THE MORETON FAMILY.

1

CHAPTER I.

THE FAMILY

CONCLAVE.

"Now, what do you all say about it?" said Mr. Moreton, appealing to the members of his cheerful family circle, in the prospect of an important change. "I want the opinion of every one of you. But let your mother speak first."

"The change will affect the future life of the children more than my own, my dear husband; and my feelings must not unduly influence our decision. Let them tell us their opinion, and then we will tell them ours." "Well, Robert, you are the eldest."

“I say, father, let us go. I am young, but am strong, and almost a man; and I know that we can succeed. I am ready to go."

"And so am I, father," said Henry. "I say with Robert, let us go and take a new farm. I am willing to work hard upon it.

Mary came next in order of age, and all eyes were turned towards her. She sat with her head resting upon her hand, evidently in serious thought. She paused but a moment; then, raising her head, she said

"I am willing to go, father."

A

The motner saw a tear glistening in the daughter's eye,

and kindly said

"Speak your feelings freely, my child.

Remember

that we are all one family, and that the wishes and happiness of each member of our little circle is the wish and happiness of the whole; and that the opinion of each will have its due weight in our family conclave."

"I am willing to go, mother," again replied Mary; "but, for the moment, our home here seemed too pleasant to leave; and I thought of our many friends, the dear old trees, and my beautiful garden. It was only for a moment, though," she added, with a bright smile. "We can soon make a home there, and find friends, while I shall learn to love the wide forests and the beautiful wild flowers."

Father, are there any bears out there?" asked little Alice.

"No, my darling," said the father, smiling with the others to see the wondering eyes and alarmed countenance of his flaxen-haired pet.

"Willie says that there are bears and Indians in the woods."

"Willie does wrong to try to frighten you with such stories. There are both bears and Indians in some parts of the world; but where we think of going there are neither of them now."

"If there are no bears there, and mother is going, and Willie, I want to go too. Are you going, Willie?"

"I rather think I shall, Ally. That is, if father thinks I am worth taking," said he, roguishly.

"Perhaps he may not think you are worth leaving," said Robert. "But you are all talking out of your turns. Frank ought to have spoken next to Mary."

Frank's opinion was evidently guided by Mary's, and was given guardedly.

"We are very happy here," said he; "and if we are

poor, we shall be soon old enough to help father and mother. Robert has almost learned his trade now. If I am to be a printer, I think I had better stay here. Printing is of no use out in the woods."

"It will not always be the woods' out there," replied his father. "We may want a newspaper started where we are, and you will be just the one to carry it on. If, after you are old enough to learn printing as a trade, you still desire it, whether we live here or there, I promise you that you shall have the opportunity."

"That ought to satisfy you, Frank," said Charles, who was a year younger than his brother. "I should like to go. I read the other day about the wild turkeys and ducks, the deer and the woodcock. O! I should like to live in the woods!" and visions of the time when he should be the happy possessor of a gun and a dog, floating through his mind, made his earnest, expressive coun tenance beautiful.

"Charlie shall keep us supplied with game," said Henry, entering into the enthusiasm of his brother; "and Robert and I will help father to raise the wheat for bread"

"Which I will make," said Mary"And I will eat," said Willie. help?"

"Who says I cannot

"There is one more to speak. Annie, dear, what do you say?" asked the father.

Annie, the twin-sister of Charles, was a bashful, timid child, of ten years of age, and was often overlooked in the noisy movements of her brothers and sisters. A naturally thoughtful habit of mind had been increased by almost constant feeble health and a slight deformity of person. But her invariable sweetness of disposition and gentleness of character and manner made her the darling of the family circle. As they now looked at her little pale face, and large, beaming, intellectual eyes, and

remembered how dependent she was upon joys that were brought to her, and how unable she was to seek active pleasures, there came a hush and silence over the little group, for they now recollected that to her the change would be greater than to the others, and be fuller of privations and hardships. Nor was this silence broken, until, in gentle tones, she said

"If we all live together, and God dwell with us there, we shall be happy."

They all understood little Annie's reference to the question asked by a child, when moving to a new house -"Will God live with us there?" And to them, brought up and taught as they were to love and reverence the great and blessed truths of revelation, the thought of God, at this crisis of their family history, was not an unwelcome one.

"Annie is right," said the mother, after a moment's silence. "If we love each other, and the God of love dwell with us, it matters not where we are, we must be happy. I believe, with your father, that it is better for us, as a family, to move to the West. The majority agree with me; and," she added playfully, "under our government, the majority must rule. Is it not so,

husband?"

"Yes, my dear, and a large majority we seem to have this time. We shall all have inconveniences and troubles connected with the moving, and with the new home. There will be severe labours to be performed, hardships to be endured, and some privations, accompanied with great fatigue. But a spirit of love and hopeful cheerfulness will enable us to bear these, and not let them become too burdensome to us. We are all strong, well, and able to labour, except Annie; and Dr. Newton tells me that the change of climate will, without doubt, benefit her; so, if we have God's blessing on our undertaking, I can see no reason why we should not go. In