I
thought at first that he did not know any thing, when I found out that
he had never even heard the names of some of our most distinguished
families, and I suspect he despised me in his heart because I was so
ignorant about the old Pilgrim Fathers.
We have many an argument about New England and the Old Dominion, but
keep our tempers pretty well, and each of us finds a great deal to boast
of. There is one thing I can say which really troubles him, for he can't
deny that it is a great honor to the State, and that is, that General
Washington was born and brought up and died in Virginia. O, how he
glories even that Washington was an American, and what would he not give
if he could claim him for his dear Massachusetts! I used to think that
the Yankees were all cold-hearted and never got excited about any thing;
but David looks as if his soul was all on fire when he speaks of the
Father of his Country, and he drinks in every word I can tell him of
Mount Vernon. He has made me tell him over as much as three times all
the stories grandfather told us of the time when he belonged to
Washington's military family, and what he said to grandmother when they
were both children.
There goes Clarendon, staggering up and down the deck from sea-sickness.
He will not take enough of the sailor's fare to do him any good, and the
wry faces which he makes over a few mouthfuls are pitiful. Before he
could get the sails shifted, I am sure the wind would change, and though
the crew try to be polite, they can't help laughing to see what an
awkward hand he is at doing any thing.
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