he is a strong, healthy looking lad, with a ruddy complexion, blue eyes,
and brown curly hair; his principal amusements are throwing stones,
chasing the chickens, and hurting his little brother. George, the
youngest of Dan's boys, is the finest boy of his age in the village and
is only a little over a year old; his merry little laugh, winning ways,
and cunning actions to attract attention have made him a favorite with
all who visit at the cottage.

Besides his wife and two little boys, Dan has under his honest roof and
protection his wife's two sisters,--Jane and Esther Cox--who board with
him. Jane is a lady-like, self-possessed young woman of about
twenty-two, and is quite a beauty; her hair is very light brown and
reaches below her waist when she allows it to fall in graceful
tresses--at other times she wears it in the Grecian style; her eyes are
of a greyish hue; a clear complexion and handsome teeth add to her fine
appearance. In fact, Jane Cox is one of the village belles, and has
hosts of admirers, not of the male sex alone, for she is also popular
among the ladies; she is a member and regular attendant of Parson
Townsend's Church, which, by the way, the good Parson has had under his
care for about forty-five years. Esther Cox, Dan's other sister in-law,
is such a remarkable girl in every respect that I must give as complete
a description of her as possible. She was born in Upper Stewiacke, Nova
Scotia, on March 28th, 1860, and is consequently in her eighteenth year.
Esther has always been a queer girl. When born she was so small that her
good, kind grandmother, who raised her, (her mother having died when she
was three weeks old) had to wash and dress her on a pillow, and in fact
keep her on it all the time until she was nine months old, at which age
her weight was only five pounds. When she was quite a little girl her
father, Archibald T. Cox, married again, and moved to East Machias,
Maine, where he has since resided. Having followed his second wife to