kept her wedding-shoes, and would frequently put in here and there a new stitch in the binding, and mend and wear them a few days, when she would replace them carefully among the 'relics' to wear again some other day."

"She was one of the right sort of pioneer women. I doubt not," said Mr. Warren.

"And the family are now all gone from these parts?" said she.

"Yes."

"No near relatives in any of the towns about, are there?"

"None that I can now remember."

"There were no uncles and aunts?"

"There was one -- an uncle; but he and his wife died early, or in ten or twelve years after."

"Yes, I have heard my mother speak of them -- and their children -- had they any, Mr. Warren?"

The old gentleman seemed to waver on the point of memory here for a moment, and to look rather confused.

"Do not try to recollect, sir, if it is any trouble to you. Now, pray do not, sir -- we have consumed a long time. Your tea, Mrs. Herring, has made us very talkative."

Eliza was glad if the tea was "agreeable."