Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1879-10-18

CHARACTER.
FROM the "reminiscences of Daniel
Webster" by his friend Peter Harvey,
volume of great interest, we make the
following extract: $50 - -.
The year before Mr.. Webster died, in
the autumn of 1851, was spending a
few weeks with him at his place in
Franklin. One pleasant morning he
said to me:
Il am going to drive up to Andover,
and want you to go with me-"
Andover was about ten miles from his
place in Franklin. He added:
I'VE can start after breakfast, and it
Will take Us an hour and half or two
hours to go. We shall only want to stay
there an hour or so, and we will return
In time for dinner. When we get into
the wagon, l will tell you whom l am
going to see." 80,
The horse was harnessed and we start
ed of. Aswe rode along Mr.. Webster
had great many "reminiscences called to
mind by different objects that we passed.
Such man used to live here, he would
say, and such a man lived in such a
house, and there / remember such man
lived in such a-h0use, and here he used
himself to live when a boy, and there he
used to pitch quOits, and in another
place he used to play with John HOlden's
boys.
After Mr.. Webster had recOunted vari-
Gus pleasing "reminiscences of this kind,
he said: s
Now will tell you the object of this
trip to-day. am going to see man by
the name of Colby. John Colby is a
brOther-in-law of mine. He married my
oil .,f hr>1f 90 oc
great many years older than myself, as
she was. / have not seen him for forty
i've years, as nearly as / can recOllect.
My sister, his wife, has been dead many
years; and any interest may have had
in John Colby had all died out; but l
have learned some particulars about his
recent life that interest me very much,
and Fam going to see him. 1 will tell
you something about him. When L was
lad at home on the farm, John Colby
was smart, driving, trading, swearing
yeOman, mOney-lOving and mOney-get-
ting. In that rather rude period, when
there were not many distinctions in So
ciety, when one man was about as good
as another, and when there were few ed
ucated persons, he was considered very
smart, active man. / remember him,
however, with sort of terror and shud-
der. He would pick me up when / was a
little fellow, throw me astride a horse
bareback, and send the horse to the
brook. The horse would gallOp, and l
had to hold on to his name to keep from
being pitched into the river Colby was
reckless, wild, harum-scarum, dare
devil sort of a fellow Well, John Colby
married my oldest half sister. She was
a religious, good woman; but beauX were
not plenty, and John Colby was a fine
looking man. He was called, [ think,
the wickedest man in the neighbOrhoOd,
so far as wickedness and impiety went.
used to wonder how my sister could
marry so prOfane man as John Colby. /
think she herself was very much shock
ed, and / knew her father was, who was
a religious man. And still Colby was
considered "a good CATCH l came home
from college during vacation, and~used
to hear from him, occasionally; but after
few years,-perhaps five or six years
my sister died, and then, of course, all
the interest that any of us had in John
Colby pretty much ceased. / believe she
left child, daughter, I think, who
grew up and was married, and also left
a child.
snow / will give the reason why am
to-day going up to Esee this John Col
by. / have been told by persons who
know. that within few years, he has be-
come a convert to the Christian religion,
and has met with that mysterious change.
For humanity speaking, l should have
said that his was about as hopeless a
case for conversion as / could we'll con-
ceive. He won't know me, and 1 shall
know him; and 1 don't intend to make
myself known at first"
We drove on, reached the village, a
little quiet place, one street running
through it, a few houses scattered along
here and there, with country store, a
tavern and postoffice. 2 As we drove in.
to this quiet, peaceable little hamlet, al
midday, with hardly a sign of life no
ticeable, Mr.. Webster accOsted lad in
the street, and asked where John Colby
lived.
THAT is John Colby's house," said he
pointing to very comfortable twO-StOry
house, with a green lawn running down
to the road. We drove along towards it
and little before we reached it, making
our horse secure, we left the wagon, and
proceeded to the house on foot. Instead
of steps leading from it, there were Lit
tie flag stones laid in front of the door
and you could pass right in the house
without having to step up. The dO0l
WAS ODtus LULU was uO OCSdCiOh "
knock, because as we approached tht
door, the inmates of the room could SCI
us. Sitting in the middle of that room
was striking figure, who proved to bt
John Colby. He sat facing the door, in
a very comfortably furnished farm house
room, with a. little table, or what would
perhaps be called a Ight-stand before
him. Upon it was a large, Old-fashiOne(
Scott's family Bible, in very large print
and of course very heavy volume. II
Law open, and he had evidently been read
ing it attentiveIy. As we entered, he
took off his spectacles and laid them on
the page of the book, and looked up al
us as we approached, Mr.. Webster in
front He was a man, / should think
over six feet in height, and he retained
in wonderful degree his erect and
manly form, although he was eighty-fyt
or six years old. His frame was that Of
once powerful, athletic man. His head
was covered with very heavy, thick,
bushy hair, and it was white as wool
which added very much to the pic.
turesqueness of his appearance. AS
looked in the door thought never hat
seen more striking figure. He straight
ened himself up, but said nothing until
just as we appeared at the door, when hi
greeted us with:
walk in, gentlemen"
He then spoke to his grandchild tt
give us some chairs. The meeting was
saw, little awkward, and he looked
very sharplysat us, as much as to say
''YCu are here, but for what IdOn't know
make known your business. Mr.. Web
ster's first salutatiOn was
"This is Mr.. Colby, Mr.. John Colby, il
it not?"
THAT is my name, SIR" was the reply
81 suppose you don't know me-" sal,
Mr.. Webster.
ssNo cir 7 DON'T bnour NOR, ondTcbo,,I