Reminiscences of life in territorial Wisconsin

              1824-42.]        LIFE IN TERRITORIAL WISCONSIN. 247
child! She had come here young and had spent three years in this wild region, as she must have deemed it. No won¬ der she was glad that some one was to enjoy such happi¬ ness as going East would confer. Little any of them knew how gladly I would have given it all up. I had only to look at my children, to be very faint-hearted. The wife of Capt. Robert E. Clary (a very worldly woman) thought I ought to give up all idea of the journey, for if I went East I would never be happy at the West again. I had, however, the pleasure of telling her, on my return, that the happiest moment I experienced on my journey was when I turned my face homeward.
We had no means of informing my friends at Mackinac that we expected to leave our children with them. As my mother was at her work, the translation of some Indian books, she was at Grand Traverse for that purpose. We arrived at the dear old Mackinac home, where I would have given so much to remain, and found my mother away, as I have already mentioned, on an absence of several weeks.
My grandmother was much delighted at the prospect of having the children with her, but feared they would be lonely, as she did not speak English at all, and only Eliza could speak French. Emilie, to please her grandmother Baird, had given up speaking French, and Louise, for the same reason, never spoke it. We left the three good little girls in the care of that devoted grandmother, who took care of them with fear and trembling. I never wish any one to take their first pleasure trip under just such cir¬ cumstances as I did at this time. I never shall forget the parting. The boat had to pass in front of my grand¬ mother's home. I could see her with the little folk looking at the boat that was bearing their all away. It seemed as though I should jump overboard to join my dear children. The eldest was only eleven, the next not quite eight, and the youngest only a little over three years of age, and they were to be left for some weeks where no one spoke English. I pitied my dear grandmother. It was not until we had lost sight of Mackinac Island, by rounding the point