Letters which shewed that the father's end was gaining, that the son's purpose was accomplishing; Rufus would be a man! They were not very frequent, for they avoided the post-office to save expense, and came by a chance hand now and then; -- "Favoured by Mr.
Upshur," -- or, "By Uncle Absalom." They were written on great uncouth sheets of letter-paper, yellow and coarse; but the handwriting grew bold and firm, and the words and the thoughts were changing faster yet, from the rude and narrow mind of the boy, to the polish and the spread of knowledge.

Perhaps the letters might be boyish yet, in another contrast; but the home circle could not see it; and if they could, certainly the change already made was so swift as shewed a great readiness for more.

Mr.Landholm said little about these letters; read them sometimes to Mr.Upshur, read them many times to himself; and for his family, his face at those times was comment enough.
"Well! -- " he said one day, as he folded up one of the uncouth great sheets and laid it on the table, -- "the man that could write _that_, was never made to hoe corn -- that's certain." Winthrop heard it.
At midsummer Rufus came home for a little.

He brought news.

He had got into the good graces of an uncle, a brother of his father's, who lived at Little River, a town in the interior, forty miles off.