Chap.  XI.]  HOME-LIFE.  441

Mr.  Choate  would  seem  to  know  more  about  that  case
than  any  other  man  in  the  court-room.  His  mental
rapidity  showed  itself  in  every  thing.  It  was  wonderful
to  see  him  run  through  the  leaves  of  a  series  of  digests,
and  strike  at  a  glance  upon  what  would  most  strongly
avail  him,  and  reject  the  weak  or  irrelevant.  So  in  all
his  reading  he  distilled  the  spirit  (if  there  was  any)
instantly  from  any  dilution."

I  shall  venture  to  give  here  a  few  familiar  reminis-
cences of  Mr.  Choate's  home-life,  exactly  as  they  were
written  by  a  daughter,  for  the  amusement  of  one  of
his  grand-children,  without  thought  of  their  serving  any
other  purpose;

"  Whoever  had  seen  your  grandpapa  with  any  of
us  children  would  have  soon  found  that  with  all  his
study  and  hard  work,  he  always  had  time  to  make
home  happy,  and  romped  and  played  with  us  to  our
hearts'  content,  —  laughed  at  our  dolls  and  cats,
read  our  compositions,  heard  our  lessons,  and  when
a  leisure  evening  came  would  join  us  in  our  games  of
Royal  Goose,  and  Loto,  which  was  his  especial  favorite.
