Webster's boyish days are pleasant to look upon, but they gain a peculiar lustre from the noble character of his father, the deep solicitude of his mother, and the generous devotion and self-sacrifice of both parents.

There was in this something prophetic.

Every one about the boy was laboring and sacrificing for him from the beginning, and this was not without its effect upon his character.

A little anecdote which was current in Boston many years ago condenses the whole situation.

The story may be true or false,--it is very probably unfounded,--but it contains an essential truth and illustrates the character of the boy and the atmosphere in which he grew up.