Snowflakes and Sunbeams | Page 4

that quarter. In reply,

I have to state that I shall have the honour to fulfil your instructions by
taking my departure in a light canoe as soon as possible. At the same
time I beg humbly to submit that the state of my health is such as to
render it expedient for me to retire from the service, and I herewith beg
to hand in my resignation. I shall hope to be relieved early next
spring.--I have the honour to be, gentlemen, your most obedient,
humble servant,
F. Kennedy.

"There!" exclaimed the old gentleman, in a tone that would lead one to
suppose he had signed the death-warrant, and so had irrevocably fixed
the certain destruction, of the entire council--"there!" said he, rising
from his chair, and sticking the quill into the ink-bottle with a dab that
split it up to the feather, and so rendered it hors de combat for all time
coming.
To this letter the council gave a short reply, accepting his resignation,
and appointing a successor. On the following spring old Mr. Kennedy
embarked his wife and children in a bark canoe, and in process of time
landed them safely in Red River Settlement. Here he purchased a house
with six acres of land, in which he planted a variety of useful
vegetables, and built a summer-house after the fashion of a
conservatory, where he was wont to solace himself for hours together
with a pipe, or rather with dozens of pipes, of Canadian twist tobacco.
After this he put his two children to school. The settlement was at this
time fortunate in having a most excellent academy, which was
conducted by a very estimable man. Charles and Kate Kennedy, being
obedient and clever, made rapid progress under his judicious
management, and the only fault that he had to find with the young
people was, that Kate was a little too quiet and fond of books, while
Charley was a little too riotous and fond of fun.
When Charles arrived at the age of fifteen and Kate attained to fourteen
years, old Mr. Kennedy went into his conservatory, locked the door, sat
down on an easy chair, filled a long clay pipe with his beloved tobacco,
smoked vigorously for ten minutes, and fell fast asleep. In this
condition he remained until the pipe fell from his lips and broke in

fragments on the floor. He then rose, filled another pipe, and sat down
to meditate on the subject that had brought him to his smoking
apartment. "There's my wife," said he, looking at the bowl of his pipe,
as if he were addressing himself to it, "she's getting too old to be
looking after everything herself (_puff_), and Kate's getting too old to
be humbugging any longer with books: besides, she ought to be at
home learning to keep house, and help her mother, and cut the baccy
(_puff_), and that young scamp Charley should be entering the service
(_puff_). He's clever enough now to trade beaver and bears from the
red-skins; besides, he's (_puff_) a young rascal, and I'll be bound does
nothing but lead the other boys into (_puff_) mischief, although, to be
sure, the master does say he's the cleverest fellow in the school; but he
must be reined up a bit now. I'll clap on a double curb and martingale.
I'll get him a situation in the counting-room at the fort (_puff_), where
he'll have his nose held tight to the grindstone. Yes, I'll fix both their
flints to-morrow;" and old Mr. Kennedy gave vent to another puff so
thick and long that it seemed as if all the previous puffs had concealed
themselves up to this moment within his capacious chest, and rushed
out at last in one thick and long-continued stream.
By "fixing their flints" Mr. Kennedy meant to express the fact that he
intended to place his children in an entirely new sphere of action, and
with a view to this he ordered out his horse and cariole [Footnote: A
sort of sleigh.] on the following morning, went up to the school, which
was about ten miles distant from his abode, and brought his children
home with him the same evening. Kate was now formally installed as
housekeeper and tobacco-cutter; while Charley was told that his future
destiny was to wield the quill in the service of the Hudson's Bay
Company, and that he might take a week to think over it. Quiet,
warm-hearted, affectionate Kate was overjoyed at the thought of being
a help and comfort to her old father and mother; but reckless, joyous,
good-humoured, hare-brained Charley was cast into the depths of
despair at the idea of spending the livelong day, and day after day, for
years it might be, on the top of a long-