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show what estimation the former were held in yet how little is known of of them at this day i the truth is that himself would pass unnoticed and forgotten in virginia if he were not a public character and some of his speeches preserved in a newspaper the latter might keep his memory alive for a year or two but not much longer instead of an attempt at what might be called a account of any of these persons perhaps a of their characters only with here and there a speech or an anecdote might answer but anecdotes which might entertain occur so seldom in private life in virginia that they may be truly said to be in upon the whole i am inclined to think biography in virginia would at present be a hopeless although a very interesting selection might be made of virginia whose general characters deserve to be remembered and to the latest posterity but the misfortune is that few remain among us who have known and marked the outlines which ought to be traced and still fewer are capable of giving the sketch of them i have repeatedly wished that my talent lay that way but i feel a thorough conviction that it does not if we lived together and in a daily intercourse i could perhaps from time to time recollect enough of such men as i have mentioned and some others to enable you to draw an outline of each which you might fill up at leisure from your own resources or the communications of others but were i to take up my pen for that purpose i should only betray my own alarm at yon must be tired of this subject from which i shall turn away to the path of pleasure i rejoice that you propose to resume it and make little doubt you will once more acquire in it r as a would say throw a second time to lie serious i trust you will resume it pursue it and arrive at a speedy and happy conclusion and termination of it when finished i beg to be with a sight of it as early as possible and pledge myself to do my best for a and possibly an too but i must have the play itself with me at the time to aid my imagination f believe me ever most warmly and most sincerely your friend s g we have now some pictures of the war an alarm at in this extract from a letter to mrs who is at june he e c e fe i thank heaven with gratitude that you have escaped the idle panic into which the city was thrown on yesterday about twelve o clock i was at the market house attending a common hall when we were broken up by the violent ringing of the alarm bell the first idea that bolted into my mind was tiiat our old castle was on fire but before i had crossed the market bridge an alarm cannon was fired on the hill then another and another here was the complete signal of invasion the was such as you may conceive the signal was perfectly understood every man had to rush with his to the square even the silver and parson among them flew to arms the report ran that the british were at s and we had heard from an source that they had disgraced themselves at by more and horrible than ever before a town of a nature so heart sickening that i do not choose to describe them to you they even excited the to join them in these brutal what think you must have been the terrors and agonies of the women here on the report that the same enemy was in their town doctor applied to me for our carriage to take his daughters to william s in county to which i cheerfully agreed were moving furniture from all parts of the town i believe no ladies moved for before they could prepare the panic was dissipated came rushing on the square with a pistol in each hand crying out where are they where are they to which the governor answered that they were at city point and mc chap xx the flying disposed of his pistols as soon as he could it tamed out that the british had ascended the river as high as city point which is ten miles below our works and army at hood s that they were slowly ascending the river and the thus suddenly called was missed till six o clock this evening i thought it not to get all your plate together and pack up my books for a travel if another alarm should take place which i did but we heard no more of the enemy until this morning when we were informed by an express that they had gone back again amidst the alarm and uncertainty however the governor and field officers were and for a company of flying and i could not resist their without myself to the censure of indifference at least so i raised a company for the defence of the town and and a most splendid one it is to near a hundred picked men although convinced that we shall have nothing to do this same company will prevent my seeing you for some weeks for my company must be trained and made effective and fit for the field before i ought to leave them h w t t your affectionate husband wm to judge co august mt dear friend let us waste no time in apologies for not writing it is enough for you to know that you have lived in my heart s core for seventeen years and that the roots by which you have taken hold of	29
me have become stronger with every year as a friend i am not conscious that you have any right to reproach me except that i am an irregular and if you please a lazy correspondent is the single blot in my and i am not very sure that you do not bear the same reproach so that this is a now point of and of course of attraction if those who been miserable together love each other the more on that account why not those who have been lazy together r you would know what i have been doing this summer why reading newspapers in the hearing alarm bells and alarm guns and training a company of flying with whom in imagination i have already beaten and captured four or five different british of two or three thousand each silent inter silent unless it be the muse of who as tom divers says is one of those cattle i don t suffer to speak to me of the war talking of i never saw his fragments till lately they are most noble productions and supposing them to have been song accompanied by music in an army marching to battle i believe firmly in the effects which history to them the author of the hymn i suspect had read there is a great in the spirit of the productions the latter i have no doubt was suggested by the former i wish you would get the minor poets which you may do in i suppose and read if your greek is rusty there is a latin translation but in several of the most beautiful passages it is i think so far as my little remaining greek me you will enjoy him i highly you have heard all about our the whole truth as pope s witness said and more too my wife and children were out of town they were here but i was in the thick of the throng there was nothing wanting but composure we should have fought like lions but from the suddenness and agitation of the alarm it struck me that we should not fire well at least for the first two or three rounds we beat our forefathers as i mean no to them whom i so much but the fact is so and it is very easily accounted for with their honour we have breathed for thirty years the proud spirit of independence and in this spirit we begin the war they on the contrary were against the habit of and were fighting against some of the strongest tendencies of their own hearts in fighting against their king they were crushed too by conscious poverty and the almost entire of all the means of war we on the contrary are rich and armed cap a pie no wonder therefore that we have more confidence pride and courage what do you think of young s defence of lower he is by land exactly what and are at sea the very of their daring spirits it is exactly the spirit which displayed at and if s intellect equals his courage it will only be the want of opportunity which will stop him short of the summit of martial renown x jf family are all here in health and spirits is now writing her s exercise in my study a room in the third story about sixty feet from the ground which opens on the mountains where i my children and sit and read and write rarely writing requires a solitude and self possession which my children will not allow me is reading you see i stick to my latin system i will try it with her taking care to leave her time between this and seventeen for those accomplishments which she cannot do without chap xx judge s success is away at latin too he is beginning to which is a thing he hates as bad as s man did something else my were you to see them playing together on a sheet spread on the floor so and so sweet don t talk sir i my wife is in uncommon health but down hearted because of the flying which she considers a boyish unfit for the ther of six children our love attend you all your friend as ever till death wm mt dear friend to judge october yours of the th overtook me at this place let us bury the for past and do as well as we can hereafter if we are a little idle or so at times let it break no squares between us we have known each other too long and too well to grow suspicious and and quarrel for of etiquette and you say some eloquent things about and the navy they are all just and i echo every sentiment god speed them which is as much as they can expect of you and i now let us talk of our noble selves a very interesting subject about which you have not said more than ten words i hear that lord lord and brown are in danger of a total i that the at and have all the of legal lore which prize so highly together with the true flow and how is this must and call and and all be thrown into the shade ob and for ever and ever must and and and be utterly forgotten and for twenty centuries forbid it forbid it the nine and the seven i me truly on this subject do you really mean to these to tread out the lamp black the way the sun and set the at s that they may rise with call and others here referred to were gentlemen of the virginia bar some of whom had published reports of the virginia j the others were counsel of note the comedy on the universe give us	29
notice sir that we may take onr measures accordingly and this brings me to speak of the visit made you by peter and frank would i had been with you i what a time you must have had of it i what three happy fellows no three happier in the world to be sure there have been four here not far behind you in this particular for you are to know that as i passed by pope s last week he formed a with my and we arrived at on saturday evening in high health and spirits here besides the families s and mine we found frank and we had for four days and nights what our call old laughing pope was in his glory fought all his battles o er again with triple lustre and thrice he the slain in fact he was very near killing all three of us with laughter and our wives and children to boot he dined one day at charles s a grave and orderly family he dropped among them like an unknown and took the major s mother an old lady of seventy so completely by surprise that he laughed her into an such a cure for the heart ache never before existed a cure for the heart ache you know is the name of a play this leads me to speak of mine tried the metal of the piece on when i was in and found that to change the every key produced the expected note he cried laughed started and with curiosity just as i intended so that if he is as good a of the public taste as s old woman the piece would certainly take if i find that i have the weather of the public i will give them an annual dose of good morals through this channel i c k k s we have just received the last papers the british parliament no ministers to meet ours in russia the american war to be pressed without a glorious campaign this summer by and the conquest of canada by us we shall have no peace this year for an american navy and american up t p if e but plague on politics and say t my wife with me in love to yourself and mrs and my children also send love to yours my still shine with lustre may heaven ever bless and prosper you and make you as illustrious and happy as my soul wishes you and frank send love hot your friend chap xx letter to francis was at this time an in s family and pursuing the study of the law i shall hereafter have an opportunity to offer several letters written to the student by his friend in the way of advice upon his studies which will commend themselves to the attention of all who strive to attain the honours of the profession to which these letters refer the following is the first in this series to francis w november mt dear francis as in the bustle of starting i forgot to shake hands with you i shall endeavour to offer some for it by giving you the first letter had i not been perplexed by the multitude of petty concerns to which it was necessary for me to attend i wished to have had some particular conversation with you about the course of your studies and more especially the mode of studying bacon it was understood that you were not only to read all bacon s but to add to them and the virginia there are some british since s of bacon that i have and as instead of shrinking from labour you love a task the more for being the more i would recommend it to you to embrace them in your scheme also whenever the head you are upon the subject of pleading you ought to consult before you bacon and learn to draw the plea off hand at once for example the first head in bacon is the course which we propose is first to see what says on that subject throughout which you will easily do by the aid of his index consult s with the editor s notes to see the changes by our state law you will thus have gotten the of the coast at least in outline and know where you are next in his first volume you will see his learning on the plea of in his second you will see the forms of the plea itself which you must be able to draw before you lay him down thus prepared you open bacon and having read him and his on the subject you turn to and east s reports smith s reports s reports s s reports day s edition then the american and virginia reports in my notes i would follow bacon s distribution of the head and arrange the matter which i collect as he would have done had he possessed it when for example you find a case presenting a ti r study of the law ia say on the subject of as what may be pleaded in to that division of the head of which such matter properly comes and the reference there otherwise all your own discoveries will come en at the end of the head in your note book and will be without distribution order or light you must not read so long at a time and with so little as to make your head spin as lord says nor to si it with and as calls it on the contrary take your time and see your course clearly understand the whole as you go along not only but keep your books and your route under your eye as clearly as a general does his army and his line of march and like a general and conqueror	29
never quit any province you enter being able to say this province is mine and placing in it an invincible garrison the general course is to gallop over these provinces like travellers in a hurry and having made one or two remarks to take it for granted we know all about it as from a single example all the tavern in this state and all their wives one student too as soon as he leaves one of these provinces having contrived to make his own time very disagreeable in it as well as very turns about at the boundary line and a very profound reverence says i hope never to see you whereas had he cultivated it properly he might have made the grounds so profitable and delightful that it would have been grateful at a future day to return and review them i am not one of those who believe in the of genius in these latter days i believe the of great men in all ages has proceeded from the of is natural to man and it is the brave few who can clear the at a bound break over the magic and stretch away with an eye that never and a wing that never into new re and new worlds who distinguish themselves from the crowd and rise to that never what kind of men were bacon c think what habits of application they must have had what an appetite for knowledge not the morbid craving of a day or a week but the of a long life such only are the fellows who climb so high up fame s as to write their names where they may strike the eye of distant nations the many of us who cannot bear the labour of climbing stand on the ground and stretch up as high as we can and as this is a paltry business that depends more on the longest legs and arms than the longest head it turns out that s name is as far as s and ki a very short time they will both be by the herd of their who will be as tall as they arc chap contentment and will their hour of notice in a world of several in you have begun under the happiest even set out with a stock of science and information which was not surpassed i suspect in the example of mr and not equalled in any other i do not except now if you do not keep the advantage you have got the fault is your own you may get up among the eminent few at the top of the if you choose or if you prefer it among the at the base for my own part independent of the affection which makes me take an interest in you i have a sort of philosophical curiosity to see what is by man and i know of no young man so well gifted for the experiment as yourself the cultivation of eloquence should go hand in hand with your legal studies i would commit to memory and a la mode de the finest parts of to tune the voice by all the varieties of its melody to give the muscles of the face all their motion and expression and to acquire an habitual ease and of gesture and command of the stronger passions of the soul i would my own and compose them for i would address my to trees and stones and streams if i could not get a living audience and blush not even if i were caught at it so much for this subject your friend wm chapter xxi contentment prosperous condition letters to to mr opinion op views op the war ex opinions letter to op the visit to washington aspect op aversion to public engagement in the supreme court postponed s professional position was now securely established on the same level with the most eminent men of the bar of virginia the most difficult and the most dangerous points in the path of his worldly career may be said to have been overcome tv i fc i vol l prosperous condition springs from and safety in the affairs of life was opening upon his household a numerous family of children was growing up around him his business was not only profitable but it was of a character which rendered it most agreeable to his by the reputation it brought him and the scope it gave to a useful and honourable association with the more important individuals and concerns of the society in which he lived a man becomes and strengthened in his place by connections as trees whose roots take firmer hold of the soil by the thousand new of a growth the natural of this steady success was a placid and life from which we may not expect much material just at this time to give excitement to our narrative it is in toiling up the steep of fame that the of human condition and the adventures which belong to the strife of genius afford the most topics of instruction the height once gained the s progress is apt to lose the interest of its previous doubtful and anxious struggles in that period of repose and quiet enjoyment which generally follows successful endeavour as its appropriate reward i do not mean to intimate that at this juncture the subject of our had attained a point at which his ambition found nothing further to but he had gained a platform where he rejoiced in himself of those which we have seen him sometimes disposed to entertain in the contemplation of his labours to secure an independent position for his family he felt that his success was assured he had earned and was now enjoying the respect of friends the consideration of society the reputation	29
pretend to be it has been cracked up to the stars mr it is said has presented several copies of it in great triumph to the master at bush and old john have it in the strongest terms it is making a great noise amongst the political of the north and is its author with hap napoleon bead it with attention weigh it with your usual thought and care and let me have your conscientious opinion of it now turn we to a much more interesting work your boy how much i am gratified by this incident i will not because i cannot tell you i learn too that it is no sudden to give him this name that your girls have the project many a time before had you any superstition you would think that providence thus interfered to give you time for consideration but let us not be given like father to too close reasoning on small matters let me tell you that mrs s determination in this is sweeter to me than the oil that was poured on s head i love honour and you shall obey her tell her that the boy shall never have cause to blush for his name so far as honour is concerned unless as you say the devil is in it and then i shall never believe it till it happens may heaven bless the boy and make him a of glory around his parents heads it is indeed a dread responsibility which we fathers have yours is nothing to act properly and is natural to you i give you no credit for it nature mingled your elements and gave your blood its current to act wrong would just be as unnatural to you as to act right is to the greater part of the world but what is to become of such a of spirits and habits as mine how am i to manage them so as to place a grave reverend and example before my children tell you what sir as old mr j used to say there s no more chance for me no no more than there is for the pope of rome for whom by the bye according to the present posture of affairs in europe there seems to be a pretty good chance very indeed what think you of this reverse of s fortunes ex pro his et as for napoleon i care no more for him in himself considered than i do for any other that is past but will france drained and exhausted be able to make head against this northern hive or will she share the fate of i am curious to see the character of in this new situation in which she is placed how will she regard in what will be the result to europe of this flood of success we live in an age of most wonderful events but they are of a most stem and ferocious c they have not the interest or magnificence of the so much can sentiment do in these matters and such a grace can chivalry and a generously mistaken christianity shed upon a cause had just named a son after his friend the next letter it will be seen was occasioned by the death of this boy light literature ash what effect will napoleon s reverse have on us some think that britain will take if not higher at least more obstinate ground against us on account of her triumphs others again think that having gotten the emperor down she will be anxious to devote all her powers to his and therefore be the better inclined to peace with us my own opinion is that she has no notion of giving up any point in the quarrel that with the latter of those two views she may probably be inclined to a and that she will then with us if we will indulge her till she has tried the issue of her arms on france but that in any event she will finally persist in the principles and against which we are at war but what care we for politics let us talk of our children he k e the old bachelor is not yet at hand that he is shortly expected i will send you a copy by the earliest conveyance by the bye whether even of this character are not c to produce the effect which your brother ascribed to play writing i am afraid that both the old bachelor and the british spy will be considered by the world as rather too light and for a mind pretending either to or vigour i recollect no man of eminence i mean political eminence either in this or any other modem country who has descended to such amusements to tell you the simple truth politics never appeared to me to be a desirable field or one for which i was fitted either by nature or habit and therefore i have never my course by any such anticipation but if you are in earnest in your about me and in wishing also to see them fulfilled it is time for me to cast my manners and rules of action over again i shall never believe it though till i see it as you say on another occasion my wife who has read your letter with as much pleasure as i have done with me in love to you and yours the meaning and his wife and frank greet you kindly your friend wm to judge may my dear friend i received yesterday your letter of the th instant giving the distressing account of the loss of your dear boy it is a rude and dreadful blow but we are in the hands of a being who the universe at his pleasure and whose i believe however deeply they cut at the moment axe always destined	29
to some greater calamity yo x might have lost him at a more interesting age chap xxi letter to after those with which he had begun to take possession of your hearts had become more complete and more strong you might have lost him under circumstances and by a mode of death still more heart and my own sufferings from the death of friends and have been so severe that i have sometimes found myself against the author of all good and both his justice and mercy s first put me right on this subject taught me to regard themselves as blessings in disguise and to kiss the rod with humble resignation we have else for it my dear friend in this life we can neither stop nor change the course of events much less can we recall them to surrender ourselves to sorrow on account of the of providence is therefore not the path which either reason or religion would point out to us to mourn over such a loss as you have experienced is indeed both natural and inevitable but to permit it to hang upon the heart and to weigh down the mind and spirits is inconsistent with our duty both to ourselves and others you have excellent children who are still spared to you you and your wife are both young and heaven i doubt not will richly supply the place of the who has been taken from you how apt we are to our by imagining that if we are not the only in the world we are certainly the greatest alas i where is the man with a family who has not imagined the same thing of himself i you know that i myself lost two of the best children in the world within a month of each other one of them too a perfect beauty and in the very age of fascination my eyes at this moment fill at the recollection of that girl but she is an angel in heaven and has escaped from all those sorrows and sufferings which continue to us q od s will be done let us submit ourselves to his power wisdom and goodness confiding that in his own good time and way he will bring good out of evil and show us that we have mistaken a blessing for a curse f x my wife mrs to be assured of her sympathy we pray to bless you both farewell wm the next letter has reference to some opinions upon the merits of s works which had been in the british spy it is addressed to a friend who resided at in county on the letter to to john july my dear w i would fain apply this recess of the courts to my law books and a preparation for the fall and winter campaign but i have not the courage and so having bought at s sale s edition of all s works i have been brushing up my latin and have read with great delight his orator and his but my delight only continues while i have my eyes fixed on for the moment i turn them by way of comparison on the brightest of our own native models my heart sinks and dies within me what children we are my dear what boys and raw boys too compared with that wonderful man i have once wronged him by the publication of an opinion concerning him but i hope to live to repair the error whose book i have also read since the courts rose that no man who has ever read s books on will wonder that he has stood to the present day for there never was he says and there never will be again such a union of talents and of toil k such glory could be carried by a even at the risk of life who would not to it but to be able to effect it only by a siege for life and such a siege too not one day in every week but every day devoted and most devoted to the pursuit it is enough to shake a much more constant man than me what say you to it i you will say perhaps that in these war times i might be better employed than in reading but i deny your as one of judge s scotch acquaintances replied to a man who had given him the lie the have my flying by the from supplying us with horses and other of war whereby they have driven me into the ranks of the again and there i stand until the war comes to me oh for an american general what can we do without one but erect monuments to our own folly and disgrace on the frontier had we a commander worthy of our cause and of our people the army would be the resort of character and talents and we might once more put the british troops to school as it is good lord us they say the are delivered up and i suppose we shall go on in tiie sanguine hope of peace acting as if that peace had already taken place till the be upon us how far may the designs of england reach she has just seen france complete the circle of her revolution by returning to her old may she not improve upon the hint in regard to us and want her american colonies again to preserve her balance against those great powers who xxi extravagant opinions have been shaking europe to its foundations may not our divisions foster such a project if she has such a project in her head although perfectly it will tend i apprehend to the war as well as to render it much more obstinate and bloody f tour sincere and cordial friend wm the present generation will be amused at	29
these speculations upon the purpose of england in the war to which they refer they are worthy of note as expressing opinions and apprehensions which many seriously entertained in this country but which we can scarcely imagine ever found a place in the of a british cabinet between the war of the revolution and that of the interval as it had not the of the country against england so neither had it entirely removed the suspicion of a desire on the part of our old enemy to attempt the of her lost colonies when occasion might seem to i the enterprise the of this sentiment left upon the minds of the people somewhat that connected with the whose apparition disturbed the dreams of englishmen even at the date of the birth of the third the lapse of time between the war of and the present day amongst its miracles of national progress has thrown this fancy of the if any sane man ever indulged it into the of the most harmless of dreams with even less of the probable in it than that prophecy which we have heard in this our own day that man is now alive with a beard upon his chin who will see an american army by an american in park let us hope that the guardian genius of the future destiny of two great nations will keep such toys of desperation out of the minds of both and even confirm them in the virtuous faith that peace and brotherhood have nobler triumphs than the vulgar glories of war may their strength never be measured in more destructive contest than that which shall be seen in the of beneficent and the exchange of the physical and intellectual wealth of civilization francis had now removed to with an intent to commence the practice of the law he was consigned by to the special guidance of his friend the following is an e tis k a letter to the young on letter to i to francis w july mt dear francis i thank you for yours of the th which i have just received you very much the slight which we have had it in our power to render you such as they are they have been most cheerfully rendered and you have more than them by the pleasure of your society x x x your friends are all interested in your making a first rate figure will not content us but this eminence is not to be reached per you will find it pretty much of an climbing business the points of the rocks to which you cling will often break in your hands and give you many a fall and many a those who are in possession of the mountain before you will annoy you not a little and increase the natural difficulties of the passage but instead of despairing at the first fall or at the twentieth remember the prospect from the summit and the rich that await you wealth beauty glory above all do not be at the high expectations which you know to be entertained of you or too prompt to at your first failures and the of your progress we all know that it is a rough roll and tumble game in which you are engaged and if you are thrown as thrown you will be again and again you must up with a laugh a better hold next time and try it again do not calculate on feeling perfectly at your ease in this under two or three years and these not two or three years of indolent hanging on from which you could learn nothing but of daily and exercise and study you know you have much yet to read to fill up the outline which we had marked out for your preparatory studies you must especially make yourself intimate with the virginia and feel at home in all the cases so as to have not only the principles but the names of the cases ever ready you cannot conceive how much the mastery of our state will place you at your ease and what ground it will give you over the of your profession the law is to many at first and at last too a dry and study it is hard and laborious it is a dark and intricate through which they in constant uncertainty and perplexity the most painful of all states of mind but you cannot imagine that this was the case with lord or with who saw the whole fabric in full daylight in all its proportions and lustre who were indeed the that helped to build it up although at present you walk as it through the valley of the shadow of yet keep on and you will chap camp life into the bright and perfect day and leaving behind you the and and you will see the whole system at one glance and walk like the master of the mansion at your ease into any apartment you choose then you will handle your tools not only but gracefully like a master workman and add yourself either a a dome or an story to the building and your name on the marble i but enough and more than enough to you who require rather the rein than the spur i feel great anxiety for you and am very anxious to hear of your avail yourself of the first favourable opportunity to make it taking full time for preparation but not for preparation which would ruin you and give me an account of the whole affair remember in your preparations that does not signify to the and take out a part but to take out the whole neat and clean we all join in love and best wishes to you adieu wm we shall now find some pictures of a campaign in the following from a correspondence	29
which he two inches up his nostrils and smiles at the luxury of the effort ho is an excellent fellow and has almost all to us you remember him as a to the old he my second captain and my second lieutenant dick make admirable com a i te vol l end of the campaign september the at are suffering much from sickness your brother john and his friend are all down the other companies are almost the men very sickly i strongly suspect that if we are kept much longer hovering over these our soldiers will fall like the grass that now covers them we hope to bo ordered in a few days to it is believed on every hand that the british with their and troops will not attempt a march on through the many and forests that line the road where besides the abundant opportunities for desertion nature has formed so many covers for our and if we should be ordered to i have no idea that my company will be discharged it will be kept there ready to march at a moment s warning here ends the campaign of captain and with it the last of his military aspirations this little piece of history is a faithful of some of the most characteristic incidents of warfare in nearly all the service of the war of i would not says the author of this brief in a subsequent letter to mrs w with my present feelings and opinions accept of any military commission the united states could confer i will be a private citizen as long as i can see that by being so i shall be of use towards maintaining those who are dependent upon me holding myself ever ready for my country s call in time of need we shall soon see whether lord hill who is expected on the coast with fourteen thousand men will single out virginia for his operations my own impression is that he goes to the relief of canada which feels itself in danger from our recent there some business for a friend now took him to washington it was in october of this year was in the was in ruins having been burnt by the enemy in august the president s house was in the same condition there were other of the of the late of general and admiral to mrs d c october here i am at s i am surrounded hy a vast crowd of le and gentlemen of the turf assembled visit to washington for the races which are to commence to morrow the races amid the ruins and desolation of washington x x we reached here on friday night on saturday after washing off the dust of the journey i forth to the war office my business being with colonel he was not there i went to look at the ruins of the president s house the rooms which you saw so richly furnished exhibited nothing but naked walls cracked and blackened with fire i cannot tell you what i felt as i walked amongst them from this mournful monument of american and and of british i went to the of the house of representatives a miserable little narrow box in which i was crowded and for about three hours in order to see and hear the wise men of the nation they are no great things at five to s and was cordially received by him last night i went to church and heard a mr of deliver what i should call not a sermon but a very elegant in a theatrical style the composition was rich but i thought out of place his manner still more so p and i called on the president he looks miserably shattered and wo in short he looked heart broken his mind is full of the new england he introduced the subject and continued to press it painful as it obviously was to him i denied the probability even the that the of the north could be induced to place themselves under the power and protection of england and diverted the conversation to another topic but he took the first opportunity to return to it and convinced me that his heart and mind were painfully full of the subject the arrival of a despatch gave us an opportunity to retire he invited us to dine with him but we declined having planned an excursion to and perhaps we then went to the war office the secretary kept me engaged in political conversation till four o clock by this i lost a speech of the celebrated which i would not have lost for all the secretary s eloquence to day i go in the hope of hearing having declined the trip in consequence oi the importance of the debate tell to prepare for the tax the direct tax will certainly be increased one hundred per cent a hundred thousand and from twenty to thirty thousand troops will be raised for and offensive war the war in canada will be pushed with vigour war between france and england is expected by the high powers here on what grounds i have not learned first engagement in the supreme court this visit to the city of washington was the commencement of a long and intimate connection with affairs both professional and political on that theatre was now about to become a in the supreme court in a letter to dated th of december he to an engagement which may possibly bring him into a trial of strength with one whom he afterwards met in many a contest and whose name at that day gave to the american bar its most brilliant light this trial did not take place as soon as expected but was deferred for another year in the extract from this letter which follows we may see that the	29
of fact and law a profound comprehensive simple and glowing speech for the ch p professional not strained beyond the occasion nor beyond the capacity of your audience and make upon the world the impression of strength of vigour of great energy combined with a animated nervous no out of the way far fetched or ornaments or illustrations but simple strong and manly level yourself to the capacity of your and yourself among the heart strings the bones and both of your jury and back bar hearers i say jury because i fear that a cause although it affords the best means of preparation will give you no audience at all and i want you to blow your first blast before a full both loud and shrill and i think gentle reader this little taste may suffice your notions of your indulgence in general science are correct don t quit them but let them be subordinate to the law by there is one thing i had liked to have forgotten one of the most dignified traits in the character of henry is the noble decorum with which he and uniform and marked respect with which he treated his i am a little afraid of you in this particular for you are a wit and a god help you take care take care care of this it will make you enemies pull a bee hive on your head and cover your path with and i pray you aim at yourself with henry s distinguished character for decorum let it be universally agreed that you are the most polite gentlemanly at the bar that alone will give you a distinction and a noble one too besides it is a striking index and proper of first rate talents don t forget your promise in regard to mr and the gallery of portraits continue to write to me heaven bless you wm at this time the biography of henry was resumed with a stout resolve to bring it to a conclusion we have abundant evidence that this had already grown to be a most irksome labour the following letter to presents the difficulties of this undertaking and shows how reluctantly struggled with his task it contains also an allusion to the father of his and the of henry a gentleman most known in the short career to which we have heretofore and whose early death had the promise of a fair renown mr james of philadelphia to whom also this letter has a reference was already engaged as the of the biography of henry and had made some of it to the public which it will be seen had served to the author s of his enterprise to judge august mt dear friend now for henry i have on to my one hundred and seventh page up hill all the way and heavy work i promise you and a heavy and lump i fear me it will be work it as i may i can tell you sir that it is much the most oppressive literary enterprise that ever i embarked in and i begin to apprehend that i shall never from it without rattling ropes and sails i write in a storm and a worse tempest i fear will follow its publication let me give you some idea of my difficulties then i always thought that in complaining so heavily of the infinite difficulty and trouble which he had to encounter in fixing accurately the dates of trivial facts but i now know by experience that was right and in addition to the dates i have the facts themselves to collect i thought i had them all ready cut and dry and sat down with all my statements of spread out before me a pile of old journals on my right and another cf old newspapers on my left thinking that i had nothing else to do but as says to saddle and ride up such short is there in all the schemes o and men for i found at every turn of henry s life that i had to stop and let fly a of letters over the state in all directions to collect dates and explanations and try to reconcile meantime until tbey arrived i kept on in the next place this same business of stating facts with rigid precision not one more or less than the truth what the deuce has a lawyer to do with truth to tell you one truth however i find that it is entirely a new business to me and i am awkward at it for after i have gotten the facts accurately they are then to be happily and the style of narrative by a scrupulous regard to real facts is to me the most difficult in the world it is like attempting to run tied up in a bag my pen wants perpetually to career and it away but it must not be i must move like s mule over the plains of as slow as foot can fall and that too without one with on the green or even the relief of a tree to stop and take a pinch of snuff at i was very sensible when i began that i was not in the narrative gait i tried it over and over again almost as often did to hit the key note and without his success i chap the biography of henry therefore to move forward in hopes that my would get broke by degrees and learn by and bye to obey the slightest touch of the but i am now as i said in my hundred and seventh page which by an accurate on the principles of taking twenty four sheets to the and four pages to each sheet you will find to exceed a by eleven and yet am i as to seek as ever for the	29
simple graces of you may think this affectation if you please or you may think it jest but the dying confession of a under the gallows no to him is not more true nor much more the incidents of mr henry s life are extremely monotonous it is all speaking speaking speaking tis true he could talk gods how he talk but there is no the while from the bar to the and from the to the bar his resembled a good deal those of some one i forget whom perhaps some of our friend s characters from the kitchen to the parlour and from the parlour to the kitchen and then to make the matter worse from to covering all the bloom and pride of his life not one of his speeches lives in print writing or memory all that is told me is that on such and such an occasion he made a distinguished speech now to keep saying this over and over and over again without being able to give any account of what die speech was why sir what is it but a vas open sun burnt field without one spot of shade or my soul is weary of it and the days have come in which i can say that i have no pleasure in them i have sometimes a notion of trying the plan of who has written an account of the american war and made speeches himself for his prominent characters in this the of greece and but i think with that this is making too free with the of history besides henry s eloquence was all so completely as to be by any other and to make my chance of him still worse i never saw or heard him even the speeches published in the of the virginia are affirmed by all my not to be his but to fall far short of his strength and beauty yet in spite of all this monotony and of materials we have a fellow coming out in the magazine or the commercial i forget which for both have been at it exciting the public expectation on this very ground among others of the and variety of the materials within my reach those mean me well but i could wish them a little more judgment again there are some ugly traits in h s character and some pretty nearly as ugly he was a blank military a governor and a blank in all those useful points which depend on composition and detail in short it is as hopeless a subject as man could well desire i have x ss i x g the elder and applied all the plaster of paris that i could command but the tree is still barren and every bud upon it instead hfe then surely you mean to give it up on the contrary i assure you sir i have in so deep that i am determined like to go on though henry like should out to me sleep no more i do not mean that i am determined to publish no sir unless i can mould it into a grace and breathe into it a spirit which i have never yet been able to do it shall never see the light mr s proposals to the contrary notwithstanding but what i have determined upon is to go on as rapidly as i can to all the facts then the whole to lay it off into sections by on s plan and taking up the first section to make a last and dying effort upon it per se if i i surrender my sword if otherwise i shall go forth section after section conquering and to conquer and if the public forgive me this time i will promise never to make a similar experiment on their good nature again with regard to your father i had to the fact you mention judge has me the incident it was at this time february says the judge that mr made a motion to standing of correspondence with the other colonies on the subject of the act of parliament imposing duties on glass oil and painters colours the appointment of of safety took place in after the organization of the old to which you say your father s motion led in regard to the of correspondence with the other colonies judge gives the credit of the invention though i suspect what did invent judging from s note page of his second volume was nothing more than town within that colony and that the credit of of correspondence connecting the colonies really belongs to virginia i shall communicate with on this subject and wish you would do so with mr i should myself write to this latter gentleman but i have already written to him so often and so much in the course of my troubles with that i am really ashamed to annoy him farther though i have much and frequent occasion for it i wish i knew something more of your father s cast of character in order that i might take this opportunity of giving him b i this point upon further investigation was settled in the establishment of an equal claim on the part of the two states to the of the in the life of henry page the author in a note the measures were so nearly in the two states as to have rendered it impossible that either could have borrowed it from the other the messengers who bore the from the two states are said to have crossed each other on the way chap a sketch of him the best that my poor pen could form i have only a impression that he was much such a	29
man as it is easy to conceive your brother peter would have been had his industry and enterprise been equal to his genius open noble bold ardent and eloquent with a mind rather strong than acute rather comprehensive and solid in his views than remarkable for of disposed and qualified to lay hold of and plant himself on great principles rather than to run divisions among with an understanding highly cultivated a rich imagination a refined and classical taste a full and melodious voice and a copious command of the most pure and nervous language if this would be saying too much or too little let me be corrected for i have set out with the purpose of telling the truth the whole truth and nothing hut the truth at least in this book though i should be very unwilling that the world should know how awkward i am at it and how much pain i have in the delivery for they would certainly discover that it is my first operation of the kind nor should i be astonished if some should make just this very remark which being true would be no joke at all to me and might make every body else laugh except mr s counsel me not a little by the style of his proposals to my name author of the british spy his motive is obvious enough but the world will consider it as my act and think it a vanity which i again he adds in his proposals to the life of henry together with several of his speeches now his only authority for this is that i told him i had once seen henry s speech on the british debts in manuscript taken by a and peter here alluded to and whose character is in such terms of praise was the eldest brother as we have seen of the judge he had died but a few months before this date there is a touching allusion to this event in a letter to judge written almost immediately it his soul i hope is happier even than it was on earth it is among the articles of my creed that he is an unseen witness of our sorrow for his loss nothing remains for us my dear friend but to remember him to love him and to gratify his spirit if it be conscious of what passes on earth by drawing closer in our affections for each other some one friend or other is continually dropping from us and this must be the case while we remain in this state of being let us then who are permitted to survive endeavour to repair these heart losses by loving each other more dearly and clinging more closely together i am not a yet i fear it is not often that we shall meet with men worthy to succeed in our affections to those whom we have lost or to become partners in that friendship which the few together literary reputation might perhaps be able to get it again he will disappoint the in this particular hark ye does not fame depend on the multitude of readers and i mean literary fame and if so what kind of works on what kind of subjects give a man the fairest chance for this now put on your considering cap and get upon your wool sack i ask again now that you are seated and your head like a what kind of writings embrace the circle of readers and bid the fairest to flourish in never fading bloom answer works of imagination if you say political works count the readers of and and compare them with those of milton and pope if you choose to come down to the present day compare the readers of and with those of walter scott and lord if you choose to the comparison between grave history and the lighter works of nation you will find ten to one in favour of the latter s charles fifth for example and i am not speaking of the grade or quality of this fame but of the spread the and of the article but i would rather have a small quantity of the first grade than a large quantity of the second perhaps you would all i shall say about it is de non est i would rather have a thousand dollars in bank notes earned by innocent pleasure than a hundred guineas in gold procured by and besides as to the grade itself i am not quite so clear that the man of whom it was truly said each change of many coloured life he drew exhausted worlds and then imagined new does not deserve a fame as high and rich as the man who relates successfully the crimes of nations or ever so the political this being the case suppose a man to write for me what course should he what says the more especially if the writer be so by a profession as to have only a few transient of leisure which he can devote to literary pursuits you see what i am driving at i presume and therefore there needs no more to be said here e ic e we unite cordially in love yours ever wm letter to to francis w august mt dear francis i received last night your letter of the th announcing your arrival at and thank you for this early attention to my anxiety for your welfare we have you at last fairly on the stripped your joints all your muscles your nerves strung and i hope that ere long we shall hear you have taken the victim bull by the horn with your left hand inter in i perceive that you are going to work that s your sort give it to them thicker and faster it is this glow and enthusiasm of enterprise that is	29
to carry you to the stars but then bear in mind that it is a long journey to the stars and that they are not to be reached per ought to be your motto and you should write it in the first page of every book in your library ours is not a profession in which a man gets along by a hop step and a jump it is the steady march of a heavy armed soldier this you have yet in a great measure to gain to learn how to put it on to wear it without fatigue to fight in it with ease and use every piece of it to the best advantage i am against your extending your practice therefore to too many courts in the beginning i would not wish you to plunge into an extensive practice at once it will break up your reading and prevent you from preparing properly for that higher theatre which you ought always to keep intently in your mind s eye for two or three years you must read sir read read study and make the whole mine of the law your own for two or three years i had much rather that your appearances should be rare and splendid than frequent light and like those of the young country about you c c c c c let me use the privilege of my age and experience to give you a few hints which now that you are beginning the practice you may find not useless adopt a system of life as to business and exercise and never from it except so far as you may be occasionally forced by imperious and circumstances vol i rules for business a live in your office i e be always seen in it except at the hours of eating or exercise answer l letters as soon as they are received you know not how many heart it may save you then fold neatly neatly and file away neatly and by the year all the letters so received let your letters on business be short and keep copies of them put every law paper in its place as soon as received and let no scrap of paper be seen lying for a moment on your writing chair or tables this will strike the eye of every man of business who enters keep regular accounts of every cent of income and expenditure and file your neatly and by the month or at least by the year be patient with your foolish and hear all their tedious and with calm and kind attention and them till you know all the strength and weakness of their cause and take notes of it at once whenever you can do so file your bills in at the moment of ordering the suit and while your is yet with you to correct your statement of his e also prepare every declaration the moment the suit is ordered and have it ready to file cultivate a simple style of speaking so as to be able to the strongest thought into the capacity you will never be a good jury lawyer without this faculty never attempt to be grand and magnificent before common and the most you will address are common the neglect of this principle of common sense has ruined with all men of sense keep your latin and greek and science to yourself and to that very small circle which they may suit the mean and envious world will never forgive you your knowledge if you make it too public it will require the most and habitual gentleness of manners almost to humility to make your superior tolerable to your associates enter with warmth and kindness into the interesting concerns of others whether you care much for them or not not with the condescension of a superior but with the tenderness and simplicity of an equal it is this benevolent trait which makes and such universal and more than any thing else has smoothed my own path of life and it with flowers lie never in speaking but learn to assume the exterior of composure and self whatever riot and confusion may be within speak slowly firmly distinctly and mark your periods by proper pauses and a steady significant look trick true but a good trick and a sensible trick chap letter to you talk of your take care of your manner of doing this let it be humble and sincere and not as if you thought it was in your power to give them importance by your you see how natural it is for old men to preach and how much easier to preach than to practise yet you must not slight my sermons for i wish you to be much greater than i ever was or can hope to be our friend will tell you that my are all sound practise them and i will warrant your success you have more science and literature than i j but i know a good deal more of the world and of life and it will be much cheaper for you to profit by my experience and than by your own nothing is so apt to the manners of a young man with and with a cold and indifference towards others as conscious superiority and nothing is so fatal to his progress through life as such a witness my friend himself is not without some ill effect from it and since you must feel this superiority i cannot be without fear of its usual effects you must not suppose because i give you on particular subjects that i have observed you deficient in these respects on the contrary it is only by way of and whether my are necessary to you or not you are too well assured of my affection to take them otherwise than	29
submitted to mr for the appointment to this office was that of one who subsequently attained to high distinction in the public and whose death acquired a most painful by its association with the melancholy accident on board of the p he had studied law under the direction of who now presented him to the president in terms suggested by the highest appreciation of his talents and by a strong personal friendship this incident is only worthy of notice here so far as mr s letter on the occasion affords us an insight to the temper of feeling which had already begun to be manifested and which was an index to that calm and appeased political sentiment which prevailed in the administration of public affairs for some years succeeding this event after speaking the language of the warmest praise on the merits of his friend he adds it is proper for me to state that he is a x appointed district attorney ist but to this draw back lie continues he justified the late war with great britain and was among the who marched to york town to meet the enemy i am entirely certain that no differences of political sentiment would ever him from his duty or in the smallest degree the zeal proper for its discharge how far in the present condition of the country his political creed ought to operate as a bar to his appointment or whether its tendency would not rather he to the of party and promote the which is so desirable on every account and of which we have such promising it is not for me to decide i submit the proposition with great deference and rely upon your usual indulgence to excuse this liberty this letter to mr was written on the th of march the writer of it was a little surprised to find by a letter from mr to him dated on the th that the subject had been already settled by the selection of himself for the appointment it was an event altogether unlocked for and equally coming upon him in this unexpected way and with expressions of the kindest personal interest from the president the appointment somewhat embarrassed him but after he thought it his duty to accept it in communicating this determination to the president he says in a letter of the d of march i beg you to believe me sincere in declaring that there is nothing in the office which any solicitude on my part to possess it and that i feel myself much more highly honoured by the terms in which you were so good as to make the inquiry than i should by the possession of the office itself so far am i indeed from being to possess it that i assure you with the frankness which i hope our long acquaintance your it on any one of the many gentlemen of my profession in this state who are at least equally entitled to it and stand perhaps in greater need of it will not in the smallest degree me nor the respect and affection with which i am and ever have been your friend it was but a few weeks before the date of these letters that had argued his cause in the supreme court and had broken a lance with as he i chap xxii william these two gentlemen had here commenced an acquaintance which was afterwards illustrated by many passages of and skill in a course of eager competition and constant association in the same no one was more prompt to do justice to s extraordinary abilities after the best opportunities to observe them than his mature opinion of his great was freely expressed and well known in the circle in which they both moved but s first impressions of him derived from this trial are singularly from those which a more intimate acquaintance afterwards gave him we have a letter to soon after this first er which presents a picture of far from flattering was at that time in the of his fame he was the chief object of interest in the supreme court and the most prominent subject of popular criticism no man ever drew forth a larger share of mingled applause and censure or was visited with more exaggerated extremes of opinion while one class of saw in his nothing short of the most perfect of accomplishment another could scarcely find merit enough in his best to rescue them from the utter condemnation to which they alleged his false taste and entitled them impartial and judicious estimate of his power and seems rarely to have been accorded to him we may these conflicting judgments to some peculiarities in s character and position at the bar his port towards those who occupied the most eminent station was and defiant he with all such an war for he gave no ground himself and asked no his courtesy in this was a mere and rather suggested conflict than avoided it his manner was alert and guarded his brow severe his short and measured like a in the theatre when the noble art of defence drew crowds together to witness the of skill all this portion of the bar a most intelligent and critical were the fastidious and witnesses of his fame and often spoke of him in no terms of exception to whatever defect of taste or judgment they were able to detect opposed to these were the younger members of the profession not yet within the pale of to whom was and kind it seemed to be a cherished object of his to win the good will of this s of his professional associates he was to them the pleasant companion full of and small he noticed their progress praised their efforts instructed encouraged them and almost invariably them in the support of his own renown he was an eager in	29
the field in a da s work with his gun an excellent shot and learned in all the of this craft this gave him acceptance and favour amongst another circle he was and splendid in his mode of living utterly careless of expense and he was popular as a political champion and rendered good service to his cause in some noted in in which he was accustomed to meet the most effective of a party distinguished for its talents and intelligence he had acquired a high standing in the country for his service which had elevated him in public opinion both at home and abroad he had served with conspicuous success as the attorney general of the united states in the administration of mr he was a zealous and ardent of the war had taken a commission from the of and commanded a rifle at the time of the invasion of the capital and shared in the disaster at where he was wounded in the fight all these circumstances combined to draw upon him a large portion of public observation and to attract on one side as much exaggerated praise as on another to expose him to the of or to the reflection of personal and dislike s first raised an in s mind against him as will be seen in the following letter from which i make some what i have already hinted to the reader that these opinions were greatly modified when the writer of this letter had more full opportunity to witness and appreciate the power of his opponent we may regard the present comments as expressing the disappointment of one who had formed his judgment of in an entirely different school from that of which he was now a specimen nothing could be more than the characters of the eloquence of and the slow consent of one to admit the eminent claim of the other was but a reluctance of chap xxii s first estimate of him to francis w april mt dear francis f i wish i had been trained to industry and method in the of a scotch merchant from the age of twelve and whipped out of those lazy and habits which fastened upon me about that age and have held the fee simple of the bark ever since your truly great man does more business and has more leisure and more peace of conscience and more positive happiness than any forty of your persons this is humiliating to me and i don t like to think of it but do you profit by it and yourself to the practice of mr s system make the glow with the of your exercise and the ring with the vigour of your preparation teach these boys as said he would do a new style of speaking but let it be a better one than his i mean his solemn style to which in irish phrase i give the back of my hand if that be a good style then all the models both ancient and modem which we have been accustomed to contemplate as truly great such as the of the dialogue de henry and others not forgetting paul jones and old are all i know that this is not your opinion but i was near him five or six weeks and watched him narrowly he has nothing of the rapid and analysis of but he has in of it a of manner which passes with the million which by the bye many more than we should at first suspect for an evidence of power and he has acquired with those around him a sort of that manner is a piece of acting it is artificial as you may see by the wandering of his eye and is as far removed from the composed confidence of enlightened certainty as it is from natural modesty confessed that all the knowledge he had been able to acquire seemed only to convince him that he knew nothing this frankness is one of the most characteristic traits of a great mind would make you believe that he knows every thing at the bar he is and cares as little for his or as if they were men of wood he has certainly much the advantage of any of them in show give him time and he requires not much he will deliver a speech which any man might be proud to claim you will have materials very well put together and clothed in a costume as magnificent as that of louis xiv but you will have a vast quantity of false fire besides a vehemence of for which you see nothing to account in the ow self criticism of the thought his arguments when i heard him were such as would have occurred to any good mind of the profession it was his mode of introducing dressing and them which constituted their chief value in the cause in which we were engaged against each other there never waa a case more hopeless of eloquence since the world began it was a mere question between the representatives of a dead and a living one as to the distribution of the penalty of an bond whether the representatives of the deceased who had performed all the duties and recovered the judgment or the living who came in about the time the money was paid by the into court and had therefore done none of the duties was entitled to the i was for the representatives of the deceased for the living one you perceive that his was a mere who had no merits whatever to plead there were ladies was expected to be eloquent at all events so the mode he adopted was to get into his tone in discussing the construction of an act of closing his speech in this solemn tone ho took his seat saying to me	29
if you can i regret extremely that the time of of our court of appeals me from attending the supreme court but if our court adopt a plan which they talk of that is of having a summer and fall i will try my luck at washington as soon as i can get a cause or two by way of commencement so much for this great affair i protest against your measuring me by the standard of he was a diamond wit not only of the st water but of the highest polish he had the advantage of a constant attendance at the first theatre in europe where he saw the public taste tried by every variety of application compared with his my opportunities are those of a back woods bear hunter measured with of the i am about as fit to rival as a bat a towering eagle i foresaw from your frequent mention of what your was running on if you have looked for his invention of comic incidents his and re of and brilliant his delicate and varied tints of wit and humour his splendid flashes of i you have been unreasonable and are therefore justly punished by disappointment i need not tell you how sincerely i rejoice in the brilliancy of frank s the of his manner in particular charms me i was a little afraid he would be too fond of the pomp of ex though i never doubted that experience and his own sound judgment would correct the error that he should have gone off right is therefore so much the more pleasing he is a fine fellow and bom i hope to redeem the eloquence of the state your friend l chap letter to mr the biography was now approaching its completion the author was by his work his letters to his intimate are full of distrust upon the merits of his performance he seems to have indulged this sentiment so far as almost to the of the publication of the book the counsel of mr and others cheered him revived his confidence and finally settled the point of committing the volume to the public the following letters upon this subject furnish some curious passages in history to thomas august dear sir i accept with gratitude the terms on which you are willing to remark on my manuscript and send three sections pages there will be an advertisement to it stating the authorities on which the narrative is founded and appealing to me and indulgence of the public on account of the peculiar under which the work has been written this i confess is a kind of business which i very much but i can still less bear to have it believed that the work is the offspring of profound leisure and a mind at ease when the truth is that no one sheet of it scarcely has been written without half a dozen professional which have my ideas as completely each time as don s charge did the flock of sheep i make no doubt you will perceive the caused by these and the as well as of the whole mass when i was engaging with last summer with respect to the publication i refused expressly to bind myself to furnish it at any particular period the extreme uncertainty as to the time of its completion from the of professional duties and wishing to reserve to myself also fall leisure to correct and at pleasure but he has made such an appeal to my humanity on account of the of the materials which he has laid in for the publication and his inability to remain longer without some that i am much disposed to let the work go in its present general form if you think it can be done without too much sacrifice what i mean is that i think the whole work might be to advantage but then it must be written wholly anew which would ill suit s alleged situation my disposition therefore ia ta vol correspondence with let the form of the work remain the statements oc where it shall be suggested and thought proper if you think the publication of the work will do me an injury with the public i beg you to tell me so without any fear of my feelings i am so far from being in love with it myself that i should be glad of a decent retreat from the undertaking i confide in your frankness and friendship and beg you to believe me dear dr with the greatest respect and affection your friend and servant wm thomas to william september dear sir i have read with great delight the portion of the history of mr henry which you have been so kind as to favour me with and which is now returned and i can say from my own knowledge of the contemporary characters introduced into the that you have given quite as much lustre as themselves would have asked the too of your details has in several instances corrected the errors in my own recollections where they had begun to in result i scarcely find anything yet to show you that i have sought occasions of i will the following passages which i noted as i read them page i think this passage had better be that mr henry read through once a year is a known impossibility with those who knew him he may have read him and general history of greece but certainly not twice a first reading of a book he could accomplish sometimes and on some subjects but never a second he knew well the geography of his own country but certainly never made any other his study so as to our ancient he had probably read those in s history but no man ever more titles than himself he drew all natural rights from a purer source	29
the feelings of his own breast he never in conversation or debate mentioned a hero a worthy or a feet in greek or roman history but so vaguely and loosely as to leave room to back out if he found he had the study and learning ascribed to him in this passage would be inconsistent with the excellent and just picture given of his through the rest of the work page line inquire further into the fact alleged that henry was counsel for i am much persuaded he was counsel for there was great personal between him and and the m m t i v hia chap correspondence with near neighbour in whose house he was at home as one of the who was his earliest aod greatest admirer and patron and whose daughter became afterwards his second wife it was in his house that during a course of christmas i first became acquainted with mr henry this it is true is but evidence and may be over ruled by direct proof but am confident he could never have undertaken any case against considering the union of their it would have been a great crime c accept the assurance of my constant friendship and respect th in a reply to this letter in sending mr some additional portions of the book remarks i can tell you with very great sincerity that you have removed a mountain load of despondency from my mind by the assurance that you could find entertainment in these sheets entreat you not to spare your remarks on account of the of the manuscript i had rather commence it de than lose the advantage of your if you think the narrative too wire drawn or the style too points about which i have myself strong fears i depend on your friendship to tell me so much better will it be to learn it om you in time to correct it than from the of when it shall be too late some weeks after this he wrote the following william to thomas october sir i now submit to you the last sheets of my sketches of mr henry which i am sorry to find more numerous than i expected and i pray you to forgive the great trouble which i am sincerely ashamed of having imposed on you your remarks have been of great service to me not only by me to correct mistakes in but by putting me on a severe of my style which i am perfectly aware is too prone to i am afraid that the whole plan is too loose and the narrative too has it struck you in this light and do you think it would gain in point of animation and interest by and there were other of minor errors suggested in this letter which are the biography of henry i have another question to ask to which i entreat an answer and i hope you think too well of my understanding to sup pose that i shall be hurt by the answer whatever it may be would you as a friend advise me to publish this book or not f it has been written under circumstances so extremely amid such perpetual arising from my profession at almost every step too and i it myself with so little satisfaction that i am seriously apprehensive it may make of what little reputation i possess as a writer i am not obliged to publish and i shall be governed on this head by the advice of my friends who must from the nature of things be much better qualified to judge of the subject than i am they i hope and believe think too justly of me to withhold the expression of their opinions from motives of delicacy your repose shall never be by any act of mine if i can help it immediately on the receipt of your last letter and before the manuscript had met any other eye i wrote over again the whole passage relative to the first the marks of quotation and removing your name altogether from the communication if there be any other passage for which i have quoted you and which you think may provoke the of malice or envy i beg that you will be so good as to suggest it i am conscious of having made a very free use of your communications it was natural for me to seek to give this value to my work but it would be most to me to be in any manner in you to the renewed attacks of your political enemies it is not enough for me that you despise these attacks i have no right much less have i the disposition to make this call upon your fortitude and besides the shaft which cannot reach you never fails to wound and your friends this was one of the leading causes which made me anxious to submit my manuscript to you have i not quoted some passages from you of which the descendants of our landed aristocracy may take it into their heads to complain this did not occur to me till mr william h than whom you have not a warmer friend made the suggestion i have great dependence on his judgment and if the matter occurs to you in the same light i will send up again the sheets which contain those and get the favour of you to alter them to your own taste you will perceive that i have borne very lightly on the errors of mr henry s declining years he did as much good in his better days f and no evils have resulted from his later wiu not his then be in drawing the veil over them and holding up the brighter side of his character only to imitation most respectfully and affectionately your friend and servant	29
chap xxii m s opinion of it thomas to william forest november dear sir yours of october d was received here on the st with the last sheets of your work they found me engaged in a business which could not be postponed and have therefore been detained longer than i wished on the subject of our ancient i believe i have said nothing which all who knew them will not confirm and which their reasonable descendants may not learn from every quarter it was the effect of the large of property under the law of the of reduced the spirit of the rich while the increased influence given by the new government to the people raised theirs and brought things to their present level from a condition which the present generation who have not seen it can scarcely believe or conceive you ask if i think your work would be the better of by no means i have seen nothing in it which could be but to disadvantage and again whether as a friend i would advise its publication on that question i have no hesitation on your own as well as that of the public to the latter it will be valuable and honourable to yourself you must expect to be and by a former letter i see you expect it by the you will be and with and knife those of with the same an ti american prejudices but sometimes considering us as against their administration will do it more decently they will assume as a model for biography the familiar manner of or scanty matter of and try you perhaps by these but they can only prove that your style is from theirs not that it is not good i have always very much despised the artificial of criticism when i have read a work in prose or poetry or seen a painting a statue etc i have only asked myself whether it gives me pleasure whether it is interesting if it is it is good for these reasons on these grounds you will be safe those who take up your book will find they cannot lay it down and this will be its best criticism you have certainly practised vigorously the of de this presents a veiy difficult question whether one only or both sides of the should be presented it perhaps the distinction between and history on this opinions are much divided and perhaps may be so on this feature of your work on the whole however you have nothing to fear at least if my views are not very different ik letters to pope and one will see its appearance with more pleasure than myself as no one can with more truth give you assurances of great respect and attachment i close this chapter with two letters in part referring to the biography the first is to mr pope the other to an esteemed in county whose taste and accomplishments rendered him a most competent critic upon the subjects to which it they both give us an sight into the author s apprehension of the perils to which he was about to expose himself by the publication of his book to william pope september mt dear friend although over my head in business i cannot receive in silence your affectionate letter of the th i have been hitherto very ungrateful in appearance though not in feeling and in fact for those of friendship with which you have honoured me by mail but i have relied on your indulgence and forgiveness knowing as you do how my head is kept spinning by the and variety of my engagements and i have relied too on your knowledge of the true state of my sentiments towards you to prevent any conclusions from apparent neglect for you know that my can never neglect you you know that of all the mortals i have ever encountered in this pilgrimage you are the without and the tenant of my heart s core so why should we say more upon this subject i am extremely gratified by the pleasure you express in reading those paces of my manuscript i am dashing on and hope to close my toils before the th of next month many a weary league have i travelled with old i wish my readers may be willing to travel after me for in truth i don t think it clever much and if they are only half as much fatigued in reading as i have been in writing it adieu to s occupation s gone as for you and and for has been here too with swimming eyes you are all so partial to the subject and the writer that there is no forming any conclusions as to the probable opinion of the world from your in this cold world of ours as the song goes i must expect a veiy different reception criticism and a to find fault but the die will soon be finally cast and we shall know our fate with certainty as to j t i shall do my duty and let him do his worst shall have justice if i can give it to him let who will be offended and after that hardest must off i wish i could xi a t they are chap xxii letters to pope and t both with me but i decline all visiting for this fall business first and then pleasure is my and this same biography has so much on my professional duties that i shall be hard put to it to bring up the lee way but as to our to and washington i shall call upon you to keep your promise when the time comes i wish i may not then find you a fairy of joy if we live till next fell and all is well i hope we	29
is given in the second n y mr has made a couple of very interesting v he has disappointed the expectations of those who know his powers and had enjoyed the spirit grace and humor of his previous writings he has adopted the plan of making mr speak for himself whenever this was possible we have accordingly a large body of his letters showing him in every possible attitude during almost every period of his life and always in a manner to us of uie equal his heart and the clear of his intellect the lawyer in particular will be apt to these pages with a sensible sympathy they illustrate pro of through a long and painful from poverty through and finally into renown and excellence they furnish many admirable examples as well as interesting history w the physical of natural phenomena the of c a e and by alexander f r g s f o s in one large volume imperial handsomely bound witb twenty plates engraved and colored in he best style together with pages of descriptive letter press and a very copious index this splendid volume fill a void long felt in this country where no work has been presenting the results of the important science of physical geography in a distinct and form the list of plates will show both the design of the work and the manner in which its carrying out has been attempted the reputation of the author and the universal approbation with which his has been received are sufficient that no care has been spared to render the book complete and the and will all be found of the best and most accurate description as but a small edition has been prepared the request all who may desire to procure copies of the work to send orders through their without delay list of plates structure of the globe mountain chains of europe and asia mountain chains of america illustration of the system of the phenomena of action and map of the british islands physical of the atlantic ocean physical of the indian ocean physical of the pacific ocean or great sea of the british seas the river systems of europe and the river systems of america of the world s system of lines ge distribution of the currents of air or rain map of the or rain map of europe natural history distribution of plants distribution of the plants used as food distribution of and distribution of distribution of ana of birds distribution of map of the world map of great britain and ireland the intention of this work is to exhibit in a popular and attractive form the results of the of and philosophers in all the more important branches of natural science its study re no previous training while and are stated to the rules inquiry they are by an ingenious application of colors signs and communicated in a manner so simple and striking as to render at once intelligible and easily retained for the first time in this country the principles of representation are here applied to the of the most important facts of external phenomena simple but significant signs have been introduced new s continued to an extent and with an effect hitherto never contemplated the contents of the many formerly the sole of information regarding the different of nature have been and wi a precision completeness and of application altogether by any other agency the elegant substitute of the most complicated results in the most form affords inexhaustible the continued advance of science and renders its progress visible the physical is the result of many years labor and in its construction not only have the writings and of the philosophers and of all nations been made use of but many of the most eminent men of the age in the different of science have contributed directly to its pages the letter press gives a description of each subject treated of with constant reference to the of the maps and the colors and signs employed are uniformly explained by notes on the plates but while to make available to every one the rich stores of knowledge otherwise nearly inaccessible it has ever been borne in mind that in such a work accuracy and truth are the first in order that it may be a guide to the in the more philosophical of science and to the in showing what has already been done and what remains to be accomplished in perhaps the most universally interesting and attractive branch of human knowledge from among a vast number of notices the submit the following we have thus rapidly run through the contents of the to show its and philosophic arrangement of its execution no praise would be in excess the maps are from the original plates and these are beautifully finished and the has been laid on with the utmost and care the size is an imperial and the accompanying text embraces a vast amount of details that the imagination is called on to fasten and associate with the maps the enterprise and fine taste of the american will we hope be rewarded by an extensive sale of this most admirable work no school room and no family should be the physical in the hands of a judicious teacher or head of a information of the most varied nature in all of science and natural history can be introduced and commented on in reference to its bearing while the materials of the text and the may be commented on to any desired extent such works give to e and to energy the mind of the while in the beauty harmony and of nature thus exhibited the of imagination and judgment find room for equal exercise and renewed delight it is the lively picture and of our planet new york literary world march the book before us is in short a of the an of human knowledge	29
done into maps it the truth which it expresses that he who runs may read the laws of it by a bent line running across a map of europe the abstract of it in a few parallel curves winding over a section of the globe a of it down to a little path of shadow a problem of the analysis which covers pages with definite it makes plain to the eye by a little and on a given degree of all possible relations of time and space heat and cold wet and dry frost and snow and storm current and tide plant and beast race and religion attraction and and and river and mountain mine and forest air and cloud and sea and all in the earth and under the earth and on the earth and above the earth that the heart of man has conceived or his head are brought together by a marvellous and planted on these little sheets of thus making themselves clear to every eye in short we have a summary of all toe cross of nature for twenty and all the answers of herself set own and speaking to us system un mr is well known as a of great accuracy and and it is that this work will add to his reputation for it is beautifully engraved and accompanied with and of great value b im s new s physical geography new edition much improved now ready physical by mary author of of the etc etc second american edition m d edition with american notes c in one neat royal mo extra cloth of over pages the great of this work and its introduction into many of the higher schools and have induced the to prepare a new and much improved edition in addition to the and improvements of the author bestowed on the work in its passage through the press a second time in london notes have been introduced to it more fully to the physical of this country and a comprehensive has been added rendering me volume more particularly suited to purposes the amount of these additions may be understood from the fact that not only has the size of the page been increased but the volume itself enlarged by over one hundred and fifty pages at tiie same time the price has not been increased while reading this work we could not help thinking how interesting as well as useful geography as a branch of education ht be made in our schools in many of them however this is not accomplished it is to be hoped that this defect will be and that in all our institutions will soon be taught in the proper way mrs s work may in this respect be pointed to as a model magazine oar praise comes in the rear and is well nigh superfluous but we are anxious to recommend to our youth the ed method of studying geography which her present work to be as as it is instructive nowhere except in her own previous work the c of the physical is there to be found so lar e a store of well selected information so set forth in surveying and together whatever has been seen by the eyes of others or detected by their laborious she is not surpassed by any one we have no other than what the imperfect state of science itself her in no which are felt to interrupt or delay she strings her beads distinct and close together with quiet she at once whatever is most interesting and most in her subject therefore it is we are for uie book and we hold such presents as mrs has bestowed upon the public to be of value more sound information than all the literary and scientific institutions will accomplish in a whole of their existence s court of george ii of the the from ms to death of by john lord from the original at bt the right hon john ll d f r s c in two handsome volumes royal mo extra cloth s francis the first now ready the court and francis the first king of france by miss author of the of the c c in two very neat royal mo extra cloth h s ip outlines f my by sir john p w f r s c in one neat crown with six plates and numerous wood cuts with this we take leave of this remarkable work which we hold to be beyond a doubt the greatest and most remarkable of the works in the laws of and the appearance of the heavens are described to those who are not nor and to those who are it is the reward of men who can descend from the nt of knowledge to care foe its that their works are essential to all that they become the of the as well as the text books of the probably no book ever written upon any fi und tp embrace within so small a compass an entire of known within all its various practical and physical a text book of from one of the highest names in the science x journal aspects of in different lands and different with by alexander von translated by mr in one very neat volume royal mo extra cloth it is not without that i present to the public a series of papers which took their origin in the presence of natural scenes of grandeur or beauty on the ocean in the forests of the in the of and in the mountain of and detached fragments were written down on the spot and at the moment and into a whole the view of nature on an enlarged scale the display of the action of various forces or powers and the renewal of the enjoyment which the immediate prospect of tropical scenery ai s to sensitive are the objects which	29
i hav proposed to myself author s just issued by w j esq e r s in one neat volume of pages royal mo extra cloth s m u t m u d to i h including by john e of king s in one handsome volume royal mo of over q pages with one hundred on wood s history of the of the from thk foundation op their to its bt xiv their the world their system and literature with their revival and present state y author of the and the in the family in two handsome crown vo s o k u pages each extra cloth s new in ready a with remarks on their condition social political and economical by john esq in two neat volumes royal extra cloth we must now turn aside to make a short excursion into with mr packet for our guide it would not be well possible to choose a better for he never suffers our interest to flag and appears to have made himself accurately acquainted not with the and traditions of the country but with its whole history and institutions which presents so many points of to those of england as really to invest the subject with a new and peculiar interest for an englishman quarter y review b impressions experiences indies and north in by robert a m in one neat volume mo extra cloth we have here a new not of british prejudice and grumbling common to who pass a few months in the country but a fair matter of fact book by a gentleman who makes the pilgrimage of a considerable portion of the western world in pursuit of health and in a frame of mind we may add well adapted to its recovery there is no illness or in mr s speculations he has a good legal of every fact or sentiment which comes before him iv y lit world a most faithful and attractive description of the countries which the author has visited forming altogether a s note book and s guide of the very best class bull the narrative embraces topics of absorbing interest at the present day i w mail mr a delicate and graceful pencil and touches and cheerily on the and light reflecting points of the varied and magnificent he over or amidst citizen new on nearly ready notes on shooting or hints to the habits of the game birds aad wild of north the dog the gun and the field by e j m d editor of on the dog c in one volume royal rf of the a edition continued to the present time by w s in one large volume extra cloth one of the most interesting and valuable to modem history s of a residence at the court of london in one large and handsome volume extra clothe the of sports with illustrations in one very neat volume royal s new s y now ready turkey and its destiny j the result of journeys made in and to examine into the state of that country by esq of in in two neat volumes royal mo extra cloth the author of this work has made valuable to the western world s knowledge of the people and customs of the east and none of more value than this he is a close observer an acute and master of a pleasant lively style we have seen no picture of turkey as it is and of its future destiny that approaches these volumes m of detail blended with philosophical every one interested in the present position and future destiny of the should read mr s volumes n y com six months in the gold now ready six months bold mines from a journal of a three years residence in upper and lower during and by e esq first regiment new york in one well printed royal mo vol paper price cents or extra cloth to those who intend visiting this book is invaluable and the general reader will find it in some respects as fascinating and interesting as a work of fiction iv y herald s now ready notes from and travels in and by the rev j p in one neat royal mo volume extra cloth well written and deeply interesting north american one of the best books of travels that we have taken up for a long time boston evening the of these excursions are deeply interesting n y com full of new and stirring interest saturday post carpenter on just ready a prize essay on the use of in health and disease by w b carpenter m d f r s author of principles of human e in one neat volume royal mo a prize of one hundred guineas having been offered in london for the best essay on the above subject that has been to dr carpenter for the present work by the dr john dr g l and dr w a gay a on a subject of such universal interest by so a and teacher as dr carpenter cannot fail to attract general attention and be productive of much benefit s in six handsome volumes extra cloth four volumes containing the general correspondence and two the suppressed letters to sir s of the h u the third in two oc no s new now complete s queens of england new and improved edition lives of the of england from the conquest with anecdotes of their courts now first published from official records and documents private as well as new edition with additions and c n by in six volumes crown extra crimson cloth or half printed on fine paper and large type in this edition volume one contains and of the mo edition volume two contains and volume three contains and volume four contains and volume	29
five contains and and volume six contains vol the whole forming a very handsome series suitable for presents c the have pleasure in presenting to the public this work in a complete form during the long period in which it has been issuing from the press it has assumed the character of a standard work and as occupying ground untouched as numerous historical facts hitherto unnoticed and as containing vivid sketches of the character and manners of the times with anecdotes documents c c it presents numerous claims on the attention of both the student of history and reader those who have been waiting its completion can now obtain it forming a handsome set twelve volumes in six in various of binding a few copies still on hand of the vol i contains of of scotland of of and of vol ii of of of of of france of france of and anne of vol iii of of of margaret of elizabeth and ann of vol iv r elizabeth of york of anne jane anne of ci and vol v and queen mary vol vi queen elizabeth vol vii queen elizabeth continued and anne of vol viii maria and of vol ix mary of vol x mary of continued and mary ii vol xi mary ii continued and queen anne vol xii queen anne concluded any volume sold separately or the whole to match in neat green cloth these volumes have the fascination of a romance united to the ity of history times a most valuable and entertaining work this interesting and well written work in which the severe truth of history takes almost the of romance will constitute a valuable addition to our herald a valuable contribution to historical knowledge to young persons especially it contains a mass of every kind of historical matter of interest which industry and resource could collect we have derived much entertainment and instruction from the work the execution of this work is equal to the conception pains have been taken to make it both interesting and valuable a charming full of interest at once serious and pleasing r a most charming we conclude by expressing our opinion that we no more valuable contribution to modern history than this ninth volume of miss s lives of the herald s new bt law ready v man in france in the century by h of a tale of in one neat royal extra cloth in treating other subjects of her as for those widely different personages and madame miss puts forth a pathetic power which depth and repose to a book that in other hands might have become from its sparkle the critic dealing with such an h of oo and as the history of woman m france must necessarily be is to content himself with offering merely a general character like the above such is the fascination of the such is the of such is its of that every page him to stop a gossip or for speculation of modes and morals which among us will ever be tired of reading about the women of france when they are so agreeably and as in the pages before as the s n w travels tn northward the ou to the and southward to the chinese frontier by translated fro the german bt william h in two large royal mo extra much interest to this work as the only complete and account we of the vast extending from the mountains to s straits of which less is known than perhaps of any other inhabited portion of the globe dr devoted several years to these and has embodied in these volumes a large amount of curious and novel information lately issued in ers ll s new wore sketch of between the united states of america and britain declared by act of the th of june and con by peace the th of february by charles j the events of in one well printed vo vol of pages double columns paper covers france under louis the history of ten years or france under by louis secretary of the government of translated by walter k in two handsome crown vo volumes extra cloth or six parts paper at fifty cents history of of by louis author of france under louis c i ed from the french one volume crown l a s war in now of lady by with an historical introduction by francis in one neat volume royal extra cloth we need hardly inform our readers that the of this work is the wife of the gentleman who was originally to the english cabinet by the government of private interest to the recital of events which have become so famous would a wide popularity for madame s book but we should very much its value if we so limited our praise the indeed contain sketches of social life which are worthy of a place by the side of madame de de and madame but they are also rich in political and information of the first character madame was in the habit of direct intercourse with the foremost and most distinguished of the hung an and and has a complete summary of the political events m from the arrival of the in to the treason of general on the th of august m has also a valuable introduction which gives the most complete history of that has ever issued from the english press globe i stories from history by of lives of the queens of england etc in one royal mo volume extra cloth with the s being a on the of obtaining sugar from the cane by w j m d in one neat volume small s pages with wood cut and two plates of bt s t in one small volume mo poems by and bell authors of jane	29
c in one vol royal past by in one large and handsome volume crown by in one handsome vol royal in one neat volume royal mo a s ass s by sir john f w p r s c with plates and wood cuts a edition with a preface and a series of questions bt s o in one volume mo n h d s new n work irish by thomas esq with notes pi under of mr edward in one large imperial of pages handsomely bound in extra with gilt edges beautifully printed on superior paper list of plates painted by w p d by e rich and were the gems she wore w w u r t e love s a e w p w g e w the s pride w room w w p r the mountain f wood e the s love f w the care which has been in every portion of this volume both as to its mechanical and execution renders it in all respects well worthy of the irish in illustrations type paper and binding it is equal to anything that has as yet appeared in this country and as a work whose attraction is not confined to a single season it should command the attention of the public v n now ready s travels in the united states the l d or travels in the united states them their latest social political ain including a chapter on by alexander esq from the second and enlarged london edition in two very neat royal mo for the young from the works of sir walter scott with numerous and beautiful plates in two very handsome royal mo crimson cloth and son complete by charles ill one large vol of double s with plates price cents also an edition on paper with cloth s david in numbers with plates price cents each uniform with s complete edition of s novels and tales also part i of the cheap edition to be complete in two parts c each s new library of illustrated scientific works under this title are a series of beautifully illustrated works on various branches of science by the most men in their printed in the style and in the most efficient manner x y no expense has been or will be spared to render this series worthy of the support of the scientific public and at the same time one of the specimens of and artistic execution which has appeared in this country specimens and style the volumes may be had on to the s fl lately issued principles op and by professor j m d with additions by r m d in one large and handsome volume with wood cuts and two colored plates this is a large elegant and most admirable of a series of scientific books now passing through the press in london and which cannot fail to commend themselves to the favor of all who take any interest in the progress of science the great mass of the people the author is one of the most distinguished men in germany and these works have been prepared the utmost care and are put forth in a form admirably adapted to secure that wide circulation and universal favor which they deserve y and now practical the arrangements apparatus and tions of the shop and by francis d of the royal college of medicine and professor of in the society of great britain with additions by professor william of the philadelphia college of in one handsomely printed volume of pages with over on wood mm war on f a u at s s t e c h n log y or applied to the and to bt de f professor at the university of with and additions bt dr and dr thomas with notes and by professor walter r johnson in two handsome volumes j printed and in the highest style of art volume one lately published with two hundred and fourteen large wood volume two now ready with two hundred and wood one of the best works of modern times new york we think it will prove the most popular as it is decidedly the best of the series written by one who has for many years studied both and practically the processes which he describes the descriptions are precise and conveyed in a sim style so that they are easily understood while they are sufficiently ih in detail to within them everything necessary to the entire comprehension of the operations the work is also carefully down to include the most recent improvements introduced upon the of thus gives us full descriptions of processes to which reference is frequently made in other works while many of them are we believe now for the presented in a complete state to the english reader journal s principles op the of machinery and by professor translated and by professor op american with by walter r johnson in two volumes beautifully printed volume one with five hundred and fifty illustrations just issued volume two with three hundred and thirty illustrations now ready this work is one of the most interesting to that has been laid before us for some time and we may safely term it a scientific the the most valuable contribution to practical science that has yet appeared in this country in every way worthy of being recommended to our readers journal from charles h esq f engineer in chief u s n the design of the author in supplying the with a guide for teaching and the student with an for the of the science of has in my opinion been attained in a most successful the in the of their construction and in execution are without a parallel it will afford me much pleasure to recommend ite use by the members of the profession with	29
am d s n w s classical series i c ii de with an and a index in english also a map of and in one handsome volume of pages extra cloth price e ii with an introduction and notes in one handsome mo volume of pages extra cloth price iii c et with introduction and notes in english also a map or and other in one handsome mo volume of pages extra cloth price b iv now ready l by d f r of the high school in one handsome volume of pages half bound price v now ready q de qui viii with a hap introduction english notes c in one handsome mo volume of pages price cents vi now ready m xii with introduction english notes c c in one handsome volume vii nearly ready to the latin grammar by d f r s e c in one handsome mo volume the neatness and accuracy of this series together with its to the wants both of teachers and students have secured for it the almost universal approbation of those to whom it has been submitted from among the very numerous which the have received they beg to submit the following at s new from university j y march whatever influence my position may give me shall be most employed in bringing into general use in the west these very valuable works i trust that yon will to a dose the proposed series and that the execution of those that remain to complete a latin may be as neat and in all respects as as tiiat of those already published from john college i have examined the three volumes with considerable care and can give them my approbation the plan is judicious and the execution worthy of all praise the notes all that a student needs and all that he should have and their position at the foot of the page is just what it should be from e e and henry college va from the examination given them i must say that i have been highly gratified such a series as you propose giving to the public is certainly a great our classical text books have heretofore been rendered entirely too expensive by the costly dresses in which they have appeared and by the extensive of notes many of wh ch though learned are of little worth to the student in the text it will afford me pleasure to introduce into my department such books of your series as may be in our course from h esq mass the notes seem to me very accurate and are not so numerous as to do for the student what he ought to do for himself i can with safety therefore recommend it to my pupils from m m principal grammar s university i like the plan of your series i feel sure it will succeed and thus some of the learned lumber of our schools the notes short plain and are placed where they ought to be and furnish the just about help enough from philip d d of the university of the classical series by and has already acquired a high and well reputation on both sides of the atlantic i have carefully examined your of and i think them admirable text books for schools and to all others i shall avail myself of every suitable occasion to recommend them from b esq mass i have examined considerable care both the and the and am much pleased with the plan and execution of the series thus far i am particularly gratified with the propriety and judgment displayed by the in the preparation of the notes avoiding as i think the and of some of our classical works and at the same time the and deficiency of others giving a body of better suited to aid the teacher in a knowledge of the language than is to be found in any edition heretofore in use from college the mere name of the is a sufficient and most ample of ht accuracy of the text the judicious choice of various and the of those adopted to the latest of and the results of the most enlightened criticism the notes i have not examined very carefully except those of the they are admirable extremely and conveying a great deal of most valuable criticism in the possible way they are particularly valuable for their i al remarks and the frequent to parallel passages e same author the preliminary life is excellent and of great value to the student the appears to be of the same general character and the notes to furnish just such help as the student really needs i think that in bringing oat such a course at a cheap rate you are a great boon on the country and additional honor on your press already so ve value o u s new s english literature outlines of english literature by thomas b professor of english literature in the imperial alexander of st in one large and handsome royal mo volume a valuable and very interesting volume which for various merits will gradually find its way into all y supplies a want long and severely felt southern literary traces our literary history with remarkable zest and intelligence y home journal an admirable work and delightful the best publication of its size upon english literature that we have ever met with saturday eminently city item a judicious well adapted for a class book and at the same time worthy of a place in any library from the rev w g t english literature in the university cf ti mat i take great pleasure in saying that it supplies a want that has long existed of a brief history of english literature written m the right method and spirit to serve as an introduction	29
to the critical study of it i shall recommend the book to my classes foster s european literature now ready of modern british dutch french german italian polish and russian spanish and with a full and index by mrs foster in one large royal mo volume extra cloth with s outlines of english this will prove of great utility to all young persons who have just completed their studies the volume gives both a general and particular view of the literature from the revival of letters to the present day it is with care and judgment and is in all respects one of the most works that could be placed m the hands of young persons to on in one large imperial volume with sixty one plates drawn and colored after nature by the beat artists beautifully and strongly bound in half of this magnificent work but a very few copies have been offered for sale and these are nearly exhausted those who are of their with so splendid a specimen of american art and science will therefore do well to procure copies at once a few copies still on hand of on and being volume f the united states exploring expedition s a new work just issued including and with maps of those regions and of the valley by charles u s n commander of the united states exploring expedition price cents s s mm just published s the lord of the great seal of en law the to thk n op i by john lord a m f e first forming three neat volumes in extra cloth bringing the work to the time of lord j the second series will shortly follow in four volumes to m ft ia for as to thank lord for the with he has his e task the general and with whidi he has the i id characters of a long of influential and ministers and the style of his we need say that we shall with great the f this bat the present series of itself is more than to give lord fa station among the of his age the with abound in sketches and anecdote and an at once interesting and instructive the work is not historical and but it is and of thy chapters thrilling a whole the publication may be regarded as of a high intellectual order n a work in which we shall regard as an and an honor to our library a tory of tiie lord of england firom the of the office is necessarily a hj tory of the constitution the court and of the and these volumes with a world of matter of the character for the general reader as well ae with of the deepest for the or philosophic the brilliant success of this m england is by no means greater than its it is the most brilliant contribution to english history made within oar it has charm and freedom of biography combined with the elaborate and if v y s of geography th e of f a complete description of the earth physical civil and political fc l s l structure the natural history of each co and industry commerce and civil and social state of all nations by f rs e a assisted hi by c by w w c by ac l y professor y additions by thomas g the whole brought up a to in three large various of b i n d i n this great work furnished at a remarkably cheap rate about nineteen hundred lar e imperial pages and is illustrated by ei two small maps and a colored map of the united states after tan ner together with about ei n hundred wood executed in the t style catalogue of and s the american brought up to the a popular dictionary of arts literature history politics and biography in fourteen large of over six hundred double pages for sale very low in various of binding during the long period which this work has been before the it has attained a very high character as an for daily r ence containing in a comparatively moderate space a vast quantity of information which is scarcely to be met with elsewhere ana of the kind which is wanted in tne daily of conversation and reading it has also a recommendation no other of the kind now before the public in being an american book the numerous american accounts inventions and discoveries to our political institutions and the of the whole to our peculiar habits and modes of thought peculiarly suit it to readers in this country from these causes it is also especially fitted for all district school and other public in some of which it h been tried with great satisfaction it to a extent than perhaps my work the for presenting in a small compass and price the materials of library and a book for use and reference to those removed from the large some years having elapsed since the original thirteen of were published to it up to the present day with the history of that period at the request the have just issued a volume the bringing the work up to the year bt henry ll d t and of in the of of a on political i one volume of over s to d ca xv and s the numerous who have been r the completion of this volume can now perfect their sets and all who want a register of the events of the last fifteen years for the whole world can obtain this separately price two in cloth or two dollars and fifty cents in leather to match the in which the have been sets in the large cities can be supplied on application at any of the principal and persons in the country can have their sets matched by sending	29
a volume in charge of friends the city complete sets furnished at very low prices in various tlie of the conferred an obligation on public when ago they the thirteen from their they amount of information upon whidi would be likely to occupy public attention or be the theme of conversation in the private circle whatever one would to it necessary to dip into the and then the outline at least would be found and reference made to those which treat at upon the it was not strange therefore that the work was popular but in fourteen years great occur the last fourteen years have been full of them and great have been made in and the arts and great men have by death commended their and deeds to the fidelity of the so that the that perfection in might considerably behind in to bring up the work and keep it at the present point has been a task by professor of the university a gentleman entirely competent to such an undertaking and with a to do a good he liad a n y volume to the main work in size and and becoming indeed a volume the has been exceedingly and very in discovering and selecting using all that germany has and to species of information of events connected with m plan of the work since the of the thirteen he continued that were in that and added new articles upon science biography and hy ao aa to make the volume a necessary in to the other the the thanks of the readers of the volume for the handsome pe and dear white p m the publication states this volume is worth by itself as a moat convenient and of recent history the entire work the and probably now the moat desirable published fi use the a book m au the intelligent in america and a undoubtedly the best of and political information of that kind whidi readers require thk of the ia a westminster y of american what are on the since iv t the to which this volume a is one of that has ever been made to the literature of our country into a narrow compass the substance of larger works of the same und whidi had it il contains a vast amount of information that is not elsewhere to be found and is not less for its admirable than for the variety of of it is by one of the most distinguished scholars of our country ia worthy to follow in the train of those which have preceded it it ia a remarkably of the more recent va and the arts besides forming a veiy important a to tha l i t a m to and s n n i h r s rom e t of by b g in two volumes done up in extra doth or five parts paper price each the last three parts of this valuable book have never before been published in this having only lately been printed in germany and translated in england the two last of these s lectures on the latter part of roman so long lost to the world it is an unexpected and pleasure to the admirers of at is to all earnest students of ancient to recover as from the grave the lectures before us c review the world has now m an bv here we close our remarks upon this memorable a work which of all that have appeared m our age is the best fitted to excite men of learning to intellectual activity from which the accomplished scholar may gather fresh stores of knowledge to which the most experienced may resort for and practical instruction and which no person can read as it ought to be read without the better and more generous of common human nature and strengthened m review it is since i saw you that i have been devouring with the most intense admiration the third volume of the clearness and of all his details is a new feature in that mind and how beautiful is that brief account of or life vol il rank e s hi works of their church and state in the sixteenth and centuries bt from the la bt of the all bt wa k b in two parts paper at fl oo each or one large volume extra cloth a book extraordinary for its learning and and for its and liberal views of the it describes the best compliment that can be paid to mr is that each side has accused him of partiality to its opponent the german complaining that his work is written in too a spirit the declaring that generally impartial as he is it is clear to perceive the tendency of the times en the sixteenth century and beginning op the bt professor i ranks the of the by walter k esq in one part paper price cents this work was published bv the author in with the of the under the name of sovereigns and nations of southern europe in the sixteenth and it may be used separately or bound up with that work for which purpose two titles be found in it of the by professor first second and third now ready the bt b fe few modem possess such for doing justice to so great a subject as in he in the toil of ing and state papers honest in purpose he shapes his theories evidence not like d whose romance of the evidence to support never the in the or the historian in the ov one mo paper price cents studies of the life of woman from the french of de in one neat mo volume paper i ice cents the education of mothers or civilization of mankind by women from	29
the french of l martin hi one ma volume paper e oi va and l a s history history of the united states from the plantation of the british colonies till their assumption of independence edition and with a by president ik two cloth with a portrait this work the position of a standard history of this country the have been to issue an edition in smaller size and at a less thai its circulation may be with its merits it is now considered as the most impartial and history that yet appeared a few of the edition in four on extra fine thick paper may still be had by gentlemen desirous of a work for their is known to men as in ite one of the of this and one of the best written by a foreigner it has been and by every one who has since its the history of this in the of the to it it the cast on it by who has derived from it a vast of the and material of his own able and extended work it is in two and to find its way to eveiy of york md s naval history of the navy of the united states of america by j third with ain additions two in one neat extra doth with a portrait of tbe author two maps and of s historical historical of my times by sir n w t lt mb cloth is the work for which hi consequence of too truthful a of ii the author was imprisoned and by this experience his he suppressed until his death s of his own times by sir n w in volume extra cloth work contains mu and of the personages of the day its f and p a fr s lives of of england to match miss d s queens i i life op the in neat royal er paper the reader will find a work of interest it throughout the most pains taking and a style of narrative which has all the and strength ol it li a work with which shedding a light as we are in it upon english history to be of the loves of the poets sketches of women celebrated in ancient and modem poetry by mrs in one royal price cents the re at his court an d times with an introduction by thomas camp bell esq author of the pleasures of hope second series in two volumes extra cloth history of a of the of the and the house of rom to the term of the administration of genial washington in one large volume of over pages price only mo s nd n ow the history of ireland from the earliest kings of that realm down to its latest in two volumes extra doth mr has at length completed his oi ireland containing the moat and interesting periods through which it has those who of the as as the great expedition against scotland in can procure the second t dame history of the war in france and in s containing minute details of the battles of and by w in one volume with maps and plans of battles c part of indicating the of hie on field of at o clock p m field of at o clock p m field of o clock m field of at half mat o clock p m field of at a past o dock a m field of at a before o p m field of at minutes past o p m of at o p l tb june field of at o a m ui june il of france on whidi is shown the advance of the allied into uie by j c professor of in translated from the third german edition by f in three containing over large ts of t on a new and plan from the earliest times to the treaty of v to which is added a summary of the leading events since that period by b white b a sixth witb bt john s a m in one large royal l mo x c and s the prisoner of or captive bt x b b a new edition with illustrations in one elegant volume type and fine paper in so or in beautiful extra cloth the most mud work of fiction written with the oi the same have their and good by patting their edition of work with a of very there was a book which better deserved the it is of greatly ment to paul and and we believe it is destined to that of st ia popularity it is better suited to the advanced ideas of present age and in which paul and virginia is deficient st work its its bold attack on prejudices s strikes deeper and the is the of modem society in its a of will not be too for its merit k a this is a little of its a beautiful conceit and the style and plot of this truly story require no criticism we will only tha that who rely on works of fiction sir their intellectual food may mid aa pure in and beautiful in moral as york review the present edition is got up in style with and credit upon the we recommend to those of our readers who were not enough to meet with some years ago when it was first translated and for a all the rage to no time in it and to those who read it then but do not a copy to embrace the o of supplying themselves the present very edition a new edition of this exquisite has recently been by and illustrated in the most elegant manner we that work waa completely out of print and a new edition will then be welcomed it contains a delightful letter bam	29
expedition the narrative op the united states exploring expedition during the years and bt f u s iv commander of thb price twenty five dollars a new edition in five medium volumes neat extra cloth particularly done up with reference to strength and continued use containing of letter press illustrated with map and about hundred splendid on wood price t d i i ar a though offered at a price so low this is the complete work containing all the letter press of the edition printed for with some improvements suggested m the course of passing the work again through the press all of the wood cut illustrations are retained and nearly all the maps the large steel plates of the edition being and neat wood cuts for steel it is printed ou ine paper with large ty bound in very neat extra cloth and forms a beautiful work with its very numerous and appropriate the attention of persons forming is especially directed to this work as presenting the novel and valuable matter accumulated by the expedition in a cheap convenient and form school and public should not be without it as the results of the first scientific expedition by our government to explore foreign regions we have no hesitation in saying that it is destined to stand among the most enduring monuments of our national literature its not only to every department of science but eveiy department of history are immense and there is not an intelligent man in the matter what may be his taste or his occupation but will find something here to to gratify and to profit him a another edition price twenty five dollars in five magnificent imperial volumes with an of large and extended beautifully done up in extra cloth this truly great and national work ia issued in style of and beauty containing four large and finished embracing scenery portraits manners customs c c forty seven exquisite steel worked among the letter press about two hundred and fifty finely executed wood cut illustrations fourteen large and small maps and and nearly twenty six hundred pages of letter press also a few copies still on hand the edition printed for in five and an large imperial strong extra cloth sixty dollars just issued the and of the united states exploring expedition under the of charles esq u s navy bt to thk bi on large imperial volume of nearly seven hundred pages with two maps printed to match the of the narrative price dollars in beautiful extra cloth done up with great ib the only edition printed and but few are offered for sale the remainder of the of the expedition are in a state of rapid the v on j d esq with an of plates will be il v k i by the others and s small books on subjects a series of deserve the attention of the from the variety and importance of their subjects and the and strength with which they are written they a neat in pi or done up in three neat extra doth there are already published no i theories and philosophical experience on the between and intellectual science on man s power over himself to prevent or control insanity an introduction to practical wn h refer to the works of e a brief view of greek philosophy up to the age of e philosophy from the age of to the coming of christ christian doctrine and practice in the second century a an of and common errors adapted to the year of grace an to vegetable to the works of de ac on the principles of criminal law il christian in the nineteenth century the general principles of grammar we are glad to find that l are for a quarter of their price this admirable series of little books which have justly attracted so much in great britain the writers of these thoughtful are not for hire they are men who have stood apart from the throng and marked the movements of the crowd uie tendencies of society its evils and its errors and meditating upon them have given their thoughts to the london critic a series of little volumes whose worth is not at all to be estimated by their size or price are written in p and by scholars of eminent ability whose design is to call the of the public to various important topics in a novel and accessible mode of publication iv y s on the progress of philosophy with a preface bt the rev william m a in one neat vo vol extra cloth journey round the world during the years and by sir george governor in op the s bay company s in one very neat crown volume rich extra crimson cloth or in two parts paper price cents each a more or instructive work or one more full of perilous adventure and heroic we have never met with bull it with details of the deepest interest possesses all the of an i and f an mass of vn l r and s public popular science philosophy in sport made in earnest being an attempt to illustrate the first of natural philosophy by the aid of the popular toys and sports of youth from thb sixth and improved london edition id one very neat royal i mo with nearly one hundred illustrations on wood fine extra crimson messrs haye issued in a manner a handsome book called philosophy in sport made science in earnest this is an admirable attempt to the first principles of natural philosophy by the aid of the popular toys and sports of youth information is in an yet dignified manner and rendered easy to the simplest gi the book is an admirable one and must meet with iv y endless amusement	29
his own cattle and his son john first american from the twenty eighth london with h and additions bt j m b in one vo t o and s and s standard work on the horse the horse by william a edition with numerous illustrations with ra of bo ss a on the american trotting horse how trained and an account of his remarkable performances this by j s assistant master general and editor of the turf register this edition of s well known and standard work on the management diseases and treatment of the horse has already obtained such a wide circulation throughout the country that the need say nothing to attract to it the attention and confidence of all who keep horses or are interested in their improvement in introducing this veiy neat edition of s well known book on the horse to our readers it is not necessary even if we had time to say anything to convince them of its worth it has been highly spoken of by those most capable of its merits and its appearance the patronage of the society for the of useful knowledge with lord at its head affords a for its high character the book is a very valuable one and we the recommendation of the editor that every man who owns the hair of a horse should have it at his elbow to be consulted like a family physician for the and the life of the most interesting and useful of all domestic animals farmer s this celebrated work has been completely and much of it almost entirely re written by its able author who from a practical surgeon and withal a great lover and excellent judge of the animal is particularly well qualified to write the history of the noblest of messrs and of philadelphia have the above work a few of the first pages and have supplied their place with matter quite as valuable and perhaps more interesting to the reader in this country it being nearly pages of a general history of tne horse a on the american trotting horse how trained and an account of his remarkable performances and an essay on the ass and mule by j s esq assistant general and late editor of the turf register and american mr is one of our most pleasing and has been with the subject of tlie from childhood and we need not add that he has himself well of the task ha also takes up the important subject to tiie american of the ass and the mule this he treats at length and com the ot hia ik v a ao a m xv cuts american and s and p outer on shooting instructions to young in all that relates to guns and shooting b p thk ix to which is added the hunting and shooting of north america with descriptions op animals and birds carefully from sources bt iv t of the n y of the times in one large volume rich extra cloth with numerous illustrations here is a book a hand book or rather a text book one that contains the whole routine of the science it is the the and the everything is here from the portion of a g in lock to a dead the who reads book may pass an examination he will know the science and may advice to others every and are plentiful should own this work it should be a he should be examined on its contents and estimated by his abilities to answer we have not been without on the art but hitherto they have not descended into all the of and to proceed to the completion this work supplies and the s library u s no man in the country that we of is so well calculated as our friend of the spirit for the task he has undertaken and the result of his labours has been that he has turned out a work which should be in the of every man in the land who owns a double gun iv o a volume splendidly printed and bound and with numerous beautiful will doubtless be m eat demand no indeed ought to be without it while the reader will find in its pages a fund of curious and useful information by william author of the horse o with numerous and beautiful illustrations by e j m d c in one beautifully printed volume crown list op plates head of ancient the the or new holland the or the hare indian the the and water the the or the the e dog the english sheep the scotch sheep the the the plan of the southern the the the bull the the skeleton of the teeth of the dog at seven different ages mr s work is invaluable to the student of history it is full of entertaining an j instructive matter for the general reader to the it itself by the lar e amount of useful information in reference to his peculiar pursuits which it information which he cannot find elsewhere in so convenient and accessible a form and with so an authority to it to his consideration the modest preface which dr has made to the american edition of this work scarcely does justice to the additional value he has imparted to it and the are entitled to great credit for the handsome manner in which they have got it up american w n s n s or hints on hunters hunting hounds game dogs guns fishing c by john esq author of the old english gentleman k in one well printed royal volume extra cloth t ab t or spectacles for young by harry in one very neat volume extra cloth these lively sketches answer to their title very well wherever is welcome there should be cordial greeting for harry his book is	29
a clever one and mai hints as well as much light hearted reading the embracing the uses breeding training etc of dogs and an account op the different kinds of game with their habits au hints to ith use ail d c ft by j h s e with plates in one very x and s s mo french the modern cook a practical guide to thb art in all its branches adapted as well for the largest as for the use op private families by charles of the and d and cook to lier tj the queen in one large extra with numerous illustrations it appears to be the book of books on a most on that and the work in one large and elegant volume for cooking dishes and with numerous also bills of fare and directions for dinners lor every month in the year for companies of six persons to twenty ei l the ladies who read our will thank us for calling to this mat m the noble science of cooking in which everybody who has any taste feels a deep and abiding is the the or the napoleon of his department or the la place for hu performance bears the same relation to ordinary cook hooks that the does to s it is a large illustrated and contains on the philosophy of making dinners that is worth i miss act on s ir reduced to a system op easy practice for the use of private families in a series of practical all of which are given with the most bt with numerous wood cut illustrations to which is added a table of measures thk by mrs j hale from the second london edition in one large volume miss may congratulate herself on having composed a work of great utility and one that is speedily finding its way to every in the kingdom her book is unquestionably the most valuable of the art that has yet been published it strongly economical principles and points out how good things may be without that reckless extravagance which good have been wont to imagine the best evidence they can give ot skill in their profession the co e cook plain and practical directions for cooking and up wards of seven of directions for the choice of meat and preparations for cooking making of and boiling and ai fish vegetables preparing making or c c and with general directions for making with additions and er at n by j m of thb in one small volume paper price only twenty five cents the complete r past ry cook and baker plain and practical directions for making and and for wards of five of directions for making all sorts of sugar ornamental cakes waters ornaments bread artificial cakes rolls ac with additions and alterations bt i one small w tm and s johnson and on fruit kitchen and a dictionary of modern by george william johnson esq author of the principles of practical the a sob with hundred and wood cuts with numerous additions by david of philadelphia in one large royal volume extra cloth of nearly six hundred and double this edition has been altered from the original many articles of little interest to have been or wholly omitted and much new matter with numerous illustrations added especially with respect to the varieties of fruit which has shown to be peculiarly adapted to oar climate still the editor admits that he has followed in the path so out by mr johnson to whom the chief merit of the work belongs it has been am with the editor and to increase its popular character thereby it to the larger class of readers in this country and they trust it wiu prove what they have desired it to be an of if not of rural so and at a as to be within reach of nearly all subjects interest is a useful of all that description of which is valuable to the modem gardener it largely from the best standard authors journals and transactions of societies and the labours of the editor have fitted it for the united states by judicious additions and the volume is abundantly illustrated with figures in the text embracing a judicious selection of those varieties of fruits which experience has shown to be well suited to the united states this is the most valuable work we have ever seen on the subject of and no man of taste who can devote even a quarter of an acre to ought to oe without it indeed la dies who cultivate flowers will find this book an excellent and it contains one hundred and wood cut illustrations which give a distinct idea of the and garden arrangements th are intended to represent johnson s dictionary of is printed bound and mm at a price which puts it within the reach of all who would be likely to buy it the com a of oa ro containing practical instruction for the management of plants and for the cultivation of the flower garden and the with descriptions of those plants and trees most worthy of culture in each with adapted to the climate of the states in one small volume price only twenty five cents the hen a nd a select manual of kitchen and the op fruits containing familiar directions for the most approved practice in each descriptions of many valuable fruits and a of work to be performed each month in the year the whole adapted to the climate of the states in volume paper price only twenty five cents register aim for with numerous illustrations still on hand a few copies of the register for with over one hundred wood cuts this work has pages double though ba mi ing an the principal part of the ia of ix n i bi and s human health or the influence	29
op atmosphere and locality change of air and climate seasons food clothing bathing springs exercise sleep and mental c c on healthy man elements of by m d o in one volume in the pursuit of health as well as those who desire to retain it would do well to examine this work the author states the work has been prepared to enable the general reader to understand the nature of the actions of various influences on human health and assist him in such means as may tend to its preservation hence the author has avoided introducing except where they appeared to him indispensable remarks on the influence of mental excitement and mental cultivation upon health by a m d third edition one volume mo a on of and the of the by to thb in one cloth b t the whole c in vo animal and vegetable in with many on the history habits and instinct of animals ol with plates on on the moral condition of on bell on the on the physical condition of man volumes s with plate and and are sold separate the domestic management of the sick room necessary in aid of medical treatment for the cure of diseases by a t m d ic c first american the second london edition by r e m d in one royal mo volume extra cloth with cuts there is no interference with the duties of the medical attendant but sound sensible and clear advice what to do and how to act so as to meet aiid oo operate with professional skill the by the edition with additions and by the professor of in the of and a description of an improved flour mill with o c o e is a l v ii and s school books bird s natural philosophy nearly ready of philosophy an introduction to the physical with over wood by bird m d physician to u from the third london edition in one neat volume by the of dr bird s e student has now all that he can in and well the elements of natural philosophy are explained i pie and elements of or natural general and medical written for universal in plain or non language by ive d a new edition by m d complete in one volume with nearly two wood this standard has been and known as one of the best popular of the interesting science it treats of it is used in many of the first and practical by george d in the medical school e with numerous illustrations with additions by robert bridges m d of general and in the philadelphia of a a second american edition in one large volume sheep or extra cloth with nearly two hundred wood cuts the character of this work is such as to recommend it to all and m want of a text book it is fully brought up to the day all the late views and discoveries that have so entirely changed the face or the science and it is completely illustrated with very numerous wood of all the different processes and forms of apparatus though scientific it is written with great clearness and of style rendering it easy to be by those who are the study it may be had well bound in leather or neatly done up in strong doth its low price places it within the reach of all s ts or by sir david with and additions bt a d ll d of in one volume mo t a t s and s school books s french series new of the following works by a in connection with s a complete series for the acquisition d the french language a of one hundred p s accompanied bt a key containing tbe text a literal and free translation arranged in a manner aa to point out tlie difference between tbe french and english c in foi a collection of phrases on every topic necessary to maintain conversation arranged under heads with numerous remarks on the peculiar and uses of various words the whole so disposed as considerably to the acquisition of a correct of the french in vou les de par in vol mo accompanied by a key to the first eight books in vol like the the text a literal and fine translation intended as a to the either volume sold separately all the french both regular and irregular in a small volume s nearly ready principles of and by j of at the university of with oh wood plates in one volume this edition is improved by the addition of articles and will be ia every respect brought up to the time of publication the of is a work complete unique the greatest want known to science could not have been better supplied the work is of interest the value of this contribution to the records of this country may be duly estimated by the that the of the original drawings and alone has exceeded the sum of march am a or t by samuel butler d d late lord bishop of coloured maps and a in one volume half bound r t te application op ancient geography to the by samuel butler d d f r s by his son thb last with est ns tt l it l in one mo vo i t v w v ft and s law books on real estate now ready the aw of property second edition corrected and enlarged by francis at law in two large beautifully printed and bound in best law sheep this book is designed as a substitute for occupying the ground in american law which that work has long covered in the ii law it embraces all that portion of the english law of real estate which has any in this country and at	29
the same time it the provisions and cases of all the states upon the same subject thereby a complete r for american students and the plan of the work is such as to render it equally valuable in all the states embracing as it does the peculiar of the law alike in and new yoke and in this edition the and subsequent to the former one which are very numerous have all been thus making it one third larger than the original work and the view of the law upon the subject treated quite down to the present time the book is recommended in the highest terms by distinguished of different states as will be seen by the the work before lu this in a highly it ia beyond all question the best of the kind that we now have and although we whether this or other will be likely to s we do not hesitate to say that of the two this is the more to the american lawyer we congratulate the author upon the m accomplishment of the task he undertook in the vast of the law of real property to size and we do not doubt that his will be duly by the profession r f judge says i think the a veiy valuable addition to our present stock of literature it embraces all that part of s which is most to american lawyers but its higher value is that it presents in a but dear and exact form the substance of american law on the same subject no we u to be so the wonder is that the author has been able to bring so a mass into so a text at once comprehensive and says of the work vol il p note th edition it is a of great labour and value hon says s work has for three or four years in use and think tliat justice story and express the general opinion of the bar professor says i had already found the first edition a very convenient book of and do not doubt from the appearance of the second that it is greatly improved professor j h of fe says i have been for several with the edition of mr s and have a very opinion of it i have no doubt the second edition will be found even more valuable than the first and i shall be happy to recommend it as i may opportunity i know if no other work m the subject of real estate so and so well of law iii this and s law books on a out thb of by c g esq of the inner at law in one volume in law in this upon the most constantly and frequently administered branch of law the author has collected arranged and developed in an intelligible and popular form the rules and of the law of and has supported illustrated or them by to nearly four thousand cases it the rights and of and landlord and tenant letter and of and workman and employer master and ap principal agent and husband and wife partners stock companies c s law ts or r by henry ll d minister of the united states at the court of c third edition and corrected in one large and beautiful volume of pages extra or fine law sheep mi s work is indispensable to every and lawyer and necessary indeed to all public men to eveiy philosophic and liberal mind the study must be an attractive and in the hands of our author it is a delightful on north hill on a practical on the relating to their powers duties privileges and by james hill esq of the inner temple at law by francis j of the philadelphia bar in one large volume best law sheep raised bands the editor leave to the observation made by the author that the is intended principally for the instruction and guidance of that single feature veiy much its practical value on the principles of criminal law in one mo volume paper price cents past l o and s medical books to the medical profession the following list embraces works on medical other issued by the they are to be met with at all the principal throughout the union and will be found as low in price as is consistent with the of their beauty of execution illustration and of binding no are here mentioned there being no fixed standard as it is evident that books cannot be n the same rate in new or as in philadelphia any information however relative to size cost c can be had on application free of to the or to any of the medical throughout the country journals american journal op the me at a year an of the various branches of practical medicine diseases of women and children and try and by john m d and f smith m d with illustrations nearly ready op practical by c by in royal volumes m double pages strongly bound s medical th ed vol vo large pages double columns s dictionary op terms by vol large mo pages double columns medical news and library monthly at a year s special and th edition vo many cuts pages s united states dis vol large royal mo many cuts pages s elements op by many cuts preparing s human by d edition vol pages s or practical and with cuts vol l mo pages bv smith and large vo figures s principles op hu man vol vo over illustrations d edition with many additions carpenter s elements or man op vol pages many cuts carpenter s comparative ana and by the author with beautiful preparing connection between and intellectual science vol mo and s medical books op and based on the large work of ia two large vo numerous cuts preparing s hum an th	29
edition vo pages and wood cuts on the nerves vol vo pages s by vol pages s outlines of vo pages on the human brain its structure and diseases preparing and s and of man with numerous in the medical news to be m one volume on the stomach new edition vol vo pages on the brain new edition vol vo pages s outlines op c vol vo pages on the blood translated by and still vol small vo pages on the and vo pages on the vol mo pages on the liver vol vo pages plates and wood cuts s principles vol vo pages bird on vo pages cuts s my vo pages hope on the heart by a new edition with plates vol vo pages on the lungs and heart vol mo pages with a plate on protracted tion vo pages n vol vo r plates on the stomach and re diseases vol vo pages coloured plates on new edition vol vo pages el s op the human body vol vo pages coloured plates on the lungs vol on the skin vol vo a new edition same work with coloured plates or of medicine vol pages on the organs by vol vo pages practice of medicine on the diseases op females by vol vo pages on the history n is and treatment op ty tent and yellow fever a new and extended edition of bis former work nearly ready s op s lectures vol vo pages on and ab vol vo pages on c c vol vo pages de l on translated and by vol vo pages cuts popular medicine a new edition brought up to the day many cuts preparing on the diseases op d edition vol vo pages on the diseases of females by th edition vol vo pages on the management and more important diseases op infancy and childhood preparing and others on a complete work in vol vo pages on children th edition vol vo pages on females th edition vol vo pages with plates s practice op d edition volumes vo pages on insanity by hunt vo pages on females in a series of letters to his class with cuts a new work nearly ready on the sick room ac vol large mo pages cuts s principles and op d improved edition by very large vol vo over and s medical books on organs vol vo pa es on the joints vol vo pages s lectures on vol vo pages s select works vol vo pages system op by south and in large vo over pages well on and vol vo many cuts on vol vo pages plates on the and thy vol vo many plates on the and diseases op the breast papers c c vol imperial vo plates s principles and pr ac op modern d ed vol vo pages many cuts on c mo pages diseases and of the ear a new and complete work preparing s practical vol vo d edition pages many cuts on the vo pages on the si vo pages jones medicine and by vol royal mo pages many cuts and plates plain or coloured s lectures on by vol vo pages many cuts on the eye by new edition much improved pages many cuts and plates on vol vo pages s sur with illustrations preparing miller s principles op vol vo pages miller s practice of vol va pages s vol vo pages many plates and cats on the teeth vol vo pages plates s minor vol mo with cuts preparing and s and a new with cuts vo pages on new th ed vol vo pages medical edition much improved vol s s pages s medical a new and complete work large vol vo with over illustrations pages s universal and a new and complete work vol large vo at press s and by ed vo very large pages nearly wood cuts s and by vo pages many cuts s elements op general a new work universal with many wood cats vol large vo preparing s theory and of by d ed vol vo pages many cuts system of th edition vol vo pages with plates s system of vol vo pages on with many plates large vol imperial v i w lt s s x l tea and s medical books and on mental excite ment c vol mo pages lis n on human health d edition vo pages s try for students by bridges d edition i vol royal mo large pages many cuts s elements op try large vol vo new and improved edition at press many cuts man s power over himself to prevent or control insanity mo paper price cents practical mo paper s of man vo pages plates medical tion s philosophy of vol vo pages s medical student edition mo pages medical by vol vo pages s manual op by at press s medical vol vo pages natural lo s elements of new edition i vol vo pages many cuts s ancient lar with numerous illustrations nearly ready bird s natural philosophy from a new london edition vol royal mo many cuts at press s on vol mo pages many cuts with many plates cuts maps c vo pages carpenter s animal with wood cuts preparing carpenter s popular ble vol royal mo many cuts on vol royal to with an of plates being and of u states exploring expedition at press de la s new work on with wood cuts preparing of the four seasons vol royal mo pages many cuts hale s and of the u s exploring expedition in large to vol s on vol mo pages numerous plates and cuts introduction to vegetable founded on the works of de c mo by on animals plates vol vo pages and s vol vo large pages plates plain or coloured on vol large vo preparing s principles of and with five hundred and wood	29
de xv hie old mill proceedings at law xv strange symptoms the the and sentiments the philosopher merriment and xxv the old school xvi the hawk is ft ft m s b contents the swamp story brown xxx an a country gathering the dinner table a breaking up knight a at utterance the last signs of a hero xl one act of a farce the fate of a hero stable wisdom the quarter a negro mother pleasant prospect a word in advance from the author to the reader swallow was written twenty years ago and was published in a small edition which was soon exhausted from that date it has disappeared from the being carelessly consigned by the author to that oblivion which is common to books and men out of sight out of mind upon a recent of it after an interval sufficiently long to the with which one is apt to regard his own productions i have thought it was worthy of more attention than i had bestowed upon it and was at least entitled to the benefit of a second edition in truth its has been so often advised by friends and its original reception was so prosperous that i have almost felt it to be a duty once more to set it afloat upon the waters for the of that good natured company of idle readers who are always ready to on a pleasure excursion in any light craft that offers i have therefore taken these volumes in hand and given them a somewhat critical twenty years work sufficient change upon the mind of an author to render him perhaps more than others a fastidious critic of his own book if the are right he is not the same person after that lapse of time and all that his present and former self may claim in common are those properties a word from the author to the reader which belong to his mental consciousness of which his after fame is one the present self may therefore be expected to examine more the work of that former and younger person for whom he is held responsible this consideration will be sufficient to account for the few differences which may be found between this and the first edition some of the has been got rid of some dialogue has been of its some few thoughts have been added and others i shall be happy to think that the reader will agree with me that these are improvements i mean the reader who may happen to belong to that small and choice corps who read these volumes long ago a little troop of friends of both sexes to whom i have reason to be grateful for that of good opinion which cheered my first venture in health and joy to them as many as are now alive i i owe them a for their early benevolence swallow bam a picture of country life in virginia as it existed in the first quarter of the present century between that period and the present day time and what is called the progress have made many there as they have done every where else the old dominion is losing somewhat of the of her once peculiar and speaking in reference to the locality described in these volumes cast of manners the mellow bland and sunny of her old time society its good fellowship its hearty and constitutional the of the people their dogged but amiable of opinion and that overflowing hospitality which knew no ebb these traits though far from being are modified at the present day by circumstances which have been gradually a marked influence over social life as well as political relation an observer cannot fail to note that the manners of our country have been tending towards a a word the author to the reader mi which is visibly all local differences the old states especially are losing their habits and modes of life and in the same degree i fear are losing their exclusive american character a traveller may detect but few or provincial varieties in the general and customs of society in comparison with what were in the past generations and the pride or rather the vanity of the present day is leading ns into a very notable with foreign the country now the city in what is supposed to be the of life and the city is inclined to value and the fashions it is able to import across the atlantic and the whole surface of society is exhibiting the traces of a process by which it is likely to be rubbed down in time to one le el and with the same it may thus finally arrive at comfortable of character which may not be willingly as altogether a due compensation for the loss of that but pleasant flavor which belonged to it in its earlier era then is much in that opinion which a whole some influence to those customs which are said to strengthen local and them into a love of what belonged to us as american seems already to be into a mixture which affects us as a tame and substitute for the old and vivacity of our ancestors we no longer pre nt in our pictures of domestic life so much as an earnest lover might desire of what abroad is called the red s wing something which belongs to us and to no one else of modem invention in the arts of life the general of thought through the medium of an extra literature which from its easy among us is scarcely as foreign the and comfort of european which have been into our scheme of living a word thb author to the reader all these aided and by our of travel and have made sad work even in the present generation with those old that	29
were so agreeable to the of an admirer of the in and manners looking myself somewhat hopelessly upon this onward gliding of the stream i am not willing to allow these sketches of mine entirely to pass away they have already begun to assume the tints of a of the past and may in another generation and sink into ihe chapter of presenting as i make bold to say a picture of the people the modes of life and the scenery of a region fall of attraction and exhibiting the lights and shades of its society with the fulness of a painter who has studied his subject on the spot t may reasonably claim their accuracy of to be off as an for any want of skill or defect of finish which a criticism may charge against the artist like some post i profess to make a strong likeness even if it should be thought to be hard and what better workmen might call a as to which i must leave my reader to himself when he has read this book the outward public on this point was kind and bestowed quite as much praise as i could hare desired much more than i expected when the former edition appeared but the progress has brought out many since that day and has perhaps rendered the public taste more scrupulous a book then was not so perilous an offering as it is now in the great swarm of we run more risk just now of being let alone though not happily by a few newspapers who are with the and owe him some i wish it to be noted that swallow barn is not a novel i this in advance although i may lose by it it was begun on a word from thb author to ths b the plan of a series of detached linked together by the hooks aad eyes of a s notes and although the does run into some by paths of personal adventure it has still preserved its character to the last it is therefore utterly in plot and and may be as and of t lie of a book of travels a a collection of letters drama and a history and this or compact as the reader may choose to it our old friend had nearly hit it in his of pastoral historical inch saving the may well make up my and so i leave it to the censure of my new reader to esq ridge new york dear i can imagine your surprise upon the receipt of this when you first discover that i have really reached the old dominion to you for my stealing off so quietly i hold myself bound to an explanation and in revenge for your past friendship to inflict upon you a full true and particular account of all my doings or rather my and up to this present writing you know my cousin ned hazard has been often urging it upon me so often that he began to grow sick of it as a sort of family duty to come and spend some little fragment of my life amongst my virginia relations and i have broken so many promises on that score that in truth i began to grow ashamed of myself upon the first of this month a letter from ned reached me at on the north river where i then was with my mother and sisters ned s usual tone of correspondence is that of easy confiding intimacy mixed up now and then with a against some upon which as they were altogether imaginary i could afford to take his sarcasm in good but in this he assumed a new ground giving me some home me for certain as he called them and that a crust was upon me a plague upon the fellow you know thi t neither of us is so many years ahead of him my reckoning takes in but ve years eleven months and fifteen da not so by my looks he that i had arrived at that of opinion for which travel was the only cure and that in especial i had fallen into some prejudices against the old dominion which were the character of a philosopher to which he affirmed i had set up pretensions and then came a most that he had good reason to know that i was revolving the revival of a stale adventure in the war of in which i had been baffled at at and on other grounds any reasonable man would say that was absurd on his own showing the letter grew more provoking it my opinions laughed at my and my figure for its set at my complexion my temper and gave me over and to the great bear herd as one to all kinds of ill luck with the women and to be led for ever as an his however wound up like a sermon in a perfect of sweet sounds me to forego my idle purpose to weed out all my affections as well touching the old dominion as the other of my vain philosophy and to hie me with such speed as my convenience might serve withal to swallow bam where he made bold to pledge me an entertainment worthy of my labor it was a brave offer and to be i balanced the matter in my usual see saw fashion for several days it does mostly fall out my dear to speak that this machine of man pulled in contrary ways by inclinations and setting that it shall go weu with him if he be not altogether balanced into a of absolute rest i had a great account to run up against my resolution has so many and the servants have fallen so well into my and my arm chair had such an essential to my felicity	29
and even my were on such a stationary foundation one for every day of the week as to render it impossible to them on a journey to say nothing of the letters to write and the books to read and all the other little cares that make up the sum o in a man who does not care much about seeing the world so that in faith i had a serious matter of it and then after all i was in to my sister to go with her up the river you know where this between you and me was the very thing that brought down the beam that futile i but for this fantastic conceit crossing my mind with the bitterness of its folly i should have staid at home there are some in love and war both where your lying is your only game for as to or putting the question upon an or a but it is a downright confession if i had refused ned s summons not a whole of devils could have driven it out of his belief that i had been kept at home by that of the brain which he called a love affair and then i should never have heard the end of it ru set that matter right at least i as i folded up his letter ned has reason too said i suddenly struck with the novelty of the proposed journey which began to show in a pleasant light upon my nation as things are apt to do when a man has once relieved his mind from a state of doubt one ought to travel before he makes up his opinion there are two sides to every question and the world is right or wrong i m i don t know which your traveller is a man of privileges and and looks well in the multitude a man of mark and as a witness and as for the old dominion i ll warrant me it s a right jolly old place with a good many years on its head yet or i am mistaken by cock and i ll go and see it what ho my behold me now in the full career of my voyage of discovery exploring the james in the on a clear hot of june and looking with a sagacious upon the commonest sights of this i gazed upon the receding far and then upon the banks where the cattle were standing leg deep in the water to get rid of the flies and ever and anon as we followed the of the river some sweeping eminence came into view and on the crown thereof was seen a plain many edifice of brick with low wings old ample and stately looking over its wide and sun burnt domain in solitary silence and there were the into whose shade we sometimes glided so close that one might have almost jumped on shore where the wave struck the beach with a sullen and there were the decayed fences beyond the bank into the water as if they had come down the hill too fast to stop themselves all these things struck my fancy as peculiar to the region it is wonderful to think how much more distinct are the impressions of a man who travels pen in hand than those of a mere business even the as we sometimes scared them from their with our noisy seemed to have a more and i may say eloquent here in virginia than in the of the north you would have laughed to see into what a state of lady like rapture i had worked myself in my eagerness to get a peep at with all my of romance kindled up by the renown of the smith the steward of the boat it out when we had nearly passed it and lo there it was the of an old a barren some melancholy a pine and on its top a desolate hawk s nest what a splendid field for the fancy what a for a painter with how many things might this little spot be filled i what time bright you see that has made me poetical had thrown the reins upon his horse s neck and got down from his saddle in the western country like a tired mail our boat was safely at s and i entered between hawk and the very best hour i maintain out of the twenty four for a picturesque int t at that hour nature draws her pictures m every thing jet black against a bright horizon nothing to be seen but with all the shabby up kept dark hill was with what seemed palaces in groves and gardens of richest shade the chimneys like and the of virginia on its appropriate summit stood in another tracing its broad upon the sky in exaggerated lines there too was the rush of waters tumbling around enchanted islands and flashing dimly on the sight the hum of a city fell upon my ear the streets looked long and the houses high and every thing brought upon my mind that misty impression which says is an of the sublime and which i say every stranger feels on entering a city at twilight i was set down at the union where for the first hour being intent upon my creature comforts my time passed well enough the abrupt transition from long continued motion to a state of rest makes almost every man sad exactly as sudden speed makes us joyous and for this reason i take it your traveller in a strange place is for a space after his halt a sullen if not a melancholy animal the proofs of this were all around me for here was i not an traveller either at my first resting place after four days of for the first	29
time in my life in in a large hotel without one face before me full of excellent feelings without a power of utterance what would i have given for thee or jones or even long dick in that ludicrous between the social nature of the man and his outward circumstances which every light hearted feels in such a situation as mine i grew talk not to me of the comfort of mine own inn i hold it a thing altogether insufficient a sealed up the fountains of speech of the crowd who at the supper table and the same uneasy sensation of pent up sympathies was to be seen in the groups that peopled the of the hotel a square lamp that hung over the hall was just lit up and a few beings were backward and forward in its light some in pairs in low and reserved conversation others stalked alone in with shaded brows and their hands behind their backs one or two stood at the door humming familiar matches in unconscious as they gazed up and down the street now with the din of carts and the gossip of serving maids boys and over contented some sat on the pavement leaning their chairs against the wall and puffing in silence all an orderly and little republic of spirits most out of tune i was glad to take refuge in an idle occupation so i strolled bout the city the streets by degrees grew less frequented family parties were gathered about their doors to take the evening breeze the moon shone bright upon some of active children who played at racing games upon the on one side of the street a screamed a harsh to a thorough going which on the opposite side in an illuminated shop struggled in the of a virginia and at intervals past a negro with marvellous lips whistling to the top of his bent and throwing into shade of scream of and of fiddle towards midnight a thunder gust arose accompanied with sharp lightning and the morning broke upon me in all the of a cool and delicious atmosphere tou must know that when i left home my purpose to make my way direct to swallow bam now what think you of my skill as a traveller when i tell you that until i woke in on this morning it never occurred to me to inquire where this same swallow barn was i knew that it was in virginia and somewhere about the james river and therefore i instinctively wandered to but now while making my toilet my thoughts being naturally bent upon my next movement it very reasonably occurred to me that i must have passed my proper destination the day before and full of thought i found myself humming the line from an old song which runs pray what the devil brings you here the and obliging bar keeper of the union soon put me right he knew ned hazard as a frequent visitor of and his advice was that i should take the same boat in which i came and shape my course back as far as city point where he assured me that i might find some conveyance to swallow barn which lay still farther down the river and that at all events go where i would i could not go wrong in virginia what think you of that now i hold that to be upon personal experience as true a word as ever was set down in a traveller s there is not a by path in virginia that will take a gentleman who has time on his hands in a wrong direction this i say in honest compliment to a state which is full to the brim of right good fellows the boat was not to return for two days and i therefore employed the interval in looking about the city don t be frightened for i neither visited nor schools nor and therefore will not play the with you but if you wish to see a beautiful little city built up of rich and and with all the varieties of town and y scattered with a refined and exquisite skill come and look at hill in the month of june you may believe then i did not regret my at the appointed day i re embarked and in due time was put down at city point here some further delay awaited me this is not the land of and i found myself somewhat embarrassed in an onward conveyance at a small house to which i was conducted i made my wishes known and the proprietor kindly his services to set me forward it was a matter of some consideration the day was well advanced and it was as much as could be done to reach swallow barn that night an however was at last procured and off i went you would have laughed a good hour if you had seen me upon the road i was set up n an old sulky of a dingy without springs with its body sunk between a pair of unusually high wheels it was drawn by an with a huge roman nose and a most sorrowful countenance his sides were with the traces and his harness partly of rope and partly of leather with the of his character he had fine long legs however and got over the ground with surprising alacrity at a most respectful distance behind me trotted the most venerable of an old free negro formerly a in some of the of the low countries his name was his face which was principally composed of a pair of lips whose seemed intended as an for a pair of crushed nostrils was well set off with a head of silver wool that a volume of gravity he had from some aristocratic conceit of elegance himself for my service in a ragged coat still	29
jagged with some points of scarlet and a pair of coarse linen barely reaching the ankles beneath which two bony feet occupied shoes each of the and figure of a and on of these was a rusty spur his horse was a thick set pony with an rough trot which kept s legs in a state of constant warfare against the animal s whilst the old fellow up and down in his saddle with the ambitious of a groom in the vigor of manhood and proud of his frequently succeeded by dint of hard to get close enough to me to open a conversation which he conducted with such a courtesy and formal politeness as greatly to my opinion of his breeding his face was lighted up with a smile and he touched his hat with an antique grace at every the tone of his voice was mild and subdued and in short had all the of an old gentleman he had a great deal to say of the days of virginia and the generations which in his time had been broken up or what in his conception was equivalent had gone over the mountain he with a wonderful relish upon the of the old fashioned style in that part of the country and told me very how the estates were cut up and what old people had died and how much he felt himself alone in the present times which particulars he with sundry sage remarks an affectionate attachment to the old school of which he considered himself no unworthy he concluded these with a reflection that amused me by its and which doubtless he had picked up from some popular orator when they change the circumstance they alter the case my expression of assent to this awoke all his vanity for after pondering a moment upon it he shook his head as he added people think old a fool because he s got sense and thereupon the old fellow laughed till the tears came into his eyes in this kind of we made some twenty miles before the shades of evening overtook us and now informed me that we might soon expect to reach swallow barn the road was smooth and with dark foliage and as the last blush of twilight faded away we swept rapidly round the head of a swamp where a thousand were their and soon after reached the gate of the court yard lights were glimmering through different and several of chimneys were visible above the horizon the whole mass being into the dimensions of a great castle some dogs bounding to the gate brought a host of servants to receive me as i alighted at the door cousins count in virginia and have great privileges here was i in the midst of a host of them frank met me as cordially as if we had spent our whole lives together and my cousin his wife came up and kissed me in the genuine try fashion of course i repeated the ceremony towards all the female branches that fell in my way and by the by the girls are pretty enough to make the ceremony interesting although i think they consider me somewhat as to ned hazard i need not tell you he is the of good humor and received me with that famous hearty honesty of his which you would have predicted at the moment of my arrival a part of the family were over the steps of a little porch at the front door in the moonlight and before them a troop of children white and black across the court yard followed by a pack of who seemed to have a part of the game whilst a piano within the house served as an to the players my produced a sensation that stopped all this and i was hurried by a kind of welcome into the parlor if you have the patience to read this long to the end i would like to give you a picture of the family as it appeared to me that night but if you are already fatigued with my gossip as i have good reason to fear why you may e en this and go about your more important duties but it is not often you may meet scenes and as thej produce some kindly impressions i think it worth while to note this the parlor was one of those specimens of architecture of which there are not many and in another half century they will perhaps be extinct the walls were of wood of a white with small windows seated in deep and the mantel was high with that extended up to the of the room in a figure resembling a square fortified according to in one corner stood a tall cupboard and opposite to it a clock equally tall with a healthy faced full moon peering above the dial plate a broad sofa ranged along the wall and was kept in countenance by a of leather chairs which their legs to a perilous compass like a high dutch the yard a huge table occupied the middle of the room whereon a service of stately china and a dozen covers some of and divers curiously wrought of butter tottering on of ice in the midst of this array like a fortress was placed an immense bowl of milk surrounded by sundry silver reflecting their images on the polished board as so many el in a fairy an floor with a dim but lustre in token of careful housekeeping and around the walls were hung in grotesque frames some time worn portraits their pale faces through of curls the sounding of a bell was the signal for our evening my cousin had already taken the seat of worship behind a steaming urn and a coffee pot of chased silver that had the air of a cock about to crow it	29
was so erect a little rosy gentleman the reverend mr a in the family said a hasty and half smothered grace and then we all arranged ourselves at the table an aged dame in spectacles with the silence of a dependent placed herself in a post at the that her to hold in check some little who were perched on high chairs with under their chin s and two boys who had just burst into the room play a vacant seat remained which after a few moments was occupied by a tall with a sentimental mien who glided into the parlor with some stir she was another cousin according to the virginia rule of who was introduced to me as miss prudence a sister of frank s and as for her age that s neither here nor there the evening went off as you might guess with of good feeling and unaffected enjoyment the ladies soon fell into their domestic occupations and the parson smoked his pipe in silence at the window the young uncle ned with questions or played at bo peep at the parlor door casting sly looks at me from whence they off with a laugh whenever they caught my eye at last growing tired they rushed with one accord upon hazard flinging themselves across his knees pulling his skirts or over the back of his chair until worn out by sport they dropped upon the floor in such childish slumber that not even their nurses woke them when they were picked up like and carried off to bed upon the shoulders it was not long before the rest of us followed and i found myself in a comfortable bed which would have a here listening to the tree and the owl i dropped into a profound slumber and knew nothing more of this under world until the sun shining through my window and the note of the mocking bird recalled me to the enjoyment of nature and the morning breeze so you have all my adventures up to the moment of my arrival and as i have set out with a purpose to int y ter what i see and hear an and therefore a black intent say you you shall hear from me again presently bat whether in some descriptive pictures of this old dominion or in dramatic sketches or in a journal or in some rambling letters i cannot yet i shall wait upon my occasions perhaps i shall give you something of all these and if a book be the who s afraid you may read or let it alone as you please that s the humor of it as says it may be some time before we meet till then i wear you in my heart barn june chapter i swallow n swallow barn is an old edifice which sits like a brooding hen on the southern bank of the james river it looks down upon a shady pocket or nook formed by an of the shore from a gentle sprinkled with oaks whose magnificent branches habitation to sundry friendly colonies of and this time honored mansion was the residence of the of but in the present generation the of love and have translated the possession to frank who having married the eldest daughter of my late uncle walter hazard and lifted some which had been sleeping for years upon the domain was thus into the rights the of his own estate gave a feature to this alliance of which the fruits were no less in the of cattle and poultry than in a flourishing of the main building is more than a century old it is built with thick brick walls but one story in height and surmounted by a double faced or roof which gives the idea of a ship bottom upwards later buildings have been added to this as the wants or ambition of the family have expanded these are swallow barn all constructed of wood and seem to have been built in defiance of all laws of just as convenience required but they form altogether an agreeable picture of habitation suggesting the idea of comfort in the ample space they fill and in their to domestic uses the hall door is an ancient piece of which has grown too heavy for its hinges and by its daily travel has the floor in a over which it has an uneasy journey it is shaded by a narrow porch with a carved by massive columns of wood somewhat split by the sun an ample court yard by a semi circular extends in front of the whole pile and is traversed by a gravel road leading from a rather iron gate which is swung between two pillars of brick surmounted by of cut stone between the gate and the house a large willow its arched and over the grass a bridle rack stands within the and near it a ragged horse tree the current belief being that a tree on ill usage casts its skeleton shadow on the dust some springing above a mass of partially screen various buildings at a short distance in the rear of the mansion amongst these is to be seen the end of a stable with the date of its stiffly in black bricks near the upper angle in figures set in after the fashion of the work on a in the same quarter a pigeon box reared on a post and resembling a huge tee is visible and about its several doors and windows a family of are generally and at each other from sunrise until dark to this is an extensive tract of land which stretches some three or four miles along the river presenting alternately abrupt with pine and dwarf swallow barn oak and small in some portions of forest vary the landscape which for the most part a succession of fields clothed with indian	29
com some small patches of cotton or tobacco plants with the varieties of and grounds these are by worm fences of chestnut where and ground are perpetually running races along the rails a few hundred steps from the mansion a brook at a pace towards the river its course through a wilderness of laurel and and creeping around covered with green across this stream is thrown a rough bridge which it would delight a painter to see and not far below it an aged its roots into a grotesque to the pure mirror of a spring which wells up its cool waters from a bed of gravel and runs to the brook there it in furnishing a ground to a of ducks who in defiance of all propriety are incessantly turning up their to the skies on the grass which skirts the margin of the spring i observe the family linen is usually spread out by some three or four negro women who chant shrill music over their wash and seem to live in ceaseless warfare with sundry little and bow legged who are never tired of making and pushing each other on the clothes laid down to dry beyond the bridge at some distance stands a prominent object in the perspective of this picture the most venerable to the establishment a huge barn with an immense roof hanging almost to the ground and a foot thick with straw which reaches below the in ragged it has a singularly drowsy and aspect the yard around it is knee deep with litter from the midst of which arises a long rack resembling a de which is ordinarily ao swallow barn filled with this is the customary of half a score of oxen and as many cows who sustain an companionship with a sickly wagon whose tongue and drooping trees as it stands in the sun give it a most forlorn and invalid character whilst some carts under the sheds with their shafts perched against the walls suggest the idea of a set of taking their ease in a tavern porch now and then a de with long and disordered mane and a thousand in his tail through this company but as it is forbidden ground to all his tribe he is likely very soon to encounter a shower of corn from some of the negro men upon which he makes a rapid retreat across the bars which imperfectly guard the entrance to the yard and with an uncouth display of his heels bounds away towards the brook where he stops and looks back with a defiance and after affecting to drink for a away with a to the fields chapter il a country gentleman the master of domain is frank he is now in the of life somewhere forty five good cheer and an easy temper tell well upon him the first has given him a comfortable figure and the latter a turn of mind which him to be lazy and philosophical he has some right to pride himself on his personal appearance for he has a handsome face with a dark blue eye and a fine intellectual brow his head is growing scant of hair on the crown which him to be somewhat particular in the management of his locks in that locality and these are assuming a decided silvery hue it is pleasant to see him when he is going to ride to the court house on business occasions he is then apt to make his appearance in a coat of blue glossy and with an unusual amount of through the folds of a waistcoat a finish is given to this costume by a large straw hat lined with green silk there is a fulness in his garments which condition in the world and a heavy bunch of suspended by a chain of gold as he moves him a man of a country gentleman it is considered rather extraordinary that he has never set up for bat the truth is he is an man and has a great dislike to favor as he calls it and besides he is thoroughly convinced that there will always be men enough in virginia willing to serve the people and therefore does not see why he should trouble his head about it some years ago however there was really an impression that he meant to come out by some sudden whim he took it into his head to visit washington during the of and returned after a fortnight very seriously with politics he told curious anecdotes of certain secret which had been discovered in the affairs of the capital gave a clear insight into the views of some deep laid and became all at once painfully in his discourse and to a degree that made his wife stare fortunately this subsided and frank into an indolent gentleman of the op position but it had the effect to give a much more cast to his studies for he forthwith discarded the from his newspaper and took to the like a man who was not to be disturbed by doubts and as it was morally impossible to all that was written on both sides to prevent his mind from being abused he from this time forward took a stand against the re election of mr to the and resolved to give an faith to all alleged facts which set against his administration the consequence of this straight forward and confiding was an unexpected complimentary notice of him by the of the state he was put into the commission of the peace and having thus become a public man against his will his opinions were observed to undergo some essential changes he now thinks that a good citizen ought neither to nor decline office that the of virginia is the pillar which the fabric a country gentleman of the constitution and that the people though in their opinions they may be mistaken	29
in their sentiments they are never wrong with some such other as a few years ago he did not hold in very good in this temper he has of late embarked on the of county affairs and his amiable character and his i am told he keeps the peace as if he commanded a garrison and justice like a he has some claim to in this last department for daring three years he smoked in a lawyer s office in which enabled him to obtain a bird s eye view of and the code besides this he was a member of a law society which ate once a week in a cellar and he wore in accordance with the usage of the most law students of that day six one over the other and yellow boots by which he was recognized as a blood of the metropolis having in this way qualified himself to assert and maintain his rights he came to his estate upon his arrival at age a very model of landed gentlemen since that time his have a certain literary for having settled himself down as a married man and got rid of his superfluous he with wonderful through a wilderness of poems and which are now collected in his library and with their battered blue covers present a lively type of an army of at the close of the war or a hospital of these have all at last given way to the newspapers miscellaneous study very attractive and to country gentlemen this line of study has rendered a most perilous in the matter of proceedings a landed proprietor with a good house and a host of servants is naturally a hospitable man a guest is one of his daily wants a gentleman a friendly face is a necessary of life without which the heart is apt to starve or a luxury without which it grows men who are isolated from society by distance feel these wants by an instinct and are grateful for the opportunity to relieve them in the sentiment goes beyond this it has besides something in it his house is open to every body as freely almost as an inn but to see him when he has had the good fortune to pick up an intelligent educated gentleman and particularly one who well a respectable stranger i au the better if he has been in the or better still if in such a person caught within the of swallow bam may set down one week s entertainment as certain inevitable and as many more as he likes the more the he will know something of the quality of s before he is gone then again it is very pleasant to see frank s kind and considerate bearing towards his servants and his slaves appreciate this and hold him in most affectionate reverence and therefore are not only contented but happy under his dominion is not much of a traveller he has never been in new england and very seldom beyond the of virginia he makes now and then a winter excursion to which i rather think he considers as the centre of civilization and towards autumn it is his custom to journey over the mountain to the springs which he is obliged to do to avoid the season in the tide water region but the upper country is not much to his taste and would not be endured by him if it were not for the crowds that resort there for the same reason which upon him and i may add though he would not confess it for the opportunity this him for discussion of opinions a t gentleman he thinks lightly of the interest and in fact the manners of the large cities generally he that those who live in them are hollow hearted and and wanting in that substantial intelligence and which he to be characteristic of the country he is an ardent admirer of the genius of virginia and is frequent in his of a toast in which the state is compared to the mother of the indeed it is a familiar with him to speak of the aristocracy of talent as only inferior to that of the landed interest the idea of a to his mind a certain constitutional pre eminence in all the virtues of as a matter of course the solitary elevation of a country gentleman well to do in the world some magnificent notions he becomes as as the pope gradually a habit of making long speeches is apt to be impatient of contradiction and is always very on the point of honor there is nothing more than a rich man s logic any where but in the country amongst his it flows with the smooth and course of a full stream a meadow and its mud in s sayings about swallow barn import absolute but i have discovered that they are not so current out of his indeed every now and then we have quite obstinate when some of the neighboring who stand in the same sphere with frank come to the house for these have opinions of their own and nothing can be more dogged than the conflict between them they sometimes fire away at each other with a most amiable and for a whole evening and making bows and saying shrewd things with all the courtesy imaginable but for in argument and utter of belief there is a country gentleman no like your country gentleman who reads the news papers when one of these fairly gets under weigh it never comes to an anchor again of its own accord it is either blown out so far to sea as to be given up for lost or puts into port in distress for want of documents or is upset by a call for boot jack and slippers which is something	29
like the fancied notes of a as they are sometimes in the with which we frighten children in these the negro women are employed in preparing for the loom from which is produced not only a comfortable supply of winter clothing for the working people but some excellent carpets far the house it is refreshing to behold how affectionately vain our good is of frank and what deference she shows to his judgment in all matters except those that belong to the home department for there she is and without appeal the power it seems to be a with her that he is the very first man in virginia an expression which in this region has grown into an emphatic frank in return is a admirer of her accomplishments and although he does not to an ear for music he is in at her skill on the when she plays at night for the children to dance and he sometimes sets her to singing the of and old and the tree in full bearing she does not study the modern music for the entertainment of his company on these occasions he stands by the instrument and his head as if he comprehended the airs she is a fruitful vessel and seldom fails in her annual tribute to the honors of the family and to say frank is to be somewhat under these blessings they have two lovely girls just towards womanhood who attract a supreme regard in the household and to whom frank is perfectly devoted next to these is a boy a shrewd mischievous who about the house a he is a little fellow near thirteen known altogether family portraits by the nick name of and has a countenance full of and the eyes are somewhat aod the month opens wide npon a tumultuous array of teeth his whole air is that of an torn down and and i most usually find him with the bosom of his shirt out so as to form a great pocket where he carries apples or green and sometimes pebbles with which he is famous for the fowls i must to say a word about s head gear he wears a skull cap which i conjecture from some signs had once been a fur hat but which must have taken a degree in fifty other for i see it daily employed in the most foreign services sometimes it is a drinking vessel and then it up like a cocked hat sometimes it is devoted to push pin and then it is cruelly on both sides and sometimes it is turned into a basket to carry eggs from the hen it finds hard service at hat ball where like a it is popular for its it is tossed in the air on all occasions of r and now and then serves for a and is flung with energy upon the ground on the eve of a battle and it is kicked occasionally through the after the fashion of a it wears a singular exterior having a row of holes cut below the crown or rather the for it is in shape to make it cool as explains it in hot weather the only rest that it through the day as far as i have been able to perceive is during and then it is thrust between a desk and a three inches apart where it generally in its folds a handful of nuts or this covering falls down for it has no like an over s head to prevent the of this accident he has tied it up with a hat band of family portraits from the rest of the descend on the scale in regular like the keys of a pipe and with the same variety of until the series is terminated in faced infant not above three months old this little is und r the care of mistress an antique of the family who them at bed and board and every morning i am told the whole one by one into a tub of cold water at which they make terrible faces this mistress is a of high rank in the family and of great privileges from having exercised her office through a preceding generation at swallow barn she is quite remarkable at that time of day when preparations are in progress a dinner party calls forth all her energy and her to great advantage as an effective woman she up and down stairs like a phantom and you are aware of her coming a low of keys one moment she is cream and the next threatening the same operation on some unlucky of the kitchen who chances to with her labors you may hear her eggs in a bowl scolding servants and screaming at who is perpetually in her way amongst the all of which matters though with a aspect it is easy to see are very agreeable to her there is no reverence like that of children for of this description her very glance has in it something to the young and they will twist their faces into every conceivable expression of grief before they will dare to out in her presence even is afraid of her when the old woman s mad she is a horse to whip ho told ned and myself one morning upon our questioning him as to the particulars of an uproar in which he had been the principal actor family portraits these on the part of the old lady are neither rare nor and are winked at by the higher authorities mrs s complexion is the true arid her is somewhat cracked she takes scotch from a silver box and wears a pair of horn spectacles which give to the peculiar of her nose on days of state she appears in all the rich of the time her gown being of an fashion sprinkled with roses and	29
sun flowers and her arms in tight sleeves as far as the elbow where they are met by silken gloves without fingers a is pinned with a precision across her breast and a cap of muslin into a point with a grotesque conceit her head take her altogether she looks very stately and bitter then when she walks it is inconceivable how she especially on a sunday chapter iv family picture of the family at swallow barn would be if i did not give a conspicuous place to my two young cousins and it is true they are cousins only in the second remove but i have become sufficiently to the soil to perceive the full value of the relation and as they acknowledge it very to me for i was promoted to cousin mark almost in the first hour after my arrival i should be reluctant if i did not assert the full right of blood tells me she is only fifteen and that she is one year and one month older than for all that is taller than she now is a little fairy with blue eyes and light hair and partially and sun burnt being a very pretty likeness of who i have said is an of a fact which all experience shows to be quite consistent with the highest beauty is almost a head taller and possesses a stronger frame she too from her sister by her jet black eyes and dark hair though they resemble each other in the wholesome tan which exposure to the atmosphere has spread alike over the cheeks of both these two girls are educated entirely at home and are growing up together in the most confiding mutual affection there family is nothing more than two sisters in this relation and gliding to womanhood amongst the images and gentle influences of the household circle their kindly impulses set in motion by the caresses of friends their tastes directed by the simple and pure of a refined home in the country where nature supplies so many beau objects to attract the eye and affection so much pleasant guidance to inform the heart where lessons of love are from parental teaching or absorbed rather from looks that are more eloquent than words where useful instruction loses all its weariness in the encouragement of that fond applause which is to reward patient toil or to cheer the effort which has paused in the fear of failure no over stimulated ambition is likely there to taint the mind with those vices of which in schools often render youth selfish and and suggest thoughts of concealment and as in the race of home to a young girl is a world peopled with kindly faces and filled only with virtues she does not know even by report the things of life she has heard and read of its miseries for which her heart in charity and she grows up in the faith that she was born to love the good and render kind offices to the wretched but she nothing of the wickedness of a world which she has never seen and lives on to womanhood in a happy and guarded ignorance which is not broken until her mind has acquired a strength sufficient to discern and whatever there may be dangerous in knowledge are as thoughts to her the measures of her hours bless me these children have actually brought me to and quoting verse let me get back to my appropriate function of narrative family is rather for her age calm and almost she is a little housekeeper and affects to have cares is more and universal regard by the of her temperament which is equally the index of her innocence and her organization they pursue the same studies and i see them every morning at their tasks often reading from the same book with their arms around each other s waist they have profound confidences in which they think themselves very secure and exclusive but i can often tell them their whole secret by watching their by play which of mine is so inexplicable to them that they think i am of a i frequently walk with them in the evening on the river bank they are invariably attended upon these by two large white who around them with a most affectionate and are constantly the applause of their pretty by the gallant which are characteristic of this race of faithful animals is accustomed to have these girls read to him some portion of every day by this which he puts upon the ground of an amusement for himself he has them into graver studies than are generally pursued at that time of life it is quite charming to notice the devotion they bestow upon this labor which they think gives pleasure to their father he of course looks upon them as the most gifted creatures in existence and truly they have gained so much upon me that i don t think he is far wrong a window in the upper story of one of the wings of the building a flower garden and around this window grows a profusion of creeping vine which is trained with precision along the wall to the roof it is a plant with icy leaves of green without a flower of its own to give variety to its staid here and there how family an rose has stolen a nest amongst its and looks pleasantly forth from this sober in this window about noon tide may be daily seen the of a head of hair adjusted in glossy volume and ever and anon as it moves to some thoughtful impulse is disclosed a brow of fairest white and sometimes more fully revealed may be seen the entire head of the lady as she sits intent upon the perusal of a book the lady prudence is in bower and some theme	29
of fancy in the delicious realm of or with pencil and brush shapes and the wings of gaudy or her with dainty and sometimes in musing she rests her chin upon her hand and her soft blue eye upon the flower beds where the humming bird is poised before the but engaged it is a hour i have said once before that a tall sat at the family board and now here she sits in her morning guise silent and alone pondering over the of genius and the dreams of art prudence is an only sister of frank s and holds a station somewhat eminent amongst the household she is rather comely to look upon very neat in person and is considered high authority in matter of dress but time who mortal shapes with as little mercy as the baker in his morning circuit his stick has his visits even upon this goodly form a shrewd observer may note in sundry evidences of a fastidious choice of colors and of what to coin a word i might call a scrupulous that the lapse of human seasons has not passed by this lady he may detect sometimes an vivacity in her and an exaggerated sometimes in her tone of conversation a little too much which a suspicion family of its opposite and there are certain sober lines from the month which are in spite of her light these are quite pleasant signs to an experienced bachelor like myself who can read them with a learned skill they speak of that mellow time when a woman by and her rather by marching out of her fort to challenge attack than by standing a siege within it there is a dash of the picturesque in the character of this lady towards sunset she is apt to stray forth amongst the old oaks and to gather small of wild flowers in the pursuit of which she to get into very pretty attitudes or she falls into at the shifting tints of the clouds on the western sky and produces quite a striking effect by the skilful choice of a position which shows her figure in strong relief against the evening light and then in her maybe found exquisite sketches from her pencil of forms of love and beauty and knights old castles and pensive ladies and the offspring of an artistic imagination heated with romance and devotion her attire is sometimes simple and plain and her bearing is and but this is never long continued for in spite of her discipline she does not wish to be accounted as one inclined to be serious in her turn of mind i have seen her break out into quite a vivacity this is very likely tr when she is brought into fellowship with a mad cap who is carrying all before her she then her and becomes as a as tha other if prudence has a fault which proposition i put with an if as a doubtful question it is in setting the domestic virtues at too high a value one may perhaps be too family i think the establishment of three sunday schools a society a management in a tract association and an outward and visible patronage of the cause of by the actual of her name amongst those who have taken the pledge a little of though i don t wish to set up my judgment too on this point and i think also one may carry the praise of the purity of country life and of the benefits of solitude and to an extent which might appear merciless towards those whose misfortune it is to live in a sphere where these virtues cannot be so fully cultivated if a tendency in this direction be a in the composition of our lady it is a very slight one and is amply by the many pleasant she makes from this phase of her character she with great ease upon all even with a dangerous facility i may say which sometimes leads her into her occasionally becomes high and into the incomprehensible but that is only when she is excited her manner at times might be called particularly when in imitation of her brother she the departure of the golden age or upon the prospect of its revival among the glories of the old dominion she had an awful idea of the perfect respectability i might almost say splendor of her and this is one of the few points upon which i know her to be apart from these peculiarities which are but clouds upon a summer sky even its beauty or upon a snow drift she is a specimen of a maiden just standing on that verge from which the prospect beyond presents a landscape gently into and misty confusion of hill and arrayed in golden tinted gray it is no wonder therefore that with family her varied and the advantages of her position the james world should have elevated prudence to the poetical of the of neighboring eyes chapter v ned ned hazard has become my inseparable companion he has a fine flowing stream of good spirits which is sometimes interrupted by a slight under current of sadness it is even a ludicrous that its comic quality from ned s constitutional merriment he is now about thirty three with a tolerably good person a little under six feet and may be seen generally after breakfast whilst old is getting our horses for a morning ride in an olive frock black stock and yellow waistcoat with a cap of light cloth having a of polished leather rather drawn over his dark laughing eye this head gear gives a picturesque effect to his person and suits well with his weather beaten cheek as it a certain reckless expression that with his character the same trait is heightened by the half with which he strikes his boot with his	29
riding whip or keeps at bay a beautiful called wilful which haunts his person like a familiar indeed i have grown to possess something of this attachment to him myself and already constitute a very important member of his it is a picture worth contemplating to see us during one of those intervals for first there is ned lounging along ned hazard the court yard with both hands in his side pockets and either telling me some story or a great turkey cock by both his and his before him walks wilful strictly his pace by his master s and turning his eye every now and then most affectionately towards him then s two may be seen bounding in circles round him a little who the consequence of a watch dog is sure to ned s notice by jumping at his hand and last in the train is myself who have learned to in ned s track with the fidelity of a shadow it may be from this picture that ned possesses for man and beast he is known universally by the name of ned hazard which of itself i take to be a good sign this has a flavor of and an amiable there is something in ned s face which i believe is the source of his popularity with all classes but this general good is preserved by the variety of his he can accommodate himself to all kinds of society he has for the stable boys for the old folks and a most of patriotism for the to the children of swallow barn he is especially he tells them stories with the of a deep tone of voice that makes them in their shoes and with the assistance of a cane and cloak surmounted by a hat he will stalk amongst them like a giant so erect that the door is a mere pigeon hole to him at which the young laugh so fearfully that i often thought they were crying a few years ago he was seized with a romantic fever which manifested itself chiefly in a conceit to visit south america and play knight in the quarrel of the it was the most sudden and unaccountable thing in the world for no one could trace the to any probable cause still it grew n d hazard upon ned s and appeared in so many brilliant phases that there was no getting it out of his brain as may be imagined this matter produced a serious in the family so that frank was obliged to take the subject in hand and finding all his and was forced to give way to the current of ned s humor hoping that experience would the sight that had been by the light of a too vivid imagination it was therefore arranged that ned should visit this theatre of glory and stand by the of his own judgment upon the view he accordingly sailed from new york in the bound for and in due time doubled cape horn so after glancing at the in all their positions attitudes a d relations with an eye military and civil and being well bitten with and apprehended as a spy and nearly as a he carefully looked back upon the whole train of this fancy even from its first with all the motives false conclusions and so forth which had a hand in the and pursuing of it and then came to a sober conclusion that he was the most fool that had ever set out in quest of a wild goose what the devil could have put such a thing into my head and kept me at it for a whole year it me to tell was his own comment upon this when i questioned him about it however he came home the most that ever hung up his shield at the end of a and to make amends for the and alarm he had occasioned for my cousin expected to hear of his being like in the folds of a serpent he brought with him an amusing journal which is now bound in calf aad holds a conspicuous place in the library at swallow barn this trip into the other has furnished him with an of wonders both of the sea and the land the theme of divers long stories which ned tells ned hazard like a he is accused of repeating them to the same and frank has a provoking way of raising his hands and turning his eyes towards the ceiling and saying in an under tone just as ned is setting out a traveller there was who told a good tale by my i it was true but then it was stale this invariably ned s face and with a modest in a voice of great kindness he will say my dear sir i assure you i never told you this before you are thinking of a different thing then uncle ned as said on one of these occasions while he was lying on the floor and kicking up his heels you are going to make as you go these things are apt to him and occasion a little out break of a momentary but irresistibly comic which i have said before formed a of his temper it is however but for a moment and he takes the joke like a hero it is now customary in the family when any thing of a marvellous nature is mentioned to say that it happened round the horn ned is evidently shy of these and rather cautious how he names the horn if be in company i have some particulars of hazard s education which as they serve to illustrate his character i think worth relating when he was ten or eleven years old he was put under the government of a respectable teacher who kept an academy	29
on the border of the mountain country where he spent several years of his life in this rustic under the of mr who was the principal of the establishment he soon became con for his and address in the adventures and miniature wars which the history of this little community he was always an apt scholar though not the most but his frank and upright qualities rendered him equally ned hazard a with the master and the pupils he speaks of the of this period of his life with the of fondness in one of our late he gave me the following sketch of the circumstances under which he quitted these scenes of his youth his father was about removing him to college and the separation was to be final i have endeavored to preserve his own narrative because i think it more than mine would be and at the same time it will show the gentle strain of affection that belongs to his nature the condition of a said ned forces upon the mind the import of a state of more than any other position in life all that the scripture tells us about the of human affairs of man being a traveller and life a shadow is part and parcel of the meditations of the he lives amidst his room is small and ill furnished his clothes are hung upon a or away in a chest where every thing that should be at the top is sure to lodge at the bottom his coat carries its rent from term to term and his stockings are returned to him from the his food is rough and he in a winter morning over a scant and smoky fire he sleeps in summer in the room of the house au this he to with patience because he feels that he is but for a season and that a of better things him my mr was outwardly an austere man but his was the which the best natures are apt to contract from long association with pupils his intercourse with the boys was one of command and he had but few opportunities of in the society of his equals this gave a rather severe reserve to his manners but at bottom he had kindly feelings which awkwardly manifested themselves in frequent conferred without any visible signs of courtesy his wife was a fat ned hazard old lady with a large round face above with a large ruffled cap and below with a huge double chin this good lady was rather too fat to move about so she maintained a sovereign station in an ample arm chair placed near the door that led to the kitchen where she was usually occupied in apples to be baked up into tough for our and issuing commands for the of her domestic police in shrill stirring and tones they had a reasonable number of young growing around them who however were so mingled in the mass of the school as nearly to have lost all the instincts which might indicate their origin we were too troublesome a company to much of the domestic from our still however in the few of family which fell to our lot i had contracted a kind of household attachment to the objects that surrounded me our old master had the grave and solemn bearing of a philosopher but sometimes of winter nights when our tasks were done he joined in our sports even got down on the carpet to play with us and took quite an eager interest in hearing our humming tops when we stealthily set them to in the room these had a wonderful effect upon us all for being rare they took us somewhat by surprise and gave us something of the same kind of pleasure which a child experiences in patting a gentle and lion i had always looked forward with a boyish love of change to the period when i was to be called to other scenes and this expectation whilst it rendered me indifferent to personal comforts seemed also to warm my feelings towards my associates i could pardon many in those from whom i was soon to be separated my time therefore passed along in a careless merriment in which all trivial ills were and in the an of the future ned hazard the summons to quit this little theatre was contained in a letter brought from my father by daniel the coachman it directed me to return without delay and intimated amidst a world of parental advice that i was to be almost immediately to college notwithstanding the many secret i had felt for the approach of this period i confess it me when it came daniel had brought me my pony a little animal which in the holidays i used to ride almost to and he himself was ready to attend me on one of the coach horses i had no time to the matter so with a spirit part gay and part melancholy and with an alacrity of step assumed to conceal my emotions and to avoid the with my school fellows of words i was too much choked to utter i went about my preparations i collected my straggling wardrobe from the detached service of my comrades to whom scant as it was i had lent it piece l carefully paid off sundry small debts of honor contracted at the forbidden game of and distributed with a prodigal hand amongst the with whom i had for a long time carried on an active commerce in traps fishing tackle and other i c u i remember now with what feelings i performed this last office as i stood at the barn door where the farm servants were grain and protracted as long as i was able that mournful shaking of hands with which the gave me their parting for i always had a	29
vagabond fondness for the about the establishment after this i went into the parlor where our tender and mistress was employed in one of her customary morning duties of cleaning up the breakfast apparatus and received a kiss from her as she held a in one hand and a tea cup in the other i bestowed the same token of grace upon all the little that were crawling about the room and in the same place took my leave of the old ned hazard monarch himself who into a grim of sorrow took me with both hands and conducting me to the window placed himself in a seat where he gave me a grave and friendly saying many kind things to me in a kinder tone than i had ever heard from him before amongst the rest he bade me reflect that the world was wide and had many fountains of bitter waters whereof as i was an easy good natured fellow it was likely to be my lot to drink more largely than others he begged me to remember the many wholesome lessons he had given me and to forget whatever might seem to me harsh in his own conduct then in the d way he put his hands upon my head and bestowed upon me an earnest and devout blessing whilst the tears started in both of our eyes last act he concluded by taking from his pocket a small copy of the bible which he put into my hands with a solemn that i should consult it in all my troubles for every one of which he told me i should find appropriate consolation i promised as well as my smothered permitted to obey his instructions to the letter and from the feelings of that moment deemed it impossible i ever could have forgotten or neglected them i fear that i have not thought of them as much since as they deserve the little bible i still keep as an affectionate remembrance of my very good old friend my all this time had been following me from place to place watching me as i packed up every article of my baggage and asking me hundreds of questions out of the very fulness of their hearts their time came next we had a general embrace and after shaking hands with every of the school room and every of the kitchen i mounted my plump and on one of those rich mornings of the indian summer when the sun struggles through a soft mist and on the frost i broke ground on my homeward voyage v ned hazard daniel with my leather trunk resting on his to be carried to the where the mail stage was to receive it led the way through the lane that conducted us beyond the of this abode of learning and and i followed looking back faint upon the affectionate and envious rank and the school room who were collected in one silent and wistful group at the door with their hard commander towering above their heads and his brow from the sun with his hand as he watched our slow progress every other face white or black upon the premises was peering above the that the yard or gleaming through the windows of the kitchen not a dry eye was there amongst us and i could hear my old master say to the boys there goes an honest chap full of gallantry and good will in truth this parting touched me to the heart and i could not help giving way to my feelings and sobbing aloud until at last reaching a turn in the road that concealed us from the house the sound of a distant cheering from the crowd we had left arose upon the air and to me the good wishes of some of the best friends i have ever parted from after the period referred to in this narrative ned was sent to that college was then in the height of its popularity and was the great resort of the southern students here he ran the usual wild and career of college life his was lavish and ned was two relative virtues which in such circumstances are apt to produce a luxuriant fruit he was famous in the classical at mother s where they ate cakes and discussed the state of parties and where having more blood than argument they made furious on questions and drank to keep up the opposition amidst the of that period there was one concern ned hazard in which ned became they were never without a supply of in the village to whom the students devoted themselves in the spirit of chivalry they fell into despair by classes and as it was to the singly these were allowed each some six or seven from the college ranks who around them like a system of each other out of their and cutting all manner of in their pale light but love in those days was not that tame obedient that it is now it was a matter of and to swear round oaths for and to be pledged in cups at q s they danced with the beauties at all the merry and in fact into a bluff and dragged him by the heels around every tavern of the village as the were to the class they were changed at the terms and given over to the whereby it generally fell out that what advantage the gained in the number of their admirers was more than balanced by the disadvantage of age but a s makes no difference between seventeen and thirty nay indeed some of the most desperate love affairs happened between the and one or two who had been through the college for ten years before it was ned s fortune to drop into one of these pit falls and he was only saved from	29
an actual by a rare accident which seemed to have been sent on purpose by his good genius for on the very evening when this catastrophe was to have been brought about he fell into a and then into a row and then into a deep sleep from which he awoke the next morning to find that he had not only forgotten his appointment but also his character as a man of sober the lady s ned hazard pride took alarm at the occurrence and ned very solemnly to to now and then the affairs of this bustling little community were with a single combat which was always regarded as a highly interesting incident and the questions of the were in held at midnight in which i learn the lore displayed by ned hazard was a matter of college renown engrossed thus like the states of the dark ages in the cares of love war and politics it is not to be wondered at that the arts and should have fallen into some this period of ned s hfe indeed resembled those times when fought for lady love and swore by their saints and frightened learning into the nests of the still however there was a generous love of fame lurking in his constitution which notwithstanding all the that his success showed itself in occasional fits of close and useful study it pains me to say that hazard s days of were but my as a me to even to the of my friend that before his course had run to its destined end he made of his fortunes and received from the faculty a that an from hall the same being conferred in consideration of counsel afforded as a friend true and to a worthy who had answered the defiance of a gentleman of honor to a at utterance thus of his college ned crept quietly back to swallow bam where his return astounded the of the neighborhood for awhile he took to study like a though i have heard that it did not last long and in the lonely pursuits of this period he that secret love hazard of and picturesque incident that took him upon his celebrated expedition round the horn but it in no degree conquered his temper his mind is still a fairy land inhabited by pleasant and conceited images winged laughing and mellow of he is regarded in the family as the next heir to swallow bam but the of his sister and soon afterwards the of his ther disclosed the condition of the to which he had before been a stranger he has still however a comfortable and frank by arrangement taken possession of the inheritance together with the ned has ample liberty to pursue his own in regard to his future occupation in life frank holds the estate for the present under an honorable pledge to relieve it of its burdens by a gradual course of which he seems to be in a fair way of so that ned may be said still to have a profitable in the domain but he has grown in some degree necessary to and has therefore of late fixed his residence almost entirely at swallow bam chapter vi pursuits of a philosopher from the house at swallow barn there is to be seen at no great distance a of trees and in the midst of these an humble building is which seems to court the shade in which it is modestly it is an old structure built of logs its figure is a with a roof rising from all sides to a point and surmounted by a wooden which somewhat a fish and somewhat a fowl this little edifice is a rustic shrine devoted to and here the sacred rites of the are daily by some dozen and not above three feet high both in and this is one of the many temples that the surface of our republican empire where liberty receives her purest worship and where though in humble and lowly guise she secretly breathes her strength into the heart and of the nation here the is planted that through generations and produces its hundred fold at this altar the spark is kindled that its fire from breast to breast like the vast that light up and the of the west pursuits op a philosopher the school house has been an to swallow barn r since the infancy of the last generation frank has in his time extended its usefulness by opening it to the accommodation of his neighbors so that it is now a theatre whereon a of players are wont to the comic which belong to the first process of a troop of these little are seen every morning their way across the fields armed with tin in which are deposited their apple or other store for the day and which same are generally used at the decline of the day as drums or to their homeward march or as of the spoil from bushes against which these are prone to carry on a war throughout the day a continual is heard from this quarter even to the porch of the mansion house hazard and myself occasionally make them a visit and it is amusing to observe how as we approach the murmur becomes more distinct until reaching the door we find the whole swarm running over their long tough in a high concert pitch with their elbows upon the their hands covering ears and their naked heels beating time against the benches as if every believed that a was a piece of discord invented to torment all ears but his own and high above this din the master s note is sounded in a key like the occasional touch of the horn in an this little empire is under the dominion of parson he is a plump rosy old gentleman rather short and thick set	29
with the blood vessels over his face like a pair of prominent blue eyes and a head of hair not unlike the covering of a white he may be said to be a man of pursuits op a philosopher jolly dimensions with an st e for good living somewhat in his attire for his coat which is not of the is decorated with spots that are scattered over it in con besides this he wears an immense which as it is around his short neck forms a bowl beneath his chin and as ned says gives the parson s head the appearance of that of john the upon a as it is sometimes represented in the children s picture books his beard is with silver which the about twice a week if the weather be fair mr is a philosopher after the order of he was an from the isle where he suffered much in the as they are mildly called of much enduring country but the old gentleman has the storm without losing a of that broad healthy benevolence with which nature has enveloped his heart and whose she has hoisted in his face the early part of his life had been easy and prosperous until the rebellion of stimulated his into a fever and drove the full blooded hero headlong into the quarrel and put him in spite of his peaceful profession to standing by his in behalf of his principles by this unhappy boiling over of the of his he fell under the ban of the ministers and tasted his share of government mercy his house was burnt over his head his horses and hounds for by all accounts he was a perfect were to the state and he was forced to fly this brought him to america in no very mood with here his fortunes appear to have been various and he was tossed to and fro by the of fate until he found a snug harbor at swallow barn where some years ago he sat down in pursuits of a that quiet repose which a worried and is best fitted to enjoy he is a good scholar and having confined his reading el j to the learning of the his is somewhat after the mould he has never read any politics of later date than the time of the emperor not even a newspaper so that he may be said to have been contemporary with rather than lord until that epoch of his life when his blazing roof tree awakened him from his dream this notable interruption however gave him but a feeble insight into the and he soon to and with some such of the american upon his remembrance as most readers have of the exploits of the first the old gentleman has a learned passion for he had been n long time urging to make some additions to his of literature and upon the value of some of the ancient authors as foundations both moral and physical to the library frank gave way to the argument partly to gratify the parson and partly from the proposition itself having a that touched his fancy the matter was therefore committed entirely to mr who forthwith set out on a voyage of to the north i believe he got as far as boston he certainly contrived to execute his commission with a curious felicity some famous were picked up and many other that nobody but mr would ever think of opening the cargo arrived at swallow barn in the dead of winter during the interval between the parson s return from his expedition and the coming of the books the reverend little is said to have been in a remarkably state of body which almost prevented him from sleeping and that the sight of the pursuits op a philosopher long treasures had the happiest effect upon him there was ample accommodation for this new acquisition of ancient wisdom provided before its arrival and mr now spent a whole week in arranging the volumes on their proper shelves having ap report altered the arrangement at least seven times during that period after this matter was settled he regularly spent his evenings in the library frank was hardly behind the parson in this fancy and took for a short time to reading they both consequently deserted the little family circle every evening after tea and might have continued to do so all the winter but for a discovery made by hazard ned had seldom joined the two of science in their philosophical retirement and it was whispered in the family that the parson was giving frank a quiet course of lectures in the ancient philosophy for was known to talk a good deal about that time of the old and new but it happened upon one dreary winter night during a tremendous which was the and doors of the house that ned having waited in the parlor for the philosophers until midnight set out to their retreat not doubting that he should find deep in study when he entered the library both candles were burning in their with long the fire was reduced to its last embers and in an arm chair on one side of the table the parson was discovered in a sound sleep over s whilst frank in another chair on the opposite side was over a edition of and upon the table stood a small stone containing a of punch now grown cold frank started up in great consternation upon hearing ned s footstep beside him and from that time almost entirely deserted the pursuits of a philosopher library mr however was not so easily drawn away from the career of his humor and still shows his after his leather friends it is an amusing point in the old gentleman s character to observe his freedom in engagements that depend upon his purse he seems	29
to think himself a rich man and is continually becoming security for some of the neighbors to hear him talk it would be supposed that he meant to the a of the whole county as his intentions are so generous does not fail to back him when it comes to a pinch by reason of which the good squire has more than once been obliged to pay the penalty mr s character as it will be seen from this description of him possesses great simplicity this has given rise to some practical jokes against him which have caused him much annoyance the tradition in the family goes that one evening the worthy divine by some strange accident fell into an excess in his cups and that a chamber maid found him in his chair with his pipe in his mouth having the bowl turned downward and the ashes sprinkled over his breast he was always distinguished by a broad and superfluous to his shirt and on this occasion the mischievous maid had the to set it on fire it produced as may be supposed a great alarm to the parson and besides brought him into some scandal for he was roused up in a state of consternation and began to strip himself of his clothes not knowing what he was about i don t know how far he exposed himself but the negro women who ran to his relief made a fine story of it hazard once reminded him of this adventure in my presence and it was to see with what a comic and quiet he bore the joke he half closed his eyes and up pursuits of a philosopher his as ned proceeded and when the story came to the conclusion he gave ned a gentle blow on the breast with the back of his hand crying out as he did so ned then he walked to the front door where he stood whistling chapter vii traces op the system has the sentiments and opinions of an independent nation she enjoyed in the state a high degree of the favor of the mother country and the of her climate together with the report of her fertile soil and her hidden resources from the first attracted the regard of the british her early population therefore consisted of gentlemen of good name and condition who brought within her a solid fund of respectability and wealth this race of men grew vigorous in her genial atmosphere her skies quickened and their and in two centuries gradually the sober and thinking englishman into that spirited imaginative being who now the of this state when the revolution broke out she was among the first of its ardent in the assertion of the principles upon which it turned and brave in the support of them since that period her annals have been singularly brilliant with the fame of and four have been given to the union from her nursery the first the brightest figure of history the others also master spirits worthy to be amongst the greatest of their day in the light of these men and of their gallant she ha found a glory her ambition traces op the system and to minister to her pride it is not wonderful that in these she should deem herself a star in the union it is a feature in her education and policy to hold all other interests subordinate to her own her wealth is her institutions all of the soil her population consists of of many with foreign she has no large towns where men may meet and devise improvements or changes in the arts of life she may be called a nation without a capital from this cause she has been less disturbed by popular less influenced by popular than other her laws and habits in consequence have a certain which even reject many of the valuable improvements of the day in policy and government she is according to the simplest and purest form a republic in temper and opinion in the of life and in the qualities of her moral nature she is aristocratic the gentlemen of virginia live apart from each other they are surrounded by their and and the customary intercourse of society their minds to the relation of high and low degree they frequently meet in the of a large and hospitality in which the forms of society are for its comforts and the business of life thrown aside for the enjoyment of its pleasures their halls are large and their boards ample and surrounding the great family hearth with its immense of blazing wood casting a broad and merry glare over the household and the numerous a social winter party in virginia affords a tolerable picture of frank is a good specimen of the class i have described he seeks companionship with men of ability and is a of the personal fame of individuals who have won any portion of renown in the state sometimes i even m i traces op the think he a little when upon the of genius that have heen reared in the old dominion and he seems to consider that a young man who has astonished a whole village in virginia by the splendor of his talents must of course be known throughout the united states for he frequently opens his eyes at me with an air of astonishment i happen to ask him who is the marvel he is speaking of i observe moreover that he has a constitutional fondness for and does not scruple to adopt and any that is calculated to one by its novelty he has a correspondence with several old friends who were with him at college and who have now risen into an extensive political in the state these gentlemen furnish him with many new currents of thought along which he with a happy he is essentially meditative in his character and	29
somewhat given to and these traits have communicated a certain measured and deliberate to his discourse i have frequently seen him after dinner stride backward and forward across the room for some moments wrapped in thought and then fling himself upon the sofa and come out with some doubt expressed with a solemn emphasis in this form he lately began a conversation or rather a speech that for a moment quite disconcerted me after all said he as if he had been talking to me before although these were the first words he uttered then making a so as to what he was going to say i don t deny that the is destined to produce valuable results but after all i much question and here he bit his upper lip and paused an instant if we are not better without it i declare i think it strikes deeper at the of the states than most persons are willing to allow this of space sir is not to be desired our protection against the evils of consists in the very obstacles to our in traces op the of or some such name frank is famous for quoting the opinions of his this i take it was some old college who had got into the and i dare say made speeches of made a good remark that the home material of was never so good as when her roads were at their worst and so frank went on with quite a to which none of the company replied one word for fear we might get into a dispute every body seems to un the advantage of silence when is inclined to be this strain of has a pretty marked influence in the neighborhood for i perceive that frank s opinions are very much quoted there is a set of under about these large country who are very glad to the of wisdom which fall from a rich man s table philosophers who trade upon other people s stock some of these have a natural bias to this of upper opinions by reason of certain in the way of trade and favor others have it from of blood which works like a charm over a whole county frank stands related by some tie of marriage or mixture of kin to an infinite train of connections spread over the state and it is curious to learn what a decided hue this gives to the opinions of the district we had a notable example of this one morning not long after my arrival at barn had given several indications immediately after breakfast of a design to pour out upon us the gathered of the last twenty four hours but we had the storm with some caution when the arrival of two or three neighbors plain farmers who had ridden to swallow barn to execute some papers before frank as a magistrate furnished him with an occasion that was not to be lost after their traces op the system business he detained them to inquire about their crops and other matters of their but in reality to give them that very flood of politics which we had escaped we of course listened without concern since we were assured of an that would not in the course of this he made use of a figure of speech which of some previous study or at least was highly in the vein mark me gentlemen said he his brow over his fine thoughtful eye and pointing the forefinger of his left hand directly at the face of the person he addressed mark me gentlemen you and i may not live to see it but our children will see it and wail over it the of this union will be as the rod of it will turn into a serpent and swallow up all that struggle with it mr was present at this solemn and was very much affected by it he rubbed his hands with some and uttered his applause in a short but vehement in which were heard only the detached words mr the next day ned and myself were walking by the and were hailed by from one of the windows who in a sly under tone as he beckoned us to come close to him told us if we wanted to hear a regular preach to stand fast we could look into the unobserved and there was our patriotic the boys with a violence of action that drove an additional supply of into his face it was apparent that the old gentleman had got much beyond the depth of his hearers and was pouring out his more from vanity than from any hope of his audience at the most animated part of his strain he brought himself by a kind of climax to the identical sentiment uttered by the day before he warned his young hearers the oldest of them was not fourteen to a eyed e upon traces op the system that serpent like ambition which would convert the government at washington into s rod to swallow up the independence of their native state this conceit immediately ran through all the lower circles at swallow barn mr tongue the repeated it at the blacksmith s shop in the presence of the blacksmith and mr a spare and feverish who a muddy slip of marsh land on one of the river which is now under to and from these it has spread far and wide though a good deal until in its circuit it has reached our groom who considers the sentiment as something of an awful nature with the smallest encouragement will put on a comic face shake his head very slowly turn up his and open out his broad hands while he with labored voice look out master ned s rod a black snake in old	29
upon which as we fall into a roar of laughter with astonishment at our but having been set to acting this scene for us once or twice he now us of some joke and asks if there is nt a copper for an old negro which if he in getting he runs off telling us he is too to make a fool of himself does not dislike this trait in the society around him i happened to hear two one day who were making some at the stable in high conversation one of them was to the other some opinion of frank s touching the political aspect of the country and just at the moment when the speaker was most animated himself came up he no sooner became aware of the topic in discussion than he walked off in another direction affecting not to hear it although i knew he heard every word he told me afterwards that there was a wholesome tone of feeling amongst the people in that part of the country chapter vm the about four miles below swallow barn on the same bank of the river is a tract of land known by the name of the the principal feature in this region is an extensive range of low lands reaching back from the river and bounded by distant forest from the heart of which tower above the mass of foliage a number of naked branches of decayed trees that are distinctly visible in this remote perspective these are by or minute water courses whose direction is marked out to the eye by of and from this characteristic the estate has derived its name a hill rises from this level ground and on its top is placed a large plain building with wings built in exact and connected with the centre by low but lengthened covered ways the whole structure is of dark brick with little it was obviously erected when the ornamental arts were not much attended to although there is an evident aim at something of this kind in the fancy of the chimneys which spring up from the sharp ends of the building and also in the conceited into which the of the low square wings have been reared the artist however has certainly failed in producing effect if his the ambition above the idea of a sober and mansion seen from the river the buildings stand partly in the shade of a range of immense which retreat down the kill in the opposite direction until the line from the view negro huts are scattered about over the landscape in that profusion which belongs to a virginia plantation this establishment the family residence of mr known generally with his addition of the mr is now upwards of seventy years of age he has been for many years past a and seems to stand like a in the stream of time which is destined to have every thing gliding past it itself unchanged the old gentleman was a in the days of the and only contrived to escape the of his estate by preserving a strict and cautious during the war he still to the ancient costume and is now observed taking his rides in the morning in a long coat of a snuff color and having three large figured gilt buttons set upon the which are after an fashion he wears besides over his hands and has a certain and quaint appearance given by his tight dark colored small clothes and long boots with tops of brown leather so disposed as te show a little of his white stockings near the knee his person is tall and with a withered and rather severe a formality correspondent with his appearance is con in his manners which are remarkable for their scrupulous and politeness and his household is conducted with a degree of precision that throws a certain air of over the whole family he has two daughters of whom the youngest has already counted perhaps her twenty third year and an only son somewhat the younger the eldest of this family has the reputation of being particularly well educated but her is probably in the common estimation by a thoughtful and rather formal cast of character a certain in the discharge of the ordinary duties of life and a grave turn of conversation such as belongs to women who from temperament are not wont to enjoy with any great relish nor perceive with observant eyes the pleasant things of existence the younger sister is of a complexion nature has given her an flow of spirits which in spite of a stiff and rigid education imposed upon her by her father frequently breaks through the of discipline and shows itself in the various forms which a temper in the actions of an airy and girl still however her sentiments are what has made them notwithstanding her physical elements she has been accustomed to the cautious and of her father which have a severe and exaggerated sense of personal respect and a rather too estimate of the and privileges of her sex these girls early lost their mother and their father at that period advanced in years had already parted with his fondness for society the consequence was that the during the of the children was a secluded spot cut off from much of that sort of commerce with the world which is almost essential to and mature the sympathies of young persons both and are pretty after different models the eldest is a placid inaccessible kind of beauty on the other hand is headlong and thoughtless with quick impulses that give her the charm of agreeable expression although her features are irregular and would not stand a critical examination her skin is not altogether clear her mouth is large and her eyes of a dark gray hue the the brother is a tall ill made awkward man with black eyes	29
no of applause by clapping of hands no restrain your and bestow all your attention upon the pathos of this strain i challenge criticism with this ned assumed the attitude of a hero of the opera pressing his hands passionately upon his bosom throwing his elbows forward and eyes upward as he poured forth a loud and long strain which raised an echo in the depths of the wood we had throughout this farce adapted our an to words not less ridiculous than the strain ned in this effort was the force of his humor in a series of upon a which was inspired by a whom i have mentioned in a former chapter the words were against the field against the field the name was through the woods in a multitude of set off with theatrical gestures a merry morning mr edward hazard said up her horse immediately at his back if i am to be put against the field i should prefer to have it kept secret my sister said who was also on horseback close at hand feels greatly flattered by your considerate notice of her the devil said ned hastily glancing his eye at me what a march they have stolen on us decidedly a most delicate compliment said a gentleman in the train such an expression of preference i uttered the fourth and last of the party tou call that singing i suppose ned ned was utterly confounded by this assault which was made not without a spirited accompaniment of laughter this had been galloping with along the sandy road until they had got within a short distance of our position where they had halted unobserved and had the full benefit of ned s unlucky essay at the and as he drew to a close they came stealthily upon our rear and affected the surprise i have related ned looked at the in a state of comic for no man can stand such a ex an even under the most favorable circumstances much less when attended such as the personal reference in this case presented and after some little time necessary to collect his self possession himself of me to whom the whole company were strangers he introduced me saying when he had done you have caught us at our odd enough that you should steal behind the scenes at such a moment i have told all about you and how fond you are of italian music so we determined to prepare a for you the music very soft and sentimental interrupted quite satisfactory edward said i think we are lucky in having heard it here as that will save you the trouble of repeating it at the my father s taste is not modern enough for such strains isn t it a pity mr she added appealing to me edward hazard should be so merciless to his friends hazard has already created so strong an interest in me to make your acquaintance miss i replied that i scarcely regret the ludicrous accident which has brought it about so soon forgive me said hazard i own i am the most and the most unlucky one besides in the country and i have been running riot all the morning but whether in jest or earnest i hope you will not think the of me that you are always uppermost in my thoughts as he said this he approached familiarly to her and offered his hand which she took with great kindness she remarked that they were then on their way to swallow barn and would no longer interrupt our studies upon this she and rode forward at a gallop looking back over his shoulder and calling out ned of course i shan t report you to i shall be tender of your reputation an the devil take his tenderness said ned as they rode off he ll make the most of this and followed more leisurely ned stood looking at the retreating party for some moments was mounted on a beautiful sleek bay mare which sprang forward with a gay spirited motion her graceful and neat figure showed to great advantage as she flew out of our sight almost at high speed her dress was a dark green riding habit over the breast and accurately fitting her shape she wore a light cap of the same color with a sufficiently prominent to guard her face and over her right shoulder floated a green veil which fluttered in the breeze like a gay but not more gay than the heart it followed was there ever said ned turning round to me after this troop had disappeared was there ever a more unlucky discovery than that of all persons in the world to be caught in the height of our by that little just to be taken in the high flood of our nonsense and with her name too ringing through these grave and silent woods i should scarcely have regarded it if it had happened with any body else but she has such a stock of conceit about elegance and refinement in her mind that i don t doubt she will find in this silly adventure a pretext to abuse me for the next and then she will go home and tell that stiff old her father that i am the very of a polished man faith she has said that before i and added ned musing will not improve the matter because he will have his joke upon it and then sister she will pronounce my conduct that s her word and so will for that matter why mark in the name of all the devils i hadn t you your eyes about you said i they surprised pi r camp without alarming an the but after all what is it they can only say they met a pair of fools	29
in the forest and certainly they need not travel r to do that any day by the by mark said ned changing his mood and brightening up into a pleasanter state of feeling did you note how light and fearless she rides and like a fairy comes at your bidding too she reads descriptions of ladies of chivalry and takes the field in imitation of them her head is fuu of these fancies and she almost herself that this is the century did you observe her dainty fist as the old have it she to have a perched upon it and is therefore to train a hawk that when she takes the air she may go in the guise of an ancient she should be followed by her and have a pair of in her train said i aye and a page in a silk added ned and a gallant i rejoined to break a lance for her instead of breaking jokes upon her i am almost tempted to champion her cause against such a as you myself but let us hasten back to swallow barn for our presence will be needed after this adventure we returned to the mansion house with some on the part of he talked about it all the way and dwelt somewhat fearfully upon the of and who he observed were not likely to drop a joke before it was pretty well worn the servants were leading off the horses as we arrived at the gate and the family with their visitors were collected in the porch with all eyes turned to us as we approached there was a general uproar of laughter at ned took it in good part though with many an when the mirth of the company had run through its course called hazard up to her and said you are a fellow edward i have two causes of quarrel with you ton have not been at the for a week or more and you know w don t bear neglect and secondly i don t think you have a right to be mr with my name however lawful it may be to amuse the gentle of the james with it replied hazard upon my honor i was more solemn in my life than at the very moment you rode upon us and as to my i have had no sentiment on hand since mark has been with me and i did not know what i should say to you besides i have a regard for mark s health and i was not disposed to interrupt it with one of your he is a little taken already for he has been you and your mare ever since you passed us if he knew what a you were in all things he would give you very little encouragement pray heaven said if he be a virtuous man he be not spoiled by such a as yourself mr i hope you will not believe edward if he has been telling you any thing to my disadvantage i am never safe in his hands i will tell you what i told him said hazard getting round close to her ear where he whispered what was too low to be heard you are cried laughing and at the same time shaking her riding whip at him and with these words she ran into the hall and thence up stairs followed by the rest of the ladies isn t she a merry creature said ned to me in an affectionate tone as we entered the door in the rear of the party j i chapter x the party from the caused a great uproar within the tranquil of swallow barn the ladies had in one of the chambers from whence might be heard that fitful outbreak of exclamation and laughter rising above a busy murmur of which as far as my experience goes is characteristic of every gathering of women below the hall with the greetings of the gentlemen the harsh tramp of boots upon the floor and that noisy play of spirits which is equally characteristic of such of men i must say something of picture to your mind a square somewhat sturdy figure of medium height or rather below it a weather beaten and dry complexion marked not a little the of forty brooding upon it and a little nest of about the eyes which are of a gray short sighted and sparkling a small nose a large and well shaped mouth an uncommonly large head rendered slightly by a shock of iron hair which curls upon the collar of his coat add to these a style of dress a coat rather too large a black much too loosely tied with long ends pointing towards each shoulder and a curious variety of shown in the several garments and you will have all the prominent features of his exterior you may recognize in the of his manners and the of his general expression a man who has had a full share of conversation with the world who has seen it in its pleasant aspects is familiar with and has sat up late o nights and often enough been caught by the dawn at a card table his countenance i use this word in its ancient significance as including his whole apparition though one of and almost is far from which may be ascribed to its perfectly natural keeping and absence of all it is not unusual to find men of this mould great in female society women very in personal and have an instinctive appreciation of a good fellow as is every body here likes him his strong and earnest good sense his learned skill in the ways of society and a certain happy of temper give him great advantages he is a of the family and has recently come from upon a visit to the which he	29
does very often i am told being fond of his relations there and equally fond of ned hazard some were placed upon the in the parlor opening upon the hall it is a common custom here in virginia about an hour before dinner to prepare a bowl of which is generally made of the finest old spirit or rum of st and being well is almost to the point this is taken by way of the appetite which is generally sharp enough without such but appetite or not this as i can is quite a pleasant thing to handle has a distinguished reputation in the of this and as it now the time of day to be looking after it he was already at the engaged in his ned said he as with a small in each hand he was busy in pouring his from one to the other how far do you call it from here to the spot where we you this morning what do you mean by f asked ned i where you were caught and couldn t help yourself and looked so queer when heard you her name so how far is that from here j a mile and upwards said ned you might have given us notice i know thinks it was very in me and so it would have been if i had been aware she was within hearing you know has rather stately notions of decorum replied but for your comfort ned i can assure you we threw all to the winds this morning and i rode that mile in three minutes there s a girl for you poor cousin followed us at a gallop with grumbling all the way because she wouldn t race as we did it was against the field sure enough how does that music go ned let hear it you really did play that ned said doubting the story as a mere jest is it true that you were engaged in that way with our friend perfectly and literally true as you have heard it said i i am greatly astonished returned would have astonished you more said if you had seen her flying this way afterwards she thinks no more of a ditch or a moderate worm fence than she does of a she goes over them singing the world i fear doesn t get wisdom with age rejoined ik i rather think this opera singing what do you call it ned which seems to have turned the now even of as ned hazard i suppose you took a hand only from these on the part of the men and leaping and fences by the i rather think we should have frowned upon such things twenty years ago in virginia but manners change morals change also the tendencies of government as remarks in those reflections on the french revolution i come as an from the said who had been too busy with his operations at the side board to note s lapse into the vein and which he now broke in upon at this critical moment when frank was in the act of mounting a favorite i come as an with a commission from mr to you here is an as the old gentlemen terms it directed to you and which i am to put into your hands with care and speed as he was particular to say la expected and arrangements are to be made for the immediate settlement of that interminable boundary line dispute which has been vexed for forty years my good mr is anxious that you should aid him to s departure and i venture to add my own request in the name of charity and all the cardinal virtues that you will detain this gentle carpet knight the shortest practicable time i devoutly believe replied that if this old between our families should be brought to a close by this device even if it should go in mr s favor it will cost him some unpleasant struggles to part with it it is impossible to settle it said all the are against it who is a true has uttered a prophecy which runs thus that the shall never be stable until swallow barn shall wed the ned the hopes of the family rest upon you opened the letter and read as follows dear and respected friend touching the question of the notwithstanding the judgments of our courts still hangs in unhappy suspense i am moved by the consideration urged in your sensible to me of the to submit the same with all the matters of fact and law to a right decision thereof to mutual friends to the same between us not doubting that the conclusion will be agreeable to both and of the impressions which i have entertained from the first arising of this with my neighbor the late walter hazard what stake i have is insignificant in comparison of the value of the ground on which i have stood for forty years and upwards and also of our and kindred from in time to come i have written to my young friend esq of very young interrupted almost as as the son of my late worthy as a proper gentleman to act in my behalf and late letters from him signify his ready pleasure to do me this service my inform me that he will be at the in this present week although i could have wished that this should in fall into the hands of lawyers seeing that we have both had reason to our cost to pray for a from the tribe yet nevertheless it is not becoming in me to object to your of esq who is a shrewd and wary man and will doubtless strive to do the right between ua i would desire moreover that it be understood	29
part and was alternately sentimental and thoughtless or grave as the wind blew towards those points when evening came the tide of pleasant association was run so high that it was resolved to be to interrupt it by separation and accordingly a messenger was to the to say that the party would remain at swallow barn all night prudence i observed figured in the debate on that resolve and rather startled us by repeating some lines which it strikes me i have heard before they ran something in this wise joy so seldom a chain like this to night that oh tis pain to break its links so soon i am positive prudence is not the author of these lines she must have borrowed them after tea the ladies made a concert at the piano a few lively airs were so suggestive of a dance that in a short time my cousin was seated at the instrument and our whole company except was on the floor through alternate and the children were about the in an ecstasy of delight mistress who had stolen quietly into the apartment relaxed her features into a smile and shook her head at s and the young and old gathered about ihe doorway or peeped in at the windows the of mirth rises with the heat of it was now getting above the point which society has established as the upper confine of elegant decorum it was manifest that a was in the wind the men were growing too energetic in their and i am afraid i must say that the ladies did not decidedly it now and then indeed up and would not allow to give her such a fling in the as he did the others but gave way to it like a true child of nature and permitted her swift flowing blood to guide her steps and at a little distance followed her example in the midst of this confused and mingled scene and appeared the very of joy in the graceful of their age springing about with the easy motions and delighted looks of young to whom the world is a sunny picture of pleasure and harmony exhausted at length we took our seats and gradually subsided into that lower and more temper which is apt to follow violent and ned hazard were observed to withdraw from the parlor and it was some time before they reappeared in their absence they had been making preparation for a which was now announced by the subject of this new was tbe in the wood and one of the little girls were to the and accordingly in due time two candles were set upon the floor to represent the stage lights the company were arranged in front the children were laid out and ordered to keep their eyes shut a piece of covered them instead of leaves and raised his head for an instant to inform the audience that there was to be a great storm suddenly a servant came in and put out the candles all except the two on the floor this was followed by a tremendous in the that was principally occasioned by the violent of doors which was designed to imitate thunder then came a flash of lightning that made our audience start it had an amazing and a haze that produced some terror amongst the children and now to give a to the storm a most dismal hissing and as of rain assailed every ear this was a very lively passage in the drama it with violence for some moments producing equal astonishment and diversion amongst the spectators but finally became rather op by a of which was through the apartment and set us all to in the midst of this of the elements ned and entered each with a huge attached to his their faces with burnt cork and their figures disguised in old uniform coats oddly to their persons here they about making tragic gestures and fierce blank verse the rain at intervals sank upon the ear as if into mist and anon rose with fury into a kind of and boiling rage with increased the were drawn and the were the propriety of the uncle s famous order to put the to death and had already crossed their weapons for a when an incident occurred which saved the from the execution of their purpose the rain by some came suddenly down to a mere and when the tempest ought to have howled its dropped into entire silence more rain cried ned in a stage whisper looking towards the hall where this department carried on its operations instead of rain however came sundry distinct from a group of servants on the outside of the door in the midst of which s voice was distinctly heard it s no use master ned the pan s got cold it won t make no more noise the business like of this disclosure at such a critical moment raised a general laugh which put an end to the tragedy ned had given orders to to heat that of the kitchen to which the old man referred and to bring it near the parlor door where it was his cue to supply it with by which ingenious device the storm was to be kept hissing hot as long as it was wanted this fortunate failure the ladies of the of the hour and they soon afterwards bade us good night the two changed their dresses and washed the from their and joined ns in a short time on the porch at the front door where we found ourselves in a very different mood the night was calm and clear and our late boisterous occupations inclined us with more zest to contemplate the beautiful repose of nature we sauntered a short distance from the house the moon was up and flinging a	29
glare over the tree tops and upon the old roof and chimneys a heavy dew had fallen upon the grass and imparted an eager to the atmosphere the grove with those solemn poured forth by the countless insects of the night keep their through the hours of darkness shrill piercing and melancholy the house dogs howled at the moon and rushed at intervals forward upon some fancied for the dog is imaginative and is often alarmed with the of his own thoughts a distant cock the lord of some cabin hen was heard with a clear and trumpet like breaking the deep stillness of this midnight time like a faithful on the telling the hour to the every thing around us was in striking contrast with the scenes in which we had just been engaged we grew tranquil and and thoughtless of the late hour or rather more alive to its charm we completed our short circuit and had gathered again into the porch where we lay scattered about upon the benches or seated on the door sill here whilst we smoked and over the idle topics that played in our thoughts engaged himself in preparing a sleeping draught of that cordial which common fame has celebrated as the native glory of virginia it is a vulgar error to appropriate the to the morning it is he remarked with solemn emphasis the peculiar of the the of the fancy the parent of pleasant dreams the of tion and the of the brain in its nature essentially anti friendly to and and in its influence upon the body and i have recorded s words because in this matter i conceive him to be high authority upon this subject is eloquent and whilst we sat listening to his learned in the various processes of this manufacture our attention was suddenly drawn to another quarter by the notes of a played by in the court yard he was called up to the door and to gratify my curiosity to hear his music he consented to the ladies under their windows is a of some and like the ancient he sings the of his own muse weaving into song the past or present annals of the family he is considered as a amongst th on the estate and is always heard with reverence the importance this gives him renders the old a not a little proud of his it required therefore but little encouragement to set him off so after taking a convenient stand and running his fingers over his rude instrument by way of he signified his obedience to our orders the scene was quite picturesque was old his head was and now borrowed an additional silver tint from the that lighted up his figure our eager group which stood watching him from the midst of the rose bushes in which we were partly the silent hour interrupted only by the murmur of the occasional breeze the of idle dogs that lay scattered over the ground the of the distant land and the venerable mass of building with its alternate faces of light and shade formed a combination of images and that gave a rich impression to our s i t if for a moment his instrument with the airs of a professor smiled and looking round to hazard asked in a half whisper what shall i play master ned what you like best well said striking off a few notes i ll try this the rich man comes from down below yo ho yo ho what he comes for i guess i know long time ago he comes to talk to the young lady but she look d proud and mighty high long time ago and in this strain clothed in his own dialect he proceeded to in a ballad sung with a chant by no means the expected arrival of at the and the probable events of his visit which he would be troublesome to ned hazard and would as the song went make him think so hard he couldn t sleep can t you give us something better than that interrupted ned ah that makes you very sore there master ned hazard said the old negro putting his on ned s breast tut replied ned you like a to night give us sugar in a or jim crow cried referring to two popular dances well known in this region and for the execution of which has some reputation i ve got a dream for you master ned said with the modest chuckle of a exhibiting his own music may be you d like to hear that we encouraged him and the struck up another kind of rattling air which went at a gallop on his accompanied by an in the same style as that which we had just heard it will not do to give his words which without the aid of all the the figure of the old man himself and the rapid of his and especially the little of his vanity would convey but a bald impression of the comic effect the whole exhibition had upon us the purport of this strain was that as he the bard lay sleeping in his cabin a beautiful lady appeared to him in the dead of night and told him that he must instruct his young master when he went a that there were three things for him to learn he must never believe his mistress to be light of heart because she laughed at him nor that she was really offended when she looked angry at him and lastly that he was not to be by a refusal as that was no proof she would not have him that women were naturally very contrary and must be interpreted by is a true said when the	29
old man had finished and brings us great encouragement ned now old gentleman you have done your duty and as you dream so well come in and you shall have something to put you to sleep that you may try it again and there s something to cross your palm with the old negro was brought into the parlor where him with a glass of the he had been making god bless you master and young masters all said with a polite and gentleman like gesture and with a smile of the utmost good night he added as he retired with many formal bows we now ourselves to our chambers whence for some time after i had got to bed i could hear the dancing to s in the court yard in the midst of these noises i fell asleep thus a day that had been marked by a succession of those simple which give such an agreeable r to country life and which the i think would be over wise to find fault with chapter a confession the ladies had announced their intention to return to the before breakfast accordingly the next morning soon after daybreak the was alive with the stir of preparation and by the time the sun was up horses dogs and servants filled the with a lively bustle and the inmates of the house thronged the door and porch with the wholesome bloom of the morning on her cheek exhibited that flow of good humor which naturally belongs to a young and ardent girl and more when she is conscious of being an object of admiration she danced about the hall and sang short passages from songs with a sweet and merry we owe you our thanks gentlemen she said for mr s ballad last night cousin i set down all the impertinence of it to you you have such a wicked conscience that you can t sleep yourself and you seem to be resolved nobody else shall ah replied ned has spoiled your taste for simple by those italian graces of his not a word you monster but help me to my horse i mean to get away from this house as quickly as i can and when i have you on the road i will tell you a piece of my mind with a i a confession such a swift foot under me you know i can run away from you if you get angry ned hazard advanced somewhat to lead the which was to mount to the steps no no she said edward that s s business i have trained him to it now mr your hand came round to the side of the mare and stooping down whilst he locked his two hands so as to form a step your left foot so bear on my shoulder there you are he said as he tossed her lightly into the saddle it isn t every one can do that as well as said by way of apology to ned for refusing his assistance which she saw had a little him bring mr edward to see us and you shall have the privilege of another if you like i am afraid replied ned that i have practised too many already to keep your favor but you shall see us before long and i mean henceforth to be very grave good bye said the sun is beforehand with us now grace she added in a lively tone to the animal on which she forward the mare rose on her hind legs with an active motion and sprang away at a brisk speed had all this time been quietly mounting by the aid of a chair and talking in a subdued voice to prudence she now said some amiable things at parting repeated the invitation of hazard and myself to the and rode becoming propriety of gait attended by followed close upon the track of and whilst the sun s rays yet smote the fields in level lines the were out of sight after breakfast i found hazard sitting on the bench at the front door examining a box of fishing tackle some rods were leaned against one of the pillars of the porch and with a a confession little faced negro was in the inspection of the lines and ned with a hundred questions these two wanted to know how far it entered into his design to take them with him if he meant to go fishing he told me that as the day looked well for it he thought we might find some with our rods in a over the brook and his flat the little black who seemed to think it was his business to take charge of were of course to accompany us to make them useful hazard them both to get us some b it away they went at a bound across the railing of the porch and this was ned s for the other down the steps with a mouth from ear to ear cutting all manner of over the grass in a few moments the latter was on his way to the stable with a long handled over his shoulder and a small tin vessel to collect worms whilst was making a upon the and flapping down his much abused upon them with a skill that showed this to be a practised feat a brief delay brought in our active with an abundant spoil and we then set forth on our expedition each provided with a long rod and its appropriate our young attendants their weapons and before us with amazing strides and important faces all the way ned seemed inclined to be serious and i soon perceived that he wanted to make me his i had already guessed upon what point he talked as we along the bank	29
of the stream about old mr about every body but except a slight allusion to her once or twice and in the most casual and apparently accidental manner it was a touch and go manner which spoke volumes i saw that he wanted me to talk of her and i was malicious enough not a confession to understand him it was very evident that i was soon to have a revelation ned of course is in love with any one might see in the first five minutes he should find them together it is notorious to the whole family and i believe to all the inhabitants in these parts as much as any piece of country gossip can be i had no doubt of it even before we were surprised in our on the road who is shrewd m these matters took occasion this morning just after the ladies left us on their return to the to whisper to me as we entered the breakfast uncle ned wanted to lift to her horse because he likes the very ground she walks on and doesn t matters when he speaks of it and old had twisted it into rhyme that no one could strange as it may be ned with all these proofs against him was such an owl as to think i had no suspicion of such a thing or in fact that it was a secret to any body the of hazard s character or what i might better call his unconscious frankness gives a little of comic extravagance to his endeavor to conceal his feelings he is a man who can no more hold a secret than a crystal can hold wine invisible his effort to disguise his admiration for has in truth been somewhat perilous in this affair by him to a rather indifference in his towards her this is the source of his and d his falling upon her and alarming her pride and making upon points which women are generally apt to take without even in ill part sometimes instead of the society of his mistress as more skilful lovers would do he is careful to his approaches in such a manner as to avoid all suspicion of particular intimacy his walks and rides it is true tend instinctively in the direction a confession of the and he is seen often enough taking an of the house and grounds and up and down the roads that lead thither but his heart fails him at the gate and he does not go through it even once in a week unless somebody can make a matter of business for him to go there and then he is as bold as a lion what s our duty as he very reasons in such must be done at all regardless of consequences ned i observe also loses his in presence which makes him awkward in his attentions and then again he seems to have an unfortunate tendency i might almost describe it as a destiny to present himself to her under those which most shock her of the decorum she is inclined to expect from a lover our the of the last night i perceived notwithstanding her laughing at them were neither of them with her ideas of dignified she has a vein of romance in her composition which some fastidious notions touching propriety of manners and gives her if i can trust hazard s opinion which i find confirmed in what i have seen a for that solemn which women sometimes imagine to be refinement and of which ned has not the slightest s temper naturally is most with these pretensions as she constantly shows when off her guard but by a certain of her mind got perhaps in some by path of education or by a fanciful conceit or left upon her memory amongst the impressions of some character she has been taught to admire or being the physical disclosure in her organization of some peculiarly aristocratic drop of blood inherited from some over stately and at the surface after the lapse of a century from whatever cause produced she has taught herself to consider an orderly measured graceful movement a of language reverence of a confession d and all entire essential to the composition of what she terms a refined gentleman a character which runs a fair risk of being set down in the general opinion as sufficiently dull and the total absence of these gifts in and says his she uses a soft expression is quite delightful i explain this by the fact that is entirely out of the question as a lover and that has permitted her nature to counsel her opinion in s case by reason of which her good cousin has taken the of her favor by surprise ned hazard she regards in quite a different light her are all at their posts when he makes a demonstration i sometimes think there is a little at the bottom of ned s treatment of a momentary occasioned by her to hold in estimation the grave and empty of the very model of a delicate and dainty gentleman he is so like the hero of a novel which ned has once or twice repeated to me with the remark that it was cursed i have said enough in the way of composition of ned s character and of the queer condition of his love affair as well as of the quality of his mistress to preface the account i am about to give of our conversation on the fishing excursion we had reached a wide spreading old on the bank of the brook and had thrown our lines into a deep pool which under the roots of the tree and where we had reason to expect some luck to our here we seated ourselves on the grass in the shade	29
i found that i was advancing in ned s confidence he was restless and not very attentive to his rod and somewhat thirsty for he drank at the brook twice i was perfectly dull of apprehension and asked the most simple questions i was determined to give him no help at least for the present it is strange but it i i true that no mai a c n ill sober sense no well ordered man i mean with a calm and composed face disclose the fact of his being in to his most intimate friend mankind always seem to treat this very natural incident of one s life as a foolish thing and a man therefore looks or feels like a fool attempt the disclosure when he will mark said ned in a rather abrupt transition from a literary topic we had been discussing and which i had myself proposed in a mischievous humor to a previous advance to the matter that was weighing upon his mind mark and here was a slight pause and some visible don t you think a very lively girl v don t your i asked very lively replied ned how would you like to make a visit to the do you visit there much ned occasionally rather reproaches me for not coming as often as i ought perhaps a dull house i should think for a visit the old gentleman i understand is very formal said i on the contrary replied ned a very pleasant family i should like to take you there s a great favorite with her father i i have seen a good deal of her a pause in which ned looked a little queer that slippery little who said i you don t mean to call a ned laughed what are you thinking of i mean this fish said he drawing up his line it has off three in succession and i can t get him on my hook throw in again ned said i smiling perhaps you will have better luck next time so you think is a lively girl and you go to make her a visit occasionally that must be quite an effort and she is of opinion that you don t come often enough what would you call often a confession i was there the very morning of the day on which you here said ned ten days ago i said with an affected surprise and still she i what an unreasonable lady i i suppose she would have you galloping there twice a week at least these women exact a great deal of us poor men why if you were a lover of hers as i know you are not once a week i should say well i don t know said ned interrupting me you don t know what i asked whether you are a lover of her s or not such a cool fellow as you are never made a lover in the world if i lived as near to the as you do i should make it a point to be over head and ears in love with but there is a difference between you and me ned laughed again quite loud this time but his mirth was artificial you think so he said at last the confession was on his lips but a hesitation of one drove it back his heart failed him and like a ship which her stays he fell off again into the wind they do say said i that this mr of whom i have heard so much lately looks that way with an eager eye and that something is likely to come of it her father is fond of him i hear and if that s true i consider her as good as already perhaps it is wise in you to keep out of a against such odds exclaimed ned who told you that don t believe a word of it mark is a woman of sense and amongst men with remarkable she has some odd fancies but is not one of them i don t believe she can abide him d n it i know she can t women will do queer things sometimes but will never have as long as her name is a confession no of course not i replied she will consider it s point of propriety to change her name on the very day she him as to her she will settle that as papa be bound is a dutiful daughter and will do as her bids her moreover when a woman of a lively imagination s your country ladies generally are once her fancy to light upon a lover it is quite what manner of man he may be the fancy is apt to settle the business for itself fancy is a that will ran away with as good a rider as i profess to know a little of these women myself ned said hazard alarmed by the i had forced so confidently upon him and flushed with a slight degree of anger is the most preposterous ass the most enormous the most remarkable in no matter for that as you say has a great admiration for an elegant refined sweet spoken grave and dignified gentleman that s a of hers from your own account and it is hard to tell the from the real in these things devil cried ned she can t be mistaken in i acknowledge she is somewhat haunted by this of elegance and all that and that such a thing does once in a while make a woman rather but s good sense will get the better of that however you	29
may argue about it as you will i have reason to know what her feelings are personal reason he said with some warmth how could you know what reason have you if you will have it and will keep a secret i will tell you and i have had a sort of understanding i have been very much attached to her some time and she knows it indeed between you and me i told her so and although there was nothing specific came of it yet i can assure you she does not a confession care a brass for mark you will not mention this of oh ho so the wind s in that quarter said i why did nt yon tell me this before here have i been taking your t against all this time and now it turns out i ought to have been on the other side well i intended to tell you said ned but somehow it got out of my head i did nt think of it ton blind bat said i and to boot why i knew you were in love the first day i saw you you have had nothing in your head but ever since i arrived here you have been dying to tell me all day i thought you would laugh at me a love affair is always a foolish thing and every body laughs at it indeed i assure you upon my honor i think to be in love one of the most serious nay solemn things in the world it has made you a perfect stick you have lost all your light and so she you you think i should say so replied ned that is she don t me you know there are a thousand little movements in a woman s that show how her humor lies not any thing to speak of singly but take them in the long run you understand are you very particular in your attentions well tolerably when i have a chance what do you call particular attentions ned why i don t know exactly how to answer that he replied i am attentive to her that is to say i keep an eye upon her for instance i have sent her dead or alive i asked with great gravity some that i had shot said ned dead of course for her to eat said i quite an appropriate present to a lady is she a confession nonsense exclaimed ned tbe were for her father and i so explained it did you ever ask her at dinner to allow you to help her to some what the d do you mean i mean that your attentions are rather odd for a lover can you think of any others well i can t recall what you would consider actually attentions i am confident however that i have shown her many any verses or love letters or sketches for an any snug little in a comer oh no nothing to that extent said ned what then did you mean by telling me that you had per reason to know her feelings just now that you have told her ci your attachment i think too you aid nothing specific came of it i ll explain replied ned the fact is i addressed her it was nt the thing in the world about a year ago we had a dinner party at the rather a merry one and i drank a little too much champagne and being possessed with a devil for i can t account for it in any other way i got to walking with after night fall on the porch and finding we were alone with the moon shining bright above and the roses and honey and all that the air with the incense of i naturally got to be sentimental and talked i am inclined to believe a good deal of nonsense and in the end the question at her like the crack of a rifle well what then oh she behaved with the most admirable spirit she turned round promptly and went into the house without saying a word leaving me to that as i might choose to take it ah ha i understand now what you mean by nothing specific coming of it you think then she you a confession she did nt refuse me said ned and i consider that the truth is mark rather likes me but she like to show it you have never spoken to her since on the same subject oh never i have ridden out with her frequently since that and she is always in excellent spirits do you ride alone with her no she always makes or or some one else of the party that shows she is sensitive on the subject you perceive she wishes to delay the matter is the natural thing in the world a woman gets tremulous and likes to put off such things till the next day and then the next and so on ah my dear ned you are a coward thought you were a brave man why don t you tell her at once you want to talk to her alone and till she to give you an opportunity you would soon find out whether she you or not my good fellow replied ned with some emphasis that s harder to do than you think there is a great difference in bravery man ward and woman ward it is moral courage which is necessary in these affairs with women and a good deal of it too i would as march up to an to box him about the eyes in kid gloves as come up deliberately on a cool morning in the drawing room or any where else to with a straight up and down	29
point blank declaration of love it is so hard to such a thing into conversation a man gets his nerves and is so apt to become thick of speech i don t know how to manage the topics that would carry me up naturally to the point and save me from the awkwardness of an abrupt transition there are men who can do it men of genius in that line but i am not one of them yet when you come to reflect a confession upon it it ought not to be any great matter all the world b getting married every day every man has to go through it an of nature and it does to pass but how the thing is managed so universally and so successfully by all sorts of persons of course that s a great mystery like good christians we ought to help one another to be sure we ought said i and we will ned we shall hold a council upon it and conduct our of poor little heart according to the rules of the most approved but there must be no on your part i sometimes feel in a mood said ned that would carry me through off hand if i had a chance but then again here he shook his head thoughtfully as much as to say that this mood was not the to come at his wish i think he added with some animation as if a new and ingenious thought had struck him the best time for it is after dinner about twilight between hawk and we must try it with cool heads i replied as much of the hawk as you please ned but no will serve us before we had to this conclusion we had several times changed our ground and had now reached the centre of a grove of tall trees hazard having in this conversation happily his mind of a weight that had oppressed it r some time appeared quite a new man to me he became rational gay and confident and was quite willing now to dismiss the topic we had agitated so long i s struck with the scenery around us it was just such a landscape as a painter would delight to study in detail and sketch from every point there was such variety of foliage such beautiful of light and shade such bits of and rich to throw into a picture the the and the all so different in form and so from a confession age and size rose in this forest from a carpet of of the there was no to interrupt the view into the deep recesses of shade an occasional straggling vine swung across from tree td tree embracing the branches of both in its huge serpent like folds and here and there an erect and was from the root all the way up to the limbs with wild ivy and in this with the that seemed native to the grove through this shade the stream crept with a course now and then at the resistance of decayed trunks which accident had thrown across the channel and then again into silence as we advanced of poles darted from the shallow into deeper water apple as the country people call that black shaped insect which summer pools and which is distinguished for the perfume of the fruit that has given it its name danced in busy over the surface of the still water the large spider resembling a wheel without its rim shot forth over his little lake in lines as if making a survey of its expanse and schools of greedy little fish sprang up at every that fell upon the stream then the gray el with his graceful tail across our path to some neighboring tree and our attention was frequently called to the water snake with his head thrust under a stone and the folds of his body glistening in the sun as the stream washed over him and his page both of whom bad been long out of sight were now in view they had grown weary of their attendance upon us and were seen at this time through the brook with their trousers drawn above the knee leading tbe way and directing the motions of who all his gestures with a grin of good nature they were carrying a confession on a warfare against the and by the capture of several distinguished individuals of the enemy had spread consternation along the whole margin of the stream as declared that not a frenchman amongst them dared to show his eyes above the water the sun was now some hour or more past his and proposed a return so gathering up our spoils some jf stone heads and r small which we had taken at intervals during our and calling in our from the battle of the we took up our homeward line of march the two dripping and muddy of our bringing up the rear each bearing a string of fish hung by the upon a in this array we soon regained the of the chapter a man of pretensions it is to be remarked in regard to all love affairs that may be the embarrassment of the disclosure there is by no means the same in conversing about them afterwards when the ice is once broken your genuine lover is never tired of talking about his mistress for twenty four hours after our late ned talked almost incessantly upon the me subject he let it drop for a moment but he was sure to come speedily back upon it with a new face as if it were a matter that required a serious tion and he that in the present stage of the business my advice was important to determine whether he should go on with it although it was easy	29
enough to perceive that his mind was not only quite made up but keenly set upon the of the affair then he affected to be greatly as to some minute particular of conduct again he had his doubts whether upon the whole she really did encourage him in this sentiment he was sincere although he endeavored to persuade himself that the matter was reasonably certain these doubts made him restless droll and solemn but again changing his mood he presented the entire action to me from beginning to end as a affair and that made him swear at it and a man of pretensions gay it was very queer unaccountable extraordinary that it put a man in such an awkward situation but his conclusion to it all was that was no use in talking about it matters had gone so far tbat there was no alternative he was committed on the point of honor and bound as a gentleman to make his pretensions good i vexed him a little by saying i did not think so and that if it was distasteful to him i thought he was at liberty to retire when he chose this his humor so i consented to admit his premises for the future and allow that he was bound in honor with this admission he proceeded in his argument it all amounted to the same thing and the only varieties i discovered after this were in his positions he argued it walking jumping dancing then over three chairs stretched out on a bed and in the windows then washing dressing whistling singing and laughing in short he behaved himself throughout the whole debate like a man in love we were at the height of this on the morning following ned s first about an hour before dinner in my chamber extended at full length upon the bed with our feet up against the bed posts when came running in almost out of breath saying that if we wanted to see something worth looking at we should come down stairs quickly for there was mr spinning up to the house and making the gravel fly like hail and there was aunt in the drawing room fixing a book before her in such a hurry and mrs scolding about the and wasn t there going to be fun i went to the window and could see the phenomenon that excited s admiration approaching the mansion like a a new light blue with a pair of long bay horses in fine keeping driven by a gentleman of a delicate figure and followed by a servant in livery had just entered the a man of pretensions court yard the plate of the harness and glittered with an brilliancy in the sun and the of the wheels that spirited glare which belongs to an of the highest polish the horses were up at the door and the gentleman descended it was very evident that mr was a man to produce a sensation in country hazard and myself repaired to the hall his guest with the plain and cordial manner natural to him mr has a tall figure and an and sallow complexion somewhat perhaps by ill health a head of dark hair partially bald a soft black eye a gentle a musical low toned voice and a highly finished style of dress he was very particular in his inquiries after the family and having gone through many preliminary he was shown to a chamber to make his toilet for dinner soon afterwards he appeared in the drawing room where he was remarkable for his sober winning he flattered mrs upon her good health and the fine appearance of the children and he thought were going to be very beautiful and both blushed they made him feel old when he recollected their infant master philip otherwise was growing up to be a fine manly fellow at this crept behind him and in the opposite direction with many it was time to give up his he didn t like he was very complimentary to prudence which had a visible effect upon her and made her animated and thought his friend looked younger and more robust than when they last met he told hazard that he was very much wanting in by a party of ladies who were going off to the north and that he ned had made a great impression upon them in short mr seemed determined to a man of pretensions please body by the which he manifested in their happiness and this was done with such a refined address and each practised composure as to render it quite taking there is nothing equal to the self possession of a gentleman who has travelled about the world and frequented the circles of fashion when he comes into a quiet orderly respectable family in the country it is pleasant to behold what delight he takes to hear himself talk inherited from his father an estate on the in the most southern quarter of virginia he is now about prime of life and still a bachelor being therefore a gentleman without much to keep him at home he has recently travelled over europe and is very besides with the principal cities of the union he has twice been very nearly elected to and his failure to his not being sufficiently active in the ass upon this foundation he considers a public man and of some importance to the government it is remarked of him that he is a very decided when he is out of the state and a great admirer of foreign parts when he is at home his memory is stored with a multitude of pretty sayings and many singular adventures that have befallen him in his sundry travels which he with a due proportion of sentiment he has the renown of a poet and of a philosopher having some years ago published a volume	29
of fugitive and being supposed now to be engaged in a work of a grave character which it is predicted will reflect credit upon the literature of the south that he is a bachelor is the fault only of his stars for he has a whole army of between and in which divers he has been observed to do remarkably well for the first two weeks after which somehow or other he falls off and it is said that he can reckon more re a han of pretensions on his head than a h paced he is what the sailors call an unlucky ship one misfortune in love matters makes many and three are quite ill in the calculation of a high toned fashionable dame this calamity has been so often upon that it is thought he begins to lower his pretensions and talk in a more subdued tone upon the subject he is believed now to encourage the opinion that your raging are not apt to make the best wives that a discreet lady of good family and manners is most likely to make a sensible man happy great beauty is not essential the mad world of fashion is a bad school and some such other doctrines which indicate reflection if not disappointment in of this temperate philosophy he is supposed to be casting his eye about the country and more the of those regions over he has hitherto travelled with too much speed for accurate observation like a military engineer whose first survey is directed to the most prominent points of the ground and who his steps to make his examination of the subordinate positions from an intimacy of long standing between mr and the father of the former has a strong in favor of the son which is cherished by in a course of attentions and no doubt in some degree by the studied and formal cast of his manners mr does not fail to speak of him as a man of excellent capacity solid judgment and has therefore admitted him into a somewhat confidential relation he says moreover that is remarkably and a man of wit this appears odd enough to those who have the honor of this worthy s society what i have said will explain how it came to pass that this had been selected as mr s in the a man op pretensions of the boundary line it was with a view to the final arrangement of this subject that had lately arrived at the and he had now visited swallow bam in respect to that identical the ladies had just retired from the dinner table and we were sitting over our wine when and rode up to the door this addition to our company gave a spur to the conversation of the table had become animated and eloquent he upon the occasion of his visit that to gratify his old friend mr he had prevailed upon himself to his service to a difficult which he had been given to understand was of some duration this was one of those imperfect obligations which to the relation of friendship he ventured to suggest an opinion that the issue would be to their mutual interests and took leave to indulge the hope that neither of his amiable and excellent friends would find occasion to regret the arrangement answered these with a bend of the head entire acquiescence and with an occasional remark which showed the little importance he attached to the matter ned and exchanged looks drank their wine and listened to the in the course of the evening was continually reminded of something he had seen at or or other places the river which was visible from our windows put him in mind of the lake of it only wanted the mountains then he had choice anecdotes to tell of distinguished personages in boston or new and a most piece of scandal that had last winter at washington bowed his head again but very much like a man who was at a loss how to reply and con to listen with the utmost how a man op pretensions ever drew the discourse into a as if to get at such particulars as were necessary to the narrative and generally by this mischievous contrivance took off the finish which the speaker studied to give to his recital a neat little of verses some time ago made its appearance at in hot press and on the finest paper it was a delicate of sentiment woven into a plaintive tale and had dropped apparently from some bower of clouds as they floated on one evening over the fashionable quarter of it was so dainty in its array and so mysterious in its origin from whence could it but from the or from said the ladies of or from the divine pen of the fastidious and sentimental ned hazard had brought this beautiful to swallow barn and had given it to prudence to nurse it was now upon the window seat it is necessary to state that amidst all the criticism of and the determination of every body to the verses to and the consequent of that by all companies he never gave a plain denial of his but on the contrary took pleasure in hearing the charge and was so about the matter and such gentle doubts that it was considered a case of detection this and delicious little poetical sally was the of in the title page but was more generally known by the name of the romance which had bestowed upon it i suppose you have seen this before said hazard to as he threw the book upon the table before him picked it up hastily turned over the leaves smiled and replied it has made some stir in its day but things like a man of pretensions this are not long lived however well executed this seems to have kept its	29
ground much longer than most of its species the common opinion said ned is not backward to its author of course replied if a man has ever been guilty in his life of he becomes a goat ever after is it not somewhat strange that i should be perpetually charged with this sort of thing but it is long since i have abandoned the banks of the i protest to you i have not time for this kind of no no gentlemen charge me with what you please but spare me from the verses k we could believe the said we should not doubt the origin of this but i rely more on my own judgment i can pretty surely detect the productions of persons i am acquainted with there is a a flavor in a man s conversation which is certain to peep out in the efforts of his pen now this work is opposite to every thing we know of mr in the first place it is studied and solemn and wants s light and familiar vivacity secondly there is an affectation of elegance utterly at war with his ordinary manners oh my dear sir cried save me from this serious of my innocence you can t be in earnest in thinking any one believes the report they do say so replied but i have always defended you i have said that if you chose to devote your time in this way something of a more permanent and solid character would be given to the world i have been with it by my friends in the north added but that is a which every man who in literature must expect to run i have forgotten name of the poem said with innocent gravity a man of pretensions it is called the of said or the added ned colored slightly and then laughed but without much heart fill up your glass mr said the truth of wine is a good companion to the fiction of poetry is this thing much admired a good deal replied amongst the young ladies of the boarding school e said if i were disposed to it said ned i should say that the author has been more successful in his rhyme than in his story yes added the of the verse is its great merit and seems to have so completely satisfied the writer that he has forgotten to bring the story forward at all i have never been able to make out exactly what is the subject of it then the sentiment continued hazard in which it is somewhat over one flight runs so into the other at it is not very easy to comprehend them that said is an admirable invention in writing the author only gives you half of what he means leaving you to fill up the rest for yourself it time and him to crowd a great deal into a small space at this gave another laugh but somewhat dry and feeble there is another thing about this poem said ned it has some strange there is one here that prudence has marked i suppose she has found out its meaning and as that is a fortunate enterprise she has taken care to note it the poet has endeavored to trace a resemblance between the wing of and his mistress s breath and he sets about it by showing that a man op pretensions when takes a flight on a spring morning with his wings with roses he must necessarily at every flutter shake off some of these flowers and then as the s breath is of the resemblance is complete vl read the passage aloud if you please said in evident embarrassment but still to preserve a face of suppose take a turn across your lawn before dark we want a little motion won you stay to hear this flight of asked ned taking up the book i have no doubt it is very fine said but account of it is so much better that i should not like to the impression of it saying this he retreated from the dining room and waited at the front door for who almost immediately followed in the evening our party played at prudence and the poet making partners against and whilst the rest of us sat round as spectators of the game mr as usual smoked his pipe in the porch and the children slept about the comers of the room had grown dull and his particularly accomplished bearing appeared somewhat except now and then when he had occasion to make an inquiry respecting the game which he did in a manner that no vulgar player may ever hope to as thus putting on an look gently bending his body forward extending his left arm a little outward from his breast and showing a fine diamond ring on his little finger and asking with a smile so soft that it could hardly be called a smile are chapter my grand uncle mt grand edward hazard the father of was from all accounts a man of an active turn he was always busy in schemes to improve his estate and it is said threw away a great deal of money by way of his fortune he was a gentleman who had spent a considerable portion of his life in england and when he settled himself at last in possession of his at swallow barn he was filled with magnificent projects which tradition says to hear him explain would have satisfied any man to a demonstration that with the expenditure of a few thousand pounds swallow barn would have risen one hundred per cent in value he was a very man also in the province belonged frequently to the house of and was more than once in the council the family now look up to my grand uncle edward as one of the most distinguished	29
individuals of the stock and take a great deal of pride in his importance they say he was a most astonishing in london and a wonderful speaker in the provincial le connected with these two of his character there are two portraits of him at swallow barn one represents him in an embroidered coat without a cape a highly worked my grand uncle tied tight enough round his neck to choke him which makes his eyes seem to start from their an waistcoat satin small clothes silk stockings and large in his shoes his complexion is of the most delicacy and his wig seems to form a white cushion for a small fringed cocked hat by the portrait he could not have been much above twenty years of age and his air is conceited the second picture a gentleman with a fine bluff and somewhat face past the of life arrayed in brown and in an attitude intended doubtless to represent him in the now it must be made known that the tract of land called the belonging to the family lies adjacent to swallow barn in old times the two estates w e divided by a small stream that emptied into the james and that is still known by the name of the apple pie branch this a range of low grounds for some miles occasionally spreading itself out into which were formerly and in some places are now overgrown with of arrow wood nine bark and various other shrubs the growth of this region the main channel of the stream through these tangled masses was generally distinct enough to be traced as a boundary line although the marsh extended some distance from each bank in the course of this stream there is one point where the higher ground of the country stretches in upon the bed of the marsh from either side so as to leave a of about a hundred yards in width from both of which the spectator may look back upon the low lands of the swamp for nearly a mile just at that period of the life of my grand uncle when his fever of improvement had risen to its crisis and when he was daily creating immense fortunes in his dreams it struck him upon looking at the i have described that with very little my grand uncle trouble and expense he might throw a stout from one side to the other and have as fine a mill dam as any man could possibly desire it was so simple an operation that he was surprised it had never occurred to him before and then a flour mill might be erected a short distance below which would cost but a trifle and the inevitable result would be that this tract of waste land would thereupon become the most valuable part of the estate i am told that it belonged to the character of my grand uncle to fall absolutely in love with every new project he turned this one over in his mind for two or three nights and it became as clear to him as daylight that he was to work wonders with his mill so reflecting that he had but sixteen irons in the fire at this time he went to work without a moment s delay the first thing he did was to send an order to for he never had any opinion of the at home for a complete set of mill machinery and the second to put up a house of pine weather boards for the mill with this last operation he set about the dam and in the course of one summer he bad a huge of logs thrown across the path of the modest apple pie which would have terrified the stream even if it had been a giant as soon as this structure was completed the waters began to gather my grand uncle came down every day to look at them and as he saw them gradually upon the different little of the swamp it is said he smiled and remarked to his son walter whom he frequently took with him that it was strange to see what results were produced by human art and it is also told of him that he made his way during this rising of the waters to a tree in the bed of the dam to with his a point to which the flood would ultimately tend that while my grand uncle stooping to take a level with the breast of the dam he lost his balance and was upset into a pool formed by the element and that when walter expected to see him in a passion at this he rose laughing and observed that the bed of the dam was a damned bad bed which is said to be the only that ever was made in the hazard family and therefore i have put it on record in a few days with the help of one or two rains the pool was full and to the infinite pleasure of my grand uncle thin thread of water streamed over one corner of the dam the most beautiful little in the world it looked like a glossy of delicate white ribbon my grand uncle wai delighted there my boy said he to walter there is for you we shall have our mill a going in a week sure enough that day week off went the mill all the com f the farm was brought down to this place and for an hour or two that morning the mill away as if it had been filled with a thousand iron shod devils all dancing a scotch my grand uncle his cane upon the floor with a look of triumph whilst his eyes started from his head as he frequently exclaimed to the people about him i told you so this comes of energy and foresight this	29
shows the use of a man s faculties my boy it was about an hour and a half or perhaps two hours as my authority after the commencement of this and clatter in the mill that my grand uncle and all the others who were intent upon the operation were a little surprised to discover that the began to in its speed the cloth was moving lazily and the wheels were getting tired presently a dismal was heard that sounded like all the trumpets of blown at once it was a prolonged note that went to the very soul my grand uncle in the name of all the of a famous of my grand uncle what is that it s only the big wheel stopped as as a said the miller and it naturally because you see the is new and wants a court of inquiry was and leading the van followed by the whole troop out went my grand uncle to look at the head gate well not a thing was to be seen there but a large solitary bull on his at the bottom of the race and looking up at his visitors with the most piteous and imploring countenance as much as to say i assure you gentlemen i am exceedingly astonished at this extraordinary myself which has left me as you perceive naked and dry then the court proceeded upon their investigation towards the dam to observe how that came on i can readily imagine how my grand uncle looked when the scene here first presented itself to his view it must have been a look of droll solemn silent wonder which for the time leaves it a matter of perfect doubt whether it is to in a laugh or a cry in the first place the beautiful ribbon was clean gone in the second there were all the little of the swamp showing their small green heads above the surface of the water which would hardly have covered one s and there were all the native shrubs of the marsh bending forwards in scattered groups like a set of rose bushes that had been visited by a shower dripping wet and having their slender tangled with weeds and there was towards the middle a little line of down to the edge of the dam and then holding its course parallel with the to the left where it entered the race and along gently down to the very seat of the bull cried my grand uncle after he had paused long enough to find speech here is some mistake in this matter my grand uncle now it is a principle of that an exhausted is the worst thing in the world to make a draught upon the mill dam was like a bank that had paid out all its and consequently could not bare the run made upon it by the big wheel which in turn having lost its credit stopped payment with that hideous yell that wrought such a shock upon the nerves of my grand uncle in vain did the old gentleman the stores of his philosophy to come at this principle he studied the case for half an hour examined the dam in every part and was exceedingly perplexed those of have been at work said he so the examination was conducted to this point but not a hole could be found the soil is a open kind of soil said the old gentleman it seems to me master said an arch looking negro who was gaping over the flood gate upon the muddy waste that the mill s run out of water who asked you for your opinion you scoundrel said my grand uncle in a great fury for he was now beginning to fret get out of my sight and hold your tongue the fellow is right said the miller we have worked out the water that s clear it s a two hour mill added the negro in a voice scarcely audible taking the risk o my grand uncle s displeasure and grinning but good hun as he spoke it is said that my grand uncle looked at the black with the most awful face he ever put on in his life it was blood red with anger but himself for a moment he remained silent as if to subdue his temper there was something however in the simple observation of the negro that responded exactly to my grand uncle s secret thoughts and some such conviction rising up in his mind my grand uncle ally lent its aid to his wrath how could he beat the poor fellow for speaking the truth it was and he now saw it written in characters that could not be mistaken it was after all his trouble and expense and fond a two stop the mill said my grand uncle turning round and speaking in the voice to the miller stop the mill we shall our work to day squire replied the miller the mill has been as silent as a church for the last hour true said my grand uncle himself come walter we will mount our horses and think over this matter when we get home it is very extraordinary why didn t i foresee this never mind we will have water enough there tomorrow my boy he slowly went to the fence comer and his horse and got up into his saddle as leisurely as if he had been at a funeral walter mounted his and they both rode homeward at a walk my grand uncle whistling all the way in an under key and swinging his cane round and round by the chapter xv the old mill it fortunately happened that a tolerably wet season followed this first experiment of the mill but with all the advantages of frequent rains the truth became every day more apparent that my grand uncle s	29
scheme of the neighborhood with a convenient recourse for grinding their corn was destined to be in the larger share of its usefulness by that physical phenomenon which was disclosed to him on the first day of his operations to wit that his was emptied in a much more rapid than it was filled it was like a whose his income the consequence was that the mill was obliged to submit to the destiny of working from one to two hours in the morning and then to stop for the rest of the day except in the very wet weather of the spring and then there was no great supply of corn in order by the most careful to from the reluctant little water course a sufficient fund for the next day s employment this was a serious loss to the country around for my grand uncle had talked so much about his project and his so largely that the people had laid out their accounts to take all their to his mill they came there all through the old mil l the summer in crowds and was more common than to see a dozen old horses with as many little bare legged upon them with the large canvas mill bags spread out for all collect of a morning round the mill door each waiting for his turn to get his sack filled sometimes these were fast asleep for hours on their and sometimes they made great confusion about the premises with m their wild shouts and screams and rough and tumble fights in which they were often engaged but it invariably fell out that at least half were disappointed of their errands and were obliged to attend the next day in the dry the mill stopped altogether these things gave great dissatisfaction to the neighborhood and many good customers abandoned the mill entirely i am told also that the old gentleman was singularly the old mill in his choice of a miller he had a great giant of a fellow in that station who was remarkable for a hard favored red head and a particularly temper so that it often happened when the neighbors in rather too severe terms against the difficulty of getting their corn ground this who was a little of the mould of the ancient miller as we read of him in the hood made but few words of it and gave the a sound by way of bringing them to reason then again the dam formed a large lake and by its frequent exposure of the bottom to the sun foul that made the country in the autumn very these circumstances in process of time worked sadly to the of my grand uncle s profits and set the people to talking in harsh terms against his whole undertaking they said the worst thing they could of it that it was a mill and not worth a man s while to be about it with his corn as long as he could get it ground any where else if it was ten miles off in process of time the miller was turned away aud then the machinery got out of and my grand uncle would not repair and so the mill came to a dead halt following the course of nature too the dam began to manifest symptoms of a premature old age first the upper beams decayed by the action of the sun upon them after these the lower part of the structure broke loose but what with drift wood and leaves and rubbish the mound which constituted the remained firm to support the pond for some years it was a famous place for black and in summer and wild ducks in winter au this time the stream found a vent through an opening that had been worn in the and consequently the race had become entirely dry and grown over with grass the old mill year after year the surface of the pond grew gradually less it retreated slowly from its former edge and became at length at the breaking up of one unusually boisterous wet and surly winter there came on in the m ith of march a week of heavy and incessant rain this celebrated week closed with one of the most furious ever remembered in that part of the country the heavens poured down their wrath upon the mill dam the winds rushed with a en over this desolate tract driving the waters before them in torrents and away went the old with all the imprisoned pool behind it the next morning the tempest subsided the sun smiled again over the chilly scene and there was the and ed little apple pie in all its former not a trace of the was left and there was to be seen the foul and bed of the mill po d exposed in shocking to the eye long of weed covered with the velvet of many years beneath the surface of the water lay about wherever any stubborn occurred to arrest their passage huge trunks of trees moss grown and rotten were upon the muddy surface leaves and other vegetable were up on each other in various forms mingled here and there with the battered and of the smaller that frequented the pond the wind swept with a brisk and whistling speed over this damp bottom and visited with a wintry the shivering spectators whom curiosity had attracted to witness the of the night but in the midst of all the feeble and narrow apple pie shot hastily along with a stream pursuing his course through under and around the collected in his path as near as possible in the very same channel which ten or fifteen years before he had been wont to as if unconscious that this disturbance the old mill in the face of nature could be attributed in the slightest degree to such an and trifling as himself	29
by no means an type of the confusion and riot which the most sordid and paltry passions may produce in the moral world when suffered to gather up and in the system as i have introduced this narrative to make my reader acquainted with the merits of the relative to the boundary line it is necessary that i should inform him that when my grand uncle first entered upon this project of the mill he immediately opened a with mr his neighbor who was at that time the proprietor of the for the purchase of so much of the land or rather of the marsh which lay eastward of the apple pie branch as was sufficient for the projected mill dam i have already told my readers that the branch itself was the dividing line between the two estates and consequently my grand uncle was already in possession of all westward of that line in his communications with mr on this subject he unfolded his whole scheme and without the least difficulty obtained the purchase he desired there were several letters passed between them which stated the purpose contemplated and the deed that was executed on the occasion also that edward hazard of swallow bam it to be a matter of great importance to the good people on and using the lands in the of the stream of water commonly known and called by the name of the apple pie branch that a convenient and serviceable mill adapted to the grinding of wheat and indian corn should be constructed on the said apple pie c and also that the said edward hazard having carefully considered the capacity fall force of water head and of the said branch for the maintenance and supply of a mill as and being convinced d of the full and perfect fitness of the old mill the same for the purposes the said transferred o a full title to so much of the said land as it may be found useful and necessary to occupy in the accomplishment of the said design c the said edward hazard paying at the rate of one pound current money of virginia for each and every acre thereof by this conveyance the western limit of the was removed from the channel of the branch to the water edge of the mill pond as soon as the same should be created my grand uncle after the failure of his scheme could never bear to talk about it it fretted him exceedingly and he was sure to get into a passion whenever it was mentioned he swore at it and said a great many harsh things for i am told he was naturally a passionate man and was not very patient under contradiction he would not even go near the place but generally took some pains in his rides to avoid it when they told him that the storm had carried away the dam he broke out with one of his usual odd kind of oaths and said he was glad of it it was a preposterous he must have been under the influence of the moon when he conceived it and of satan when he brought it forth and he rejoiced that the winds of heaven had every monument of his folly besides this he said many other things of it equally severe the date of this of the old gentleman was somewhere about the middle of the last century the ruin of the mill is still to be seen its roof has entirely disappeared a part of the walls are yet standing and the shaft of the great wheel with one or two of the attached still lies across its appropriate bed the spot is with trees and forms a pleasant and serene picture of quiet the track of the race is to be traced by some obscure and two remain showing the of the dam a range of light the old mill grows upon what i presume was the edge of the mill pond but the intervening marsh presents now as of old its complicated of water plants amongst which the at its season its beautiful flower and throws abroad its rich perfume before the period of the war paid the debt of nature the present proprietor his eldest son inherited his estate old edward hazard figured in that momentous le and lived long enough after its close to share with many gallant spirits of the time the glories of its triumph the son of his old friend preserved a position in the contest and being at heart a thorough going the intercourse between him and the family at swallow bam grew rare and the political principles of the two families were widely at and in those times such differences had their influence upon the private associations of life still it is believed and i suppose with some foundation for the opinion that the good offices of my grand uncle secretly exerted and without even the knowledge of mr had the effect to preserve the from the common misfortune of the in the war an affectionate remembrance of his old friend and the youth of the successor to the estate at that time being imagined to have edward hazard in this of kindness my grand uncle very soon after the peace was gathered to his fathers and has left behind him a name of which as i have before remarked the family are proud amongst the monuments which still exist to recall him to memory i confess the old to me is not the least its history has a bearing upon his character his ardent zeal his sanguine temperament his public spirit his odd and that dash of comic humorous the old hill ness that i think has reappeared after the shifting of one gen in j ed i accordingly frequently go with ned to this spot and as we stretch ourselves out upon the	29
grass in the silent shade of the trees or wander around the old ruin the spot becomes peopled to our with the ancient of swallow barn the fiery headed miller the little who have probably all sunk headed to the grave leaving their behind as perfect as in the days when they themselves rode to mill and last of all our venerable ancestors out of these materials we some amusing and touch ing stories chapter proceedings at law it was about the year that my uncle walter began to turn his attention to the condition of the apple pie frontier until this time ever since the of the unfortunate enterprise of the mill this part of the domain had been neglected it was a perfect wilderness no fences had ever been erected on either side to guard the from and there were numerous leading into the which afforded a passage though somewhat complicated from the one estate to the other the soil was cold and barren and no cultivation therefore was expended upon this quarter in fact it may be said to have belonged to the pigs and of both the still consider it the finest place in the whole country to catch as they call the three latter species of animals and i myself frequently in my through this region en counter their and set in the many by that cross it the tract of marsh land occupied by the dam in old times did not exceed on the side of the branch above thirty acres it was a slip of about half a mile in length and perhaps at its part not more than two hundred yards broad that proceedings at law bordered on that side of the branch this slip of course constituted the subject matter of my grand uncle s purchase from mr it occurred to walter hazard about the period i have referred to above that this bottom might be turned to some account if it were well drained cleaned of its rank growth of and exposed to the sun and then set in grass it would doubtless he thought make an excellent pasture for his cattle and at all events would contribute to render the surrounding country more healthy if my uncle walter had been a man in the least degree given to superstitious influences he would have seen in the ill fated schemes of his father in this direction the most against his success in his contemplated achievement but he was a man who never thought of and was now altogether intent upon adding a convenient meadow to his estate it seemed that the apple pie was to be the fountain of an of troubles to the hazard family when walter hazard was ready to go to work somewhere about he turned in twenty hands upon the marsh and forthwith constructed some it upon both sides of the branch sufficiently near to carry off the wai cr whilst he was employed at this work and not dreaming of any other obstacles than those that were before his eyes he was exceedingly surprised to receive a letter from mr which in the most friendly and polite terms intimated that the writer had just been made acquainted with captain hazard s my uncle always bore this title after the war design of the marsh and regretted to learn that he had assumed a right over a portion of the domain that to the the letter proceeded to my that this involved a question affecting the proceedings at law family dignity and therefore it was suggested that it necessary to against it more from considerations of a personal than from any regard to the value of the soil thus brought into dispute now it so happened that mr had for some time past been revolving in his mind this subject to wit the right of over the bed of the mill dam after the accident that brought it again into the condition m which it existed before the of the mill he had examined the deed from his father part of which i have in a former chapter and that document favored the conclusion that as the grant had been made for a specific purpose the failure of that purpose restored the original owner to all his former this brought him to studying the law of the matter and he soon became perfectly assured that he understood all about it in short he took up a bold and dogged opinion that he was in as he remarked of his former estate that it was a grant the existence of the mill pond a upon condition subsequent and a dozen such other which the worthy gentleman excessively when they once made a in his brain there is nothing in the world i believe that produces a more sudden glory in the mind than the first of a man who has made some few in an science he is never at rest until he makes some show of his stock to the world and i have observed that this remark is particularly to those who have got a of law mr ran off with the thing at full speed he affected to consult his lawyer upon the matter but always silenced all attempts of that adviser to explain by talking the whole time himself and leaving him without an answer it was in the height of this that he received the information of my uncle s proceedings and it was with a kind of ex proceedings at law and inward over the certainty of his rights that he sat down and addressed captain hazard the letter of which i have spoken there was another sentiment equally active in mr s mind to spur him on to this action the lord of a coming by descent through two or three generations and especially if he be the tenant in tail is as as a german prince	29
of every inch of his there is a pride attached to his position and the invasion of the most insignificant an insult to the lawful it a contemptuous defiance of the dignity mr felt all this on the present occasion and perhaps rather more in consequence of the partial between his own and his neighbor s family produced by the late political events and which was at this period but very little removed the letter came upon my uncle like a thrown at his feet he was somewhat in temper and his first impulse was to make a quarrel of it it seemed to him to imply a intrusion however when he came to it more he could find no fault either with its tone or its temper it was a frank polite and letter enough if it was mr s land said my uncle he certainly had a right to say so and in truth as he thought more about it he came to the conclusion that it looked well to see a gentleman inclined to stand by his rights it was what every man of property ought to do in this feeling my uncle wrote his reply to mr s letter and filled it with every of courtesy but at the same time steadily his neighbor s opinions of the right and desiring that the matter should be for their mutual satisfaction this communication was followed by the instant of his people from the ground and for the time with an of the meadow scheme proceedings at law never were there in ancient days of bull headed chivalry when bishop or knight appealed to fiery ordeal cursed morsel or of battle two better fitted for contest than the of my present story my uncle had been a of the revolution with a sturdy soul set in an iron frame and had grown by force of habit a resolute and of his point mr i have already described as the most man in the world of an argument and here they were with as pretty a field before them as ever was spoiled by your peace makers the value of the not one its issue connected with the deepest sentiment that lay at the bottom of the hearts of both the pride of conquest mr s first measure was to write a long upon the subject in the shape of an to my uncle it was filled with upon interests uses and all the of the books with a prodigious array of learning contained in latin in which the lawyers are wont to invest and common thoughts with the veil of science it was filled moreover with illustrations and and the fruit of a severe and learned study of his case by the writer then followed my uncle s reply in which it was clear that he did not understand a word of the argument that was intended to prostrate him after this came and and of both poured in by never was there so brisk a of known on the banks of the james river the now and then became sharp and my uncle whenever this was the case obtained a decided advantage j y a certain humor which he handled with great dexterity eventually as it might have been foreseen they resolved to go to law and an here a difficulty arose c proceedings at law it was hard to determine which should be and which since it was not quite clear who was in possession mr insisted with all imaginable politeness upon making my uncle the compliment of appearing as the in the action which the latter refused inasmuch as he was unwilling it should be understood by the world that the suit had been one of his seeking this was adjusted at last by mr s the proceeding himself it began in the county court and then went to the superior court and then to the court of appeals this occupied some years all the so far as they had gone had been in favor of my uncle but there were mistakes made in important points and omitted and papers neglected to be filed mr was deeply vexed at the issue and warm so the whole proceedings were commenced anew and carried a second time through the same stages the principal points were still in my uncle s favor his bit his lips the utter of his first positions and resolved not to give up the point never was there a case so fruitful of jury after jury was brought to bear upon it and twenty times every trace of the original was entirely out of sight at length they got into and then there was the deuce to pay year after year rolled away and sometimes the pretty little quarrel slept like the enchanted princess as if it was not to wake again for a century and then again all of a sudden it was up and and tossed and and rolled and about like tub it was throughout all this din and bustle that mr was completely driven out of every of law and fact which so far from having the effect of his opinion or his zeal set him into a more thorough and vigorous of his first principles proceedings at law he that the were the most singularly and obstinate bodies he had ever encountered and that the courts were beyond all question the most that ever were formed in the height of this warfare the death of the my uncle occurred which for some years again all into a profound slumber after a long interval however the contest was resumed and it now fell to the lot of frank to enter the lists no man could be more by nature to such an enterprise and it was plainly that our old friend of the was also beginning in his old age to into a pacific it must be remarked	29
that during the latter years of this struggle the two families had grown to be upon a very intimate footing and that at no period had the legal the least influence whatever upon the private regards of the parties in order therefore to get rid of the troubles of carrying on the debate frank had thrown out some hints of a disposition to settle the whole affair by a reference to mutual friends and would gladly at any time have all claim to the disputed territory if he could have contrived to do so without the feelings of his neighbor who was now singularly to have it appear that his only object in the pursuit was to his first decided impressions the old gentleman therefore readily agreed to the and still fed his vanity with the hope that he should find in the private judgment of impartial men a sound practical common sense justification of his original grounds in the this result is to be risked upon the opinions of and who are immediately to for the consideration of this momentous subject chapter strange symptoms it will be recollected that before my to the merits of the question touching the boundary line i left mr seated after tea at a game of this game is a special favorite in the low country of virginia and possesses an absorbing interest for prudence is not behind her brother either in the skill or the devotion of a thorough bred player and may very justly be set down as in this accomplishment the poet and philosopher was the only one of the party at the table who may be said to have ever been at fault during the evening i do not pretend myself to be well in the mysteries of this silent and but i have often had occasion to observe that a genuine player is apt for the time to be one of the most of mortals he makes fewer for the of his brethren than any other member of society the sin of not following suit or losing a trick or not throwing out a good card in the right place is in his eyes almost and does not fail to bring down upon the that sharp and direct rebuke that you must be a or you never would have thought of doing so stupid a thing i this is sometimes in a look strange symptoms sometimes conveyed in a question and often inferred by a simple is not taken to task by his stops puts down his cards upon the table and with a biting affectation of mr if i could only count upon your observing the rules of the game i should know what to play but as it is am perplexed even frank with all his impulses sometimes throws himself back into his chair and putting his hand across his forehead draws it slowly down to his chin as if studying a which from the play of the other party has baffled his calculations and sometimes he breaks out into an whistle and comes down suddenly with a card upon the table as he says now mr i believe you have given me that trick to all these implied against his dexterity gentleman replies in the most polite manner imaginable with a smile upon his features by a compliment to the superior address of his partner expressive of his reliance upon her ability to him from the fatal tendency of his own errors it is quite that prudence by no means in this of her but on the contrary frequently the license of the other two and says many things in of his from the laws of the game indeed i think she carries this further than his case requires but it never fails to produce a grateful recognition from him and a frequent attempt to excuse himself upon the ground that miss prudence has herself to blame as her conversation is very much calculated to such a as he is from the proper study of his part in the play at all such prudence looks modestly herself in her seat and smiles upon the poet strange symptoms before the party broke up the lady was quite animated her was by a certain restless attempt at composure and a singularly kind of partly sentimental partly witty and exceedingly lady like i will not say she has designs upon the peace of our new guest but it looks like it when she retired to her chamber she was under some serious or strange influences it is reported of her that she sang one or two plaintive songs showed a slight disposition to above stairs with and then she took a seat in her open window looked out on the moon and a sigh in the phrase of the lady of the it is moreover reported that she remained in the window until long past midnight something her but it was not told perhaps some soft and vision floated before her pensive eye some form from th fairy world of her imagination at this hour wore its robes of light and upon the or bounded with the silver ray along the tree tops that fluttered in the breeze or perchance in the deep shades of the grove that slept in dark masses before her chamber the of her thought beckoned her regards and filled her mind with new and holy i am all in the mystery of so serene a creature s secret and it does not become me to indulge conjecture upon such a perilous question i therefore content myself with the simple fact that in that window she sat to all appearance doing nothing until every other being at swallow barn was hushed in sleep what could it mean the next morning there was another phenomenon exhibited in the family equally strange an hour before breakfast prudence arrayed with unusual neatness was	29
seated at the piano apparently the early day with the of a whole strange of this was an unwonted effort for her had fallen of late into and it had been supposed for a year past that she had a careless adieu to all its charms but this morning she resumed it with a spirit and a perseverance that attracted the notice of all the it in their simple some impending disaster such a change in the lady s habits could import no good they intimated that when people were going to give up the ghost such were the not unusual of the event it was as bad one of the servant maids remarked as to hear a hen crow at night from the and she shouldn t wonder if something was going to happen a burying or a wedding or some such dreadful thing but prudence was not melancholy on the contrary she smiled and seemed more cheerful than ever after breakfast mr passed an hour or two in the parlor and fascinated the ladies by the of his discourse he fell into a conversation with prudence upon literary topics and nothing could be more refreshing than to hear how much she had read and how passionately she admired it was hard to tell which was best pleased with this comparison of opinions it was so congenial prudence proclaimed to be her favorite bard and that was exactly s preference they both disliked the of and admired scott and both delicious lines from the pleasures of hope tis distance enchantment to the view following the line up with twenty more tis distance echoed prudence as if it had been a thought and responded throughout in a softer voice and with an eye to the whole good souls delightful i why has cruel fate nonsense i shall grow sentimental myself if i say another word about them strange symptoms before noon s was at the door had arranged the examination of the line to take place on wednesday next in the mean time the ent parties on either side were to their hostile preparations with the most gracious condescension the philosopher poet patron and ascended his radiant car and away with the brisk and flourish that belongs to this race of gifted mortals chapter the national the event with which i have closed the last chapter took place on the morning of the fourth of july a day that is never without its interest even in the most secluded parts of our country it was to be celebrated at the landing a place about a mile and a half distant on the bank of the river where the small river boats are usually to take in their to this spot ned proposed that we should ride after dinner it was a holiday so had permission to accompany us and was directed to have our horses at the door we were amused to find that the old groom had not only brought out our own cavalry but also a horse for himself and there he stood holding our arrayed in his best coat with a pair of old top boots drawn over loose of striped cotton which were clean he wore his spurs and carried also a riding whip his mien was unusually brisk and after an ancient fashion he ventured to tell us that master frank thought he ought to attend us to the landing as there was on down there upon account of the fourth of july the truth was that learning our destination he had slipped off to to ask his permission to go with us our aged squire rode at a distance behind us and the national on a hard mouthed and obstinate that belonged to him trotted by our sides with both hands pulling in the bridle and his legs thrust forward to enable him to the constant tendency of his to away that for so he calls his is the easiest going animal on the place although each particular step lifted him at least six inches above his saddle and almost entirely stopped his talking because the motion shook the words out of his mouth somewhat in the same manner that water comes out of a bottle however no man ever thinks ill of his horse our road lay through of pine in the shade of which we advanced rapidly and we soon reached the landing there are very few villages in the tide water country of virginia it is by so many rivers that almost every plantation may be approached sufficiently near by trading vessels to gratify the demand of the population without the assistance of those little towns which in other parts of the united states up like there are yet therefore to be seen the of former trading stations on all the principal rivers and the traveller is not surprised when having consulted his map and been informed of some village with a goodly name he that he has passed over the spot without being conscious of any thing but a standing on the bank of a river in deep and solitary shade the landing which we had now reached had originally been used for a foreign trade in which vessels of a large class a long time ago were accustomed to receive of tobacco and deposit the required by the country in return it is now however nothing more than the place of resort for a few river craft used in carrying the country produce to market there were two or three buildings in view and among these one of larger dimensions than the rest a brick house with the national a part of tlie entirely gone a rank crop of weed grew up within so as to be seen through the windows of the first story indian corn was planted on the adjacent ground up to the walls and extended partly	29
the with wilful lying close by and his head upon his lap the principal personage in this collection was sandy a long sun burnt who was the proprietor of the hotel and evidently a man of mark amongst his associates one of the others was a greasy gentleman in a blue coat out at elbows with a nose with living fire these two were the principal and they were an intricate point of constitutional law with more vehemence than at length an appeal was made to ned by sandy who was infinitely the most in his manner of the whole group can t said sandy supposing they were to pass a law to that effect come and take a road of any where they have a mind to through man s land i put it to mr ned hazard not by the constitution said the gentleman in the greasy coat with marked emphasis well said ned we ll hear you sandy sandy rose up and lifting his hand above his head as he began i say it stands to reason it stands to no such thing rejoined the other interrupting him if it s against the constitution which i say it is undoubtedly to come and take a man s land without saying by your leave if i may be allowed the expression mr ned hazard it s running against a silence said ned mr has the plank we can only hear one at a time the national all y why sir continued sandy and looking at his opponent with one eye closed and at the same time bringing his right hand into the palm of his left they can just cut off a comer if they want it or go through the middle leaving one half here and t other there and make you fence it clean through into the bargain or added sandy giving more breadth to his doctrine go through your house sir devil a house have i sandy said the other or your barn sir nor bam sweeping your bed right from under you if says so am t there the canal to go across the mountain what does care about your state rights so as they have got the money i grant you said his but there s a difference between land and water evidently posed by sandy s manner as well as somewhat awed by the relation of landlord in which sandy stood and whom therefore he would not contradict but said he in a more softened tone and with an affected of courtesy in his mr i d be glad to know if we couldn t exclaimed sandy what said he with particular emphasis on the last word do you know what old said down there in the creek nation in the war when the indians pretended they were going to have a ball play na if you don t go and wash all that there paint from your faces i ll give you the ball play you ever had in all your lives you don t tell me so exclaimed the red gentleman with animation and bursting out into a tremendous laugh didn t he say so ned hazard i beg your pardon mr ned hazard ejaculated sandy and to ned the national i think i have heard so said ned though i don t believe he used that exact expression it was something like it said sandy well that s the sort of n you d get things are getting worse and worse replied the other i can see how it s going here the first thing general did when he came in he wanted to have the president elected for six years and by and by they will ant him for ten and now they want to cut up our and meadows whether or no that s just the way went on what s the use of states if they are all to be cut up with and and no no gentlemen you may depend old s not going to let carry on in her day how can they help it asked sandy we and rejoined the other taking out of his pocket a large piece of tobacco and cutting off a as he spoke in a somewhat subdued tone we hav nt and for our liberties to have our posterity and their land after this rate to suit the of so let them try it when they will mr ned hazard what do you call state rights demanded sandy it s a sort of a law said the other speaker taking the answer to himself against cotton and wool that s a fact cried sandy and in my thinking it s a very foolish sort of a business there s where you and me responded the other well said ned it s a troublesome question suppose we wait until we hear what old virginia says about it herself and as for us sandy it is getting late and we must go these words concluded the and soon after having summoned our we set out on our return to swallow m where we arrived tin e o f r t n the national ned detailed the dialogue i have just described to frank in the course of the evening and from what frank let fall for he grew grave on the subject i have reason to think that he has some fearful of the ambitious designs of the general government he is decidedly of the state rights party chapter xix the county on monday morning announced to us that the ty court was to commence its and consequently that he was obliged to repair to the seat of justice i have before intimated that my is one of the and has always been famous for his in the discharge of his functions it was moreover necessary for him to	29
be there to day his business with in regard to the it upon him to meet that legal without delay he a wish that ned and myself should accompany him i think frank is a little vain of his appearance on the bench we readily assented to his proposal never moves on these state occasions without old who has a suit of livery that is preserved almost exclusively for this service accordingly the old man this morning was decorated with all his honors of which the principal consisted in a thick coat edged with green and as the day was very hot suffered as much under his covering as an ancient knight of the in his linked mail on the sandy plains of his master too had the light and careless the county court in which he himself usually to the of the season and was now out in that furniture of which he conceived the solemn import of the duties he was about to discharge he rides a beautiful full blooded and his pride in all matters that belong to his is particularly conspicuous in the fresh and comfortable character of his and horse furniture he has a large new saddle stuffed and covered with a richly worked coat of yellow the hang low so that it is as much as he can do to get the point of his boot into them but ha sits with a upon his seat and his horse with a bold and hand on horseback he is a perfect of an squire the very guardian genius of the soil and its fearless graceful and his fine figure appearing here to its greatest advantage ned and myself formed a part of his like a pair of somewhat behind the commander in chief our position to the respect inspired by his bearing and rank old in his proper place brought up the rear our journey to the court house was about twelve miles and as we brought our horses to a gallop we arrived there at an early hour the sitting of this court is an occasion of great stir the roads leading to the little county capital were by frequent troops of the neighboring inhabitants that rode in from all directions witnesses of the circuit and all the throng of a country side interested in this justice were rapidly to the centre of business upon our arrival a considerable part of the population had already assembled and were scattered about the principal places the county court of resort in decent and orderly groups in which all seemed intent upon the quiet and respectful discharge of their several errands the court house is a low square brick building entirely occupying the middle of a large area it has an official appearance given to it by a huge door of a dingy exterior and ample windows covered with dust and an humble and modest little building of the same material stands on one corner of the area and by the well worn path leading hence to the temple of it may be seen that this is the only of the county records at a distance further oflf a somewhat larger edifice claims a public character which is by one or two of the windows being a few small forest trees have been set in the soil over this space which by their feeble growth and condition as well as by the formal and precision with which they have been distributed show that the public have at times had one or two of a spirit of improvement and a transient passion for beauty in front of the court house there is a decayed and whose uses seem now to have gone by it is a with the stocks below it and was occupied at the moment of our visit as a place of meeting for a few idle who were seated on the frame at a game of immediately in this neighborhood the horses of the crowd whose occasions brought them to the scene were fastened to erected for that purpose and the adjacent fence comers became gradually appropriated in the way half a dozen frame dwellings partially obscured by trees and generally of a neat exterior were scattered over the landscape and made up the village if so an assemblage be entitled to that name there are two places of entertainment the first the county court a little single edifice behind a rough the second is an old wooden building of some magnitude and from the profusion with which its doors and windows have been supplied with formerly have been a private residence of note our stopped at the latter of these rival and we dismounted under a broad sign which lazily upon its hinges in the breeze and seemed to give a note to a party of that were greeting every fresh arrival with a there were several respectable looking gentlemen collected about the door and was met with many kind and hearty expressions we were shown into a room which from its air of neatness was evidently kept as an apartment of more worship than that in which the larger portion of the visitors of the hotel were assembled this room was with and of an ancient date the floor had from of time and had a slope towards an ample hearth whose was by a screen of the tops of plants some pieces of mahogany furniture black with age and glistening like stood against the wall and above them hung divers pictures representing game in attitudes trim y of their feathers the flying and some other of the turf all in black frames and which from the hue that time had flung over the seemed to be gleaming through an atmosphere with smoke the hour soon came round for opening the court this was announced by a made in a shrill voice from the court house door and	29
which he required him to repeat the particulars he had before detailed there was something in the manner of the counsel that quite the witness and the poor fellow made some sad at last said toll after the witness in a very formal manner that he was upon his oath and explaining to him the solemnity of his obligation to speak the truth i will ask you one question answer it and without when you and smith went down to camp meeting hadn t smith a bottle of in the bosom of his shirt tell the truth the attorney for the objected to the question but the court the objection why yes he had replied the witness didn t buy that bottle himself and pay for it out of his own pocket on the oath you have taken why yes he did well now tell us didn t you drink some of that yourself along the road why yes i did i tell the truth gentlemen more than once yes several times after you got down to camp v oh yes certainly i don t deny it did you and drink out of the mouth of the bottle or out of a cup certainly out of the mouth of the bottle you will not catch me in any lies lawyer hedges the county court really mr hedges interrupted the attorney for the i don t see what this has to do with the question i must apply to the court oh very well said toll i see how it is of the jury i don t insist on the question if the gentleman does not like to have it answered but you can t help seeing the true state of the case here s this fellow who has been all along drinking out of the very same bottle with smith and s own too and now he comes out state s evidence what credit can you attach to a cock and bull story told by a fellow that comes to swear against a man who has been dividing his liquor with him for the honor of the old dominion gentlemen cried toll concluding this side bar appeal to the jury with an indignant and a look of triumph in his face that might be said to be comic the look was a master stroke it took complete effect and was in spite of the facts as the crowd broke up toll on leaving the court room walked up to the witness and him on the back said come let us go take something to drink and off the two went together to the tavern hazard remarked to hedges afterwards that it was a little odd as he had completely over the facts of his case by the credit of the witness he should be on such good terms with this person as to bring him down to drink with him ah replied hedges if the jury knew that man as well as i do they would have believed every word he said for there is not an fellow in the county but i know how to work these chapter xx opinions and sentiments the court resumed its after dinner having a prospect of concluding its business before noon the next day and was obliged to remain for the night neither ned nor myself regretted the pretext this furnished us for the same delay during the afternoon many of the older inhabitants had taken to horse and the crowd of the court room was sensibly diminished still the out door bustle assumed a more active and noisy character the about the verge of the court had less business but more to say indeed it seemed to be to keep those in attendance whose presence was necessary to the affairs of justice for the of the court might be frequently heard the as they were wanted in his slender and shrill voice by distinctly repeating thrice the name of each from the court house door where he stood and with his hand his eyes the sun began at last to throw a merciless blaze upon the broken window panes in the western fronts of some old buildings whose was thus rendered painfully public the ducks and of the village were already homeward from a small brook hard by in their sober evening march and with a like that of old in opinions and sentiments the departing of became more frequent and the alacrity with which these retreating bodies sprang forward from their starting points showed that their temporary had been attended with an increase of animal spirits at this hour the court put an end to its labors and the throng that had been occupied there all day were now gathering about the doors of the two our host was an pleasant faced old fellow with a remarkably temper which exhibited itself in lavish promises though he was allowed to be very in performance he was in bulk and in the enjoyment of his ease and to save the trouble of forming opinions he gave an invariable answer to every speculation that was addressed to him this was conveyed in the words quite likely no matter how inconsistent the to which they had reference ned and myself had put him in the course of the afternoon to some severe trials but without being able either to his temper or his the large room of the inn had a bar off at one corner and this was the principal centre of to the inhabitants of these as the shades of evening this resort became more crowded the or more properly speaking the of the population whose occasions had brought them to the court house had repaired thither to en joy the and arguments that are apt to abound in such some were in the middle of the floor accompanying their with violent gestures others were around the room wherever seats were	29
to be obtained at a small table lighted by a single candle in a most sat a gentleman in a loose robe with a dirty shirt engaged at with a robust well knit man who wore his hat drawn low over his eyes the first was the g of opinions and sentiments the country side and the other a our friend toll hedges was a conspicuous personage in this assembly he had shaken off the of the morning and was now playing a part that seemed more native to his disposition that of a familiar confident loud talking who called every man by his christian name swore after a fashion had some knowledge of every man s and bore himself with the of one whose character partook in equal degrees of the wag and the he was sarcastic shrewd and popular and to all these it may be added that before he was in no small degree in this crowd might also be observed one or two other members of the bar of a graver and even some of the holding more conversations apparently on matters connected wi h their business in one corner sat a quiet in an arm chair taking a stiff of and about once in fifteen minutes and saying nothing to any body our host himself was a sober man and a discreet he stood at his post the whole evening with a wooden in his hand the symbol of his calling one while laughing with a civil good nature at the rough jokes that were aimed at himself and at another mixing to meet the demands of his thirsty customers amidst this display of toss pot eloquence and genial uproar my attention was particularly attracted to the behavior of this though scant in speech he labored like a man who had the good of his family at heart and bore himself through the scene with the address of a who is anxious to win the applause of all parties the tide was in his favor and his aim was to float smoothly upon it in times of great excitement it may be observed that the party in power gain many advantages by a show opinions and sentiments of moderation with regard to them the applies where the least is said it is mended now our good landlord stood pretty much in this for the whole assemblage had fallen into an discussion of some points of politics in which he might have lost friends by an whilst therefore the tempest raged he played the part of and was perpetually crying now gentlemen if you please remember we are all friends and such like gentle and as often as he was taken by the button by one of the and pinned up against the wall so that it seemed impossible for him to escape committing himself i could hear his old quite likely uttered with an composure of nerve in fact a sober ob could have been at no loss to perceive that the cautious landlord had all the of a practised public servant as the evening the began to leave the field and hedges being thrown by chance into the bar room alone with his good natured host addressed him very seriously upon the subject of the countenance he had given to certain that had been uttered in his presence and seemingly with his lord mr hedges said he in a quiet tone and looking round to see who was within hearing you know my ideas long ago about all that matter it isn t my business to break with customers or to be setting up against them what opinions this way or that but he continued his figure to its full height and putting on a look of extraordinary determination sentiments is another thing let any man ask me my sentiments that s all s no in me you may depend upon it having learned this distinction between sentiments and opinions i retired to my chamber opinions and sentiments the next morning after a short delay in court was released from his cares and we made preparations for our return to swallow barn who had been an active and conspicuous personage in the transactions of the term and who is hereafter to make some figure in these annals was to accompany us about noon we were all mounted being perched upon a tall raw gray that seemed to have parted with his flesh in the severe duties of the circuit but who was distinguished for his easy and regular pace as to himself it is necessary that i should give him a chapter by the usual dinner hour we were all comfortably seated at swallow bam chapter xxi without much reverence for the profession of the law itself t have a great regard for its and especially for that part of the tribe which the old and thorough paced of the bar the feelings habits and associations of the bar in general have a happy influence upon character it with good fellows and take it altogether there may be collected from it a greater mass of shrewd observant droll playful and generous spirits than from any other equal numbers of society they live in each other s presence like a set of players in the courts as the former in the green room and break their in the intervals of business with that sort of freedom which with the solemn and even tragic seriousness with which they appear in turn upon the boards they have one face for the public with the gravity of the profession and another for themselves with mirth and enjoyment the toil and fatigue of business give them a peculiar relish for their hours of and in the same degree them for that attention to their private concerns which their limited means usually require they have in consequence a prevailing air	29
a confiding friendly way of talking to them when he tries a cause that it is generally supposed he can persuade them to believe any thing he chooses his as a lawyer are held in high respect by the bar although it is reported that he reads but little law of later date than to which book he a remarkable affection having it as he some eight or ten times but the truth is he has not much time for other reading being very much engrossed by written documents in which he is painfully he takes a great deal of authority upon himself nevertheless in regard to the virginia inasmuch as he has been contemporary with most of the cases and heard them generally from the courts themselves besides this he practised in the times of old and president and must necessarily have absorbed a great deal of that spirit of law learning which has in the hands of the as himself says he understands the of the law and knows where they must run j and therefore has no need of looking into the cases has an excellent in telling a story which consists in a dry manner that is well adapted to give it point and sometimes he this talent with signal success before the when he is at home which is not often above a week or ten days at a time he himself almost entirely to his farm he is celebrated there for a fine breed of hounds and fox hunting is quite a passion with him this is the only sport in which he to any excess and so far does he carry it that he often takes his dogs with him upon the circuit when his duty calls him in the hunting season to certain parts of the country where one or two gentlemen reside who are fond of this on these occasions he the hounds upon his landlord and waits patiently until he his business and then he turns into the field with all the spirit and zest of he has some lingering recollections of the and is a little given to quoting them without much regard to the of the occasion it is told of him that one fine morning in december he happened to be with a party of brother in full chase of a gray fox under circumstances of unusual animation the weather was cool a white frost sparkled upon the fields the sun had just risen and flung a beautiful light over the landscape the fox was a foot the dogs in full cry the shouting with mirth the woods re echoing to the and every one at high speed in hot pursuit was in an ecstasy forward his horse with uncommon and standing in his as if impatient of his speed when he was joined in the chase by two or three others as much delighted as himself in this situation he cried out to one of the party isn t this fine don t it put you in mind of tu sub the fact but some well of his at the bar of a similar nature give great semblance of truth to the story it sometimes happens that a pair of his hounds will steal after him and follow him through the circuit without his intending and when this occurs he has not the heart to drive them back this was the case at the present court accordingly he was followed by his dogs to swallow barn they close behind his horse and trot together as if they were coupled s universal acquaintance through the country and his pre eminent popularity have long since brought him into public life he has been elected to the assembly for twenty years past without opposition and indeed the will not permit him to decline it is therefore a regular part of his business to attend to all political matters affecting the county his influence in this department is wonderful he is consulted in reference to all plans and his advice seems to have the force of law he is extremely secret in his operations and appears to carry his point by his calm quiet and manner he has the reputation of being a and of making some sharp and heavy when roused into opposition though many odd stories are told at of his efforts at times to be he is however very much in the confidence of the political of all parties and seldom fails to carry a point when he sets about it in earnest during the war commanded a troop of and was frequently employed in active service in guarding the hen along the river from the attacks of the enemy these occasions have furnished him with some agreeable in the history of his life he gives a faithful narrative of his exploits at this period and does not fail to throw a dash of comic humor into his account of his in our ride to swallow barn he and were principally engrossed with the subject of the expected particularly it upon him so to manage the matter as to make up a case in favor of mr and to give such a decision as would leave the old gentleman in possession of the territory the subject carefully in his mind and assured frank that he would have no difficulty in putting upon such a train as could not fail to accomplish their ends but it seems strange to me said the that the old man would not be content to take the land without all this we must accommodate ourselves to the peculiarities of our neighbors replied and pray be careful that you give no offence to his pride by the course you pursue i have never before been engaged in a case with such instructions said this looks like an irish donkey race where each man his neighbor s ass well i suppose will	29
take the beating without being more under it than others of the tribe i you use him gently said he will be as proud of his victory as ourselves laughed the more heartily as he thought of this novel case now and then he into perfect silence and then again and again broke forth into a chuckle at his own meditations upon the subject you are like a king who by ail that he has won by fighting said he laughing again we shall at least with the honors of war drums beating and colors flying it is the interest of the that there should be an end of strife i believe so the runs said smiling added the but it seems to me to be something of a wild goose chase notwithstanding repeated these last words as he dismounted at the gate at swallow bam and throwing his saddle bags across his arm he walked into t e house with the rest of the party chapter xxii the philosopher the next opened upon us in all the beauty of the season h ry necessary preparation had been completed for the definite of the long abiding the household was in a at an hour much earlier than usual and a general anxiety sees ed to prevail throughout the family to speed the issues of tl day was animated by unwonted spirits and hazard and myself anticipated with some eagerness the entrance ap on a business that promised to us nothing but amusement i its progress the which all the preliminary in this matter had gained from the frequent conversations o relating to it had its importance in a di ee much to its merit the day was t considered a kind of mr had expressed wish to be present at the settlement and had accordingly proclaimed a holiday in the school the children were all in i state of excitement was delighted with le prospect of the approaching bustle prudence partook of the feeling with rather more restlessness than any one else i here a studied upon her features which was not altogether natural and this was contrasted with her motions which seemed to be unsettled and perplexed the had risen soon after the dawn and had taken a walk of two or three miles before the family began to about an hour before breakfast he had seated himself on the bench of the porch alone with mr and was there a stick with his as he kept up a discourse with the parson upon divers matters connected with the history doctrine and discipline of the church what were the particulars of this conversation i could not lean but it had a effect upon his companion who took occasion to call me aside as soon as it was finished and said to me faith that as you call him is a sensible old fellow he s a man of a great deal of wit mr he is a philosopher of the school of of and knows as much about the of scotland as if he had been at the making of the and not very in his creed neither ha ha ha i a queer genius himself after leaving the parson was up and down in the hall with his coat close about him so as to cause a roll of papers which was lodged in one of his pockets to somewhat oddly from above his hip in this situation i joined him your parson there is a great scholar said he smiling we have had a bout together concerning church matters and the old gentleman has been entertaining me with a speech for an hour past he is a very vehement orator and has puzzled me with his heroes until i hadn t a word to say i think he likes a good listener but i am entirely too rusty for him i must rub up the next time i talk with him just before breakfast and having in and rode up to the door and our attention was called to the party by the loud of hark you ned spring to your post and catch before she touches ground the philosopher hazard succeeded in reaching the outer side of the gate just in not to catch who had already dismounted with tlie of a bird but to take the rein of her horse and fasten it to the fence and then to conduct the lady to the door it was not long before we were ranged around the ample breakfast board mr was inclined to be and indulged in some good natured speculations upon the certainty of his success in the case was placed next to at the table and took occasion to whisper in her ear that he had no ith in these for a peace and added that he rested his hop s entirely upon the prophecy of old then looking towards ned who sat opposite he remarked loud enough to be heard by the latter there is but one way of giving to these family ned colored up to the eyes affected not to understand and asked for another cup of coffee was more self possessed and replied with perfect composure cousin look to yourself or i shall dismiss you from my service after breakfast it was determined that it would be necessary for the powers to have a personal inspection of the seat of war the old mill was proposed as the place and the principal discussion it was settled should be held on the banks of the famous apple pie mr s arrival with his was looked for with impatience and in the mean time our whole company had broken off into prudence and had gone out upon the grass plot in front of the house and were slowly walking to and fro without any covering upon their heads and with their arms around each other s in deep and	29
air of astonishment three madam replied the parson and and there were three too what were their names mr v and said he his slowly upon his fingers and there were the three graces my dear i you know their names very well and th there were three of them you remember and faith they have had work enough to do and if you had studied greek miss you would understand how well their names became them listen if you would live and laugh exclaimed who was sitting on the rail of the porch and taking in every word of this odd discourse here is the parson pouring a whole dictionary of nonsense into ear and she all his with the most gravity i there might be many more of these triple continued mr still looking in his face with an encouraging earnestness as for another example there were the namely the ce still counting with the same precision as before we must not forget the bless me no the the philosopher ia ie are often called themselves ha ha let me see he paused with the forefinger of his right hand upon the middle finger of his left tut it slips my memory i i am very bad at remembering names particularly bad said interrupting him and smiling miss child i had it on my tongue i am getting old miss i dare say you can help me out indeed i dare say i cannot replied you have turned my brain so with such a list of hard names that i have almost forgotten what i came to ask you you have totally omitted mr to mention the three wise men of that went to sea in a bowl said hazard speaking to the parson from the porch and the three blind that lost their tails on a visit to the farmer s wife said and the three of old king said hazard get along mr edward and mr you are both too much given to be i doubt you will never mend your ways while you keep each other s company i cried the good old gentleman completely by this spirited attack upon him and as he said this he turned round upon them a face full of queer perplexity at being caught in the high career of this he is especially sensitive to the least jest that is aimed at this peculiarity well said i am really very much obliged to you mr for your instructive lecture and i shall always remember hereafter that the graces were three young women and the three old ones and that three is the number in by this time two followed by a servant had come in sight upon the road leading to the gate they advanced at a leisure pace and were soon to be mr in company philosopher the old g s face even at a distance exhibited careful thought and his bearing was grave and he was in deep conversation with his friend up to the moment of their arrival at the gate went forth to meet him and assisted him from his horse with an affectionate and highly respectful as soon as he was on his feet he took off his hat and made a formal bow and then walked across the court yard to the door making to the company followed with scarcely less ceremony and they w re ushered into the parlor we have an agreeable day s work before us mr said mr with an air of politeness but in a voice somewhat tremulous from years permit me to assure you it is not a small gratification to me that we so to the close of a which in other hands might have been with many unkind feelings this has been conducted with so much courtesy from beginning to end that i had almost flattered myself with the hope i should have had the luxury of it for the rest of my life he concluded this complimentary speech with a dash of in his tone and a of his body and then turning round to the ladies with smiles upon his face he made many civil inquiries after family rs the parties now being all assembled our next move was to the old mill chapter trial by view when mounted our master consisted of ten persons besides the servants and included all the gentlemen assembled with the addition of who of and bounded from place to place like a young of a the old walls of swallow barn had never echoed back the tramp the hum or the shouts of a more goodly company than that which now filed off from the gate our ranks were to the nature of the road we had to travel at first mr with his papers still peeping forth from his pocket shot ahead of the troop by the common brisk and easy gait to which his tall and was accustomed and he did not seem to be aware of the of his pace until he had gained about a hundred yards upon the and was by a call from two or three of the party that he would soon leave us out of sight if he went on at that speed his two hounds were as usual close at his horse s heels and any one might very well have mistaken our whole for a party setting out to beat a cover with the principal in advance for in addition to s hounds we had every dog of swallow barn in our train never since the was there a to be determined by so grotesque an array of judges trial by view parties and witnesses as this and never before in the history of perhaps was there such a case was highly amused he had brought himself to look upon the whole matter as a mere	29
and he was now determined to make the best of it he could not for a moment give his features a serious cast but laughed in reply to every question like a man with his own thoughts he had up his horse in obedience to our call and was looking back upon the approaching host when i rode up to him this is a mode of practice very much to my liking said he the law would not be such a wearisome business mr if its affairs were to be in the field o horseback and with a fine pack of dogs instead of a jury famous they d make for courses and distances in an ha ha ha if it were only the right season i think we should be likely to look over more boundary lines than one to day the same tone of enjoyment seemed gradually to have visited even old mr after we had left the gate before this there was a deep seated care upon his brow but he now began to take the hue of the hour we had entered after riding some distance upon a narrow and tangled path beset with that indicated our pro to the ground around the mill through this portion of our road we were constrained to pass in single thus our line of march until it resembled that of a of cavalry exploring a suspected haunt of an enemy the resemblance occasioned our venerable friend of the to turn round to and remark with a pleasant but precise form of address you perceive mr that the most formidable invasion of the apple pie continues now as of old to come from the direction of swallow barn i could heartily wish my dear friend replied frank that trial by view every invasion in the world were as certain to promote the ends of justice and peace as this and i could wish too that every supposed right should be as gallantly and met but not quite so defended said in a half whisper as h turned round on his saddle to make the remark to ned hazard amen said ned when we arrived at the mill there was a silent pause for some moments in which every one seemed to be engaged in surveying the ragged and features of the landscape and wondering in his o n mind at least all but mr how such a piece of land could possibly have furnished a subject for such a protracted appeared to be aware of the common surprise and looking round somewhat in the faces of the group remarked yes there it is and all that we have to do is to get from our horses the court and fall to work to determine whether the of swallow barn or of the are hereafter to be with this fine garden of and we dismounted and some moments elapsed before the parties were ready to proceed to the business in hand in this interval the had walked up to the who stood upon a with his glass up to his eye surveying the scene what do you think of the prospect mr asked by what name would you venture to describe this luxuriant refreshing and piece of land is it or or or simple sure it is not to look at this ill favored that we have been our necks under boughs of trees and through this morning exclaimed the trial by view aye answered this is the very ground of that has the annals of two families and their descendants for half a century it has been a gay quarrel mr and has cost something more than breath to keep it up it has lost nothing of its dignity i warrant you for want of long opinions and sober counsel mr is our motto it is a merry day for our craft when take to reading the and pride holds the purse strings this is a great said the it is as worthless as the a it should be by unanimous consent to the and the mu it is a as we lawyers say mr that would pass under the name which full of and or rather hj the title in our law latin i doubt if you have studied that kind of latin mr of which comes as lord says of the french for and a place truly your dog latin suits the description of the place well mr said the laughing and what do you consider mr he continued addressing frank who had just come to the spot the value of this ground to be per acre about sixpence answered frank smiling too high you hold it all too dear interrupted at the outside and dear at that but come gentlemen mr we lose time let us to business upon this the principal personages concerned in the business of the day withdrew to a convenient spot and selecting a piece of square timber that constituted a part of the ruins of the mill they took their seats old mr now very deliberately proceeded to empty his pocket of a bundle of papers neatly tied up together and trial bt view ul ing the string that bound them he spread them out upon his knees then after some he produced a pair of spectacles which with great caution he adjusted upon his nose and taking up one of the papers he presented it to the saying here is the first letter in the correspondence which arose between the lamented mr walter hazard and myself touching the present subject of difference if you prefer it gentlemen i will give you the copy of the letters that passed in the year between my immediate and the first mr edward hazard in regard to that latter gentleman s plan of this mill at that date if you will be so kind said with an air of affectionate	29
courtesy towards the old gentleman as to leave these papers with us mr we will them at our leisure in the mean time we will look at the deed from to edward hazard i have it here saying this he produced the roll of papers which had been so conspicuous about his person all the morning and took from it the deed in question here mounted his spectacles and began to read in a dear voice such parts of the deed as related to the nature and character of the grant and which parts in order that my reader might thoroughly understand the precise question in dispute i lave set forth in a former chapter this deed mr said as he finished reading lays the whole foundation of the the pretensions of the parties as based upon this instrument are well understood and all that remains for us is to ascertain what was the specific meaning of the parties that must be seen said mr by the letters which i have just given you upon that point said the courts have decided trial by view we are not to be governed by the of the courts upon any of these questions interrupted mr it is understood that the case is to be according to the principles of friend said smiling if there be patent that is apparent upon the face of the deed the law allows testimony to be received as to the intent of the parties concerned in the but where the intention may be derived from the construction of the themselves according to their plain letter the law doth not permit acts and matters in to be used to set up an intention the written instrument pray mr said permit me to ask whether this case agreeably to your understanding of it is governed by the roman or civil law or strictly according to the principles of the common law only sir according to the course of the laws of this replied with an air of surprise at the question and as if by the of s manner your suggestion mr will be a subject for our consideration he continued assuming his former mild tone to the gentleman he addressed various other papers were now produced and read and when all this evidence had been brought to view remarked with a manner that seemed to indicate profound reflection upon the case in hand an idea strikes me which appears to have an important influence upon the subject under consideration i confess i should like to be satisfied upon this point mr and myself i presume will not differ about the construction of the deed nor upon the nature of the law by which it is to be determined he added smiling but if my present suspicions be confirmed it trial by view more than probable that our labor will be very much i rather suspect that this case will be found upon examination to turn upon certain matters of fact which have never yet been brought into the view of the a very shrewd old gentleman that mr hazard whispered the who stood by all this time listening with profound attention a man of genius i assure you mr edward the facts to which i allude are these namely in the first place to what distance did the mill dam and originally extend from the present margin of the apple pie in upon the land belonging to the tract called the secondly how long did the mill pond exist within the said original limits and when did it first begin to from the same and which is the most important point of all did the same mill pond contract in its dimensions by gradual and stages or did it sink into the present narrow channel of the apple p ie by any violent and sudden of its banks the bearing and value of these questions continued the lawyer will be understood by referring to the fact namely that the two estates were divided by the water line or margin of the mill dam on the side of the now it is a principle of law upon which mr and myself cannot possibly for it is asserted without contradiction by the writers both in the common and civil law mr that where a river holding the relation which this mill dam occupied between these two estates changes its course by slow and invisible so as to leave new land where formerly was water then he to whose territory the may be made in such wise shall hold them as the gain or of his original stock but if the river change its course by some forcible impulse of nature as by violent floods or the like then shall he who suffers loss by such bo trial by view by the possession of the channel and it would seem to me that in case the river in the instance put should merely and pine away as this famous mill pond seems to have done said with a smile then the of the banks on either side should consider it to be the will of heaven that they should be separated by and should straightway follow the retreating waters and when these become so small as to allow them to do so they should shake hands firom the opposite banks and thank they were such near neighbors he s a man of a clear head mr said the again with admiration and law like a sage nd with a great deal of wit too he reminds me of the celebrated mr whom i once heard at the four courts in a cause i am entirely of mr s opinion of the value of these considerations said they seem to me sagacious and reasonable said mr and to strengthen the first views which i took upon this subject let	29
these facts then gentlemen be inquired into said arose from his seat and walking carelessly a short distance from the group beckoned to follow him and when they were together said i have thrown out enough to put mr upon a new scent which if it be well followed up will answer our purpose and now i think i will give our friend a walk into the marsh since it is agreed mr said returning to the party that testimony should be heard upon the questions i have proposed we shall be able to form a better judgment by a trial by view survey of the ground ourselves it is scarcely possible that the mill pond should have vanished without leaving some traces to show whether it went off in a night or wasted away like a fence rail under the united attacks of sun and wind there is nothing like the trial by view in what manner do you suppose mr to enjoy this view asked with some concern can we see it from the hill side for it seems rather for a passage on horseback by walking over it replied very with a little we can get across tolerably dry leap from one to another and keep your balance the thing is very easy we shall find in our way said the reluctant je non mr replied the other it is not the first time i have a marsh why man if you had your gun with you the would take you twice through the of it this is a notorious place for there are and some of them of a dangerous species i have an utter horror of persisted there are some and a few replied whose bite is not altogether harmless as to the black snake and and common water snake you may assure yourself with taking them in your hand or take st s plan mr cut a rod and if you use it properly you may every snake of them out of striking distance ha ha a man that mr said the parson again to come mr i will lead the way don t be alarmed we shall be better acquainted with the boundary when we get back trial by view saying these words walked forward along the margin of the ground which was once the bed of the dam and selected a favorable point for entering upon this region he turned into it with a prompt and step making advantage of such spots as were firm enough to sustain his weight and pushing the to one side was soon lost to view ashamed of being but protesting his reluctance and laughing with a forced and dry laugh cautiously entered at the same point and followed in s footsteps when they were both still within hearing s voice could be recognized saying look where you step mr the true rule of life and particularly for a man who with law have your eyes about you man in ha ha ha hark to him exclaimed the parson a prodigious smart man that after a short interval s voice was heard calling out mr mr where are you not lost i hope this way man take the left side of the tree and you will reach bank of the as dry as a bone and a monstrous stream it is as you will find when you get here i encountered shocking obstacles mr exclaimed the voice of at some distance i have one leg in water and mud up to the knee and have had a score of black hissing at me ever since i got into this abominable place pray allow me to return come on man was the reply you will reach dry ground presently what a wet foot here s a noble prospect for you another interval of silence now ensued and this being followed by a distant hum of conversation showed us that the two had fallen again into company trial by view whilst we sat the that skirted the original margin of the dam expecting to see the and his companion from the thicket on the opposite side our attention was all at once aroused by the deep tongue of s hounds who had been exploring the with their master they had evidently turned out a fox and the rapidly retreating and advancing notes informed us of the that the object of their pursuit was with great activity from one part of the swamp to another this sudden outbreak threw a surprising into our party we sprang to our feet and ran from place to place expecting every moment to see the fox appear upon the field these movements were accompanied with a general and shouting in which the voice of amongst the recesses of the marsh was distinctly audible at the first note had run to his horse and now came galloping past us half wild with delight mr was in a perfect ecstasy jumping flinging out his arms and all the cries of encouragement usual amongst the of the chase even old mr was roused by the vivacity of the scene his eyes sparkled and his gestures became peculiarly animated all the dogs of our train had taken into the swamp and with a as they pursued the track of the hounds whose strong musical notes were now fast dying away in distance as these eager animals pursued their prey directly up the stream for more than a mile for a time they were even lost to the ear until having made another double they were heard their steps and coming back to their original starting point as their short and notes crowded upon the ear with increasing distinctness at length the little animal that had given rise to all this uproar was on the opposite side of the swamp some distance ahead of her with terrified haste to a trial by view hole in	29
by extensive intercourse with the world his remarks had a strong flavor of originality and although now and then brought to the verge of the ludicrous by a rash and unsuccessful attempt to be they were and forcibly of his subject with less pretensions to a knowledge of men was calm philosophical and benevolent his character principally itself in certain kindly prejudices and in a tone of observation which in reference to political conclusions might be said to be even frank has never found the actions of those who administer our government with that lofty virtue which the excellence of his own principles has taught him to ex all who to control the interests of society and in he speaks like an ancient removed from all ambition to on the theatre of life and quietly observing the tumult of affairs from a position too distant to be reached by the sordid passions that sway the multitude or in other words he like an easy and cultivated country gentleman it was in up a train of reflections in this temper upon the general aspect of the great political movements of the day that he concluded as we broke up our party well mr you think better of these things than i do but to my mind there is no satisfaction in this survey look which way i may to the one side or to the other to me it seems all equally vile and contemptible and so good night v chapter xxv the old school i on the following morning soon after day light and was descending the staircase when i was saluted by the of and who at this early hour were equipped for the day they were looking out with some eagerness at the clouds a heavy rain had fallen during the night but the eastern horizon was tinted with the rosy flush of morning and the indications were favorable to the of the few black that still rolled across the heavens my little cousins soon made me acquainted with the cause of their early appearance they were to accompany us to the and had planned it to ask me to take a seat with them in the carriage telling me that if i did not go with them they would be obliged to take which as said never did like i assented heartily to their proposal and upon this they fell to dancing round me and amusing me with a great deal of they insisted upon my going with them to the stable yard just to make sure that uncle was cleaning up the carriage and getting ready here we found the old with a bucket of water and busily employed in the task the little girls had him to perform he was affectionately obliging to his young and spoke to them in a tone the old school tliat showed how largely he partook of the family interest in them although it was apparent that he deferred but little to their authority as soon as breakfast was over brought the coach to the door it was a old vehicle that had known better days being somewhat faded in its furniture and still clothed with its original cover of yellow oil cloth of which i suppose it had never been stripped although now arrived at the latter stage of its existence the of this part of the was in a pair of high full blooded chestnut horses in excellent keeping but rather light in comparison with the size of the coach to which they were having unexpectedly received intelligence that rendered his presence necessary at a remote part of the farm was obliged to forego his visit to the and ned was ao by him to make his excuses and act as his representative this matter being arranged and all things being in readiness for our departure mr attended by ned hazard and set out on horseback y whilst the two little girls and myself took our seats in the carriage and old mounting the box put off his horses at a brisk speed as we ascended the hill and came in full view of the sion house at the we could observe mr walking backward and forward with his arms behind him on a level at the door and as soon as our party attracted his attention he was seen to halt with his hat raised off his head and held in a manner as to shield his eyes from the sun until we got near enough for recognition there was an unwonted alacrity in his and he helped and from the carriage him self with a gallantry that showed the cheerful state of his feel not forgetting to take a kiss from each as he handed them to the door the old school when we entered the house and were observed walking leisurely up the lawn from the direction of the river at a parlor window sat and prudence in an absorbing conversation with mr who was apparently his interested with a narrative of deep attraction and perhaps it may have been an idle of mine but i thought prudence especially listened with a more intelligent and sympathy than was her wont what was the topic and in what language urged i am altogether ignorant but to my prejudiced vision it seemed that either the story or the speaker had charmed never so wisely in describing the mansion house at the in a former chapter i have informed my reader that it is without one front faces the river from which it is separated by a long sloping and hill at the foot of this slope the bank of the river is some eight or ten feet above the water and is clothed with a screen of native the road winds round the hill from the river so as to approach the house on the opposite side this front of the dwelling widely from that	29
i have described its is relieved by a supported by columns massive and rough and over which the second story of the building projects so as to form a small apartment that has rather a grotesque appearance as it may be said to resemble a box perched upon a four legged stool this is built of wood painted blue though a good deal weather beaten and it is illustrated with a large in the front surrounded with a heavy white filled with and other old fashioned ornaments it strikes the observer as an to the edifice of questionable utility and as somewhat with the prevailing that the exterior of the mansion a range of offices old and with modern additions sweeps the old school along the brow of the hill and shows the ample provision made for the comforts of solid housekeeping the whole of this quarter is thickly with trees amongst which the line of that i have before had occasion to notice is along the avenue from the mansion downwards like a gigantic array of over all the grounds in the vicinity of the buildings an air of neatness even to an extent that might be called the interior of the house is in full contrast with i s outward appearance and shows the relics of a costly grandeur the rooms are large and decorated with a profusion of wood work into the gorgeous forms of ancient pomp the doors have huge above them with figures carved upon the of roses as stiff as are with a formal grace upon the of the window frames and the mantel pieces are thickly with odd little monsters as various as the of the walls are enriched with a fretted in the of which and are taking hands and seem to be dancing country dances through of vegetables the are noble monuments of ancient hospitality stately and vast and on either side of them are deep recesses surmounted by ornamented arches and lighted by windows that look out from the ends of the building the furniture of these apartments the of a corresponding splendor the tables seem to have turned into iron from age and are supported upon huge crooked legs j the chairs and other articles of though by time still afford glimpses of the and that gave to their days of glory amongst these of the old time i recognized with an affectionate interest two no doubt the marvel of the the old school country when they first reached this strand set in frames of gilt and carved into droll of twisted each his own tail i must return from this to continue my narrative of the important that had now brought us to the from an early hour mr had been in a state of agitated spirits with the thoughts of the although his zeal had subsided it had been up by the recent movements like a snake at the return of spring the old gentleman rises from his bed at all seasons with the dawn of day but this morning he was observed to make an unusual stir it was remarked that his dress was even more adjusted than ordinarily the of his sleeves over his hands with a more his was drawn if possible round his neck and his silvery hair was back into the small cue that played upon his cape with a that indicated more minute attention to personal than the family were accustomed to expect he is the very picture of a man for a law suit his tall figure and care worn face have such an air f and when to this is added the impression made by his tight brown small clothes and his long like boots by to his knees and the peculiar capacity of stride which this costume we have the of a man eminently calculated to face the biting blast of the law or to worm through the of a tangled and long suit with the least possible personal told us that mr had scarcely eaten any breakfast being in that state of mind that takes away the the appetite and what was a little out of his common behavior he was even upon the existing relations himself and it was also that notwithstanding the school this of spirits he occasionally broke out into a slight expression of when any thing his humor it fell upon ned hazard to encounter one of these passing as will appear in the dialogue i am about to detail mr has reached that age at which old persons lose sight of the true relations of society he considers all men not yet at middle age as mere hair boys and does not scruple especially in matters of business to treat them accordingly i believe he is of opinion that frank himself has scarcely attained to manhood but as for ned hazard or even he thinks them not yet out of their this temper is apparent when the old gentleman experiences any contradiction for he is then apt to become and and sometimes a little harsh but he likes ned very well and frequently when he is in good humor laughs at his until the tears come into his eyes and roll over his dry cheeks like over a piece of leather now it happens that ned stands precisely in that which renders him nervously to appear well in the eyes of mr he is sadly aware that father has taken up an idea that he is a thoughtless youth and utterly deficient in those business habits which are most pleasing to the contemplation of age and he is therefore perpetually making awkward attempts to produce a different opinion my reader has perhaps already had occasion to remark that ned s character is utterly to the management of such a matter he is to all the consequences of his own conduct and as little calculated to play the as a	29
child when gentlemen of our party had gathered together mr was anxious that no time should be lost to the prejudice of the principal concern of our meeting and having announced this he was approached by ned who with a solemn face the old school to assume as much of the look of a as he able made a formal communication of the cause of s absence and of the arrangement that he himself was to appear as the representative of swallow barn mr did not like it he could not imagine how any domestic engagement could claim over one so important as this he was on the verge of saying so but as if struck with a sudden thought he paused stared at ned without uttering a word grasped his lip with his left hand and fell into a study ned stood by looking as respectfully as he could the conclusion was favorable for the old gentleman brightened up and delivered himself with some hesitation pretty much in this way well well it is all right that you should give your attention to this matter we old folks labor altogether for the young and they that come after us must live and learn i wish i could make my feel the interest he ought to take in this subject but he is and plays his own game as to you mr hazard although you are young and thoughtless and not of an age to take care of your property may be said to be your own case sir seeing that you are the heir to swallow barn under your father s will and i am told mr is clearing the track for you he is wiping off the so it is your own case you have to look after for my part mr replied ned with a timid deference and with a singular want of considering the person he addressed i have never seen the use of this our family ought to have given up to you rather than trouble the courts with such an matter i have always expressed my to end the affair by making you a deed young gentleman said mr rather briskly and looking with an air of surprise at ned you reckon without the old school your host if you consider this a matter of acres at all your father sir and i had an honest difference of opinion he thought he was right i thought i was and we both knew that the other would twenty times the value of the land before he would take an inch of it but as a matter of right i am not accustomed to t e up or put down opinions upon light grounds in such matters i do not count the cost a deed sir i beg pardon replied ned and alarmed by this flash of temper which set him like a boy who has mistaken the mood of his master to a speedy you my meaning i meant to say yes yes interrupted the old gentleman into the opposite tone of kindness as if aware that his feelings had been roused so i suppose my young friend i you are but a in the world but you know well enough to be quite certain that he does not fling away five hundred pounds aye twice five hundred to maintain his title to a bed of unless there was something at the bottom of the dispute that belonged to his character this remark was concluded with an emotion that amounted almost to a laugh and so completely reassured ned as to him to venture upon a joke such character said ned is the goose in the fable it lays golden eggs and there is nothing in it when you cut it up mr edward that is what were going t say added the old gentleman greatly amused with the remark you are a young gentleman you say pretty sharp things now and then edward and don t spare such old as i ha ha he continued laughing and tapping ned familiarly on the back why what a plague here we are wasting our time with this merry ned hazard when we ought to be at our business dogs the old school take you for a as you are he exclaimed ned with his elbow you will trick us out of our proper with a laugh would ye call mr from the parlor tell him he must leave the women we have our hands full after this burst from the old gentleman he opened a door that admitted us to a small room which he calls his study it is an inner shrine that is deemed a spot to the members of the household as the key of it is generally carried in mr s own pocket this apartment is so characteristic of its that i must take advantage of my introduction to it to make my reader acquainted with its general appearance some heavy volumes in such as constituted the guise in which the best authors of queen anne s time were accustomed to be exhibited to the public were scattered over a range of shelves that occupied one side of the room there was one large window only to the apartment through which the sun flung a broad light that served to the forlorn impression made by the and almost shabby air of the furniture on the sill of this window a collection of and garden seeds were laid out to be dried in another quarter of the room a shelf was appropriated to the accommodation of a assemblage of old iron of which the principal pieces were rusty hinges bridle bits and fragments of agricultural implements and upon the floor below these stood a chest of tools the fireplace had a ragged appearance being with scraps of paper and other rubbish and upon one side of	29
it was placed an old fashioned secretary with a lid like the roof of a house one or two paintings too obscure to be guessed at hung over the mantel piece and on the wall near the door was suspended an almost map of virginia a small table was opened out in the middle of the floor and provided with a writing the old school tub j around table were three or four broad high backed mahogany chairs with faded crimson seats stuck round with brass nails the on various parts of the walls and the neglected aspect of the room showed it to be an apartment not much resorted to or used by the old gentleman except as a mere place of deposit for lumber when mr at s summons made his appearance our friend indulged in some little upon the of the day before and accused the sentimental gentleman of him but finding old mr already provided with a mass of documents and standing ready with spectacles on nose to plunge into the middle of affairs the several parties sat down and addressed themselves to their tasks like men determined to make an end of matters ed put on a gravity and began to over the papers as if he was thoroughly acquainted with every document in the bundle until mr raising his glasses up to his forehead asked him with a earnestness what he was in search of this simple and the that accompanied it so disconcerted the representative of swallow barn that he was obliged to reply for lack of something better to say that he was looking for nothing in particular i i thought so by your haste said the old gentleman as he brought his spectacles back to their original position ned to conceal his confusion picked up a large sheet of and set about reading its contents regularly through from the beginning as soon as we saw this little fairly at work with the and myself quietly stole away not however without receiving a glance from ned hazard who turned his head and gave us a look of sly perplexity as we disappeared at the door the old school the ladies had retired to their rooms had taken away our young to the river and being thus left to ourselves and i sat down at the front door attracted by the commanding view of the scenery and the appearance df a large ship that with all her canvas spread was her way round the of the james towards the atlantic in this situation gave me the particulars of the scene i am about to describe in the next chapter chapter xxvi the hawk i said that when we arrived at the and were seen approaching the house from a distance the morning was still cool from the of the dew before the rays of the sun a pleasant breeze swept across the lawn from the direction of the river was leaning upon s arm in earnest conversation her face shaded by a kind of hood of green silk and her dress such as ladies wear in the earlier part of the day before they perform the more studied labors of the toilet it was of a light fabric neatly fitted to her person exercise had thrown a healthy hue over her cheek and the fresh breeze fluttering amongst the folds of her dress imparted an idea of personal comfort that accorded with the coolness of the costume and the blooming countenance of its it did not escape my notice that her foot which is exceedingly well shaped appeared to great advantage in an accurately fitted shoe bound to her ankle with black ribbons across stockings of white her exterior was altogether remarkable for a becoming simplicity of attire and seemed to speak that purity of taste which is the most beautiful and attractive quality in the character of a woman i must my reader that as my design in this work the hawk has been simply to paint in true colors the of domestic life as i have found them in virginia i do not scruple to record whatever has interested me and if perchance my story should not advance according to the regular rules of dramatic composition to its proper conclusion i do not hold myself for any on that score i sketch with a careless hand and must leave the interest i excite if such a thing may be to the due development of the facts as they come within my knowledge for the present i have to tell what and had been concerning themselves about before we met them in the hall if any thing is to grow out of it hereafter it is more than i know it had been hinted to me from two or three quarters but principally by ned hazard and i believe i have said as much to my reader in some former chapter that is a little given to certain romantic fancies such as country ladies who want excitement and read novels are apt to her vivacity and spirit show themselves in the zeal with which she ever the that take possession of her mind for some time past she had devoted her time to training a beautiful a bird resembling the short winged hawk known by the name of the hen in the old books and had it with her own hand from its state by an intimacy of one year she had rendered this bird so that at her summons he would leave a large cage in which he was ordinarily imprisoned and which was suspended from an old tree in the yard to perch upon her wrist the picturesque association of with the stories of an age that walter scott has rendered so to the fancy of meditative maidens had inspired with an especial in the attempt to her bird in her pursuit of this object she had picked	29
up some of the ancient lore that belonged to the art and fan the hawk as it may seem began to think that her efforts would be attended with success her hawk it is true had not been taught to follow his but he was as said of him in all such exercises as made him a fit companion for a lady she had provided him with leather that round his legs and to each of these was attached a small silver bell a silver ring or was fitted to one leg and on it was engraved the name of her favorite copied from some old tale with the legend attached i live in my lady s grace i know not what other was expended her but i will warrant he went forth in as conceited array as his lady s grace could devise for him a lady s favorite is not apt to want and jewels immediately after breakfast stole forth alone to s perch she held in her hand a pair of leather a and a ball of fine cord which she termed a now the thought that had taken possession of her brain was to slip off with into the field and give him a flight a privilege that he had never enjoyed during the whole period of his supposed that by the to h s legs or i should say speaking like one in the mystery his arms and the to the and the to that would be as secure in the as on his perch she had only to manage him as a boy his her purpose however was to try the first experiment alone and upon its success she designed to surprise her visitors as well as the family with the rare entertainment of a scene as she stood under the tree looking at at the limb of a or in other words his appetite with the raw leg of a chicken and had just snatched the morsel from his to make him the more keen accidentally came into the porch and stooping the hawk down up from the floor a strange resemblance of a bird of leather and feathers what child s toy is this cried he loud enough to the lady with the question what have you in your head now pray cousin come this way said she turning round with the hawk upon her hand it is my bring it to me for i want your help i am going to give a holiday you shall see him presently his wing in yonder cloud approached with the in his hand and patting the bird upon the back as he alternately stretched out first one wing and then the other along his leg in the action known by the name of explained her whole design to her cousin then binding on the with the and each made fast to the other she out upon the lawn attended by her squire until she reached a spot at a distance from any tree where she intimated to that she would now let fly but if he should not come back inquired for it seems to me not altogether so safe to trust to his love of his perch or even of his mistress although in that he is not of my mind in spite of your which i know is a great temptation to some persons my pretty cousin there are creatures that prefer the open world to your hand strange as it may seem is not here my asked in reply and then when the fails have i not only to pull the string your light is not so strong as a wild bird s love of freedom said ah cousin you forget that is a gallant bird and loves to hear me call him i will whistle him down without now mark how loth he is to leave my hand con the hawk rapidly to cast the bird off who instead of flying merely spread his wings with a motion necessary to preserve his balance at length she succeeded in him from her hand when instead of mounting into the air he lit upon the ground some few paces from her feet oh villain f cried you when you should this comes of my not him said but it seemed so cruel to pass a thread through his eyelids which is called and must be done before he would bear the hood that i could not think of it i don t believe those ladies of the old time could have been so very tender hearted cousin if he will not fly the direction is to strike at him with your which means my foot said so master up or my shall your feathers for you with these words approached the bird and striking at him with his boot had the satisfaction to see him spring briskly from the ground and mount into the air with a rapid flight he took his course against the wind and as he ascended played out her line with exclamations of pleasure at the sight of her bird flinging himself aloft with such a spirited motion when he had risen to the utmost reach of his he was observed to dart and wheel through the air in every variety of perplexed motion as it was termed in graceful circles through the atmosphere and turning with quick flashes the bright of his wings to the sun it was beautiful to look upon the joyous bird at this height and the graceful girl watching his motions with a countenance of perfect transport to my thinking said is so well pleased with his that he wiu not be very willing to return t f the hawk by a swift flight that far exertions assisted by to draw him down then along the surface of the field with the	29
cord he suddenly shot upwards with such vigor as to snap the string and frightened by the jerk that severed his he arose with an alarmed motion to a soaring height and then shaped his career directly up the river and watched the retreating bird in equal amazement as he winged his flight across the in distance until he was reduced to a mere speck upon the sky s emotion was one of mortification not with admiration at the arrow like swiftness with which her favorite sped from her hand s was wonder whether a bird in such household familiarity would so far from his accustomed haunts as to render his return hopeless i can see him yet said straining his sight up the river and if i am not mistaken he has darted down to perch near swallow bam he will come back muttered in a tone of voice and with a look of i know he will come back i nothing that i have tended so kindly would desert me make yourself easy my dear cousin replied he belongs to an ungrateful tribe and is not worth i could sit down and cry said you should laugh rather to think replied her cousin what an you have sent abroad amongst the and of the river he with his bells and his silver ring and dainty apparel a marvellous he will make in the circles of and i should not be surprised if in three days time he should be whipped out of all good society in the woods and be fain to come back to his perch as torn down and as a certain other favorite of yours who took refuge at the yesterday the hawk f exclaimed laughing what harm has poor mr done that yon should rail at him true said if you had to cast a round him he would not have fled so willingly what shall i do asked i will tell ned hazard said this is an incident in his line ned has not yet killed seven in your service and therefore you frown upon him so pray let me put him in the way to himself he shall bring back if the is to be found in the old dominion i would not give him the trouble said carelessly i will replied and by way of his motion will tell him that you would take it kindly i am sure said edward would do any thing i might ask of him he would delight in it replied he is most horribly in love the search after this hawk would be occupation for him it would divert his melancholy oh cousin cried with great animation to say that ned hazard is melancholy or in love either after what we heard on the bank of the river the other day when we surprised him and mr i melancholy that is your love melancholy wears divers said ned was his sorrows in music which is very common as you will find in all the old it was one of the of his passion to be singing my name in on the highway i assure you i don t forgive him for such passion i interrupted the if the gods have not made him poetical replied you should not blame him for that talk to me of my hawk cousin and pray spare your for you see i need comfort the hawk ned said is all the i can give you and if he does not bring back i would advise you to take the miserable himself why do you talk to me so asked to tell you the truth replied i have a reason for it ned you know is a good fellow and here what is very natural he has fallen in love he could not help that know i well it makes him silly as it makes every man except those who are so by nature and they grow wise upon it he is afraid to talk to you because his heart gets in his mouth and him i can see plainly enough what he wishes to say and therefore i am determined as you e my cousin to say it for him he wishes to tell you that i are inexorable he has made up his mind to leave this country with mark and then heaven knows where the poor fellow will go if no man was ever more in love than ned hazard answered the world would be sadly in want of why cousin it is impossible for him to be in earnest long enough to sum up his own thoughts upon the subject how little do you know cried of my poor friend ned know him cousin exclaimed laughing you won t be so rash as to say ned hazard is a man of mystery why he is mirth itself you mistake his madness for mirth he is distracted and therefore unaccountable for his actions you are as mad as he cousin that is a pretty kind of love that plays off such merry tricks as ned s with you to back him your tragedy of the in the wood and your under our windows look very much like the doings of a distracted lover give me a man of manners and dignity for a lover now you know ned has none of that cousin thb hawk you are as mad as either ned or myself exclaimed with a laugh and taking both of hands you will marry some grave rogue or dull after all cousin i will not be any longer interrupted impatiently here i come to fly a hawk and lo yon engage me in a about ned hazard well replied i have discharged my duty i see ned is in a bad way poor devil he ought never to have fallen in love but it was not his fault i thought	29
it but just to tell you what i feared ned will leave us and who knows but he may take another trip around the horn he will then throw himself into the great le for freedom in that become a general of h his across the and perhaps reaching th rights of will fall in some splendid battle having first engraved with his sword the name of the cold upon the ice of the and there he will leave that mighty mountain to tell posterity how burning was his love how frozen was his mistress now there s dignity and sentiment both for you let himself beat that if he can why what an are you cried i do not wonder that edward hazard should be so little serious with such a companion i then you do not like him on the contrary replied i like him exceedingly as well as a brother but depend upon it i cannot entertain him in any other relation until perhaps he has learned to be more sentimental and scrupulous in his behavior interrupted her cousin at least said in a more serious manner and evidently as if she felt what she said until he ceases to jest upon me that s in confidence said i understand you the hawk ned some to go yet at all events he most not leave swallow barn if you are in earnest cousin for indeed i do not know how to take you and he thinks of such a thing i should be very sorry for it said during this conversation had taken s arm and they had wandered towards the bank of the river and from thence homeward so much engrossed with the topics that had brought into discussion that gradually forgot her hawk and fell into a confidential communion upon a subject that was nearer to her feelings than she chose to confess the particulars of this further discourse which was continued until they had reached the house after our ar b at the was not all related to me by but made upon his mind was that ned hazard had not taken the pains to s favor which the value of the prize deserved he did not doubt that she had an affection for him but still she spoke as if there were prejudices to be overcome and scruples to be conquered which stood in the way of her decision s object under all his levity of manner was to ascertain whether ned s quest was hopeless or otherwise and he had therefore availed himself of the adventure of the hawk to draw her thoughts into the current indicated in the above conversation his conclusion firom it all was that ned must either reform his behavior towards or his pretensions added ned is falling rapidly into that privileged intimacy that is fatal to the pretensions of a lover this careless friendship will lodge him in a short time high and dry upon a in her regard where he will become a permanent and picturesque he will acquire the distinction of a brother as she begins to call him already and he will be certain to be invited to her wedding chapter the whilst and were still over the matters i haye imperfectly to my reader s attention in the last chapter ned the door of the study and came towards us with an animated step and a countenance full of merriment he told us with much of his own in the and of the value of his services that the old family which had been so tempest and weather beaten was at length happily into port that the apple pie was once more elevated to the rank of a frontier stream upon whose banks the hostile of the and the hazard might now in peace that after through a sea of manuscript to oblige mr and hearing many wise legal from his lips and turning s brain with points and merely to prevent him from the decision mr had succeeded in bringing the matter to a close and was now busy in drawing up a formal judgment upon the case continued ned is like to suffer injury from it is as much as he can do to prevent himself from bursting out into a horse laugh at every line he writes but he is i believe somewhat by mr who takes the whole matter as the aa if it were a state the best of it is is in doubt as to the propriety of the decision and with very little would bring in a verdict against the s whole endeavor for the last hour has therefore been to the case in such a manner as to keep from upon the inquiry whether the mill pond away in a series of years or was carried of by some violent accident now you know it is a fact of common that it was swept off in a tremendous flood finding likely to dwell on this circumstance has made a diversion upon a point of law that has happily the gentleman s scruples he says the act works no man injury and that if the dam has been ay suddenly it makes no difference because it would have away at any rate by this time and that it is extremely probable it was very much diminished before the flood that if therefore it was not an absolute it was a of that nature i think has written something of this sort in his report has so confounded as to set him to gazing at the ceiling in a brown study and has thrown mr into an ecstasy of admiration at s learning and all this time however mr has had his mouth up with repressed laughter which so affected me that i could not remain in the room i have drunk half a dozen glasses of watery and have been my fingers against	29
the window ever since this debate has been in agitation merely to notice mr has in consequence given me sharp for my to the momentous principles that has been in short i was obliged tc make my escape will they admit asked to be present at the deliberation the rd oh cheerfully replied ned but you must be very careful how you behave mr is in the most nervous state imaginable he is greatly delighted with the result of the trial but i don t think he is quite satisfied with s an opinion upon the points of law connected with the deed it is a little curious lo observe how the old gentleman to his notion of the facts he has twenty times asserted that the site of the mill dam was never surveyed and there they have the very document of the survey itself which is shown to him every time he makes the assertion he looks at it and as we all suppose is convinced but in the next minute anew with the same objection i remarked that at length he began to get out of sort of contradiction the old gentleman is turning a little sour with age his temperament is growing chilly his constitution that soil that you see sometimes around a spring where nothing grows but in a few moments we all repaired to the study and were standing together at the moment of oar entrance in one corner of the room the former held in his hand a sheet of paper upon which the was written and was silently reading it over whilst his features expressed that comic which a man surprised by some droll incident in a church might be supposed to wear he looked at us upon our approach from beneath his spectacles as his chin rested upon his waistcoat and smiled but read on s face wore that air of gravity and doubt which i can fancy was in the countenances of the of the declaration of independence after they had put their names to that important document at the table with his back to these two sat mr with a silk handkerchief folded and laid upon his head to guard him against the breeze that blew in through the window his the hands were spread flat upon the board in such a manner as to throw his elbows directly from his body and he was casting a keen glance over the field of papers that lay unfolded before him as soon as he was aware of our approach he raised his head looked at us with an expression of good humor and remarked with his usual slow and distinct utterance our friends haye had a serious job of it to day nodding towards the papers over the table but i believe by dint of perseverance we have reached the bottom at last we offered him our congratulations upon the event but he absolutely refused to allow us to express any pleasure at his lest it might be considered a over his friend he declared that in victory was a sentiment that he desired particularly to in this case and he therefore checked our advances with a gravity that made us laugh the old gentleman however was too full of his victory to preserve his in this humor for when a compliment to his judgment by reminding him that he had frequently predicted the result whenever this case should come to be fairly considered he laughed outright for some moments with his hand across his eyes and concluded by i am not apt to take up i generally reflect upon my grounds but dogs take our friend he is for uie case so much that he must needs over all my law touching the of the deed ha ha ha i i see his drift he will spare our friend well well it is quite what shot brings down the pigeon so that we get him ha ha ha i a good judge said mr speaking from the spot where we first found him will never decide more than the case requires i am not apt to deal in u the the has done you injustice mr said mr you should have on the bench long ago i am afraid my chance has gone for ever now replied for here mr and myself have the opinions of the whole court of appeals these courts are obstinate bodies said the old gentleman it is a difficult t ing to bring them to reason when they have once got a into their brains and now mr pray favor the gentlemen with the reading of your i win said if i can make out my own it has been a rapid business we have administered justice i may say the nature of the case and tho time we have been at it upon this began to read aloud the document in his hand although hastily prepared was drawn out with all tho that belonged to the nature of such an it gave a brief history of the from the which part ran over with a hurried voice but he assumed a more deliberate manner when he came to the grounds of the decision stating that the said having duly considered all and singular the letters in writing and other papers touching the of the intent of the said parties and their motives for making and receiving the said grant and also duly considering the deeds and all other matters connected have not found it necessary to declare their opinion upon the true intent and effect in law of the said deeds by reason that certain facts and in evidence have come to the knowledge of the said whereby the original rights and relations of the said parties i wish you would change that word mr said mr who during the reading of the sat listening the with fixed attention and	29
nodding his head somewhat in the manner of one keeping time in a concert i don t like that word it imply that mr and myself have been which is too strong a term turned up his eyes with a queer expression inclined his head and raised one shoulder so as to touch his ear i wish you would say of the parties laying claim to the land in dispute i think that would be better as you please replied approaching the and the phrase in with this suggestion of the said parties claiming the land in dispute the have grown to be dependent upon th principles of law brought into view bj the said facts and matters in evidence which said facts and matters in evidence show that the said mill dam was originally bounded by courses and distances as laid off and described in the survey thereof by a certain made under the direction of the said and edward hazard as appears by the said survey filed in the proceedings in this case i don t think the site of the dam was laid off by course and distance said mr interrupting the lawyer the paper is here replied stooping over the table and producing it mr took it and put it down again it must bo a document that he remarked gravely the truth was this paper which had been always kept at swallow barn presented a fact that completely one of mr s strongest positions namely that as the deed granted so much land only as might be used by the dam the portion granted was necessarily and incapable of being confined to specific boundaries this document of the survey therefore his sight whenever it was produced and as it the had but recently been brought to his consideration he had pondered too long over the case in its other aspects to be able to accommodate his to this new state of things it was impossible to break the of his prejudices which now enveloped him like a suit of mail i thought said with a inclination of his head we had settled this point before aye aye replied the old gentleman himself go on sir f hath also appeared that when the said mill fell into and decay the mill dam was gradually drained of the water therein contained by the action of wind and weather in such wise that during the space of twenty one years the bed or site of the said dam became by slow and degrees save and except that by a certain tempest about the period of the in the year seventeen hundred and the actual date not being known a portion of the said dam was carried away which being the act of god that doth no man harm it is considered ought not to prejudice the rights of the parties and the more especially as it hath appeared to these that the said mill dam had before that time fallen into and notwithstanding the said tempest would in the nature of things have down contracted and wasted away into the present natural and original channel of the said apple pie branch and further it hath appeared that neither of the said parties i will alter the word here also said taking the pen and the same as before mr nodded and the proceeded has had occasion during the time to exercise any acts of over the said land seeing that the same was barren and and altogether unfit for any purpose of the true mr therefore the said carefully weighing the said several facts with full and ample consideration and having heard all that the said on the one side and edward hazard for and on behalf of the said francis on the other side had to urge in respect of their said several pretensions devilish little on behalf of frank whispered ned hazard do in virtue of the powers in them by this reference and determine for the complete and final ending of the said dispute and for the of actions vi all time to come that the land so left by the of the waters as shall henceforth be deemed and taken as that is to say all that piece or parcel of land lying between the bank of the said apple pie branch as the now exists and the former margin of the said mill dam bounding on the line of the tract called the is declared to have to the original of the said tract called the to them and their for ever and that the main channel of the said apple pie branch shall be the only true and established boundary line of the said tracts of the and swallow barn very and satisfactory cried mr rising from his chair there you are gentlemen said throwing the paper down upon the table exactly in it is a great thing mr to these border i have always permitted myself replied the worthy thus addressed ho indulge the hope that our would prove advantageous to the permanent interests of the families it has been a case certainly attended with its difficulties and has given rise to some curious and principles of the very and said looking around him it has been a perfect drag net case we haye np a great deal of law my dear sir i confess i have been sadly puzzled replied with the of this whole proceeding so have i said but you have had mu the worst of it for there in the first place you were lost in the then you were in the mud and after that you were torn with you have some of the marks upon your face yet then you lost entirely our chase of the fox but i believe you are not fond of that sir these were trifles replied the other i	29
alluded to the conflicting opinions i understood you interrupted the lawyer it takes a good nose and a fleet foot to follow one of these little old fashioned through its saying this opened the door of the study and walked into the hall wiping his spectacles with his handkerchief and casting strange and comic looks upon hazard and myself who followed him he was highly excited with the proceedings of the morning and being relieved from the restraint of mr s presence gave vent to his feelings by amusing remarks and a sly half quiet and half which never broke out into any open fit of laughter nor yet fell to the level of his ordinary calmness it was now the family dinner hour and the household assembled in one of the where the result of the was made known and gave rise to a great deal of animated conversation the behavior of mr at the dinner table was and precise he was even more lavish than usual of the personal that his manners at all times and it was the that daring the whole time that he mingled in the family groups where the decision which had just been made was a subject of constant he never permitted an expression relating to it to escape his lips he sat but a few moments after the cloth was drawn leaving the table in the occupation of his company and retired to the study where he employed himself amongst the papers belonging to the law suit as the long afternoon wore away the boundary line and all its concerns were forgotten and our party fell into the various amusements their situation afforded at length the hour came for our return to swallow barn prudence at the persuasion cf the ladies had consented to remain during the night ned hazard informed mr that he was requested by to invite the whole family with mr to dinner at swallow bam the next day the old gentleman expressed great pleasure in accepting the invitation and the rest promised to keep the appointment without fail having these matters mr and mounted their horses and rode slowly down the hill from the mansion but just as hazard who had delayed a moment after his comrades was leaving the door his horse grown by seeing his two companions moving off and tossing up his head and his bit made a sudden start broke his bridle and went off at full speed leaping and flinging himself into wild and playful motions as he disappeared in the direction of the road all pursuit was vain and as it was apparent that he would make the best of his way to his own stable ned got into the carriage with the little girls and myself and followed by wilful we were wheeled off from the as rapidly as old could urge his cattle forward chapter the swamp the sun was not above half high when we took our departure from the and the heat of the atmosphere was beginning to yield to the partial of the dew and the slow invasion of the night breeze the road lay principally along the river upon a bank some ten or twelve feet above the tide shaded with low black or tall pines it occasionally to head an or thread a and sometimes extended with a single track through the neighboring fields which were guarded according to a common arrangement in the old dominion by a succession of peculiarly inconvenient and weather worn gates that dragged heavily upon their wooden hinges and swung to again with a aim at their awkward to the imminent peril of the tails of all animals that travelled through them in a short time we reached a point where the read turned abruptly from the river and took an inland direction making a circuit of a mile or more to pass the famous apple pie which it does at some distance below the old mill so in my former sketches at this turn ned hazard proposed that we should perform the rest of our journey on foot he wished to show me the swamp a region of marsh about half a mile the swamp distant formed by the of the apple pie over the flat grounds near its with the james an old road had once traversed the swamp at this place and the remains of the were yet ned affirmed sufficiently solid to afford a passage to besides the swamp showed to great advantage about twilight we accordingly committed our little companions to the of and the coach entered a wood that bordered the road where we soon found ourselves involved in a of young pine trees springing up so close together am almost to forbid a passage through them the ground was with a thick coat of pine straw as the yellow of this tree are called so slippery as to render it difficult to walk over it and the tangled branches caught in our clothes and frequently struck our hats from our heads but we succeeded at last in gaining an obscure path so much in shade as to be scarcely this conducted us through the of the wood and in a few moments we emerged upon the of an open country before us lay a plain surrounded by forest which in front above a that sprang from an extensive marsh at the farther extremity of the plain the earth was clothed with a thin of grass and the still distinct of ancient furnished proof that the tract had been at some remote period under cultivation but long since abandoned perhaps on account of its a few of meagre trees were scattered over this forsaken region and deep washed into the soil exposed to view its signal poverty somewhere near the middle of this open ground stood a solitary low brick chimney conspicuous for its ample fire place and surrounded by	29
a heap of ruins to which a more striking air of the swamp desolation was added by a luxuriant growth of weeds that had taken root in the rank formed by the wreck of household timber amongst these relics of former habitation were the of a draw well choked by the wash of the land the weeds sprang from its mouth and the tall post with the in its upper extremity still supported the long piece of timber that balanced the bucket according to a device yet in use in many parts of the country immediately around the ruin in what was once the of the dwelling ia few fruit trees with joints and bowed down with years flung their almost and distorted limbs the ther were also to be seen about fifty paces off a black of and some faint traces of the of a former of which the evidence was more in the remains of a door on which was burnt the figure of a horse shoe when we arrived at this spot the sun was just peering with his enlarged through the upper branches of the trees in the western horizon the clouds were gorgeous with the golden and purple tints that give such magnificence to our summer evenings and the light falling on the volume of forest around us communicated a richer gloom to its shades and the gigantic branches of some oaks on the border of the plain as they were seen relieved against the clear sky long and distorted shadows fell from every weed bush and tree and contributed with the forlorn aspect of the landscape to impress us with an and solemn sensation that for a moment threw us into silence flights of traversed the air above our heads and sang out their as they plied their way to a distant the fish hawk had perched upon the highest naked branch of the oak and at intervals was seen to stretch forth his wing and his feathers as if his position for the night all animated objects that inhabited this swamp region seemed to be busy witb cares and the preparations for rest or prey from every quarter hazard taking advantage of the impression made by the sombre around ns as we marched onward to the rain threw out some hints that we were now upon a haunted spot and began to converse in a lower tone and walk closer to my side with an air of mystery and fear put on to sort with the nature of the story he waa telling the ruin he informed me was formerly the of brown who had strange doings with the devil and both and his companion were frequently seen in the swamp dark the he said and many of the white people about the country held this place in g terror which he believed was reason why the road that formerly crossed the marsh at this place had been certainly the devil and brown could not have chosen a more secluded and barren waste for their at length we reached the opposite side of the plain where it became necessary to halt and examine more our road ned was under great embarrassment to discover the old the had grown up so thick as to render this a task of uncertain accomplishment there were several paths leading into the made by the tramp of cattle these so far perplexed my companion that he was obliged to confess his ignorance of tbe right way we determined however to go on the approaching night began already to our view and the undertaking seemed to be sufficiently perilous even in daylight i kept pace with hazard and shared with him the difficulties of a path that at every step became more intricate until at last we found ourselves by deep pools of water with a footing no better than that afforded by a scarcely large enough for one person to stand upon where we were obliged to cling to the bushes for support whilst the soft the swamp texture of the earth yielded to our weight and let in the water above our shoe tops here ned began to swear that the place was strangely altered since he had last visited it and to charge himself with a loss of memory in not knowing better how to get through this wilderness he protested that brown or his comrade had him and brought him into this as a punishment for his i wish their he continued would condescend to favor us with the assistance of one of their we might arrive safely beyond the of their cursed dominion what ho good mr i he cried out have you no mercy on two foolish travellers ned had no sooner made this which he did at the top of his voice than we heard at a distance from us the indistinct rustling of leaves as of one brushing through them and the frequent of a footstep treading through the marsh the sounds indicated the movement of the object towards us and it became obvious that something was fast making its way to the spot where we stood truly said ned that mr is a polite and civil demon he scarce has notice of our before he comes himself to relieve them by this time a grotesque figure became faintly visible through the veil of twigs and branches that enveloped us all that we could discern was the outline of something resembling a man his stature was uncommonly low and broad apparently he wore no coat and upon what seemed his head was an cap that fitted closely to his skull who goes there cried ned briskly as the figure came to a halt and looked wildly about ghost or devil neither replied the figure with a voice such is that of a man with a bad cold and at the same instant the swamp boldly before us but an	29
old sinner who is a little of both a sort of that has more gray hairs than brains yet not bo much of a aa to be ignorant that the round about way is often the nearest home the figure broke out into a loud hollow and unnatural laugh what is it possible what in the name of the fool brings you here cried out ned the speaker who was a short thick set legged personage bearing all the marks of an old man with a strangely weather beaten face by as many as the rugged slope of a sand hill he had a large mouth with tobacco and with any show of teeth he had moreover a small nose a low forehead and eyes that beneath projecting brows of and y hair for a man upon sixty five his frame was uncommonly vigorous although it was apparent that he was lame of one leg his which had attracted our attention even at a distance was nothing more than the remnant of an antique cocked hat now of its so as to form a close round cap his throat was covered with a beard of half an inch length and laid open to view between the collar of a coarse brown shirt across his arm was flung a coat of some homely material with huge metal buttons appearing to view and his and shoes were covered with the mud of the swamp a belt crossed his shoulder to which was suspended a bag of cloth and in his hand he bore two or three implements for there was a in his gestures of which the was heightened by the fox like expression of his countenance and the vagabond freedom of his manners you are well met continued ned the devil of the swamp could never have sent us a better man how are we to get through the the swamp it is easy enough ned hazard for a traveller who knows a from a replied and pray how old should he be to arrive at that knowledge he should be old enough to catch a black snake in the water ned or at least he ought to have cut his eye teeth said with another of his strange hollow laughs save your jest for dry land old fellow interrupted hazard and tell us plainly how we shall find our way to swallow bam without going round they who have the folly to get in ought to carry wit enough with them to get out replied old gentleman said ned with a tone of entreaty we shall take an if you keep us here it grows late and if we can save a mile by crossing the swamp who knows but you may be all the better for it when we get safe to the other side you see sir said with more respect in his manner than before a counsel is sometimes worth the weighing but an old dog you know ned can t alter his way of barking so you and that gentleman must excuse my tongue and if you will follow me i will put you across the swamp as clean as a bridge of gold though i don t mean to hazard that you couldn t soon learn the way yourself saying this he conducted us back to the margin of marsh and passing some distance higher up entered the thicket again by the path of the old along which we proceeded with no other caution than carefully to step in the places pointed out by who led the way with the vigorous motion of a man in the prime of life and in a brief space we found ourselves in safety on the opposite side here we gave our guide a liberal reward for his services which so elated the old man as to rouse all his the swamp is a person of some in this district he is a by birth and came to america with count during the war of the as a not above fourteen years old and he was present at the action at red bank on the when that unfortunate officer met bis fate he was afterwards engaged in the southern when he found means to desert to the american lines in time to witness the surrender of lord at the close of the war took up his quarters in the neighborhood of where he set up the trade of a as being most congenial with his a tolerable on the he contrived to a sufficient capital to purchase an instrument with which he ever afterwards his cares and divided his business wandering through the country where he mended the and himself into the good graces of every family within the circuit of his this career was interrupted by but one episode which happened in the year seventeen hundred and ninety one when being attacked by an unusual restlessness he in the army and marched with st against the indians the he got in the disastrous event of that expedition brought him home in the following year with a more pacific temper and a lame leg it was like returning to his plough he took up his and fiddle again and devoted himself to the of the kitchen and parlor being one of those mortals whose carelessness of is to their aversion to labor was equally idle and ragged and contrived generally by a shrewd and droll humor to keep himself in good quarters though upon a footing that rendered him liable at all times to be dismissed without ceremony he has always been distinguished for his stores of old and the women about the families where he gained a seat in the corner of the kitchen fire were indebted to him for the most accepted of the the swamp tragedy and some other lamentable the of true and ladies fair and free which he taught them to sing in	29
long with a touching sadness and agreeably to their tunes besides this he was the of much of the lore of the neighbor hood picked up from the old people of the time and according to his own account he had a familiar acquaintance with sundry and was on good terms with every ghost that haunted any house along the james river these characteristics gave him many and often gained him access to bower and hall and as he was gifted with a sagacity which always knew how to flatter his he was universally regarded as a well meaning worthless idle who if he could not make himself useful was at least in nobody s way on all occasions his was an ample recommendation and as he could tell fortunes and sing queer old songs he was connected in the of the younger folks with agreeable associations from these causes he was seldom an unwelcome and not being fastidious on the score of personal entertainment he was well content to get his supper in the kitchen a for which he had the craving of the daughter of the and the privilege of a corner in the of late had lost some favor by his increasing for drink and by the suspicion that to d upon pretty strong proofs of not being over scrupulous in his regard for the rights of property besides for many years past his had fallen into by reason as he said of these yankee breaking up his honest calling so that at this time may be considered like an old hound whose nose has grown cold his are in consequence of a much more miscellaneous character than formerly the swamp such was the individual who had rescued us from the perils of the and who now brought us to firm ground had no further pretext for keeping our company but he was not so easily shaken off his love of gossip took advantage of the encouragement he had already met and he therefore strode resolutely in our footsteps a little in the rear talking partly to himself and partly to us without receiving any response at length finding that no further notice was likely to be taken of him he ventured to say in a doubtful tone the next time the gentlemen have a fancy to cross this ay perhaps they ll think a few in the s better than a pair of swamp stockings and many thanks beside said i but how came a to be so close at hand this evening sir replied himself of this and coming up to our side bless you this is a quite natural sort of place to me i am too good for nothing to be afraid of spirits for i am not worth the sir here he laughed in his usual singular way the swamp is a very good mother to me although i am a simple body and can pick up a penny where rich folks would never think of looking for it how is that i asked there is a power of about these parts sir he replied and with the help of these tools holding up his can sometimes gather a few with no more cost than a wet pair of breeches which is s luck sir and of no account excepting a little and not even that if a man has plenty of this sort of so saying he thrust his hand into his bag and pulled out a green that contained a small supply of perhaps the gentlemen wouldn t be above taking a taste themselves he continued for it s a mighty fine thing against the the swamp we excused es pat the to his mouth and his lips as he concluded his draught it s a kind of milk for old people and not bad for young ones what success have you had to day with your traps inquired i have come o f poorly he replied the are getting shy and not like what they used to be now i have got no more than two rats some days even i don t get that much then i take it you do not much in the world i remarked ah sir replied still holding the in his hand and beginning to it is a great help to a man s conscience to know that he his bread a poor s honesty is as good as a rich man s gold i am a sort of person and no better than i ought to be but i never saw any good come out of deceit virtue is its own reward as the parson says and away goes the devil when he finds the door shut against him i am no scholar but i have found that out without reading books at this moment the half smothered of a fowl was heard from s bag god never sends mouths continued but he sends meat and any man who has sense enough to be honest will never want wit to know how to live but he plough with such oxen as he has some people have bad names but all are not thieves that dogs bark at so you have only taken two to day said ned have you nothing else in the bag nothing else hazard are they dead or alive asked ned oh dead dead as old adam they were swinging by their necks long enough to nine lives out of them the this swamp is haunted said ned yes sir replied there are certainly some queer doings here sometimes but for my share i never saw any thing in these to make an honest man afraid ail that you have to do is to say your prayers and that will put any devilish thing out of heart did you ever know a dead asked ned to be changed into a live now master honest	29
i can up a devil to do that very thing here put on a le and hesitated for a moment as if collecting himself whilst he was heard giving out a confused laugh at length he observed ned has always got some trick z often tell folks hazard is a man see now said hazard striking the bag with his hand does not that sound like a hen oh i grant you exclaimed assuming a tone of surprise i had like to have forgotten when i said there was nothing but the rats in my bag i set no account upon a that sandy gave me this evening for putting a few in his copper still come said ned no lies amongst friends sandy never owned a still in his life did i say a still hazard i spoke in a sort of uncertain way which was as much as to signify said his brain for a better account of the matter and twisting his face into some shrewd which at last ended by his coming close to hazard and putting his finger against his nose as he said in a half whisper it was an old grudge against sandy that i had upon account of his me before company for drinking and that i made free with a shirt that his wife lost from the line in a high wind last april and some other the old scores i had so i thought a was small enough for such a scandal pick up law is the law for a poor man hazard and possession is nine points oat of ten isn t that true here he laughed again i think a gentleman who so much of his honesty and might practise a better code but as between you and sandy said ned your merits are so nearly equal that take what you can and keep what i ou get is a pretty sound rule although you are like to get the best of that bargain oh replied i want nothing more than justice the night was now closing in fast we were walking along a narrow tongue of land which stretched into the swamp from the bosom of which on either side arose a forest of lofty trees whose branches were traced upon the sky with that bold that may be remarked at the twilight whilst the dusk rapidly below and flung its increasing gloom upon our path here and there a occurred to view springing forth from the pool und in lurid shade half sunk in the and bough of fallen trees with the ground over which we trod took an easy impression from our footsteps and the of the marsh mingled with the heavy dew was to be felt in the of our clothes and compelled us to button up our coats this dreary region was neither silent nor but inhabitants to the genius of the place clouds of small insects crossed now and then by a played their fantastic around our heads displaying their minute and active forms against the western horizon as they us upon our way the night hawk arose at intervals with a hoarse scream into this fading light and swept across it with a graceful motion sometimes whirling so near that we could hear the the rash of his and the white spot it as he darted past our eyes thousands of fire flies lit up the gloom and sped about like in at one moment lifting their as if to pursuit and vanishing as in a jest a congregation of from the secret chambers of the with might and main the whip poor will with a and melancholy his sharp note of discord the little pierced the air with his shrill music the as the country people call it glowed from the cold and bosom of the marsh and far from us in the depths of darkness the owl sat upon his perch brooding over the pool and out a dismal that fell upon the air like the cries of a tortured ghost we briskly upon our way but almost without exchanging words for the assemblage of striking objects in the scene had us into silence i do not wonder that a solitary traveller should grow superstitious amidst such to his imagination followed our steps and as i fancied completely subdued by i thought he walked closer on our skirts than a man perfectly at ease would do and his was entirely gone he firmly believed in the stories of the swamp and i was anxious to get them from his wn lips as hazard had given me to understand that i could not meet a better with this purpose i gave him encouragement to follow us to swallow bam and now having passed the of the wood we found but little to attract our attention for the rest of the journey you must tell me the story of brown to night said i to as i invited him to bear us company in an instant s imagination was full of the comforts of the kitchen i t swallow as w h the self the that belongs to a story he consented witb a alacrity and then remarked that the gentlemen always knew how to get something to please them out of and that he always did like himself to keep company with quality it was after when we arrived at swallow bam chapter story telling in the time of the revolution and for a good many years afterwards old nick enjoyed that solid popularity which as lord expressed it follows a man s actions rather than is sought after by them but in our time he is falling into the and yellow leaf especially in the atlantic states like those persons who have grown oat at elbows by sticking too long to a poor soil or who haye been out of their profitable by the	29
competition of numbers his family has moved oflf with bag and baggage to the back this is certain that in virginia he is not seen half so often now as formerly a traveller in the old dominion may now wander about of nights as dark as pitch over around old churches and through and all the while the rain may be pouring down with its solemn hissing sound and the thunder may be over his head and the wind moaning through the trees and the lightning flinging its glare across the of dead horses and over the upon the and even to make the case stronger a drunken may be in the church door being overtaken by the storm on his way home and every flash may show his livid face story telling like that of a vagabond corpse that had stolen out of his prison to enjoy the night air and yet it is ten to one if the said traveller be a man to be favored with a glimpse of that old fashioned distinguished personage who was wont to be showing his foot upon much less provocation to our ancestors the old can tell you of a hundred that he used to play in their day and what a roaring sort of a blade he was but alas i are not so chicken hearted as in the old time it is a terribly age and the devil and all his works are fast growing to be forgotten except brown s pot companion i much question if there is another legitimate in the old dominion and in spite of ned hazard and who do all they can to keep up his credit i am much mistaken if he does not speed away to the or the mountains one of these days as fast and as silently as an lest therefore his exploits should be lost to the world i will record this chronicle of the last of the virginia devils as it has been given to me by the that most of as may be seen by the perusal of what i am going to write the substance of this narrative for i do not deny some was delivered by after supper as we sat in the porch at swallow bam until midnight all the while puffing a short pipe and only rising oh his feet at such times as his animation got beyond control and him to act the scene he was describing the witnesses were mr and frank who sat just inside of the door attended by and who for the greater part of the had their arms about frank s neck and mr who though within hearing for he was seated at the window also smoking i do not believe paid much attention to the story although he k was heard or twice to blow out a stream of smoke from his month and say an epithet in common use with him but there were ned and myself dose beside and who sat on the steps in the open air with his head occasionally turned over his looking up at the story with the most marked attention and lastly there were sundry children and grown who were clustered into a dusky group beneath the parlor window just where a broad ray of fell upon them and who displayed their white teeth like some of old nick s own brood as they broke out now and then into hysterical cowardly laughs and uttered of in s stories that showed the most faith own brown was a blacksmith who belonged to harry lee s light horse and shod almost all the hoofs of the he was a jolly boisterous red faced fellow with sandy hair and light blue eyes so exceedingly blood shot that at a little distance off you c ould hardly tell that they were eyes at all he had no leisure during the war to get them for what with the smoke of his furnace and keeping late hours on and hard drinking his time was filled up to the entire of his complexion he was a to whom no service came amiss whether at the or in the field having a decisive muscle for the management of a piece of hot iron and an especial for a bout in which latter species of employment it was his luck to hold frequent with the enemy whereby he became notorious for picking up cutting off baggage and rum and brown now and then for a prisoner of his he could handle a as naturally as a hammer and many a time has his blade above his and made it glitter in the sun with a true flourish whilst he gave the to his companions as he headed an upon s cavalry towards the close of the war he served with colonel washington and was promoted to the rank of a for leading a party of the enemy into an and in addition to this honor the colonel made him a present of a full suit of in which they say was a proper looking fellow his black leather cap with a strip of over it and a white buck tail set on one side gave a martial to his red flannel face a blue coat turned up with broad and meeting at the pit of his stomach with a hook and eye was well adapted to show the breadth of his chest which was usually uncovered enough to reveal the shaggy mat of red hair that grew upon it a belt fastened round his waist by an immense brass sustained a that rattled upon the ground when he walked his yellow leather breeches were remarkable for the air of which they imparted to the vast of his bulk and taken together with his ample s boots gave the richest effect to his short and thick legs that thus might be said	29
to be gorgeous specimens of the egyptian column such was the of brown on all festival occasions and he was said to be not a little proud of this reward of on work days he exhibited an old pair of glazed brown small clothes coarse stockings covered with made of deer hide and shoes with immense though as to the stockings he did not always wear them or no it was all the same to brown i am minute in mentioning the because for a long time after the war was accustomed to himself in this identical suit on sundays and about with the air of a commander in chief s skill in rendered him very in the on a damp morning or over sandy roads he could trail like a hound it was only for to examine the prints upon the ground and he could tell with astonishing precision whether the horses that had passed were of his own how many were in company how long they had gone by and whether at a gallop a trot or a walk whether they had halted or had been driving cattle and in fact almost as many particulars as might be read in a upon such occasions when appearances were favorable he had only to get a few of his dare devils together and was sure to have some of brown s in his before he had time to say grace over it used always to commence these adventures by drinking the devil s health as he called it which was done very devoutly in a cup of rum with a of which he said was a charm against sword cuts and pistol shot when his expedition was ended he generally called his roll marked down the names of the killed wounded and missing by the scratch of his black thumb nail and then returned the dingy into his pocket with a knowing at the and the which he repeated with a sincere faith that the devil was good to his own this familiarity with the old gentleman as himself termed him added to his like accomplishment of swearing till he made people s hair stand on end a common belief in the corps that he was on very significant terms with his patron and it was said that brown and the devil would one day be wearing each other s shirts brown when the war was oyer the found himself a hero in possession of more liberty than he knew what to do with a and hammer an old pair of a cabinet of worn out a leather apron his sunday in tolerable repair and a raw somewhat by to say nothing of a light heart and an arm as full of as an ox s leg all things he concluded himself to be a well furnished and person and began to cast about in what way he should best enjoy his and the ease the gods had made for him in his frequent over this momentous subject he fell into some shrewd calculations upon the and comfort were likely to from a judicious there was at that time a driving bearing the of mistress who lived at the landing near swallow barn this dame was now somewhat in the and together with her mother occupied a little patch of ground on the river upon which was erected a small one frame house the very now in possession of sandy here her had in his lifetime kept a drinking tavern for the accommodation of the who frequented the landing the widow did not choose to a trade and therefore kept up the house whilst the principal cares of the fell upon the and en mistress who from all accounts was endowed with the necessary whidi gave lustre to her calling being a free and easy chap and endowed with a remarkable instinct in finding out where the best were to be ha on the terms had fallen into the habit of with a certain set of idle who made the widow house their on sunday and as often on week days as they brown could find an excuse for getting together and had been s of free entertainment in the army that he acquired some for serving his comrades in the same manner that be had been used to treat the old continental that is he left them pretty generally to pay his by degrees he began to be sensible to the slow of the tender passion which stole across his bosom like a volume of smoke through a he sung about the with the interest of a lover and took upon him i self sundry minute cares of the household that excused some increase of familiarity he laughed very loud whenever mistress affected to be witty and with his huge ponderous i upon the glasses or other implements which the i dame fixed her eye upon as needful in the occasions of her calling i not a little to tlie peril of the said articles of furniture for e s clutch was none of the in his moods in z short his soon made him master of the mistress her purse and person she had seen the devil i according to the common three times and had been j so much alarmed at his last visit that the story goes she swore an oath that she would marry his cousin german rather than be j by his further attentions there is no knowing what a woman will do under such circumstances i believe myself that mistress chose principally on account of his well n dare devil qualities the dame whose worldly accomplishments and personal charms j had dissolved the case hardened heart of the black t smith of the was altogether worthy of her lord a of had spun her out into a thread some six feet long j a tide water atmosphere had given	29
her an face sprinkled over with of and exhibiting somewhat from daily crosses her thin lips had brown something of the bitterness of the with the of tho her hair which was jet black was across her brow with the aid of a little in such a manner as to give it a rigid that pretty accurately her temper on holiday occasions and also aided by its in the impression of a figure to the greatest length consistent with the of the bodily functions a pair of dark eyes of which one looked rather out of its line glared upon the world with an habitual and in short take her for all and all mistress was a woman of a commanding temper severe devotion to business acute and attraction for brown after the of the took a lease of mr of the small tract of land on the swamp which even at that day was a very suspicious region and the scene of many marvellous adventures of all places in the country it seemed to have the greatest charm for he accordingly set up his habitation by the side of the old county road that crossed the marsh by the and here he also opened his shop mistress brown resumed her former and sold spirits whilst her husband devoted his time to the pursuits of the working of iron and the delights of the bottle the managing also attached herself and was sometimes as as the in process of time they were surrounded by four or five of either sex whose red hair eyes and gaunt and figures showed their legitimate descent as these grew they were to be seen hanging about the half covered with rags and with faces looking wildly out of of hair which like the beams of the sun in the image of that on a country sign brown the eldest boy was bred up to bis father s trade that is he a horse tail tied to a all day long in summer to keep the flies from the animals that were brought to be shod at which sleepy employment was wont to keep the s tion alive by an occasional rap across the head or an application of his foot amongst the rags that the person of the heir apparent upon this system of training it is reported there were many family differences and his and some disputed fields but s muscle was enough to settle any question so that it is not wonderful that the should sometimes have taken to flight and had recourse to her tongue in way the discord stealthily crept into the e of the and from one flower bed advanced to another until he made himself master of the whole garden quarrels then became a domestic diversion and travellers along the road could tell when the was putting his household in order by the sound of certain which proceeded from the interior and the frequent apparition of a young darting towards the shop with one hand scratching his head and the other holding up what seemed a pair of but which in reality were s old leather breeches the customers at the shop too affirmed that it was a usual thing to hear mistress brown talking to herself for two or three hours in an shrill key after had gone to his and some persons went so far as to say that in the dead hour of night in the worst weather voices could be heard upon the wind in the direction of brown s dwelling more than a mile off one very high and the other very and sometimes there was a third voice that shook the air like an earthquake and made the blood run cold at the sound of it from this it may be seen that s house was not very brown comfortable to him for he was at bottom a good natured fellow who loved peace and quiet or at any rate who did not like the of a woman which he aid wore a man out like water on a to be sure he did not care about noise if it was of a jolly sort but that he found at home and therefore as he took no pride in to use own phrase upon s report he naturally took to he was an open hearted fellow too who liked to spend his money when he had it but the mistress began to get the upper hand and in nothing are the first of female more than in the of what is called the family economy s breeches robbed the pockets and secured the treasure she his and settled his accounts his credit and in short did every thing but publish her determination to pay no debts of his the stout before these he could never have been taken by storm but to turn the siege into a and to fret his soul with mouse it was enough to break the spirit of any man however covered himself with glory for after being reduced to the last stage of as happens sometimes with an oppressed nation he resolved to be his own master again thanks to the or he would never have made so successful a rebellion i and gave mrs brown on a memorable occasion a tremendous beating by which he regained the purse strings and spent where and when and as freely as suited his own entertainment there was one thing in which showed the regularity and discipline of an old soldier he was steady to it in the worst of times no matter where his might lead him to what distance or at what hours or how he might have grown he was always sure to his way home before brown from this cause he became a traveller oyer the country in all and at all times of night time or tide did not weigh a feather he would snap	29
his fingers said at the midnight and swear he could walk the whole county the fact was was a brave man and feared neither ghost nor devil and could hardly be said to be afraid even of his wife one winter night or rather one winter morning for it was past midnight was coming home from a the snow was lying about half leg deep all over the fields and there was a crust frozen upon it that was barely strong enough to support his weight at every step he took it broke through with him so that he along sadly without a track and there was a great rustling and creaking of his shoes as he walked a sharp north wind whistled with that that showed the clearness of the atmosphere and the moon was shining as bright as silver casting the black shadows of trees like bold upon the driven snow the stars were all glittering with that fine frosty lustre which makes the vault of heaven seem of the deepest blue and except the rising and sinking notes of the wind all was still for it was cutting cold and every living thing was mute in its midnight yet a lonely man might well fancy there were beings abroad besides himself for on such a night there are sounds in the breeze of human tones like persons talking at a distance at all events was at such a time on his way home and as he crossed the field which showed him his own habitation at a distance being in the best possible humor with himself and whistling away as loud as he could not from fear but from inward satisfaction y he all at once heard somebody whistling an entirely different tut close behind him he stopped and looked around but there w nothing but the moon and trees and shadows so nothing brown he stepped on again whistling as before when to his great the other note was instantly resumed he now halted a second time immediately all was still then whistled out a sort of flourish by way of experiment the other did the very same thing repeated this several times and it was always answered quite near him who the devil are you exclaimed holding his hand up to his ear to catch the sound look behind you and you will see replied a harsh screaming voice turned suddenly around and there he saw on the snow the shadow of a thin queer looking man in a very sort of a dress mounted upon a horse that by the shadow must have been a mere skeleton these were moving at full speed although there was no road for a horse to travel on either but ihe shadow seemed to go over shrubs and trees and bushes as smoothly as any shadow could travel and distinctly heard the striking of a horse s hoofs upon the snow at every bound though he could see nothing of the real man or horse presently as the sound of the feet died away heard a laugh from the voice in the direction of the swamp cried what s your hurry but there was no answer said as he stood stock still with his hands in his breeches pockets and began to laugh that s a genius for you said he with a kind of perplexed drunken half humor ous face as he found he was not likely to make much out of it he walked on and began tc talk to himself and after a while to whistle louder than ever whilst he was struggling forward in this way he heard something like a cat call down towards the swamp and immediately there rushed past him the shadows of a of making every sort of and deep or j he could even hear the little of ice that were flung from their feet along the crust of snow but still he could see nothing but shadows and the sounds grew and fainter until they melted away in the bosom of the swamp now stopped again and folded his arms across his breast although he could not help tottering a little from being rather top and in this position he fell gravely to considering first he looked all around then h e took off his hat and ran his fingers through his hair and after that he rubbed his eyes tut said he it s all a there s no drag in the world will lie upon this snow that s some drunken vagabond that had better be in his bed what s that you say brown said the same harsh voice he had heard before you had better look out how you take any freedom with a gentleman of quality quality t cried turning his head round as he spoke ton and your quality had better be like a sober man than to be playing off your at this time of night looked on the snow and there was the shadow of the horse again standing still and the figure upon it had one arm set a against his side could now observe as the shadow turned that he wore something like a jacket for the shadow showed the short skirt out behind and under this was the shadow of a tail turned upwards and thrown across his shoulder his cap appeared to be a thing perched on the very top of his head and below the ribs of the skeleton horse he could perceive the legs dangling with hoofs one of which was exclaimed begin to understand you sir tou are no better than you should be and i will not keep com with such a brown then good night brown t said the voice yon an fellow but i ll teach you manners the next time i meet you and thereupon the shadow moved off at a hard	29

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