ecisely at
three. At times he would go to the river bank and make the accustomed
signals, and meet with no response. The old fisherman would be quietly
reposing in his canoe, rocked by the gentle undulations of the stream,
and dreaming, no doubt, of events "long time ago." The importune master
of the kitchen, grown ferocious by delay, would now rush up and down
the water's edge, and, by dint of loud shouting, cause the canoe to turn
its prow to the shore. Father Jack, indignant at its being supposed he
was asleep at his post, would rate those present on his landing, "What
you all meck such a debil of a noise for, hey? I wa'nt sleep, only
noddin'."

The establishment of Mount Vernon employed a perfect army of domestics;
yet to each one were assigned special duties, and from each one strict
performance was required. There was no confusion where there was order,
and the affairs of this estate, embracing thousands of acres and
hundreds of dependents, were conducted with as much ease, method, and
regularity as the affairs of a homestead of average size.

Mrs. Washington was an accomplished housewife of the olden time, and she
gave constant attention to all matters of her household, and by her
skill and management greatly contributed to the comfort and
entertainment of the guests who enjoyed the hospitality of her home.

The best charities of life were gathered round Washington in the last
days at Mount Vernon. The love and veneration of a whole people for his
illustrious services, his generous and untiring labors in the cause of
public utility; his kindly demeanor to his family circle, his friends,
and numerous dependents; his courteous and cordial hospitality to his
guests, many of them strangers from far distant lands; these charities,
all of which sprang from the heart, were the ornament of his declining
years, and granted the most sublime scene in nature, when human
greatness reposes upon human happiness.

On the morning of the 13th of December, 1799, the General was engaged in
making some improvements in the front of Mount Vernon. As was usual with
him, he carried his own compass, noted his observations, and marked out
the ground. The day became rainy, with sleet, and the improver remained
so long exposed to the inclemency of the weather as to be considerably
wetted before his return to the house. About one o'clock he was seized
with chilliness and nausea, but having changed his clothes, he sat down
to his indoor wo