Dan’s family consists of his wife Olive, as good a soul as ever lived, always hard at work.  From early morning until dusky eve she is on her feet.  It has always been a matter of gossip and astonishment, among the neighbors, as to how little Mrs. Teed, for she is by no means what you would call a large woman, could work so incessantly without becoming weary and resting for an hour or so after dinner.  But she works on all the same, never rests, and they still look on her with astonishment.  Dan and Olive have two little boys.  Willie, the eldest, is five years old; 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 the grave, he married a third with whom he is now living.  Esther’s early years having been spent with her grandmother, she very naturally became grave and old-fashioned, without knowing how or why.  Like all little girls, she was remarkably susceptible to surrounding influences, and the sedate manner and actions of the old lady made an early impression on Esther that will cling to her through life.