diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'old/67723-0.txt')
| -rw-r--r-- | old/67723-0.txt | 8277 |
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 8277 deletions
diff --git a/old/67723-0.txt b/old/67723-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 30614df..0000000 --- a/old/67723-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,8277 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Whistler, by Walter Aimwell - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Whistler - or, The Manly Boy - -Author: Walter Aimwell - -Release Date: March 27, 2022 [eBook #67723] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Richard Hulse, Barry Abrahamsen, and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was - produced from images generously made available by The - Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WHISTLER *** - - - - - -[Illustration: - - THE FOREST PICNIC. (_See page 123._) -] - - - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - -[Illustration: - - The - Aimwell - Stories. - - BY - Walter Aimwell. - - Whistler - - TAKE HEED WILL SURELY SPEED - - Gould & Lincoln -] - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - The Aimwell Stories. - - --------------------- - - - - WHISTLER; - - - OR, - - - THE MANLY BOY. - - - BY - - - WALTER AIMWELL, - - AUTHOR OF “OSCAR,” “CLINTON,” “ELLA,” ETC. - - - - - WITH ILLUSTRATIONS. - - - - - BOSTON: - GOULD AND LINCOLN, - 59 WASHINGTON STREET. - - NEW YORK: SHELDON, BLAKEMAN & CO. - CINCINNATI: GEORGE S. BLANCHARD. - 1857. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1856, by - GOULD AND LINCOLN, - In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the District of - Massachusetts. - - - - Electro-Stereotyped by - G. J. STILES & COMPANY, - 23 Congress Street, Boston. - - - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - PREFACE. - - -------------- - - -THE object of this book is to portray the character of the MANLY BOY—a -character that never fails to inspire love and esteem, if only it be -natural and genuine. That a youth may still be a real boy in his tastes, -his pursuits, and his feelings,—as every young lad certainly ought to -be,—and yet exhibit something of true manliness in his spirit and -deportment, will, it is hoped, be made manifest to the youngest mind, in -the story of WHISTLER. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - ADVERTISEMENT. - - - -------------- - - “PRECEPTS MAY LEAD, BUT EXAMPLES DRAW.” - - -------------- - - -“THE AIMWELL STORIES” are designed to portray some of the leading phases -of juvenile character, and to point out their tendencies to future good -and evil. This they undertake to do, by describing the quiet, natural -scenes and incidents of every-day life, in city and country, at home and -abroad, at school and upon the play-ground, rather than by resorting to -romantic adventures and startling effects. While their main object is to -persuade the young to lay well the foundations of their characters, to -win them to the ways of virtue, and to incite them to good deeds and -noble aims, the attempt is also made to mingle amusing, curious, and -useful information with the moral lessons conveyed. It is hoped that the -volumes will thus be made attractive and agreeable, as well as -instructive, to the youthful reader. - -Each volume of the “Aimwell Stories” will be complete and independent of -itself, although a connecting thread will run through the whole series. -The order of the volumes, so far as completed, is as follows: - - I. OSCAR; OR, THE BOY WHO HAD HIS OWN WAY. - II. CLINTON; OR, BOY-LIFE IN THE COUNTRY. - III. ELLA; OR, TURNING OVER A NEW LEAF. - IV. WHISTLER; OR, THE MANLY BOY. - V. MARCUS; OR, THE BOY-TAMER. (_In Preparation._) - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CONTENTS. - - -------------- - - - CHAPTER I. - - A VACATION JOURNEY. - - PAGE - - The last bell—The man who was too 17 - late—Underway—Going down the - harbor—Whistler—How he came by his - name—Mr. Preston—Ella and - Emily—Supper—Scrabbling and - rudeness—An overheard remark—How - American voracity strikes a - foreigner—Whistler’s - resolution—Turning in—The berths—The - boot-black—Lying awake—Morning - naps—The river—Pleasant - scenery—Breakfast at the tavern—The - stage-coach ride—Cross - Roads—Clinton—The journey’s end, - - - CHAPTER II. - - LOOKING ABOUT. - - The Davenport family—Whistler’s 28 - cousins—Surveying the premises—The - house—The shop—Tools—Clinton’s - skill—The barn—Rye—Verdancy—The - swine—Clinton’s fowls—How he managed - them—The patch of corn—A partnership - proposed—The other side of the - account—The kitchen garden—Working on - shares—The secret of Clinton’s - success—His studies—The ducks and - their home—Geography of Brookdale—Map - of the town, - - - CHAPTER III. - - Clinton’s chamber—The furniture—The 41 - writing-desk—The library—The - schooner—Pictures—Lessons - suspended—Plans about - work—Morning—Milking—A talk about the - cows—Daisy’s uneasiness—Conversation - suspended—Breakfast—Impromptu - rhymes—Clinton’s favorite song—The - turkeys and - hens—Weeding—Witch-grass—Difficulty of - exterminating it—An imagined moral—A - habit of Whistler’s father—The toad—A - cruel act—Ending his misery—Whistler’s - thoughtlessness—Toads not - poisonous—The good they do—How the - boys serve them—Tame toads—How they - eat—“Spitting fire” a vulgar - notion—How the toad disposes of his - old coat—Clinton’s authority for his - statement—The morning’s work - completed, - - - CHAPTER IV. - - AN AFTERNOON’S EXCURSION. - - A walk—The Prestons—A strawberry 56 - party—The swamp—Ella’s - timidity—Snakes—Foolish - prejudices—Poison ivy—The - woodbine—Difference between them—How - Whistler fastened it in his mind—The - law of the association of ideas—A - poison vine found—Temerity and - timidity—Susceptibility to - poison—Poison dogwood—Its - effects—Description of the - plant—Poisonous plants do not bear - beautiful flowers—The strawberry - patch—Poor picking—The boys go - further—Woods and hills—Bald Peak—A - fine view—How far one can see in - Boston—The other side of the hills—The - report of a gun—A solitary place—A - sportsman—Scaring the game—A rough - salutation—An ill-favored fellow—A few - questions—The man’s lameness—His - account of himself—A favor asked—A - difficulty—A secret divulged—Clinton’s - promise—A threat—They separate—What - Clinton knew about the man—Driving the - cows home, - - - CHAPTER V. - - THE ACCIDENT. - - A rainy day—The hay-cutter—Blood—A 74 - mutilated finger—The missing piece—The - first outburst of grief—The tip - replaced—Sympathy—The - doctor—Encouraging words—The case of - instruments—Sewing the piece - on—Whistler’s heroic endurance of - pain—Praise—Directions—The fire—A sad - loss—The missing horse—The work of a - villain—Suspicions—Tom Walker—The - public security diminished—A visit to - the ruins—The two babies—A good - retort—How the finger got - along—Writing home—An unpleasant - duty—An intimation of - carelessness—Whistler’s - sensitiveness—Clinton’s defence—His - device for making the hay-cutter - safe—Its successful operation—The - letter mailed—Going to bed—Some - speculations about Dick - Sneider—Suspicions—A restless night, - - - CHAPTER VI. - - A LITERARY ENTERPRISE. - - Whistler’s wounded finger—Threshing—A 89 - dialogue wanted—A proposal—The - picnic—Declamation—Hunting for a - subject—Poor success—A new idea—The - dialogue completed—The story on which - it was founded—The quarrel—A - surprise—The master’s reproof—The - mutual flogging—Satisfaction—Forced - reconciliation—The “kiss of - peace”—Laughter and shame—Arrangements - for a rehearsal—Spouting Hollow—A talk - with Mr. Davenport about the - dialogue—He reads it—The boys’ - suspense—His opinion of its literary - merits—His objections to it—The - fighting scene—Moral influence of such - spectacles—Difference between written - descriptions and stage performances of - obnoxious scenes—Errors of the - teacher—The general effect bad—Chagrin - and disappointment—An unguarded - remark—Whistler’s spirit - aroused—Another trial—A subject - found—The task finished—The rehearsal, - - - CHAPTER VII. - - THE INCENDIARY. - - Driving a nail—How to prevent 107 - splitting—Wetting nails—Mr. Walker’s - arrival—News—The stolen horse - found—The suspected rogue—Clinton’s - disclosures—Mr. Walker’s temper—A - furious outbreak—Mrs. Davenport’s - interference—Mitigating - circumstances—Whistler’s courage - reviving—Clinton’s threat—The folly of - flying into a passion—Tears—Mr. - Davenport—His regrets—Whistler’s - generous confession—One of Clinton’s - failings—His defence—Want of - reflection—Thinking an action right - does not make it so—Searching - questions—Compulsory promises—They are - binding, if right in themselves—Wrong - promises not binding—The rule - applied—Clinton convicted—Consequences - of not thinking—A volunteer - defence—The heads of the “brief”—The - judgment softened—The lost horse—The - lesson, - - - CHAPTER VIII. - - THE FOREST PICNIC. - - An early turn out—Morning work—Starting 122 - for the picnic—The church—The - rendezvous—The procession—The forest - road—The falls—The grove—A talk about - Oscar—His letter—Account of his - history—Games and - amusements—Preparations for - speaking—The log cabin—Its - interior—The exercises—The dialogue of - “The Rival Speakers”—A dispute—They - both begin—Interruptions—Ludicrous - imitations—A coincidence—More - beginnings and - interruptions—Coaxings—How the - Irishman and his wife divided the - house—Tom’s withdrawal—Sam’s - impudence—His breakdown—Inglorious - retreat—The authors’ suspense—Their - triumph—The - intermission—Congratulations—Mr. - Walker—His commendation—His - apology—How the boys received - it—Burdens removed—Injuries sink - deeper than apologies—The - dinner—Speeches—Going a - blueberrying—The ride home—Five miles - of talk—Silence—What Clinton was - thinking of—His question proposed—Why - it was not proposed sooner—Mr. - Davenport’s explanation—A - distinction—Sam’s character—Clinton - satisfied—Arrival home, - - - CHAPTER IX. - - THE MIDNIGHT ATTACK. - - A shrunken arm—Importance of exercise—An 143 - exciting discovery—Slaughter of the - fowls—An ungracious crow—Curiosity - excited—Speculations—Depredations of - skunks—Lack of vigilance—A bounty - offered—Burying the dead—Something - about skunks—The trap—The wolf and - deer—Chased by a wolf—The wolf and the - sheep—Bears—A trip to the logging - camp—Uncle Tim’s story—Depredations in - the cornfield—The trap - unsuccessful—Watching for the - beast—His tragic end—Bruin and the - boy—A juvenile hero—A neighborly - visit—Wild-cats—Two kinds—A fight with - a wild-cat—A walk to Mr. Preston’s—His - opinion of the affair—Ella’s - timidity—Quizzing—The nooning—Clinton - not much affected by his loss—How a - man may gain by his losses—Mr. - Davenport’s experience—Our happiness - not dependent on money—Our - stewardship—Clinton’s money not his - own—Debt due his parents—Their legal - claim upon his earnings—Man’s - dependence—Clinton’s pecuniary - loss—His accounts—His profits—Setting - the trap, - - - CHAPTER X. - - THE HOMEWARD TRIP. - - Why the wild-cat was not caught—A long 166 - storm—The dissected map—How it was - made—A pleasant and profitable - diversion—Preparations for going - home—The trap returned—Whistler’s - attachment for his Brookdale - friends—The hour of parting—The ride - to the Cross Roads—The stage coach—The - train—The locomotive—Clinton’s - knowledge of steam engines—View from - the car windows—A talk about a cross - engineer—Bad and good traits—The - engineer’s responsibility—Who takes - the credit, and who the blame—Some of - the engineer’s duties—High speed—What - a locomotive might do without a - master—A runaway engine, and how it - was stopped—Another runaway—A - frightful race—Fortunate - termination—Tediousness of railroad - travelling—Attention attracted by the - train—The boys on the water—The dog, - horse, sheep, cow, &c.—Arrival at - Boston—Ralph, - - - CHAPTER XI. - - THE CITY HOME. - - Morning—First 179 - impressions—Bouncer—Whistler’s frolic - and talk with him—Bouncer’s message to - Clinton—The view from the - windows—Blocks of - buildings—Description of Whistler’s - home—His chamber—How it was - furnished—Whistler’s father—A loud - summons—A quiet joke—The - dining-room—Breakfast—Conversation—Boston - sights—Three strange rules for a - country boy—Clinton’s - perplexity—Whistler’s attempt to - relieve him—Mr. Davenport’s early - “greenness”—His brother’s rebukes—His - reply—Clinton’s decision—City - greenhorns—Whistler and the cows—A - good rejoinder—Ettie’s queer - question—A talk about cows—Mr. - Davenport’s twofold motive—The golden - mean, - - - CHAPTER XII. - - ROMANCE AND REALITY. - - A day’s ramble about town—Strange sights 191 - and sounds—Fatigue—The alarm of - fire—Where it came from—General - indifference to it—The fire engine—The - boys at home—Ettie and her dissected - map—Queer transformations—Description - of the fire-alarm telegraph—The signal - stations—The central office—How the - bells are struck—Its value—Mr. - Davenport’s questions—His fatigue—A - comparison between city and country - workers—Whistler’s anticipated - farm—Playful retort—Romance of the - farm—All men not made for - farmers—Other pursuits necessary—The - great mistake—A dry but important - subject—Clinton’s choice of a - profession—Why he would like to be a - merchant—Romantic notions of - mercantile life—The other - side—Practical application—The summing - up—A few first principles of political - economy—A legal opinion without a fee, - - - CHAPTER XIII. - - SIGHT-SEEING. - - School—The tramp begun—Dogs—The 206 - dog-cart—The image dealer—The released - bird—An unnecessary piece of - information—How received—The - invitation—The birds—A surprise—The - Common—A beautiful scene—The - fountain—View of it—Its various - jets—Vast quantity of water required - to feed it—Changing the jet—The great - elm—A new acquaintance—A proposal - accepted—The State House—A journey to - its top—The lantern—A magnificent - view—The descent—Clinton’s wanderings - in unknown regions—A discovery—How he - happened to get turned round—Safe - arrival—A laugh over the adventure—The - distracted Quaker—The bewildered boy, - - - CHAPTER XIV. - - SCHOOL TRIALS. - - Whistler’s first day at school—Unhappy 224 - recollections—A severe - disappointment—Interview with his - father—Why Whistler did not get into - the high school—He is acquitted of - blame—His reluctance to return to his - old school—His character as a - scholar—A failure the first - day—Mortification—A commission from - the teacher—Its acceptance—Clinton’s - puzzle—The drawings commenced—A - difficult task—Whistler’s ambition - aroused—Clinton’s visit to the - school—An insulting nickname proposed - for a new scholar—Whistler’s - interference in his behalf—He is - himself attacked—His self-control—What - David had to take—A kind word from - Whistler—A challenge—How Whistler - treated it—The young bully’s cowardice - exposed—The school exercises—The - principal’s story—The sick boy—His - first appearance at school—A mean - assailant—A gallant defender—The story - brought home to the school—The verdict - of the scholars on the conduct of the - boys—Who the real dunce is—Difference - between learning easily and studying - hard—Who the most promising scholar - is—Juvenile dulness of famous - men—School dismissed, - - - CHAPTER XV. - - LESSONS IN PHYSIOLOGY. - - The drawings finished—A short school 243 - lecture—Sitting and standing—The - proper position—Two illustrations—The - sitting position illustrated—Curious - mechanism of the backbone—How it - becomes distorted—Effect of stooping - upon the lungs—An experiment or - two—Keeping the arms on a - level—Ettie’s kitten—Whistler’s - joke—The kitten missed—The - search—Whistler’s sad discovery—Policy - of keeping it secret—A good rule - remembered—A wise - decision—Confession—Whistler’s - thoughtlessness—Ettie’s grief, - - - CHAPTER XVI. - - THE PRESTON FAMILY. - - A request—A rule of the house—The 256 - Preston children—Oscar and - Whistler—Marcus—Plans for Oscar’s - benefit—A letter from Brookdale—Dick - Sneider arrested—The wild-cat—Jumping - at a conclusion—Unexpected meeting of - Clinton and Oscar—A good - resolution—Going to the academy—Marcus - invited to become a teacher—Showing - favors to relatives—Ronald—Marcus the - making of him—Bad French—Ronald’s - roguery—Getting into a tight - place—Alarming and ludicrous - predicament—His release—The visit to - Montpelier—Ronald in handcuffs—A sorry - joke—Fortunate escape—Another boy in - another kind of handcuffs—The - advertisement for a boy—An amusing - answer—Fetters of ignorance—The other - applicants—A neat letter—A - recognition—A chance - acquaintance—Favorable impressions—A - pleasant visit, - - - CHAPTER XVII. - - A WATER EXCURSION. - - A sailing party—A damper—Permission 272 - obtained—A struggle—Noble - self-denial—Commendation—Planning a - reward—The guests invited—Henry—The - birthday present—The - yacht—Starting—Collisions—Beating - out—The steamship—Fine - views—Life-preservers—Dodging the - boom—A narrow escape—The cabin—The - table—Berths—The cook-room—Castle - Island—Homeward-bound ship—Long Island - Light—Extra clothing—Dinner—Sudden - departures from the table—The - ocean—The screw steamer—George’s - Island—Fort Warren—The sea - wall—Landing—Entrance to the fort—The - enclosure—Ascending the parapets—Cost - of the fortress—Its entire command of - the harbor—Places for the - guns—Interior of the fortress—How the - guns are worked—Rooms for the - soldiers—Strength of the fortress—How - it might be taken—A wish—The sail - back—Defence of the “Echo”—An impudent - schooner—The skipper’s disgust—A - nautical insult—Landing, - - - CHAPTER XVIII. - - LAST DAY OF THE VISIT. - - The group around the fire—No tidings 294 - from Jerry—What Whistler had - learned—The three hardest words—Candid - confession of a great - general—Confessing errors requires - bravery—Another fact learned—The boys’ - petition for shorter - lessons—Whistler’s refusal to sign - it—His motives impugned—Boyish - intolerance—Effects of the petition on - the teacher—Its disrespectful - tone—Character of the signers—Public - reading of their names—A secret - honorably kept—Clinton’s opinion of - the city—Opportunities—Too much - assistance—How strong characters are - produced—The learned blacksmith—The - learned shoemaker—What can be done in - one hour a day—The extract—A higher - aim than success—Character—How it is - formed—Compared to a cable—Conclusion, - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - Illustrations. - - -------------- - - - THE FOREST PICNIC, FRONTISPIECE - VIGNETTE, TITLE PAGE - THE STEAMER, 19 - THE FARM-HOUSE, 30 - MAP OF BROOKDALE, 40 - THE GUNNER, 68 - CLINTON THRESHING, 90 - THE FOREST ROAD, 124 - UNCLE TIM AND THE BEAR, 154 - SALUTING THE TRAIN, 177 - THE DOG CART, 207 - THE IMAGE VENDER, 208 - THE FOUNTAIN, 213 - WRONG STANDING POSITION, 245 - RIGHT STANDING POSITION, 245 - WRONG SITTING POSITION, 246 - RIGHT SITTING POSITION, 247 - STEAMSHIP, 279 - HOW THE CABLE IS MADE, 307 - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - WHISTLER. - - ---------- - - - - - CHAPTER I. - - A VACATION JOURNEY. - - -THE steamer’s bell is pealing forth its last call. The huge, hot engine, -as if impatient of delay, seems hissing at every joint, while the dark -clouds that roll up from its smoke-pipes tell of the activity of the -sweltering firemen below. The hawser is cast off. A tardy passenger or -two are hurried over the gangway, and their baggage sent after them with -more celerity than care. A carriage, driven at a furious rate, is coming -down the wharf, and a man’s head and arm are thrust out of the -window,—the arm “sawing the air” in a most vehement manner. But his -gesticulations are in vain. The gangway is drawn in on deck; the wheels -slowly move; the steamer gently swings away from her moorings; and by -the time the carriage is abreast of her, six yards of foam-covered water -separate the would-be passenger from the crowded deck. A general -half-suppressed laugh from the crowd on the wharf and the steamer -reminds the unhappy straggler that there is something ridiculous, as -well as provoking, in being a little too late; and, seeking refuge in -the carriage, he is leisurely driven off, to be again laughed at, -perchance, when he reaches the home he had lately left in such hot -haste. - -The steamer has now got clear of the vessels moored around her, and -begins to move with greater speed. So easy is the motion, it would not -be difficult for those on board to imagine that the wharf itself had -hoisted sail, and parted company with the steamer, to take a turn about -the harbor on its own account. Little groups on shore and on board the -boat are exchanging farewells by the waving of hats and handkerchiefs. -But soon the distance becomes too great for recognition; wharves and -warehouses mingle together; the city assumes a crowded and compact look, -and finally resolves itself into that beautiful panorama which Boston -presents when viewed from the sea. Even this view soon fades, and is -lost; for the steamer is now far down the harbor, gallantly ploughing -her way through the dark-blue waters. - -[Illustration] - -Among the passengers who were enjoying the scene from the upper, or -hurricane deck, might have been seen a gentleman and three children, who -appeared to be intent upon missing no object of interest. The largest of -the children was a bright and pleasant looking boy of fourteen. His name -was William Davenport; but he was frequently called Willie, and still -oftener Whistler, by his young associates. This latter name he acquired -when several years younger, being indebted for it to his whistling -talents, which were really quite clever. He rather liked the nickname; -and, indeed, had become so accustomed to it, that even “Willie” did not -sound quite natural, and “Bill” was altogether out of the question. You -must not suppose, however, that he was one of those whistling bores who -give our ears no rest from their shrill pipings, either in house or in -street. On the contrary, he was rather chary of his music,—perhaps more -so than he would have been but for his nickname, which put him on his -guard against spending too much of his breath in this manner. But, then, -he _could_ whistle beautifully when he chose to; and, as he had a quick -ear for music, he caught all the new and popular airs of the day, which -made his performances still more pleasant to the listener. Whistler we -shall call him, therefore, in imitation of his comrades. He belonged in -Boston, and was now on his way to a distant town in Maine, where he was -to spend his summer vacation with the family of his uncle. - -The gentleman who was with Whistler was Mr. Preston. He was a stout, -sun-burnt, and plainly-dressed man, and was on his way home from a visit -to Boston, with his eldest daughter, Emily, a girl of thirteen. The -other girl, who was a few months younger, was Ella Preston, a cousin of -Emily, who lived in Boston, and was now on her way to her uncle’s home -in Brookdale. It was in this same town that Whistler’s uncle lived; and -being well acquainted with Ella, he had arranged to make the journey in -company with her little party. - -It was a mild August evening, and the sea was calm. Mr. Preston and the -children remained upon the deck until the supper-bell sounded, when they -went down into the cabin, and found a long table spread, around which -the hungry passengers were crowding and pushing, without much regard to -manners, or even decency. It was with some difficulty that Mr. Preston -procured seats for the children; and even then the difficulty was but -half overcome, for it required a good deal of effort, not to say -rudeness, to obtain enough to eat, so ravenous and selfish were the -company, and so limited was the supply upon the table. The meal was -swallowed, and the cabin vacated, in about ten minutes. Shortly after, -as Whistler was walking about, he overheard a few remarks between two -gentlemen, that set him to thinking. From their appearance, and their -peculiar accent, he concluded they were foreign gentlemen, travelling -for pleasure. - -“You did not witness the feeding of the animals?” said one of the -gentlemen, who had just come up from the cabin. - -“No,” said the other, “I have no taste for such exhibitions. I took the -precaution to drink my tea before I came on board.” - -“Well, sir,” added the first speaker, “I’ve breakfasted with the Turks, -I’ve dined with the Arabs, I’ve supped with the Chinese, and I’ve eaten -with nearly all the nations of Europe; but, sir, I must say that I never -met with such a greedy, scrabbling set of gormandizers as I have found -in this country. Why, sir, they seize and devour their food like wild -beasts. They shovel it down whole, sir, just as a dog bolts his meat. I -only wonder that these Yankees do not dispense with knives and forks -altogether. Yes, sir, those implements of a civilized table seem -altogether out of place in their hands.” - -This was all that Whistler heard. The unpleasant American habit which so -disgusted this gentleman, and which is often glaringly conspicuous in -our hotels and steamboats, has been justly censured with great severity -by foreigners who have visited us. Whistler had himself observed the -rude and greedy conduct at the table; but he supposed such scenes were -always enacted when large numbers of people got together to eat. Now, -however, he had learned that it was a peculiarly American -characteristic; and, perceiving how it was viewed by intelligent and -well-bred foreigners, his pride and patriotism were both touched, and he -made up his mind that he would never be guilty of such rudeness, either -at a public or a private table. - -The air was now becoming damp and chilly, and little could be seen -beyond the steamer’s decks, save the occasional flash of some distant -lighthouse. The passengers began to disappear, some seeking out -sheltered nooks in the stern, and others retiring to the saloons and -berths. Mr. Preston gave Emily and Ellen in charge to the stewardess, -who conducted them to their berths in the ladies’ saloon; while himself -and Whistler soon after turned in to their own quarters in the -gentlemen’s cabin. The saloons were lined on each side with berths -arranged in three tiers. Each berth was furnished with bedding, and -screened in front by a drapery curtain. The two selected by Mr. Preston, -though not favorite ones in their location, were the best that were not -engaged when he bought his tickets. One of them was an upper berth; and, -as Whistler was the lightest and nimblest of the two, it was assigned to -him, while Mr. Preston took the other, directly beneath him. - -Following the example of others, Whistler put off his shoes, jacket and -shirt-collar, and climbed into his lofty and narrow sleeping-place. -Here, partially concealed by his curtain, he amused himself by watching -the movements of his fellow-passengers, and listening to their remarks. -When Mr. Preston, who had been reading a newspaper, got ready to retire, -he picked up Whistler’s shoes from the floor, and told him to put them -on a shelf over the berth, if he did not want “Boots” to get them. This -personage, he afterwards explained, was a colored man, who gathered up -all the boots and shoes he could find in the night, and cleaned them, -charging each of the respective owners a ninepence (the ninepence is -twelve and a half cents in New England) for his services. As Whistler’s -shoes did not need to undergo this process, his friend was probably -justified in thus interfering with the legitimate business of the -aforesaid “Boots.” - -The novelty of his position, the glare of the saloon lamps, and the -noise of the machinery, made it rather difficult for Whistler to get to -sleep. The ocean was so smooth, however, that he felt no symptoms of -seasickness; and he was very well contented to lie awake in his berth, -so long as he was not troubled with this distressing malady, from which -he had once suffered quite severely while sailing in the harbor. But, in -spite of all disturbing influences, he was favored with several good -naps towards morning, from one of which he awoke, and discerned the gray -light of morning through a small window over his berth. He lowered -himself down from his elevated bed, and went on deck, when he found that -the steamer had already entered the river, the banks of which were -scarcely visible through the heavy mist with which the atmosphere was -loaded. Ella and Emily soon made their appearance, and declared that -their first night on the ocean was anything but disagreeable. The fog -rapidly disappeared before the sun; and, as they advanced up the river, -the scenery became more interesting, so that their attention was -constantly occupied, until Mr. Preston informed them that they had -reached their landing-place. - -Our travellers were still forty miles from Brookdale; but the rest of -the journey was to be by land. On landing, they went directly to the -village tavern, where they found a good breakfast awaiting them, to -which, however, they could devote but a very few minutes, for the stage -coach was waiting. Having made as large a draft on the driver’s patience -as they deemed prudent, they took their seats in the vehicle, and -resumed their journey. For a while, the children found much to interest -them in the country through which they passed; but it soon became an old -story; and before they had climbed half of the hills that separated them -from Brookdale, the inquiries were frequently heard,— - -“How far have we got to go, _now_, Mr. Preston? Haven’t we come more -than half way? Shan’t we get there before noon?” - -As the stage coach did not pass through Brookdale, passengers for that -village were obliged to leave it at a place called the Cross Roads, -about five miles distant, and find their way over as best they could. It -was noon when our party reached this stopping-place. As they alighted, a -boy about fourteen years old stepped up to Mr. Preston, who introduced -him to Ella and Whistler as Clinton Davenport. The two boys were -cousins; but they had never seen each other before. It seemed that -Clinton, knowing they were expected, had gone over to the Cross Roads -after them, with a wagon. A drive of five miles through a pleasant road -brought them to their journey’s end. They were in Brookdale. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER II. - - LOOKING ABOUT. - - -DINNER was on the table when Whistler arrived at Mr. Davenport’s, and he -found his uncle and aunt, and his little cousin Annie, ready to welcome -him to their hospitalities. These, with Clinton, constituted the whole -family. The young stranger soon felt quite at home in their society. He -was much pleased with his cousins at first sight, for he had never seen -either of them before. Annie, who was about seven years old, was a -beautiful child, with golden curls and fair blue eyes, and a face full -of gentleness and affection. She seemed to be the pet of the household. -Clinton, though but a month or two older than Whistler, was a stouter -and taller boy, and his browned skin and hardened hands told that he was -not unacquainted with labor and out-door exposure. He had, moreover, an -intelligent, cheerful, and frank expression of countenance, that could -not help prepossessing a stranger in his favor. The parents of these -children Whistler had previously seen at his own house, and he had -always numbered them among his favorite relatives. - -Whistler’s first movement, after dinner, was to make an inspection of -the premises. He found that his uncle’s farm lay at the base of a range -of hills, and embraced a wide extent of land, a good part of which -seemed to be under skilful cultivation. The house itself was set back a -few rods from the street, and was pleasantly situated, with its front -towards the south. It was a snug, plain-looking building, a story and a -half high, with a kitchen and wood-shed attached in the rear. A noble -oak tree, in front, afforded a grateful shade; and climbing roses and -honeysuckles were trained around the front door, giving a neat and -tasteful aspect to the cottage. In the rear, upon an elevated pole, was -a perfect fac-simile of the house, in miniature, erected for the -accommodation of the birds; and there never was a spring-time when this -snug tenement failed to secure a respectable family as tenants for the -season. On the next page is a view of the premises. - -The barn, which the picture is not large enough to take in, was a short -distance from the house, on the left. It was much larger than the -cottage, and attached to it were buildings for the hens and pigs. - -[Illustration] - -Clinton, who had been busy, now joined his cousin, and offered to -accompany him around the premises. - -“This is what we call the shop,” he said, opening the door into a small -room adjoining the pantry. - -“Why, what a snug little place! and what a lot of tools you have got!” -said Whistler. - -“Father used to be a carpenter before he went to farming,” added -Clinton, “and he has always kept a set of tools. They are handy in such -a place as this, where carpenters are not to be had.” - -“I suppose you work here some, don’t you? If I had such a place, I -should spend half my time in it,” said Whistler. - -“Yes,” replied Clinton; “I use the tools a little. There’s a windmill -I’m making now; but I don’t know when it will be finished. I haven’t -much time to work in the shop in summer.” - -“Clinty made this cart for me,” said Annie, who had followed the boys; -and she pointed to a neat little wagon. - -“Did he? Why, he is a real nice workman,” said Whistler. - -“And he made the vane on the barn, and the bird-house, too,” added -Annie. - -“Can’t you think of something else that I made, Sissy?” said Clinton, -laughing at the pride Annie evidently took in his ingenuity. - -“Yes,” she promptly replied; “he made the arbor over the front door.” - -“Why, Clinton, you _are_ a carpenter, sure enough!” said Whistler. “I -should think you might almost build a house; I mean a real house, not a -bird-house.” - -Clinton smiled at this rather extravagant estimate of his mechanical -skill, and led the way towards the barn, through which he conducted his -cousin, from the cellar almost to the ridge-pole. The hayloft was very -large, and was nearly filled with new-mown hay, the fragrance of which -was delightful. Swallows were darting in and out of the great door, and -gayly twittering among the lofty rafters, where they had made their -nests. A large quantity of unthreshed grain, bound up in sheaves, was -stacked away on the main floor, in one end of the barn. - -“There’s a good lot of straw,” said Whistler, as they passed by the -grain. - -“And something besides straw, too; that is rye,” replied Clinton. - -“Is it rye?” said Whistler. “Well, I’m just green enough not to know -straw from grain, or one kind of grain from another. Father told me I -should make myself so verdant that the cows would chase me, and I don’t -know but that he was right.” - -“They laugh about country people being green, when they go to the city,” -said Clinton; “but I guess they don’t appear much worse than city folks -sometimes do in the country. I don’t mean you, though,” he added; “for -you haven’t done anything very bad yet.” - -Whistler broke off a head of rye, and found concealed beneath the -bearded points several hard, plump kernels, that had a sweet and -pleasant taste. Following his cousin, he then visited the pig-pen, which -was behind the barn, and connected with a portion of the barn cellar. -Half a dozen fat porkers were lazily stretched about, in shady places, -presenting one of those familiar groups that, if they do not appeal to -the artist’s sense of the beautiful, _do_ appeal most forcibly to the -plain farmer’s sense of lard and “middlings.” If not picturesque, they -are decidedly _baconesque_, which some people consider much better. - -“Now you must go and see my biddies,” said Clinton; and he led the way -to a large hen-coop, near the piggery. - -“Are these _your_ fowls?” inquired Whistler. - -“Yes, they are all mine,” replied his cousin. “Father gave me all of his -fowls, five years ago, and I have managed them just as I pleased ever -since. I have to find their food, and I have all their eggs and -chickens. Even the eggs mother uses she has to buy of me.” - -“That is a first-rate plan,” said Whistler. “I should think you might -make lots of money in that way.” - -“This isn’t all,” added Clinton; “I have a flock of turkeys, and a lot -of ducks, besides. The turkeys are off, somewhere; they roam all over -the farm. The ducks are in that little house down by the brook; we’ll go -and see them by-and-by.” - -“I should think I was rich, if I owned so many creatures,” said -Whistler. “But you have to buy corn for them,—I suppose that takes off -the profit, doesn’t it?” - -“I haven’t bought a bushel of corn since the first year I had them,” -replied Clinton. “Do you see that cornfield, just beyond the brook? That -is _my_ field. I planted and hoed it myself, and I shall have all the -corn that grows there.” - -“But how did you come by it?—did you buy the land?” inquired Whistler, -more astonished than ever. - -“No, I don’t own the land,” replied Clinton. “Father has got more than -he can cultivate, and he lets me have the use of that piece for nothing. -He helps me plough and harrow it, too; but I have to do everything else -myself. If I want any manure, I pay him for it. If the corn does well, I -shall have enough to carry all my fowls through another year. There will -be a lot of corn fodder too, that I shall sell to father for the cows; -and I have a lot of pumpkins scattered in among the corn, that will be -worth something in the fall.” - -“Well, you’re a real farmer, as well as a carpenter, that’s a fact,” -said his cousin. “How I should like to be in your shoes!—and not in -yours, either, but in another pair just like them. Come, don’t you want -a partner? I’ll buy in, and we’ll start a new firm—‘C. & W. Davenport, -Farmers, Poultry Dealers and Carpenters.’ Won’t that sound tall! What -will you sell out one half of your business for? I haven’t much capital, -and don’t know much about the business; but I’ll try to make myself -useful.” - -“I’m afraid you would get sick of the bargain,” replied Clinton. “You’d -find it pretty tough work to hoe an acre of corn down there in the sun, -when the thermometer is up to ninety in the shade. It’s a good deal of -trouble, too, to take care of so many fowls every day, in summer and -winter. I like to do it, to be sure; but a great many boys would think -they were real slaves if they had to do what I do.” - -“It doesn’t take all your time, does it?” inquired Whistler. - -“O, no,” replied Clinton. “I suppose it doesn’t take me more than two -hours a day, on an average, to take care of my fowls and cornfield; but -I do other work besides. I have had the whole care of the garden this -summer. Come and look at it.” - -They proceeded to a large patch of ground in the rear of the house, -which was devoted to a kitchen garden. It had been sown with peas, -beans, radishes, lettuce, onions, early potatoes, sweet corn, cucumbers, -and other vegetables. Some of the crops had already been gathered, such -as the lettuce, radishes, and green peas; and the others seemed to be in -a flourishing condition. - -“After we had planted the garden last spring,” resumed Clinton, “father -told me that if I would take the whole care of it, I might have one -fourth of all the profits. I thought it was a pretty good offer, and so -I took it up, and I’ve never been sorry for it yet. The garden has done -very well, so far. We keep an account of everything that is raised; and -next fall I can tell just how much my share will come to. I haven’t had -to work so hard as I expected I should, either. I do a little every day, -and the weeds don’t have a chance to get the upper hand of me. That is -the way to manage a garden. If I should let my work get behindhand, I -suppose I should very soon be discouraged.” - -“Mr. Preston told us that you did almost as much work as a man,” said -Whistler; “and I think he was about right. One thing is pretty certain: -you can’t have much time to play.” - -“O, no, I don’t work so hard as a man,” replied Clinton. “It only takes -about one half of my time to do all my work; but then I have some -errands to do, and my lessons to study.” - -“I heard about your studying at home, and reciting to your mother: is -that the way you do?” inquired Whistler. - -“Yes,” replied Clinton; “our school doesn’t keep in the summer, and, as -I have some spare time, I study a little at home. Last summer my rule -was to study two hours a day; but this year I have had more work to do, -and haven’t studied quite so much.” - -“What do you study?” inquired his cousin. - -“Arithmetic and grammar, principally,” replied Clinton; “but I write a -composition once a fortnight and now and then get a spelling or a -geography lesson.” - -The boys now proceeded towards the duck-house. This was a small, rough -shed; but it answered the purpose for which it was intended very well. -It was situated near a small brook, and there was a little artificial -pond connected with it, in which the ducks could swim when the water in -the brook was low. Clinton himself made both the pond and the -duck-house, the summer previous. There were about a dozen ducks in the -pond, several of which were very small, being but a few weeks old. They -gracefully sailed off as the boys approached; but when Clinton spoke to -them they recognized his voice, and wheeled about towards him. - -Having visited the principal objects of interest on the farm, Whistler -began to manifest some curiosity about the geography of Brookdale. He -got a pretty good idea of the natural features of the town, by ascending -a high hill back of his uncle’s house. Before him lay a beautiful lake, -or pond, as the Brookdale people called it, which looked like a bright -mirror set in emerald. A narrow river, glistening in the sunlight like a -silver thread, stole along through the meadows towards the southwest. -There were but a few widely scattered houses in sight, for Brookdale was -only a small farming settlement. On the north and east the view was -hemmed in by high hills, covered with trees; but in other directions the -prospect was extensive. Clinton pointed out to his cousin a mountain -which he said was twenty miles distant. It looked like a faint cloud on -the horizon. - -[Illustration] - -But I can give you a better idea of the geography of Brookdale by the -aid of a little map, which will show you at a glance an outline of the -objects which Whistler saw from the hill, and also some things which he -could not see from that position. The house numbered 1 is Mr. -Davenport’s, and behind it is the hill from which Whistler obtained his -view. No. 2 is Mr. Preston’s house, and No. 3 is the schoolhouse. The -map shows the position of the lake, the river, and the brook near Mr. -Davenport’s house. It also shows the Cross Roads village, and the -principal roads passing through the town. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER III. - - A MORNING’S WORK. - - -CLINTON’S chamber, which Whistler was to share during his stay in -Brookdale, was one of the most curious rooms in the house. It was in the -second story, on the west side of the house,—the side represented as -nearest to the spectator in the engraving on page 30. It had two -windows, one on the west, and the other—a luthern, or dormer -window,—looking towards the south. The room was of pretty good size, but -was low studded, the pitch of the roof bringing the ceiling so far down, -on the sides, that a boy twelve years old could not stand up straight -under it. This made it seem like a garret to Whistler, who had always -slept in a large, airy chamber; but the walls were plastered and -papered, and the room was in all other respects comfortably finished. It -had a neat and cosy air, however, which, in spite of its low ceiling, -won rapidly upon the city boy’s regards. The tastes and habits of its -occupant were reflected in nearly every article. The bed, chairs and -table, were such as you might find in almost any boy’s chamber; but the -extras that you do _not_ find in every body’s room were quite numerous. - -The first thing that attracted Whistler’s notice was a neat little box -upon the table, made of maple. On turning over the top, it was -transformed into a portable writing-desk, and was found to be supplied -with pens, ink and paper. This, Clinton informed him, was a birthday -present from his father, who made it. A small book-rack, with three -shelves, was fastened to the wall, and held Clinton’s little library. -The books were mostly of a juvenile order, and among them were several -that Whistler had sent to him in former years. The rack itself was of -Clinton’s own workmanship, and was very neatly made. Upon the upper -shelf, which held no books, there was another specimen of his handiwork, -in the shape of a full-rigged schooner, with sails spread and flag -flying. Brought up in an inland town, and never having seen the salt -water but once or twice, Clinton knew but little about vessels. And yet -he had built quite a respectable schooner; although, to the more -experienced eye of Whistler, the model was not of the most approved -clipper style. The name, “Dolphin,” was painted on the stern. - -A number of engravings, of various degrees of merit, were attached by -pins to the walls of Clinton’s room. Pasted upon the wall, around the -looking-glass, there was a whole constellation of small pictures, which -evidently had once figured in newspapers and handbills. The windows were -furnished with paper curtains, which, judging from the quantity of -pulleys, fish-bone rings, cords, and other rigging attached, were -evidently put up by Clinton with an eye rather to ingenuity than -simplicity of arrangement. - -Such was the room to which Clinton introduced his cousin, when the -family retired at night. After glancing at the various objects I have -described, Whistler noticed a slate and several school books upon the -table, and inquired: - -“When do you study your lessons, Clinton? Have you got to get one this -evening?” - -“No,” he replied; “I’m going to have a vacation now. Father thinks I had -better suspend my studies while you are here, so that I may have as much -time to spend with you as possible. I am going to arrange my work, too, -so that it won’t take so much of my time.” - -“You needn’t do that,” said Whistler; “I can help you some about your -work, and I’d rather do it than not. I can drive the cows home, and help -weed the beds, and hoe the corn, and do lots of other things.” - -“Well, you can help me some, if you want to,” replied Clinton. And the -boys continued to lay their plans, and talk over matters of mutual -interest, for an hour after they had got into bed, when sleep began to -steal over their senses, and their pleasant schemes melted imperceptibly -into airy dreams. - -Early the next morning, before the sun was up, a rap on the chamber door -aroused the boys, and was instantly obeyed; for it was the signal to -arise, from Clinton’s mother. Having hastily dressed themselves, they -proceeded to the barn-yard, where they found Mr. Davenport engaged in -milking the cows. A vacant stool, an empty bucket, and a gentle-looking -cow, were awaiting Clinton’s movements and without any delay he seated -himself by the side of “Daisy,” and the milky stream began to flow. -There were two other cows, “Princess” and “Nelly.” As Whistler could be -of no service, he stood looking on, discussing the merits of the several -cows with his uncle and cousin. He found that each of the animals had -its own private character. Nelly was a red and white cow, with a gentle, -motherly look. She evinced much attachment for Daisy, who, indeed, was -her daughter, and resembled her in appearance and disposition. Daisy, -however, was the tamest of the three, and a trifle handsomer than her -mother. She would follow any of the family, and eat a turnip or an ear -of corn out of their hands. Princess was dark-colored, and gave the most -milk; but, as is apt to be the case with those bearing royal names, she -was selfish, stubborn and mischievous. One curious thing about her was, -that she always wanted to be milked first; and if the preference was -given to one of the other cows, she showed her indignation very plainly. -If any little attention was manifested towards the others, such as -carding or stroking them, she would seem very jealous, and try to -interrupt their enjoyment. - -As the conversation was proceeding, Daisy showed some signs of -uneasiness, upon which Mr. Preston said, in a pleasant tone: - -“Mind your milking, Clinty, and postpone your stories until you get -through. You haven’t learned yet to milk well and talk at the same -time.” - -Milking is an operation that ought to be done rapidly and without -interruption, to be thoroughly and properly performed. Conversation is -very apt to distract the attention of the milker, and thus interfere -with his work, as it did in the case of Clinton. - -The milking was soon completed, and the boys, as they drove the cows to -pasture, talked as fast as they pleased. When they returned, breakfast -was upon the table, and the morning air had so sharpened their appetites -that they were prepared to do full justice to the ample meal. - -“Now,” said Clinton, as they went out after breakfast, “work is the -first thing in the order of the day. I must attend to the fowls, and -then I have got to weed a piece of ground, and after that I shall be at -your service.” - -“I’ll help you do the weeding, and I’ll see you do the feeding,” said -Whistler, laughing at his impromptu rhyme. - -“Your kindness is exceeding,—come, let us be proceeding,” quickly -replied Clinton, taking up the rhyme. - -“Good!” exclaimed Whistler. “Between us both we might make quite a -decent song.” - -“That’s the song I like to hear,” said Clinton, as a hen, flying down -from the box in which she had just deposited an egg, set up a noisy -“Cut-cut-cut-cut-ca-_dah_-cut!” with the accent very strongly upon the -last syllable but one. - -“I suppose that’s what you call ‘The Lay of the Last Minstrel,’” -observed Whistler. - -“Yes,” replied Clinton; “and if it isn’t good poetry, it is good -poultry, which comes near enough to it.” - -A flock of turkeys, which were at large, spying Clinton with his -familiar peck measure, now approached the boys, pompously marching like -a file of soldiers,—a solemn-looking gobbler taking the lead. A few -handfulls of corn scattered among them, gave them plenty of business, -and Clinton then turned his attention to the hens, which at this season -of the year were confined within their own quarters, in consequence of -their scratching propensity. Having fed them, and given them a dish of -fresh water, he was ready to commence work in the garden. Whistler -wanted a hoe, too; and he was provided with one, and set himself to work -by the side of his cousin. - -“I shouldn’t think there were many weeds here,” said Whistler, after -hoeing a few minutes. “I can’t find hardly anything but grass.” - -“I should say that was enough,” replied Clinton. “This witch-grass is -about the worst stuff that ever got into a garden.” - -“Do you call this witch-grass?” inquired his cousin. - -“Yes, that’s one name for it,” replied Clinton. “Some people call it -piper-grass. Just feel of the roots, and see how tough they are.” - -“Why, they’re almost like wire!” said Whistler. - -“I never saw anything like it to grow,” continued Clinton. “I’ve cleaned -out every spear of it from this ground three times this summer, and yet -see how it has grown. It is almost impossible to kill it. The roots will -grow right through a potato, or a chip, or almost anything that happens -to be in the way. I left a handful on the fence-rail last spring, and -the first thing I knew it had taken root in the wood, and was growing -finely. Father says that when he was a boy they used to say that the -only way to kill it was to dry it, and then put it in your pipe and -smoke it, and be very careful of the ashes.” - -“Does it bother you so every year?” inquired Whistler. - -“No,” replied his cousin; “this is the first time we have had any in -this piece of ground, and nobody knows how it came here. I suppose a few -seeds got scattered here somehow or other. Before the ground is planted -again, it will have to be dug all over with a ten-tined fork. That will -clear it out, if anything will.” - -“If father was here now,” said Whistler, “how he would moralize over -this witch-grass! I can imagine just how he would talk. He’d say, -‘That’s right, boys!—pull away! This witch-grass has all got to come -out, at some rate or other. It’s an abominable pest, isn’t it? Well, -it’s just like a bad habit in a man’s mind.—It’s no trouble at all to -get it started; but if he ever wants to get rid of it, what a time he’ll -have of it! Why, he’ll have to be raked fore and aft with the ten-tined -fork of tribulation, and then he won’t be sure that he has got all the -plaguy roots out.’” - -The half-serious, half-comic air with which this was said, and the -amusing imitation which Whistler gave of his father’s manner, proved too -much for Clinton’s gravity, and he indulged in a hearty laugh, in spite -of the excellent moral so queerly brought to his mind. It was not -Whistler’s design, however, to make sport of his father. He had merely -given as faithful an imitation as he could of what his father might have -said, could he have looked in upon the boys just at that moment. Mr. -Davenport, when in the company of his children, lost no opportunity of -drawing lessons of instruction from the natural world, and from the -daily events that happened around them; and this habit had so impressed -itself upon Whistler’s mind, that he often found himself instinctively -imitating his example. - -The boys, who were now some distance apart, worked on in silence a short -time, when suddenly Whistler gave a vigorous stroke with his hoe, and -then said, as if talking to himself: - -“There, old fellow,—you’re fixed now!” - -“What is that?” inquired Clinton. - -“A toad.” - -“Did you kill him?” - -“Not exactly. I only cut off his jumpers. Just look here, and see how -smooth I took off his hind legs.” - -Clinton took a look at the poor victim, which was struggling in its -agony, and, shaking his head, said, seriously: - -“That is too bad!” - -“What is too bad?” inquired Whistler, with some surprise. - -“Why, to torture a poor thing in that way. I’d put him out of his -misery, if I were you.” - -Whistler felt the mild rebuke, and, having found a large stone, he gave -the poor reptile his death-blow with far less satisfaction than he -experienced when he cut him in halves with his hoe. He was not at heart -a cruel boy, but he was thoughtless,—a fault which is the excuse (and a -very poor one it is) for a great deal of suffering inflicted upon dumb -creatures. Having dispatched the toad, he resumed his hoe, saying, in a -half-apologetic tone: - -“I never could bear toads;—they say they are poisonous.” - -“I don’t believe that,” said Clinton; “I never heard of any body being -poisoned by a toad. Besides, they are very useful in a garden,—didn’t -you know it?” - -“Useful? no, indeed! I thought they ate up the things,” replied his -cousin. - -“They eat up the grubs, and worms, and bugs, and such things,” replied -Clinton; “but they don’t hurt the crops. They are good friends to the -farmer, and I’m always careful never to hurt them.” - -“I didn’t know that; I thought they had no business here,” said -Whistler. “I’ve always been in the habit of pelting them, just as I -would a snake, wherever I found them; and that’s the way all the boys -serve them where I live.” - -“You ask my father about them when we go home, and see if he doesn’t -tell you they are useful,” remarked Clinton, who thought his cousin was -not entirely satisfied on this point. - -“O, I suppose you are right; only it is something I never heard of -before,” replied Whistler. - -“I’ve tamed toads, before now, so that they would eat out of my hand,” -resumed Clinton. - -“You have?” - -“Yes; it is easy enough to tame them. If they find you don’t disturb -them they’ll come out from their hiding-places, and hop around you, and -follow you, especially if you give them something to eat. Did you ever -see them eat?” - -“No; I never did.” - -“Well, you ought to; for it’s a curious sight. When they get within -reach of a slug or a fly, they dart their tongue out as quick as -lightning, and seize it. The tongue is very long, and red; and it moves -so quick that people sometimes think they are spitting fire, when they -are only feeding.” - -“I’ve heard that toads spit fire,” said Whistler. - -“That’s only one of the old prejudices against them,” replied Clinton. -“They don’t spit fire any more than I do; but I can tell you of one -strange habit that they _do_ indulge in.” - -“What is that?” - -“They swallow their own skins.” - -“How can they do that?” inquired Whistler, with a look of incredulity. - -“They shed their skins, like snakes, at certain times; but, instead of -leaving their old coat where they happen to take it off, they always -swallow it.” - -“How do you know that?—did you ever see them do it?” - -“No; but father has a book that says so. Besides, I never found a toad’s -skin, although there are plenty of toads about here.” - -“Perhaps they bury their cast-off skins,” suggested Whistler, who, now -that several of his illusions in regard to toads were dispelled, was -disinclined to allow them the credit of doing anything remarkable. - -“If I were going to guess,” replied Clinton, “I should think that they -might hide them in some way. But the book I spoke of was written by a -great naturalist, and I suppose he knew what he was writing about. In -fact, I don’t know that they shed their skins at all, only from what I -have heard and read about it.” - -“Well, poor toady, I’m sorry that I killed you; but I didn’t know any -better,” said Whistler, as he tossed away the remains of his victim with -his hoe, and resumed his work. - -About two hours before the sun reached the meridian the boys finished -weeding the piece of ground, and Clinton’s work for the day was -accomplished. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER IV. - - AN AFTERNOON EXCURSION. - - -THE boys, after completing their work, amused themselves in various ways -until dinner time. They proposed going over to Mr. Preston’s in the -afternoon; and as soon as dinner was dispatched, they were on their way. -The distance was about three quarters of a mile; but it was the nearest -house to Mr. Davenport’s. A walk of less than fifteen minutes brought -them to a large, old-fashioned farm-house, shaded by a great elm tree. -Three girls were just coming from the house, each with a small basket or -tin pail in her hand. Ella and Emily were among them, and the -first-named introduced the youngest to Whistler as her cousin Harriet. -Harriet was between ten and eleven years old. She and Emily were the -only children of the family now at home. The youngest of the flock—sweet -little Mary—fell sick and died about six months previous to the time of -which I am writing. A month or two before that sad event, the oldest of -the children, Jerry, took it into his head that he could find a better -place than home, and suddenly disappeared one Sunday, while the family -were at church. For a long time nothing was heard from him; but at -length he wrote to them, from a foreign port, stating that he had gone -to sea, and was bound on a long voyage. - -It appeared that the girls were about starting on a strawberry excursion -when the boys arrived; and the latter having been invited to join them, -they all set out together. Strawberries grow wild in that part of the -country. Ella and Whistler, to whom this fruit was known only as a -dear-bought luxury, thought it must be fine to eat the berries fresh -from the vines, with no fear of coming to the bottom of the box, and no -two-shillings-per-quart drawback upon the indulgence. They sauntered -along in advance of the others, looking on every side for the red and -luscious fruit; but they found none; for it was a long walk to the -strawberry patch. In going to it, they had to pass through a swamp, near -the upper end of the pond, the entrance to which did not look very -inviting to Ella. - -“O, dear! I never can go through that horrid place!” she exclaimed. “I -should be frightened out of my wits!” - -“O, no, you won’t,” said Clinton. “There’s a good path all the way -through, and nothing will hurt you. You follow right behind me, and I’ll -help you over the bad places.” - -Ella still stood in doubt, while Whistler in his eagerness was following -the faint track, forgetful of his companions. Emily and Harriet assured -their cousin that they had often crossed the swamp; and, with a little -further encouragement from Clinton, she set forward,—not, however, -without some misgivings. In some places the ground was very wet; and -they had to step upon stones, logs, stumps, etc., which had been used -for this purpose for years. Two or three brooks also crossed their -track, over which old logs had been thrown to serve as bridges. In many -places a thick growth of bushes, often armed with sharp thorns, -stretched across the path, making it difficult for them to force their -way through. Ella, however, was the only one who evinced any fear; and, -but for Clinton’s constant encouragement and aid, she would have -concluded that the strawberries were not worth the risk and trouble of -getting them. - -“Are there any snakes here?” she inquired, a new terror bursting on her -mind. - -“None of any consequence,” replied Clinton. “There may be a few -water-snakes: but they won’t harm any body.” - -“It makes no difference what they are, if they are only snakes,—I’m as -afraid of one kind as of another,” said Ella, who had a city girl’s -dread of everything of the serpent kind. - -“O, no; you wouldn’t be afraid of a water-snake. They are just as -harmless as toads,” said Clinton. - -“I’m afraid of toads, too,—and I can’t help it,” replied Ella. - -“If you should live in the country a little while you wouldn’t mind such -things,” said Emily. - -“Yes, I should,” replied her cousin. “I always had a perfect antipathy -to snakes, and toads, and spiders, and all such creatures. I know they -won’t hurt me; but I can’t help hating them.” - -Seeing how little headway they made against her prejudices, Clinton and -Emily dropped the subject. They were not yet out of the swamp, however; -and soon another terror arose in the mind of the timid city girl. - -“I shall get poisoned here!—I know I shall!” she said, in a tone of -mingled alarm and resignation, as though she would have added, “You may -do what you please with me,—I’m resigned.” - -“There’s no danger of that,” replied Clinton, with a laugh. “You keep -close to me, and I will look out for you.” - -“Are there any poisonous plants in this swamp?” inquired Whistler, who -had heard Ella’s remark. - -“Yes, there’s plenty of poison ivy,” replied Clinton. - -“O, yes; I see some now!” said Whistler, who was still at the head of -the little party. “That’s poison ivy, isn’t it?” he continued, pointing -to a luxuriant vine that was twining around the trunk of a dead tree. - -“No, that isn’t it; that’s the other kind of ivy, or woodbine, or -creeper, as we call it,” replied Clinton. - -“What is the difference?” inquired Whistler. - -“A good deal of difference;—one is poisonous and the other isn’t,” said -Clinton. - -“I know that; but how do you tell one from the other?” - -“You see the leaves grow in clusters?” - -“Yes; there are five of them. Each leaf looks as if it were made up of -five little ones.” - -“Well, the leaves of the poison ivy have only three in a cluster; and -that is the way I tell the difference between them. When the leaves grow -in threes, look out; but when they are in fives, there’s no danger.” - -“I must try to remember that,” said Whistler, repeating to himself the -last remark of Clinton. “Let me see,—how can I fix that in my mind, so -that I shall know ‘which is which,’ as they say? Now, I have it! If the -leaf has five fingers, like my _hand_, I can _handle_ it; if it hasn’t, -I must not touch it.” - -This process, in Whistler’s mind, was not a mere boyish whim. It was -founded on a law planted deep in our mental natures,—the law of the -association of ideas. It is difficult to remember a number or figure -standing by itself; and the matter becomes still worse when two numbers -are to be borne in mind, and distinguished from each other, as in this -instance. But, by associating the number in the mind with some -particular object, event or word, we have a clew to it, which will -seldom fail us; and if the word, event or object, bears any resemblance -to the number, it is all the better. Thus you see that Whistler was -quite a philosopher in this matter, although he did not know it. By -making the act of handling depend upon the fancied resemblance of the -leaf to his hand, he would never be at a loss to tell whether it was the -three or five-lobed leaf that he was to avoid. - -“There’s a three-leaved one!—that’s a poison ivy, isn’t it?” exclaimed -Whistler, a few moments after, pointing to a vine that looked very much -like the other, except in the number of its leaflets. - -“Yes, that’s one of them,—don’t touch it!” said Clinton, as Whistler -approached it. - -“I shan’t look at it,” said Ella, turning her head in an opposite -direction. - -“It won’t hurt you if you don’t touch it,—you needn’t be afraid to look -at it,” remarked Clinton. - -“I’ve a great mind to touch it, just to see how it would operate,” said -Whistler, going still nearer to the vine. - -“Why, William Davenport!—you silly boy!” exclaimed Ella, with a look of -astonishment. - -“No! don’t touch it, Willie! You’ll be sorry if you do,” said Clinton. -“It will make your face and eyes swell up, so that you won’t know -yourself; and it won’t feel very comfortable, either.” - -“But it doesn’t poison every body, does it?” inquired Whistler. - -“No; some people can handle it without being hurt,” said Clinton; “but I -wouldn’t risk it, if I were you. If you get poisoned once, you’ll be -more liable to it next time; and so the danger will keep increasing, -every time you come in contact with it.” - -“Is there any dogwood about here?” inquired Whistler, turning away from -the ivy. - -“Yes; there’s a little, I believe,” said Clinton. - -“That is awful stuff! I’ve heard that you can’t look at it without -getting poisoned,” said Ella. - -“I don’t believe that story,” replied Clinton. “I’ve looked at it myself -without being poisoned. Sometimes people who have been poisoned a good -many times, get to be so susceptible that they can’t go near ivy or -dogwood without being infected, even if they don’t touch it; and I -suppose that accounts for the notion that dogwood will poison you if you -only look at it.” - -“What sort of a thing is dogwood? What does it look like?” inquired -Whistler. - -“It is a very pretty shrub,” replied his cousin. “It grows almost large -enough to be called a tree, and has smooth and glossy branches and -leaves. It thrives only in wet places, I believe; but it is not near so -common as the poison ivy.” - -There are one or two other facts relating to these plants, which Clinton -did not know, but which may be of some advantage to my readers when they -ramble through the woods and swamps. These two shrubs, known in common -language as “poison ivy” and “poison dogwood,” both belong to the sumach -family, and are the only plants in our New England woods that are -poisonous to the touch. Neither of them bears a conspicuous blossom or -fruit; so that if the young botanist should chance to discover a strange -plant with a beautiful and prominent flower, he may be sure that it will -not harm him to pluck it. An unknown plant should never be eaten, -however; as many species of the vegetable kingdom, which may be handled -with impunity, are poisonous if taken into the stomach. - -Our party had now emerged from the swamp, and were ascending to higher -land. They soon came to the strawberry patch, but did not find the -berries quite so plenty as they anticipated, other pickers having been -there before them. Clinton proposed going further, and Whistler fell in -with the suggestion; but the girls preferred to stop and glean the few -berries that were left, rather than to seek new fields. The boys, -however, concluded to extend their tramp to the hills, about a mile -distant, leaving the girls to look out for themselves. Their course lay -through a succession of fields and pastures, gradually ascending, until -they reached the base of the high hills shown in the upper part of the -map of Brookdale. These hills were thickly wooded, many of the trees -being of majestic size and great beauty. They were chiefly pines, and -the ground beneath was cushioned with the brown foliage of former years, -while the air was full of the balmy odor that distills from this noble -tree. Now and then a decayed stump, which their united arms could -scarcely encircle, showed where some giant of the woods had fallen; but, -in the main, this hill-side forest was as nature made it. - -The boys found it a slippery and toilsome path up the hill; but, once on -the top of “Bald Peak,” as the eminence was called, they were rewarded -for their pains by the extensive prospect that met their eyes. The spot -was very rocky, and, as its name implied, was destitute of trees. The -view took in a wide range of country, dotted with houses and cultivated -fields. - -“There!” exclaimed Clinton, as they seated themselves upon a mossy -stone,—“have you got anything in Boston that beats this?” - -“I don’t know,—we have some pretty good views in Boston,” replied his -cousin. - -“From the top of the State House?” inquired Clinton. - -“Yes, that’s one of the places,” said Whistler; “but we have a pretty -distant prospect from our house,—fully equal to this, I should say.” - -“How far can you see?” continued Clinton. - -“Well, I can’t say exactly,” replied Whistler, with the utmost -soberness; “but I believe we can see about ninety-five million miles, in -the day time, and considerably further in a clear evening.” - -“I’ll knock under,—I don’t think even Bald Peak can beat that,” replied -Clinton, with a laugh. - -After resting themselves, the boys, suddenly remembering that they had -started in quest of strawberries, concluded to go down to the foot of -the hill on the side opposite to the one they ascended, where Clinton -thought they should find some berries. They had not proceeded far, when -the sharp crack of a musket was heard not far off. - -“Halloo! somebody’s gunning about here! I wonder who it can be?” said -Clinton. - -“Are there many houses over this way?” inquired Whistler. - -“No; there isn’t one nearer than our house,” replied Clinton. “There -isn’t a road within two or three miles either, except a logging-road -through the woods.” - -“Then it must be somebody from Brookdale,” observed Whistler. - -“I suppose so,” added his cousin. - -[Illustration] - -They soon reached a clearing in the woods, and discovered a -rough-looking man concealed behind the prostrate trunk of a large tree, -getting ready to fire at a pair of rabbits, which were nibbling the -herbage at a short distance from him. The timid creatures apparently -heard the boys’ footsteps, for they suddenly fled, before the man -noticed that any one else was near. When he turned about and saw the -boys, he looked surprised, and a scowl settled upon his face. - -“What did you scare my game for?” he inquired, in a surly tone, -addressing Clinton. - -The latter seemed somewhat alarmed, and replied that it was entirely -accidental. The appearance of the man was far from prepossessing, -leaving out of the account his cross looks, and the solitary place in -which they encountered him. His face was coarse and unshaven, and his -hair looked as if it was not on good terms with the comb. He wore a -loose blouse, or frock, and a queer slouched cap, and his feet were -without stockings. After giving the boys a searching look, he said, -addressing Clinton: - -“Do you know me?” - -“Yes, sir,” he replied. - -“Who is this boy?” continued the man, pointing to Whistler. - -“He is a cousin of mine, from Boston,” replied Clinton. - -“What are you here after?” inquired the gunner. - -“Partly to take a walk, and partly to get some strawberries,” said -Clinton. - -The man now got up, and the boys noticed—what had before escaped their -attention—that he was quite lame. Using his gun to help support his -body, he hobbled a little ways, and then turned back toward the boys, -and said, in a kinder tone than before: - -“Clinton, I want you to do me a little favor, if you will.” - -“I will, with pleasure,” replied Clinton. - -“I met with an accident this morning,” continued the gunner. “I’m taking -a tramp after game, you see. I started last week, and am on my way to -Moosehead Lake, all alone. I camp out nights, and have got a booth over -yonder, where I slept last night. But this morning, as bad luck would -have it, I fell from a tree and sprained my ankle, and it’s just as much -as ever I can do, now, to hobble about. I’m afraid I shall be laid up -here two or three days, if I don’t do something for it. If I could only -get a little rum, or balm of Gilead, or pain-killer, or something of -that sort, to bathe it with, I should be right down glad.” - -“I guess mother has got something that would be good for your ankle,” -said Clinton, anticipating the man’s request. “I’ll ask her, and if she -has, I’ll bring it over to-morrow forenoon.” - -“Couldn’t you get it yourself, without saying anything to her about it?” -inquired the sportsman. - -“No, I don’t think I could,—I don’t know anything about her medicines,” -replied Clinton. “But if she has got anything that is good for a sprain, -she would send you some, I’m certain of that.” - -“But I don’t want her nor any body else to know that I’m here,” said the -man. - -Clinton did not know what to say to this. After a brief pause, in which -the sportsman seemed in deep thought, he continued: - -“The case is just this: I’m owing old Ben Brown a little money, and I -can’t pay it now; but Ben is such an ugly old dog, that if he should -hear that I’m around here, it would be just like him to have a writ out -after me, or do some other rascally thing. You mustn’t tell a single -soul that you saw me here. If you do, it might get to him. Do you -understand?” - -“Yes, sir; I’ll keep dark,” replied Clinton. - -“You promise, on your word of honor, that you won’t say a word about -me?” continued the man. - -“Yes, sir,” replied Clinton. - -“Well, I believe your character is pretty good, and I suppose I can -trust you,” said the man; “but if you _should_ betray me, all I have got -to say is, look out for Dick Sneider!” - -The savage tone with which this last sentence was uttered, startled the -boys somewhat; but they made no reply. The man then bound Whistler to -secrecy by a similar promise. The boys, who had seated themselves on the -log, now arose to depart, Clinton observing as he did so: - -“I’m sorry that I can’t bring you something for your sprain, Mr. -Sneider; but I don’t see how I can, unless you will let me ask mother.” - -“Never mind that. I’ll give my ankle a good bathing in cold water -to-night, and I guess I shall be able to travel in a day or two.” - -The sun was getting low, and the boys now started for home, at a brisk -pace. Their adventure supplied a topic of conversation most of the way; -but, in reply to Whistler’s numerous questions, Clinton could give no -very definite information in regard to the man they had so unexpectedly -encountered. All that he knew about Sneider was, that he once kept a -disreputable shop at the Cross Road, where he sold intoxicating liquor, -in violation of law; that his establishment was finally broken up, and -himself sent to jail; and that he had the name of being a desperate -fellow. - -On their way the boys passed through the pasture in which the cows were -kept. They found Daisy, Nelly and Princess, quietly awaiting their -coming at the gateway; and, having taken down the bars, they drove, or -rather followed, the sober and dignified animals to their home. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER V. - - THE ACCIDENT. - - -“YOU will have to amuse yourself indoors to-day,” said Clinton to his -cousin, the next morning, as he looked out of the window, soon after the -accustomed triple rap had aroused him from his slumbers. The rain was -falling fast, and the direction of the wind betokened a storm rather -than a shower. Whistler was somewhat disappointed, as he and Clinton had -planned a ride; but he concluded to make the best of it, and find such -amusement as he could in the barn, the shop, and the house. - -After breakfast the boys went out to the barn, Clinton having several -jobs to attend to. Whistler, not liking to be idle, took it into his -head to cut up some hay for the horse,—a kind of work which he could do -as well as Clinton. The hay-cutter, as most of you know, consists of a -sort of shallow wooden trough, with a cylinder, in which are several -sharp knives, at one end of it. The cylinder is made to revolve very -fast, by means of an iron wheel and crank turned by the hand; and as the -hay is pushed slowly against the knives, it is cut into short pieces, -and falls into the vessel placed to receive it. Whistler had worked at -the machine but a few minutes, when some drops of fresh blood on the hay -attracted his attention. He looked at his left hand, which was feeding -the machine, and found, to his astonishment, that the end of the fore -finger was missing! For an instant, he could hardly believe his eyes, -for the knife had done its work so neatly that he felt no pain nor -unusual sensation in the mutilated finger; but the flowing blood quickly -dispelled all doubt as to what had happened. - -“Clinton!” he called, “come here, quick! I’ve cut my finger off!” - -Clinton, pale with fright, ran to his aid; but he seemed somewhat -relieved when he found that his cousin had not lost the whole finger, -but only about half an inch of it. It was bad enough, however, as it -was; and he sympathized most tenderly with Whistler. They were about to -go into the house, when a new idea occurred to Clinton. - -“Where is the piece that came off? Have you found it?” he inquired. - -“No,” replied Whistler. - -“We must find it, then, and put it on before it gets cold. I shouldn’t -wonder if it would grow on again. I believe I’ve heard of such things,” -said Clinton. - -“You look for it, then,—I can’t. I don’t want to see it,” said Whistler, -who began to feel faint and sick from the sight of blood. “O, dear!” he -added, “what shall I do? My visit is spoilt!—and I thought I should have -such a good time!” And the tears began to flow fast. - -“Don’t say so, Willie,” said Clinton, who was looking among the hay for -the end of the finger. “This won’t be a very bad affair. I know you’ll -have a good time yet, before your vacation is over.” - -“What will uncle say?” continued Whistler. “He cautioned me about the -hay-cutter this morning; and father did, too, before I came down here. I -thought I was careful, and I don’t see, now, how I did it.” - -“Here’s the piece!” said Clinton, as he discovered the missing tip. “It -looks as natural as life, doesn’t it? Now, let me put it on, just as it -belongs, and then we’ll go in and get mother to do the finger up.” - -Clinton carefully pressed the severed parts together, and put a -handkerchief over the hand, and they then went into the house. Willie’s -appearance, as he entered the room, gave his aunt quite a shock; but she -quickly recalled her presence of mind, and, on learning the nature of -his injury, took immediate measures for his relief. Clinton, in the -meantime, called his father. As his uncle entered, Whistler gave vent to -a new outburst of tears; but when Mr. Davenport, instead of alluding to -the warning he had given him, or charging him with carelessness, spoke -of the danger attending the use of the hay-cutter, and of the frequency -of accidents of this kind, Willie’s tears gradually dried up, and he -began to regain something of the self-command he had lost. It often -happens that the first shock of a misfortune unmans even the bravest of -spirits; and we need not wonder, therefore, that Whistler was at first -so much affected by what was after all not a very serious accident. - -It was thought best to send for the physician at once; and Clinton was -despatched for him, in a covered wagon, as the rain was still falling -fast. Dr. Hart lived a mile or two from Mr. Davenport’s; and it was -nearly an hour before he drove up in his gig. He found his young patient -quite calm and cheerful, and received from him a minute account of the -accident. He then tenderly unbound the wounded finger, and examined into -the extent of the injury. - -“This is not going to be a very bad affair, Willie,” said the doctor, -after he had completed his examination. “It isn’t near so serious as it -would be if you had cut off two or three of your fingers, as I have -frequently known boys to do when playing with a hay-cutter. I think the -tip will grow on again, and the finger will be about as good as it ever -was. It is very fortunate that you did not forget to put the piece on -again.” - -“I must give Clinton the credit of that; I shouldn’t have thought of -it,” said Whistler. - -“Suppose the piece shouldn’t grow on, what then?” inquired Clinton. - -“Then his finger will always be half an inch short, and it will be -rather tender for a time,” replied the doctor. “But I feel quite -confident that it will knit together. I shall have to sew it on, to keep -it in its place; but that won’t hurt him much.” - -The doctor drew from his coat pocket a small case of instruments, at the -sight of which little Annie retreated from the room. Clinton soon -followed her example, feeling that he had not the nerve to witness the -operation. Whistler himself looked rather anxious, but not more so than -his uncle and aunt. He promptly obeyed all the directions of the doctor, -however; and when the needle was inserted through his flesh, he did not -flinch, nor utter a single cry, although the pain sent the tears into -his eyes. No resistance being offered, and no time lost in coaxing the -patient, the operations of sewing and dressing were performed very -quickly and neatly. - -“There,” said Dr. Hart, as he applied the last bandage, “you bore that -like a hero. There are few men who would behave so well as you did under -such an operation. Now, if you take good care of your finger, I have no -doubt it will heal up nicely. You must make a baby of it for a while, -and treat it very tenderly; if you don’t, it will be likely to let you -know it.” - -The doctor then gave Mrs. Davenport some directions in regard to the -management of the wounded finger. Having thus fulfilled his professional -duty, he branched off to the topics of village news, as was his wont, -remarking to Mr. Davenport: - -“Friend Walker met with a pretty serious loss last night.” - -“What loss? I’ve heard nothing about it,” replied Mr. Davenport. - -“Heard nothing about the fire!” exclaimed the doctor, with surprise. -“Why, his barn was burned flat last night, with everything in it.” - -“Is it possible?” exclaimed Mr. Davenport. - -“Yes,” continued the doctor; “and his oxen, and one of his cows, and all -of his hogs, were burned to death. Then his barn was full of hay—about -twenty tons. It’s quite a sad loss to the old man, and he’s almost crazy -about it.” - -“O, I am sorry for the old gentleman,” said Mrs. Davenport, with much -feeling. “It’s a great loss, at his time of life, and he has seen so -much trouble, too.” - -“But where were we, that we knew nothing about this before?” inquired -Mr. Davenport. - -“O, I don’t wonder at that at all,” replied his wife. “You know his -house is over a mile from us, and there’s quite a hill between us, so -that a fire in his neighborhood wouldn’t show very plain here.” - -“How was it with his horse? I suppose he was in the pasture,” said Mr. -Davenport. - -“Yes,—they turned him into the pasture last night; but they can’t find -anything of him this morning,” replied the doctor. - -“That is very singular; it looks as if some roguery had been going on,” -observed Mr. Davenport. - -“O, yes; the barn was set on fire,—there is no doubt of that,” continued -the doctor. “There hadn’t been any fire or light near it for several -months.” - -“Who do they suppose did it?” inquired Clinton, who had returned to the -room while the doctor was telling the news. - -“They don’t suspect anybody, that I know of,” replied the doctor. “Mr. -Walker says he hasn’t the slightest idea who did it, and other folks are -as much in the dark as he is. People can’t help thinking of that -drunken, vagrant son of his; but, then, I don’t believe Tom would do -such a fiendish act, bad as he is.” - -“O, no; Tom Walker never could have done such a thing as that,” said -Mrs. Davenport. - -“Well, I’m sorry it has happened,” said the doctor, as he arose to -depart, “not only on Mr. Walker’s account, but because it diminishes the -security of the whole community. There is no safety for any of us, when -such villains are prowling around. Good-by, Willie; I’ll call to see how -you are getting along, in a day or two. Good-day, all.” - -Soon after the doctor departed, Clinton and his father rode over to Mr. -Walker’s to see the ruins, and to tender their sympathies to the -sufferers. It was indeed a sad, and, in that village, an unusual -spectacle, that they beheld. The smouldering heaps of half-burned grain -and hay, the blackened remains of the animals that perished, the -partially consumed carts, ploughs and implements, the iron of which only -remained, and the surrounding trees, stripped of every green leaf, -presented a gloomy picture of desolation, where peace and plenty smiled -but a few hours before. The family had not recovered from their alarm -and excitement, and seemed to feel their loss very deeply. Mr. Davenport -tendered his sympathies and his services to his afflicted neighbors, and -soon after returned home. - -Whistler, during the absence of his uncle and cousin, talked quite -cheerfully with Annie, and seemed in his usual spirits. - -“I’ve got a baby, now, that beats yours,” he said, as Annie brought out -her doll to play with it. - -“Where is it?” inquired Annie. - -“Here it is,” he said, pointing to his bandaged finger. - -“O, I wouldn’t have such a baby as that!” exclaimed Annie. - -“He’s a real good baby; he’s alive, and yours isn’t,” said Whistler. - -“But his head is cut off,” suggested Annie. - -“No matter; the doctor has sewed it on again,” replied Whistler. - -“Well, it’s an ugly baby; I don’t like it,” said Annie. - -“No, he isn’t ugly; he never cries, nor makes any fuss,” replied -Whistler. - -“He makes _you_ cry, though,” retorted Annie, with a look so arch that -Whistler laughed merrily. - -“I guess your finger doesn’t pain you much, Willie, does it?” inquired -Mrs. Davenport. - -“No, ma’am,” he replied, “I don’t feel it hardly any, now; and it hasn’t -hurt me much yet, only when the doctor was fixing it.” - -For the greater security of Whistler’s finger, which could not bear the -slightest touch, his aunt fixed a sling, in which he carried his arm. -During the day he experienced but very little pain from the wound, and -in this respect was most disagreeably disappointed. Mr. Davenport -suggested that his father ought to be informed of the accident; and -Whistler decided to write to him that afternoon, as he had the free use -of his right hand. The thought of doing this, however, brought a shadow -over his countenance. - -“I wish I could get along without letting the folks at home know -anything about this,” he at length said. - -“That would hardly be possible,” said his uncle, “as your finger will -not have time to heal up entirely before you go home; and, even if it -were possible, do you think it would be right to do so?” - -“No, sir,—I did not think of doing so; but I dread to have them know -it,” replied Whistler. “Mother will worry about me, and father will say -that I was careless,—that’s what he always says when anything happens to -me.” - -“Isn’t it possible that you were a trifle careless?” inquired Mr. -Davenport. - -“I suppose I was,” he replied. - -“Clinton has used that hay-cutter, more or less, for four or five years, -and he never hurt himself with it,” said Mr. Davenport, who really -thought that Willie was a little heedless, and wished this accident -should prove a valuable lesson to him. - -The gathering tears in the boy’s eyes warned Mr. Davenport that he had -said enough, if not too much. Clinton, noticing his cousin’s -sensitiveness, came to his relief, saying: - -“Well, father, I always thought that hay-cutter was a dangerous thing, -and I’ve come pretty near cutting my fingers with it more than once. But -I’ve thought of a way that I can fix it, so that it won’t cut off any -more fingers. I’m going to nail a strip of wood over the place where you -put the hay in, close up to the cylinder, so that you can’t reach the -knives with your fingers. I’ll go and do it now, and see how it works.” - -Whistler proceeded with his letter. Clinton came in, after a short -absence, and reported that he had applied his safety-guard to the -hay-cutter, and that it worked admirably. He said it interfered but very -little with the operation of the machine, and he thought it would not -trouble him at all after he became accustomed to it. It was impossible, -he said, for a person to cut his fingers when this guard was on, unless -he did it with design. - -When Whistler had finished his letter, Clinton took it over to the Cross -Roads, this being the nearest post-office. The rain had ceased, and Mrs. -Davenport, having an errand to do, accompanied Clinton, leaving the -house in charge of Whistler and Annie, who found plenty of ways of -amusing each other until the return of the absentees. - -It was not until bed time that Whistler began to experience much -inconvenience from his cut finger. He then found that he should need -Clinton’s assistance in undressing; and he subsequently discovered that -it was not quite so easy to keep his finger from contact with -surrounding things in bed, as it was when sitting up. - -As the boys talked over the incidents of the day, after they had got -into bed, Clinton inquired, in a low tone: - -“Didn’t you think of Dick Sneider, Willie, when you heard of the fire?” - -“Yes, I thought of him the very first thing, and I should have spoken of -it if we hadn’t promised not to,” replied Whistler. - -“So should I,” added Clinton; “but, then, it isn’t likely he set the -fire, for he was so lame he couldn’t have got over to Mr. Walker’s.” - -“No, I don’t imagine he did it,” said Whistler; “but there was something -about his looks that I didn’t like. How cross he looked when he first -saw us!” - -“I know it; and how afraid he was that we should tell somebody we saw -him!” added Clinton. - -“Well, if he wasn’t so lame I should have some suspicion of him,” said -Whistler. - -“But, perhaps he wasn’t so very lame; he might have only made believe -so,” suggested Clinton. - -“I wish we hadn’t bound ourselves not to say anything about him,” said -Whistler. - -“They say a bad promise is better broken than kept,” added Clinton. - -“Yes; but how do you know that was a bad promise?” inquired Whistler. - -“I don’t think it was a very good one, even if the excuse he gave about -his owing Mr. Brown some money was the real one,” replied Clinton. - -“Well, I hope they will catch the rascal that set the fire, whoever he -is,” said Whistler; “but, after all, I don’t think it could have been -the man we met in the woods.” - -Whistler did not pass the night very comfortably. When he slept he was -visited by troubled dreams, the effect of the nervous excitement of the -day; and his wounded finger was continually receiving knocks, the -throbbing pain of which awoke him, sometimes keeping him in agony for -half an hour afterwards. Daybreak was never more welcome to him than it -was the next morning. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER VI. - - A LITERARY ENTERPRISE. - - -WHISTLER soon found that his visit to Brookdale was not quite “spoilt,” -as he feared it was, by the accident that had happened to him. His -injured finger was somewhat troublesome, it is true, especially at -night, when it received many unfortunate knocks, which often awoke him -from a sound sleep. It also prevented his joining in the rough and -active sports of which boys are generally so fond; and, as he had but -one hand to work with, he found, moreover, that he could render but -little assistance to Clinton, in his regular duties. But there was -another and a pleasanter side to the account. The wound pained him but -slightly, and his health was not at all affected by it. He could walk -and ride as much as he pleased; and then, when Clinton could not -accompany him in his excursions, he never failed to find sources of -amusement about the house, or in the shop or the barn. The doctor called -occasionally to look after the finger, and always reported that it was -doing well, never omitting to praise Whistler for the good care he took -of it. - -[Illustration] - -One stormy day, about a week after the accident, as Whistler was sitting -in the house, deeply engaged with a book, the lively “Clack! clack!” of -the flail struck up, and, taking his cap and book, he ran out to the -barn. He found Clinton in the back part of the barn, engaged in -threshing rye. The grain, tied up in bundles, was piled on each side of -him as high as the flooring above. The process of threshing hardly need -be described; and yet, as possibly some young city reader may never have -witnessed it, I will say that a quantity of straw is laid upon the barn -floor, and the heads of it are beat by the flail until all the grain is -shaken out of it. The flail is made of hard wood, in two pieces, united -by leather, or some other flexible material, which allows the shorter -piece to play freely, something like the lash of a whip. When the grain -is all threshed out, the straw is removed, and tied up in bundles. The -grain is then shovelled up, and passed through a coarse sieve, and is -ready to be stored away. - -“Have you found a piece, Willie?” inquired Clinton, as his cousin -entered the barn. - -“No, I can’t find one that suits me,” replied Whistler. - -“Well, I’ve thought of another plan, and a better one still,” continued -Clinton; “and that is, that you _write_ a dialogue for us.” - -“_I_ write a dialogue! That’s a pretty joke!—ha! ha! ha!” replied -Whistler, with a merry laugh. - -“Yes,—why not?” inquired Clinton. “You write compositions, and you have -got plenty of time now, while your finger is sore. Come, you’ll try, -won’t you?” - -“O, no; I couldn’t do anything if I should try,” replied Whistler. “If I -had only known it before I left home, I could have got a copy of the -dialogue the boys spoke at our last exhibition. It was a real funny -piece; better than any in this book. One of these will do, though, if we -can’t find something better.” - -“But we must have something better,” said Clinton, with earnestness, -laying down his flail. “If you won’t write one yourself, you’ll help me -do it, won’t you?” - -“Yes, I’ll agree to do what I can; but I’m afraid I shan’t help you -much,” replied Whistler. - -“If we put our heads together, I think we can get up something that will -answer,” said Clinton. “As soon as I’ve threshed this lot I’ll go into -the house with you, and see if we can’t make a beginning.” - -The church and Sabbath-school which Clinton attended were making -preparation for a social festive gathering, to be held in a grove; and -among the entertainments proposed were to be declamations by several of -the young people. Clinton and Whistler had both been invited to take -part in these exercises, and they had also been requested to select a -dialogue for two or three smaller boys, and to see that they were -properly drilled in their parts. They felt that quite a serious -responsibility had been laid upon them; and for a day or two it had been -the subject of much consultation. Clinton had at length made a selection -for himself, and Whistler had concluded to repeat the piece which he -spoke at his school exhibition a few weeks before. The dialogue, -however, was yet to be determined on; and, as they had less than two -weeks for preparation, it naturally gave them some uneasiness, -especially as they had thus far been unable to find a suitable piece. - -After Clinton had finished threshing the lot of grain which he had -begun, he went up to his bedroom, with Whistler, and opening the little -desk upon the table, they sat down, and tried to agree upon some plan, -or subject, for the dialogue. They did not accomplish much, however, -beyond making a few pen flourishes, and thoroughly overhauling the -contents of the desk, which contained, among other things, a few of -Clinton’s compositions, in which Whistler was much interested. The fact -was, neither of them had any idea to propose, and the longer they sat -there the farther their attention wandered from the subject in hand, -until, at last, the call to dinner interrupted their fruitless -consultation. - -The boys had no better success in the afternoon with their literary -enterprise, and Clinton’s ardor began to cool off a little; for, to tell -the truth, the ardor was pretty much all on his side. They retired to -bed early in the evening, intending to have “a good talk” before it was -time to go to sleep. While thus engaged, telling stories to each other, -Whistler related an incident that once occurred in the school he -attended. - -“There!” exclaimed Clinton, as soon as he had finished, “why can’t we -bring that into our dialogue? It would be a complete subject, wouldn’t -it? We might change it a little, if we wanted to, to make it tell better -in a dialogue, but it wouldn’t be very bad if we took it just as it is. -What do you say to that idea, Willie?” - -“I don’t know; perhaps we might make something out of it,” replied -Whistler. “If we could only get it up equal to the original, it would -make some fun, I can tell you.” - -“We’ll try, at any rate,” said Clinton. - -And they did try, the next day,—yes, and several days following. The -result was, by their joint efforts, Whistler’s story was “done” into -dialogue, with some slight changes to give it more effect. The old and -very reasonable adage, that “Two heads are better than one,” proved true -in this case, as they made a better dialogue, together, than either -could have written alone. They seemed aware of this, and even Whistler -came to feel quite a lively interest in the literary bantling. As the -reader may like to know something of this production, I will give the -substance of it, or, rather, the story on which it was founded. - -A group of boys were playing in a school-room, a little while before -school time, when a trifling dispute arose between two of them—John and -Benjamin. One gave the other the lie, and, both being of hot -temperament, it was “a word and a blow.” They clinched, fell, and rolled -together on the floor, and were pummeling each other well, when suddenly -the teacher walked into the room. Taking the pugilists by the collar, he -lifted them upon their feet, and sent the other boys to their seats. On -inquiring into the origin of the quarrel, he found that they were about -equally guilty. Accordingly, he reproved them both sharply for their -fault. - -“If you must fight,” he said, “why don’t you do it in a decent and -gentlemanly way, and not act like a couple of bullies? I’ll show you how -it should be done. Here, John, take this stick (handing him the familiar -ratan), and now give Benjamin one dozen smart cuts with it across his -back. And don’t you lift a finger, Benjamin, unless you want me to take -you in hand.” - -John seemed as much astonished as pleased, as he took the rod and began -to pay on the blows; while his antagonist received them without a word -or cry, but with a sullen and dogged look. After he had completed the -dozen, the teacher told Benjamin to take the ratan, and bestow the same -favor upon John’s back. Both faces changed at this unexpected turn in -affairs, and Benjamin laid on his dozen with a heartiness that showed he -fully entered into the spirit of this part of the arrangement. - -This operation finished, the teacher asked each of them if he was -satisfied, and received an affirmative answer. - -“Well, then,” said the teacher, “if you are both satisfied, your quarrel -is made up, and you may complete the reconciliation by shaking hands, -and giving each other the kiss of peace.” - -There was a general titter among the scholars at these words, which the -teacher promptly suppressed. Seeing that the two culprits hesitated, he -repeated the order; but they did not move. - -“Well,” he continued, “I see your feelings are hardly mollified, yet,—I -shall have to see what I can do;” and he took the rod, and advanced -towards them. - -The boys, blushing to their temples, barely extended their hands, and -brought their faces together, followed by an explosion of laughter from -the whole school, which the teacher sternly silenced. - -“That won’t do,” said the teacher; “it was too cold and -mechanical,—there was no soul in it. You can do better than that; now, -try again.” - -After a little more coaxing (the ratan still impending over their -heads), the culprits concluded to comply, and went through the ceremony -in a much more cordial manner. There was a new burst of laughter from -all hands, in which the teacher himself joined, this time; and the two -offenders retreated to their seats, with faces as red as peonies, not -knowing whether to laugh or cry. - -Such was the story upon which the dialogue was founded. In dramatizing -it, however, Clinton and Whistler had found it necessary to make some -slight changes. - -The boys made three copies of the dialogue—one for each of the principal -characters. It was decided that Clinton should take the part of -schoolmaster, and the two belligerents were to be represented by two -smaller boys. These boys had agreed to meet Clinton and Whistler on -Saturday afternoon, to study and rehearse their parts. The place of -rendezvous was a charming little dell, in a grove behind the -schoolhouse, which was well known to all the children in town by the -name of “Spouting Hollow,” from the circumstance that it was -occasionally used by the young orators as a place of rehearsal. - -The boys had not yet shown their dialogue to any one. Clinton had -thought of getting his father to read it, but no opportunity had -presented itself as yet. On Friday evening, after tea, Mr. Davenport -took a chair from the house, and seated himself just outside of the -front door to enjoy the cool air, for the day had been quite sultry. -Annie, with her little chair, soon seated herself by his side and -engaged his attention, and it was some little time before Clinton could -get a chance to broach the subject which was upon his mind. - -“Ah! have you finished the dialogue, so soon?” inquired Mr. Davenport, -when Clinton alluded to it. - -“Yes, sir, it’s all done, and we’re going down to Spouting Hollow, -to-morrow afternoon, to rehearse it,” replied Clinton. - -“Well, you have been pretty smart, and I hope you have done your best, -too,” said his father, in a tone that seemed to imply some slight -misgivings. - -“_We_ think we have done pretty well,” remarked Whistler. “At any rate, -we’ve made a better dialogue than I thought we could.” - -“Ah! I’m glad to hear that,” replied Mr. Davenport; “what is the subject -of it?” - -“Perhaps you would like to read it,” said Clinton, with some reluctance, -slowly drawing the manuscript from his jacket pocket. - -“Yes, I will read it, if you wish,” replied his father. - -Mr. Davenport took the paper, and commenced reading it, for it was not -yet dark. The boys walked back and forth, around the house, both feeling -something of that indefinite dread which the modest literary aspirant -always experiences when his performances are submitted to superior -wisdom and judgment. - -“How long it takes him to read it!” at length whispered Clinton, after -they had returned several times to the doorway, and found him still -absorbed with the dialogue. - -After a few minutes’ absence they again returned, and Mr. Davenport had -commenced reading it anew. - -“He’s reading it over again,—you may know he doesn’t like it,” whispered -Clinton, when they were beyond his hearing; and the hearts of both sank -within them. - -The next time they approached the doorway, Mr. Davenport had finished -reading the paper, but seemed to be so absorbed in thought that he did -not notice the boys. They turned to go away again, when he suddenly -called to them, and they went back, feeling like a couple of culprits. - -“I was thinking,” he said, “of deferring my judgment of this dialogue -for an hour or so, until I could collect my thoughts a little better; -but, as I see you are in considerable suspense, I won’t ask you to wait -any longer. And, to begin, I think you have executed your task very well -indeed, in a literary point of view. The dialogue is natural and -sprightly, and the whole arrangement is very good, and does you much -credit. And yet, I can’t say I am wholly pleased with the piece. Like -many other authors, I think you have been unfortunate in the choice of a -subject. Whose idea was it,—who suggested the plot?” - -“It was my idea,” replied Clinton; “Willie told me the story, and I -thought it would make a good subject for a dialogue.” - -“Ah! it is founded on fact, is it?” inquired Mr. Davenport. - -“Yes, sir; it is almost word for word what happened in our school, -once,” replied Whistler. - -“Well, I will tell you plainly what my objections are,” continued Mr. -Davenport. “They are of a purely moral nature, and perhaps you will not -feel their force so much as I do. In the first place, I don’t like the -fighting scene. I think it is so brutal and wicked for boys to maul each -other in that way, that I would not encourage it, even by imitating it -in sport. Besides, children are great imitators, and it wouldn’t be -strange if some little fellows, after seeing your dialogue represented, -should try to play off a fight on their own hook; and perhaps they might -get in earnest before they were through with it. And then, again, seeing -a sham fight, like yours, might strengthen a taste which too many boys -have for witnessing _real_ battles, in which bloody noses and torn -clothing are the prizes. I presume you didn’t think of these things; but -don’t you see there is some force in them?” - -“Yes, sir,” replied Clinton. - -“But they represent such things at the theatres,” suggested Whistler. - -“I know they do, Willie,” said his uncle; “but, in my opinion, the -theatre is a very poor school of morality.” - -“And we read about such things in books, too,” added Clinton, gathering -courage from his cousin’s objection to his father’s position. - -“A written description of a fight, or any other species of wrong-doing, -is a very different thing from the same affair acted out by living -performers,” replied Mr. Davenport. “Still, such scenes ought to be -introduced very sparingly and very cautiously into books, in my -opinion.” - -“Is there anything else in the dialogue that you don’t approve?” -inquired Clinton. - -“Yes,” replied his father; “but I suppose I must blame Willie’s teacher -for the other faults, rather than you. I don’t think he took a very wise -or proper course to settle the dispute between the two boys. I should -say that the mutual flogging must have deepened their hatred of each -other, and encouraged their fighting propensities. Then I do not like -the forced reconciliation; it could only make deceivers and hypocrites -of them. Exposing them to the ridicule of the whole school was another -bad thing about the affair. In fact, I should think that the whole scene -must have had a bad effect, not only on the culprits, but upon all who -witnessed it; and for that reason I should not like to see it -represented in a dialogue.” - -“Well, then,” said Clinton, in a desponding tone, “we shall have to give -up the dialogue, for we haven’t time to write another, even if we knew -we could write a better one.” - -“I hope you are not going to allow one failure to discourage you,” -replied his father. “I do not find any fault with this, except with the -subject; and I do not see why you cannot write another as good as this, -that shall be free from all objectionable matter.” - -Here the conversation ceased, and Mr. Davenport went into the house. His -decision in regard to the dialogue had not been announced without the -greatest pain, as he well knew how sore a disappointment and how deep a -mortification it would carry with it. There was no honest and proper -course, however, but to express his opinion freely and fully; and he -accordingly did so, in as kind a way as he could. - -“I almost wish we hadn’t shown it to father,” said Clinton, when they -were alone. “I don’t believe anybody else would think there was any harm -in it.” - -“Well, as for my part,” said Whistler, “I’m glad we _did_ show it to -him; for if there’s anything out of the way in it, I should much rather -know it now, than not find it out until after it was spoken.” - -This manly remark had a decided effect on Clinton, who, in the -bitterness of his disappointment, had uttered a sentiment which, to do -him justice, we must say did not come from his heart. - -“I suppose it’s all for the best,” he said; “but what shall we tell the -boys, when they meet, to-morrow, to learn their parts?” - -“We can tell them that our dialogue did not suit us, and we’re going to -write another,” replied Whistler. - -“Another?—how can we do that?” inquired Clinton. - -“Why, you don’t mean to give it up, do you?” inquired Whistler. “I -don’t, at any rate. We’ve promised the boys an original dialogue, and I, -for one, shan’t back out without trying at least once more. We’ve got -over a week to do it in, and it didn’t take us three days to write -that.” - -“Yes,—but the subject?” suggested Clinton. - -“Ah, that’s the stick!” said Whistler. “Don’t you think your father -could tell us of something to write about?” - -“You might ask him,” said Clinton, who seemed determined that if another -dialogue was written, his cousin should shoulder the burden. - -Willie did ask his uncle, who was much pleased to learn that the boys -had concluded to try again. He talked with them during the evening in -regard to the matter, and suggested several plans and subjects, one of -which struck them very favorably, and they at once concluded to adopt -it. - -Early the next morning the boys went to work upon their new dialogue; -and so earnestly did they labor, that, to their own astonishment, it was -finished when the dinner hour arrived. It was much shorter, however, -than the first one, and was also simpler in its construction. Mr. -Davenport read and approved it; and in the afternoon the nymphs of -Spouting Hollow—if that classic retreat was honored by such -inhabitants—had the pleasure of listening to its first rehearsal. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER VII. - - THE INCENDIARY. - - -“THERE! I can’t do anything with only one hand!” exclaimed Whistler, -somewhat impatiently, as he was at work in the shop one morning with -Clinton. He was nailing two pieces of wood together, for some purpose or -other; but the nail split them both, and rendered them useless. - -“You didn’t drive the nail in right, that’s the trouble,” said Clinton, -after glancing at the pieces. “If you had turned it round the other way -it wouldn’t have split. You have set the wide part of the nail across -the grain of the wood, and it acts just like a wedge. Don’t you see how -the nail widens towards the head? Well, that wide part ought to go the -same way as the grain, and not across it.” - -“I’ve heard something of that before, but I didn’t think anything about -it,” said Whistler, who, it should be remarked, had far less mechanical -skill than Clinton, who had enjoyed unusual facilities for cultivating -this talent, and, besides, had a natural aptitude for it. - -“Even if you were driving a nail into solid timber, where there was no -danger of splitting,” continued Clinton, “the wide part ought not to go -against the grain; for, if it does, there will be a little opening -around the head of the nail, and that will let in air and moisture, and -make the wood decay.” - -“Well, I’ll try it again,” said Whistler; and he began to look around -for some more pieces of wood. - -“There is another thing about driving nails,” continued Clinton; “did -you know that you can drive one into hard wood a great deal easier if -you wet it?” - -“No, I never heard of that,” replied his cousin. - -“It is so,” added Clinton. “Oil is the best thing to wet it with; but -water is good, or you can put it into your mouth, as the carpenters -often do.” - -“There’s some knack even in driving a nail, isn’t there?” said Whistler. - -“Ah, there comes Mr. Walker,” said Clinton, as a man appeared in the -yard, and he went out to speak to him. - -“Where’s your father, Clinton?” inquired the man. - -“I don’t know,—he is somewhere about here,” replied Clinton. “Shall I go -and find him?” - -“No matter about it,—I’m in a hurry,” replied Mr. Walker. “I was going -by, and I thought I’d stop and let your folks know that father has heard -from his horse, and got track of the rascal that set fire to the barn.” - -“Has he?—who is it?” inquired Clinton. - -“We’ve traced the fellow to Bangor, and there we’ve lost him,” continued -Mr. Walker; “but I’m in hopes we shall get some clew to him again. He -sold the horse about twenty miles this side of Bangor.” - -“But who is the fellow?” inquired Clinton, with a feeling of suspense -somewhat similar to what he experienced when his father had the rejected -dialogue under consideration. - -“We don’t know for a certainty,—he went by two or three different names, -and probably all of them were assumed for the occasion,” replied Mr. -Walker; “but, from the description of him, we think it must be a fellow -that father complained of for selling rum, over at the Cross Roads. His -name was Dick Sneider.” - -“There! that explains it all, then!” said Clinton, and the color -suddenly went from his face. - -“Explains what? Do you know anything about it?” inquired Mr. Walker, -with surprise. - -Clinton then told Mr. Walker of his interview with Sneider in the woods -the night before the fire. Willie also came out, on hearing the subject -of conversation, and supplied some omissions which Clinton, in his alarm -and nervousness, had overlooked. Mr. Walker was a quick-tempered and -impulsive young man, somewhat overbearing in his manner, and, when in a -passion, not a very agreeable person, by any means. He could scarcely -restrain his anger, as the boys related their adventure, and repeatedly -interrupted them with the inquiry, in a quick, snappish tone: - -“Why didn’t you tell of this before? What does all this mean, I should -like to know?” - -His passion rose as the boys proceeded, and he soon lost all -self-control, and broke forth in a most profane and outrageous manner, -applying all kinds of abusive epithets to Clinton in particular, for not -telling of his interview with Sneider before; pronouncing him a fool and -simpleton for being so easily deceived by him; and, with the usual -inconsistency of men in a passion, threatening to have him arrested as -an accomplice or partner in the crime. The boys hung their heads like -criminals, under the stinging reproof; but, fortunately for them, Mrs. -Davenport, who, unobserved, had heard the whole conversation, thought it -her duty to interfere, now that Mr. Walker’s temper had reached such a -pitch, and she accordingly stepped from the house. The young man -softened his words and tones a little when he saw her, but still -condemned Clinton’s error in severe terms. She admitted that he had -acted unwisely, but mildly rebuked Mr. Walker for the severity of his -reprimand, reminding him that Clinton was but a boy, and had probably -done what he thought was right. She also spoke of the accident which -Whistler met with, and of the busy preparations they had been making for -the picnic, which had caused them almost to forget the fire. - -Mr. Walker now started for home; but he had not proceeded far when he -met Mr. Davenport, and he stopped to inform him of the discovery he had -just made. - -“Is that man drunk, or crazy, or what is the matter with him?” inquired -Whistler, indignantly, as soon as Mr. Walker was out of hearing. - -“No, Willie; he’s a fiery-tempered man,—that’s all that ails him,” -replied his aunt. - -“Well, if I hadn’t thought he was crazy, or drunk, or something of that -kind, I wouldn’t have stood so much of his impudence,” added Whistler, -whose courage rose as the choleric young man rode off. - -“I know one thing,” said Clinton, “if Bill Walker ever talks to me in -that way again, I’ll give him as good as he sends.” - -“O, no; you don’t mean that,” replied his mother. “That would be putting -yourself on a level with him; and I’m sure you wouldn’t wish to do that. -His bad temper is a great injury to him. It is notorious all over town, -and nobody respects him so much as they otherwise would, on account of -it. He makes a great many enemies, too, and, I have no doubt, he feels -heartily ashamed of himself when he gets over his fits of passion. I -hope you will never try to meet such a man with his own weapons. The -best way is to keep silence, or speak mildly. ‘He that ruleth his spirit -is better than he that taketh a city,’ as the Bible says. If you had -been impudent to Mr. Walker, it would have made him more furious, and he -would not get over his resentment half so easily; but now, he will soon -get calmed down, and then he will see that he has treated you badly, and -the next time you meet him he will be as kind to you as ever,—you see if -he isn’t.” - -“Yes,—but before he gets cooled off, he’ll go all over town and tell -what a fool I am,” said Clinton, bursting into tears. - -“O, no, I think not,” replied his mother; “but, even if he should, every -body knows what he is, and his reports will not injure you any, in the -end.” - -Mr. Davenport soon came in, to make inquiries concerning the affair of -which he had just heard. He could hardly credit Mr. Walker’s story, who, -to tell the truth, had not troubled himself much to explain the -mitigating circumstances in the case. He listened patiently to the boys’ -statement, and was very glad to find that the affair was not so bad as -had been represented. - -“I am very sorry this has happened,” said Mr. Davenport, after they had -made their explanations. “If you had told me of this as soon as we heard -of the fire, it is probable that Dick might have been arrested; for the -officers would have known who they were in pursuit of. Your silence has -probably defeated the ends of justice this time.” - -“But he seemed to be so lame, that we thought he couldn’t be the -fellow,” suggested Whistler. - -“Ah, he was too shrewd for you there,” said Mr. Davenport. “You -shouldn’t believe all that such a fellow tells you.” - -“Well, to tell the truth, uncle,” said Whistler, “I don’t think Clinton -is so much to blame as I am. I remember, now, his saying that he was -suspicious of Dick, and that a bad promise is better broken than kept; -but I rather talked him out of it.” - -Whistler had a nice sense of honor, hence this magnanimous confession, -which, indeed, was not a mere compliment, but was the truth. Clinton -would probably have made the revelation immediately after the fire, had -he not been influenced otherwise—slightly it is true—by his cousin. -This, however, did not wholly excuse his mistake. He knew more of Dick’s -bad character than Whistler did; and, besides, he ought not to have been -so easily influenced against his own convictions. This, indeed, had -always been one of Clinton’s chief failings,—a disposition to yield too -readily to the wishes and arguments of others, when his own better -judgment ought to have dictated a different course. - -Clinton did not allow his cousin to assume all the blame in the matter, -but insisted on bearing his full share. He strongly protested, however, -that he thought he was doing right. - -“I am a little inclined to doubt that,” replied his father. “It seems to -me you could not have given the subject much thought. I suppose you had -a sort of general impression that you were doing nothing wrong; but I -suspect that you did not turn the matter over in your mind as you ought. -But, even if you did, after due consideration, conclude that you had -done right, that would not make the action right.” - -“But, in that case, I shouldn’t be to blame for doing as I did, should -I?” inquired Clinton. - -“Yes, you would be to blame, unless you could give a good excuse for not -knowing better,” replied his father. “But, are you sure that you gave -the subject proper reflection, and acted according to the best of your -knowledge?” - -“Yes, sir; I thought I did,” replied Clinton. - -“Your promise to Dick was the only reason for your silence, was it not?” - -“Yes, sir.” - -“Why did you make such a promise? Supposing his story was true about the -debt, was it right for you to shield him from justice?” - -“But he said he couldn’t pay.” - -“Then you regarded him as an honest but unfortunate debtor, and thought -it would be an act of mercy to stand between him and his cruel creditor, -did you?” - -Clinton could not answer that question, but looked perplexed. He finally -evaded it by saying: - -“But he looked so ugly, that I didn’t dare to refuse him.” - -“Did he threaten you, or use any compulsion?” inquired his father. - -“Yes, sir; he threatened us after we had promised not to say anything -about it.” - -“Well, that will hardly excuse you for making such a promise. I think -you yielded too willingly. You can hardly say that he _compelled_ you to -promise secrecy. But, suppose he did compel you, what then?” - -“I suppose it would not have been binding on us.” - -“Why not?” - -“Because he forced us into it.” - -“Then, when the barons of England compelled King John to sign the Magna -Charta, which secured to Englishmen their liberties, the act was not -binding upon him, because he was forced into it; was it so?” - -Clinton made no reply. - -“If I should catch a boy stealing apples from my trees,” continued his -father, “and should refuse to let him go until he had promised not to -steal any more, he would be under no obligations to keep his promise, -would he?” - -“Yes, sir, he would.” - -“Are there any circumstances, then, under which it is proper to violate -a promise?” - -“Yes, sir,—when the promise is wrong.” - -“Yes, that is a settled principle in morals, and one that commends -itself to every honest mind. If I promise to do what is wrong, I am -bound to break that promise. Now, apply this principle to your promise -to Dick. Do you think that was a promise that ought to have been kept?” - -“I know it wasn’t, now, but I didn’t know then.” - -“But I want you to banish from your mind all thoughts of the fire, and -what you have since learned about it. We will suppose that Dick’s story -was true. You meet him unexpectedly in the woods. You know that he is a -worthless fellow, a vagabond and a rascal. He pleads that he is in debt, -and unable to pay, and wants you to promise to tell no one that you saw -him. You know that if he is too poor to pay what he owes, it is because -he is too lazy to work. You know, moreover, that he is a man who would -be just as likely to tell you a lie as the truth. Now, was it right for -you to make such a promise to such a man?” - -“No, sir.” - -“And, after it was made, was it right to keep it, and shield such a -worthless fellow from the consequences of the life he is leading?” - -“No, sir.” - -“Well, then, why didn’t you find that out sooner?” - -“I didn’t look at it in that light.” - -“That confirms what I said at the beginning. You did not give the matter -much thought; if you had, you would have seen it in just this light, -even if the fire had never happened. But, what surprises me most of all -is, that, after you knew some villain had set Mr. Walker’s barn on fire, -and run off with his horse, you did not take the trouble to think over -this affair earnestly, and decide what it was your duty to do. You seem -to have let it slip from your mind, as soon as you could, without -knowing whether you were doing right or wrong. If you had done this -under somewhat different circumstances, it might have blasted your -character for life. Many an innocent man has found himself entangled in -the meshes of the law, by merely keeping a rogue’s secret.” - -Clinton was much affected by his father’s plain dealing with him, and -attempted no further excuse. Whistler also felt badly about the affair, -and he could not help taking to himself a good share of the censure -bestowed upon his cousin. Mrs. Davenport, however, who had been a silent -listener to the conversation, was not wholly satisfied with the course -her husband had taken. She thought he had judged the boys with too much -severity, and she accordingly put in a plea in their behalf. Her -argument included pretty much all that could be said in mitigation of -their error; and if they had been on trial, and she had been their -lawyer, we may suppose that the heads of her “brief” would have been -something after this fashion: - -(1.) Their youth and inexperience—not strange that a wicked and artful -man should mislead them—the young, by a beautiful law of our natures, -are more inclined to believe than to doubt what is told them; not -strange that so young persons should not go through a long process of -reasoning, as to the right and wrong of the matter. - -(2.) Dick’s feigned lameness was well calculated to deceive them, and -allay all suspicion. - -(3.) Their motive in keeping the secret was honorable—a regard for their -promises. - -(4.) The hints thrown out by several people, that Mr. Walker’s -intemperate son, Tom, was suspected, may have had some influence on -their minds. - -(5.) The excitement about Willie’s accident, the dialogues, etc., had -probably caused them to think less about the matter than they otherwise -would. - -“Well,” said Mr. Davenport, after she had concluded her defence, “you -have made out something of a case; but, if my judgment was too severe, I -am inclined to think yours is too lenient. After all, perhaps the truth -lies about half way between us; so, Clinton, you can consider my -judgment as softened down a little; but,” he added, with a smile, “you -mustn’t think you are altogether so blameless as your mother makes you -out.” - -“Mr. Walker will get his horse back again, won’t he?” inquired Willie. - -“Yes; a man has a right to his own property, wherever he can find it,” -replied Mr. Davenport. - -“I hope they will catch Dick, too,” said Clinton, “and then they won’t -have anything to blame me for. I should be willing to go to court, as a -witness against him, if they could only nab him.” - -“I hope he will get his deserts,” said his father; “but, whether he does -or does not, you must let this unfortunate affair be a lesson to you in -the future; and beware how you listen to bad men, or make rash promises, -or keep a secret which you have reason to think ought to be revealed.” - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER VIII. - - THE FOREST PICNIC. - - -THE long looked for twenty-fourth of August, the day appointed for the -picnic, at length arrived. At Mr. Davenport’s the whole family were -stirring before daylight had fairly appeared; for there was much to be -done, and it was necessary to start for the scene of festivities at an -early hour. A heavy mist hung over the village, at sunrise, but it soon -melted away, and the weather was all that could have been desired. - -Fanny, who was to carry the family to the picnic, was furnished with an -extra allowance of oats; the pigs and poultry also received rations -sufficient to last them till night; and the oxen and cows were turned -into the pasture, to shift for themselves. After breakfast, the family -dressed themselves in their best suits; the horse was harnessed into a -large, open wagon; sundry cakes, and pies, and loaves of bread, were -stowed away in the bottom of the cart; and then, locking up the house, -all hands seated themselves in the vehicle, and they drove off towards -the Cross Roads. The place of rendezvous for the party was the vestry of -the church at the Cross Roads. This was the only church within a dozen -miles of Brookdale, the few scattered families in that village not being -able to sustain public worship among themselves. So the church at the -Cross Roads was _their_ church, although many of them lived four or five -miles distant from it. - -When Mr. Davenport’s family arrived at the vestry, they found that the -people were nearly all assembled, and were about to start for the grove, -which was a mile distant. There was a singular collection of vehicles -around the church,—chaises, carryalls, wagons, hay-carts, &c.,—some of -which were neatly trimmed with green boughs. The word was given to get -ready, the various teams were loaded up, and the motley procession -started, escorted by several young men on horseback, and the rear -brought up by a large company on foot. Their route, most of the way, lay -through a noble forest; for the road was not a public highway, but was -little more than a path, being used chiefly for the teaming of wood. In -many places it was quite rough, narrow and steep, and the carriages were -obliged to proceed slowly; but it was free from dust, and was, withal, a -very pleasant and romantic road. Several men and children had gone on -ahead to open the gates, or, perhaps, to have the satisfaction of being -first on the ground. The principal manager of the arrangements, who was -mounted on a handsome horse, also rode in advance of the procession, to -see that the way was cleared. - -[Illustration] - -The grove selected for the picnic was at a place called “The Falls,” -about a mile from the village, in a southwesterly direction. At this -point the river becomes a miniature cataract, the current being -narrowed, and the descent quite abrupt. The bed of the stream is rocky, -and the waters, as they dance and tumble along their course, seem full -of the spirit of frolic. There are fine groves on each bank, extending -almost into the water. - -The party reached the picnic ground in good order. The horses were -removed from the wagons and carriages, and hitched in shady places, on -the skirts of the woods. The young people were informed that they would -have two hours to ramble about and amuse themselves, while their parents -were looking after the provisions, arranging the tables, and gossiping -with their acquaintances. Clinton, Whistler and Annie, soon fell in with -Ella and her two cousins, and the six concluded to take a walk together -in the woods. - -“What a charming place this is for a picnic!” exclaimed Ella; “we -haven’t anything that will compare with it around Boston,—have we, -Willie?” - -“No, I never saw such groves as these around Boston, although we have -some pretty good places for picnics,” replied Whistler. - -“Your brother Oscar used to like to come over here,” said Clinton, -addressing Ella; “he has rambled all over these woods many a time.” - -“And so has Jerry; they used to come over here together, gunning,” added -Emily. - -“Do you know that we expect Oscar home again pretty soon?” inquired -Ella, addressing Clinton in a low tone. - -“Yes, Willie told me,” he replied. - -“He is going to live with our Aunt Page, in Vermont; we think it will be -a real good place for him,” added Ella. - -“I’m glad of it, and I hope he will do well,” said Clinton. - -“He says he means to,” replied Ella; “he wrote mother a beautiful -letter, just before I left home. I wish you could read it; it doesn’t -seem like him, at all.” - -“I wish I could see him once more. Perhaps I shall, when I go to Boston -next month,” said Clinton. - -The boy of whom they were speaking was Ella’s oldest brother. He was at -this time about fifteen years old. He had been a wayward boy, and had -caused the family much trouble and sorrow. He had been disobedient and -disrespectful to his parents, and rough and domineering towards the -other children. He chose for his associates boys who were, to say the -least, no better than himself, and fell into indolent habits, neglecting -his studies at school, and shirking, as far as he could, the various -little services which he was expected to perform at home. At length his -misconduct became so troublesome, that it was thought best to remove him -from his city associates and temptations. Accordingly, he went to reside -with his uncle in Brookdale, where he spent several months. This, -however, did not reform him; but, instead of correcting his evil habits, -he exerted a bad influence on his new acquaintances. This was especially -true of his cousin Jerry, who was sadly contaminated by his example; and -even Clinton, with all his good habits and principles, did not wholly -escape the moral contagion. But at length his career in that place was -brought to a close by an act that entitled him to a cell in the county -prison, and his father was obliged to take him home, to save him from -the consequences of his crime. He then made a short voyage to sea; but, -not fancying that mode of life, he again became a loiterer about the -streets of Boston, fell into bad company, was arrested for stealing, -and, after a public trial, was sent to the Reform School; and there he -remained at the time this conversation took place.[1] - -Footnote 1: - - A fuller account of Oscar’s career is given in the first two volumes - of this series, namely, “Oscar” and “Clinton.” - -The two hours allotted to the young folks for sports and rambles were -improved in various ways. Some strolled through the woods and fields, in -quest of flowers or berries; some sailed chip boats on the river, or -waded in its clear waters, or tried to catch imaginary fish with worms -impaled upon pin hooks; some amused themselves with a swing which had -been suspended from the limb of a lofty oak; others played “I spy!” -“hide and seek,” “tag,” and similar games; and others, reclining on the -grass under the trees, talked and sang, and watched the movements of -those around them. Clinton and Whistler, who felt some responsibility -for a portion of the entertainment that was to be provided, did not -remain long with the Prestons, but hunted up the boys who were to take -part in the declamations, and assisted in making the necessary -preparations for this part of the exercises. - -At length the clear notes of a horn rang through the woods for several -minutes. This was the signal for the company to assemble, and it was -promptly obeyed. The “Log Cabin,” as it was called, was the place of -gathering. This was a long, low, and rude structure, the walls being of -logs, laid one upon another, and the roof thatched with bark. There were -several square holes in the sides, which let in the light, and an -opening at one end, which served as a door. A pole was fastened to the -gable over the door, from which floated an American flag. This log house -was erected for the accommodation of picnic parties, by the young men of -the neighborhood, several years previous. - -The inside of the log house was as rude as the exterior. The end -opposite the entrance had a raised platform, but the rest of the -building had no floor except the native turf. On each side there was a -rough bench, the length of the cabin, which furnished the only seats for -the company. The interior was prettily decorated with hemlock and spruce -boughs, which were arranged in the form of an alcove and canopy, on the -platform, producing a very pleasing effect. - -When the people had all assembled in this forest hall, the pastor -commenced the exercises by supplicating the divine blessing upon their -festivities. He also addressed the company in a familiar manner, and -then called upon the children for a song, which was given in a spirited -style. After one or two speeches, and another song, the declamatory -exercises were introduced by Clinton, who gave an extract from one of -Webster’s orations, in a creditable manner. Several misses and boys then -recited poems, or declaimed pieces, Whistler being one of the number. -Last of all came the following original dialogue, the joint production -of Clinton and Whistler, which we feel bound to copy in full: - - - THE RIVAL SPEAKERS. - - -SCENE—_The platform of a school-room._—CHARACTERS—THOMAS TROTTER, _a - large boy, with a “big voice,” and_ SAMUEL SLY, _a small boy, whose - vocal organ is pitched on a high key_. - -[Thomas enters, and makes his bow to the audience, followed by Samuel, -who goes through the same ceremony, a little in his rear.] - -TOM [_turning partially round._]—What do you want here? - -SAM.—I want to speak my piece, to be sure. - -TOM.—Well, you will please to wait until _I_ get through; it’s my turn -now. - -SAM.—No, ’tain’t your turn, either, my learned friend; excuse me for -contradicting, but if I don’t stick out for my rights, nobody else will. -My turn came before that fellow’s who said “his voice was still for -war;” but I couldn’t think how my speech began, then, and he got the -start of me. - -TOM.—Very well; if you were not ready when your turn came, that’s your -fault, and not mine. Go to your seat, and don’t bother me any more. - -SAM.—Well, that’s cool, I declare,—as cool as a load of ice in February. -Can’t you ask some other favor, Mr. Trotter? - -TOM.—Yes; hold your tongue. - -SAM.—Can’t do that; I’m bound to get off my speech, first. You see it’s -running over, like a bottle of beer, and I can’t keep it in. So here -goes: - -“My name is Norval; on the Grampian Hills. - My father feeds—” - -TOM [_interrupting him, commences his piece in a loud tone_.]—“Friends, -Romans, countrymen!” - -SAM.—Greeks, Irishmen and fellow-sojers! - -TOM.—“Lend me your ears.” - -SAM.—Don’t you do it; he’s got ears enough of his own. - -TOM.—“I come to bury Cæsar, not to praise him.” - -SAM [_mimicking his gestures_.]—I come to speak my piece, and I’ll do -it, Cæsar or no Cæsar. “My name is Norval—” - -TOM [_advancing towards him in a threatening attitude_.]—Sam Sly, if you -don’t stop your fooling I’ll put you off the stage. - -SAM [_retreating_.]—Don’t, don’t you touch me, Tom; you’ll joggle my -piece all out of me again. - -TOM.—Well, then, keep still until I get through. - -[_Turns to the audience._] - -“Friends, Romans, countrymen! lend me your ears; - I come to bury Cæsar, not to praise him.” - -SAM.—I say, Tommy, what are you bla-a-a-a-r-ting about; have you lost -your calf? - -TOM.—“The evil that men do lives after them, - The good is oft interred with their bones; - So let it be with Cæsar.” - -[_He is again brought to a stand by Sam, who is standing behind him, -mimicking his gestures in a ludicrous manner._] - -Now, Sam, I tell you to stop your monkey shines; if you don’t, I’ll make -you! - -SAM.—You stop spouting about Cæsar, then, and let me have my say. You -needn’t think you can cheat me out of my rights because you wear higher -heeled shoes than I do. - -TOM.—I can tell you one thing, sir,—nothing but your size saves you from -a good flogging. - -SAM.—Well, that _is_ a queer coincidence, for I can tell you that -nothing but _your_ size saves _you_ from a good dose of Solomon’s grand -panacea. [_To the audience._] I don’t know what can be done with such a -long-legged fellow,—he’s too big to be whipped, and he isn’t big enough -to behave himself. Now, all keep still, and let me begin again: “My name -is Norval—” - -TOM.—“I come to bury Cæsar—” - -SAM.—I thought you’d buried him once, good deeds, bones and all; how -many more times are you going to do it? - -TOM.—Sam, I’m a peaceable fellow; but, if you go much further, I won’t -be responsible for the consequences. - -SAM.—I’m for _piece_, too; but it’s _my_ piece, and not your long -rigmarole about Cæsar, that I go in for. As I said before, “My name is—” - -TOM.—“The noble Brutus - Hath told you Cæsar was ambitious; - If it were so, it were a grievous fault, - And grievously hath Cæsar answered it.” - -SAM [_in a loud whisper_.]—I say, Tom, did you know you had got a hole -in your unwhisperables? - -TOM.—“Here, under leave of Brutus, and the rest. - (For Brutus is an honorable man,— - So are they all, all honorable men,) - Come I to speak in Cæsar’s funeral.” - -SAM.—This isn’t Cæsar’s funeral,—it’s the exhibition of the Spankertown -Academy, and it’s my turn to officiate, so get out with Cæsar,—“My name -is Nor—” - -TOM.—“He was my friend, faithful and just to me; - But Brutus says he was ambitious; - And Brutus is an honorable man.” - -SAM.—Brutus be hanged; who cares for what he said? Come, you’ve -sputtered enough; now give me a chance to say something. “My name is—” - -TOM.—Come, Sammy, _don’t_ interrupt me again, that’s a clever fellow. -Let me finish my piece, and then you shall have the whole platform to -yourself. - -SAM.—You’re very kind, Mr. Trotter,—altogether too kind! Your generosity -reminds me of an Irish gentleman, who couldn’t live peaceably with his -wife, and so they agreed to divide the house between them. “Biddy,” says -he, “ye’ll jist be after taking the outside of the house, and I’ll kape -the inside.” - -TOM [_to the audience_.]—Ladies and gentlemen, you see it is useless for -me to attempt to proceed, and I trust you will excuse me from performing -my part. [_Bows, and withdraws._] - -SAM.—Yes, I hope you will excuse him, ladies and gentlemen. The fact is, -he means well enough; but, between you and me, he doesn’t know a -wheelwright from a right wheel. I’m sorry to say, his education has been -sadly neglected, as you all perceive. He hasn’t enjoyed the advantages -that I have for learning good manners. And, then, did you ever hear such -a ridiculous spouter! He might make a very decent town crier, or -auctioneer, or something of that sort,—but, to think of Tommy Trotter -pretending to be an orator, and delivering a funeral oration over Cæsar! -O my! it’s enough to make a cat laugh! And, now, ladies and gentlemen, -as the interruption has ceased, I will proceed with my part: - -“My name is Norval; on the Grampian Hills - My father feeds his flocks——” - -And—and—and—[_aside, to a boy near him_]—what is it?—[_to the -audience_]—“feeds his flocks”—and—and—and—there! I’ll be blowed if I -haven’t got dead stuck, a’ready! Just as I expected, that lubber that -came to bury Cæsar has bullied all the ideas out of my head! [_Beats an -inglorious retreat, with his hands over his face._] - - * * * * * - -How the hearts of the young authors beat, as, concealed from the -audience, behind the spruce boughs on the stage, they watched the -progress of the piece, and trembled lest, after all their pains, it -should prove a failure! But their anxiety was needless. The lads who -took the parts acquitted themselves admirably, and the whole assembly -seemed to join heartily in the applause which followed its conclusion. - -After a few more addresses from gentlemen present, the assembly was -dismissed for one hour. The older people scattered themselves over the -grounds, in little groups, while the children, pleased with the -successful issue of their part in the entertainment, made the woods ring -with their merry voices, as they bounded through the grove. Clinton and -Whistler received many congratulations for the success of their dialogue -and the excellence of their speaking. Among those whose commendation was -most hearty, was young Mr. Walker, whom they had not seen, till now, -since the memorable morning when his passion so completely overmastered -him. The sight of him stirred up the sense of injury which was still -rankling in Clinton’s heart, and he tried to avoid him. Mr. Walker, -however, was now as calm as a summer’s day, and seemed to have entirely -forgotten the character of that interview. Familiarly slapping the boy -on the back, he said: - -“Clinty, they say you composed that dialogue; is that a fact?” - -“Willie and I wrote it, together,” replied Clinton. - -“Well, it was a capital hit; every body says so. Your speaking was good, -too; you’ve covered yourselves with glory, both of you,” said Mr. -Walker. - -The boys, somewhat abashed by praise from such a source, looked -confused, and made no reply. - -“By the way,” continued Mr. Walker, putting a hand on the shoulder of -each of the boys, and drawing them aside from other groups that were -near, “you mustn’t think anything of what I said the other day. I was a -little excited, you know, and I suppose I said rather more than I ought -to. I have been sorry for it ever since, and I don’t want you to think I -meant it all.” - -“We can see, now, that we did wrong,” said Whistler, perceiving that his -cousin was at a loss what to say; “but, the fact is, we didn’t think -much about it at the time. We didn’t mean any harm; that’s all the -excuse we can give.” - -“No, we didn’t mean any harm, and we both felt bad enough when we found -how Dick cheated us,” added Clinton. - -“Well, we won’t say anything more about that,” remarked Mr. Walker; “it -can’t be helped, now, and I rather think we shall catch Dick, after all. -If we do, he will have to sweat, that’s certain. He won’t get off with -less than three or four years in the state’s prison.” - -Mr. Walker passed along to other groups, but his few words to the boys -had changed their feelings towards him very materially. Their resentment -had melted away before his apology, and they felt relieved from a heavy -burden of censure. Still, it must not be supposed that _all_ traces of -that outburst of passion were thus easily removed. No apology can sink -so deep into the heart as an angry word or an unjust reproach. The scar -remains after the wound is healed. - -Another blast from the horn rang through the woods and summoned the -people to the feast, which had been spread upon a long table under the -trees, near the cabin. There was a bountiful supply of provisions, which -had been contributed by the various families; and the company, standing -around the tables, demolished the substantials and delicacies in a way -that evinced the sharpness of their appetites and the excellence of the -repast. - -The dinner was followed by several speeches, stories, anecdotes and -songs, and then the people dispersed, to amuse themselves in their own -way. Clinton proposed a blueberry party; and his parents, Whistler, -Annie, the Preston children, and several others, entered into the -arrangement. A short walk through the woods, by a path well known to -Clinton, brought them to several acres of cleared land, which was -literally covered with blueberries, of a large size, and in full -perfection. To the regret of all, they had no vessels to fill; but they -picked as many as they could eat, and each broke off a few branches from -the well-laden bushes, to carry back to the grove, as specimens of the -generous yield of the blueberry pasture. - -No hour was set for the breaking up of the picnic; but, as the sun -dropped down towards the west, one load after another started for home, -those who lived most distant being generally the first to leave. Mr. -Davenport and his family withdrew at an early hour, as they not only had -a long ride before them, but had many things to attend to after they got -home. The tongues of the young folks ran glibly enough as they jogged -along through the solitary roads, and all the scenes and enjoyments of -the day passed in vivid review before them. The sixth and last mile of -their homeward journey was half completed before they showed any signs -of having “talked themselves out;” and then the conversation suddenly -came to a stand, and they rode in silence for several minutes. Clinton, -who had talked more than any of the others, seemed all at once absorbed -in his own thoughts. He was thinking of the dialogue, and was about to -ask his father something about it, when it occurred to him that he had -already said full enough on that subject, and would perhaps be laughed -at if he alluded to it again. After a few moments’ silence, however, he -got the better of his modesty, and again broached the all but threadbare -topic. - -“Father,” he said, “there is one thing I don’t exactly understand. You -didn’t like our first dialogue because the characters behaved so bad. -Now, I don’t see why you didn’t object to this other piece, for the same -reason. Tom and Sam didn’t come to blows, to be sure, but they -quarrelled bad enough.” - -“I wonder that you did not think of that, sooner,” said Mr. Davenport. - -“I did; I told Willie, before you read it, that you would object to it -on that account; but, as you didn’t find any fault with it, I thought I -wouldn’t,” replied Clinton. - -“Until you were sure you should not have to write another dialogue?” -suggested his father, with a smile. - -“O, we couldn’t have done that, any way,” said Clinton. - -“Well,” continued his father, “I think I can clear myself of all -suspicions of inconsistency. And, in the first place, you must remember -that I did not say it was best to exclude _all_ exhibitions of bad -temper or character from a book or a dialogue. There are some faults -that may be very properly exhibited in this way. But there are certain -gross forms of evil which it is not wise to portray too minutely. For -instance, it would be painful to see the sins of murder, or drunkenness, -or lewdness, or profaneness, or fighting, acted out in a dialogue; and, -besides, the effect would be immoral. But, if you want to show off the -folly of vanity, pertness, ill manners, jealousy, ignorance, or any -similar fault, by giving an example, I have no objection to it, if it is -only done judiciously. Now, in regard to your dialogue, Tom behaved as -well as almost any boy would under the same circumstances. Sam was the -rogue; and he, I take it, was only a harmless personification of a pert, -self-conceited, but witty young blockhead, who, in the sequel, gets -abundantly punished for his impudence. Isn’t that the character you -intended to portray?” - -“Yes, sir, I suppose it is,” replied Clinton. - -“And do you see, now, why I didn’t object to the dialogue?” - -“Yes, sir,” replied Clinton. - -They had now reached their home, and Mr. Davenport took care of the -horse, while the boys went after the cows and oxen. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER IX. - - THE MIDNIGHT ATTACK. - - -WHISTLER’S wounded finger continued to heal rapidly, and it now -occasioned him but little trouble. He did not use his left hand much, -however; and one day he was a good deal surprised, and a trifle alarmed, -on discovering that the arm itself had become much smaller than the -other. He at once showed it to his aunt, who relieved his apprehensions -by assuring him that its shrunken appearance was owing to its not being -used. She also improved the opportunity to give him a few hints on the -importance of exercise to bodily health. - -“If you should keep your arm motionless for a long time,” she said, “it -would finally wither and become useless. So it is with our whole -bodies,—they suffer, and fall away, if they do not get exercised enough. -The reason that Clinton is stronger and stouter than you is, that his -body has been exercised more than yours. He was quite slender when he -was a little child. And it is precisely the same with our minds. If we -want to increase any of our faculties, we must make a good use of them, -and they will be sure to grow. But, if we don’t exercise them, they will -fall away, just as your arm has done.” - -One morning, a few days after the picnic, there was a great commotion on -the premises, occasioned by the discovery that some murderous marauder -had visited the yard in the night, and taken the lives of a score of -Clinton’s hens and chickens. A brood of young chickens, which slept in a -barrel laid upon its side, apart from the other fowls, were all -murdered, together with their mother; while in the hen-house the ground -under the roosts was strewn with the bodies of the slaughtered. Clinton -rushed into the house in a high state of excitement, on making the -discovery, and the whole family hastened to see the bloody spectacle. -Many were the exclamations of sorrow and pity, as they gazed upon the -bodies of plump, matronly hens, and exemplary pullets, and feeble, -infantile chickens, now stiffened in death, their plumage ruffled and -stained with blood. Several of the fowls, however, were missing, having -evidently been either devoured or carried off. Among these was one of -the lords of the poultry-yard, who, perhaps, had attempted to defend his -family from the midnight assassin, and had been carried off bodily, as a -trophy of victory. The survivors were silent and melancholy, and the -shadow of a great calamity seemed to have settled upon them. The -remaining rooster, to be sure, was so ungracious as to crow lustily over -the bodies of his murdered household, in the presence of all the family. -Whistler charitably suggested that this was a song of triumph for his -own escape; but Clinton, who knew the jealous rogue better than his -cousin did, thought it was quite as likely that he was exulting over the -tragic downfall of his rival. Perhaps, however, with the bravado natural -to his race, he affected an indifference and stoicism which he did not -feel, and crowed, as boys sometimes whistle in a grave-yard, merely to -“keep his courage up.” - -After the first outburst of regret and pity which the spectacle called -forth from all present, their curiosity was thoroughly awakened to -ascertain what animal had committed this cruel outrage upon a happy and -peaceful family. After a careful examination of the premises, no track -or trace of the creature could be found. All was mystery. There was -nothing but the slaughtered victims upon which to found a speculation, -and these told no tales against their murderer. Clinton was the first to -hazard a guess in regard to the assassin. - -“It must have been either a fox or a wild-cat,” he said; “don’t you -think so, father?” - -“If I were going to guess, I should say it was a skunk,” replied his -father. - -“O, no, father,—a skunk wouldn’t have killed so many of the fowls, would -it?” said Clinton, who was unwilling to admit that so common and -despised an animal had done the mischief. “Besides,” he added, “we have -skunks around here all the time, and why didn’t they ever do such a -thing before?” - -“If I remember right, they have done just such things before,” replied -his father. - -“Well, it was a long time ago, before I owned the fowls,” said Clinton. - -“It isn’t many months since Mr. White caught a skunk in the act of -killing his fowls,” added Mr. Davenport. - -“But they have never disturbed our fowls since I owned them, and that is -over five years,” suggested Clinton. - -“And there is a good reason for that; you have always kept your fowls -well secured against wild animals, until this summer,” replied his -father. - -This was true. Clinton was at first very particular to shut up the -poultry at night, so that no animal could get at them; but their -exemption from attack for several years had gradually allayed all fears -on this score, and of late he had not properly secured his charge from -the midnight attacks of their natural enemies. - -“Well,” said Clinton, “I don’t believe it was a skunk; I think it was a -fox or a wild-cat, or it may have been a ’coon. I mean to borrow Mr. -Preston’s trap, and see if I can’t catch him, to-night.” - -“I’ll give you fifty cents for his skin, if you catch a ’coon, a -wild-cat, or a fox,” said his father, as he turned away from the scene -to resume his morning work. - -“Agreed; and you shall have it for nothing, if it’s a skunk,” replied -Clinton, with a laugh. - -“No, I thank you,—I shan’t accept that offer,” replied his father. - -“Come, Annie, I wouldn’t look at the poor things any longer,” said Mrs. -Davenport, leading her little daughter away. - -“Here, mother,” said Clinton, “what am I to do with them? Wouldn’t some -of those large ones be good to eat?” - -“They may be good enough, for all I know; but I should not like to eat -anything that was killed in that way,” replied his mother. “Besides, -they are hardly fat enough to eat well. You had better bury them in the -garden; I don’t think they are good for anything else.” - -“I will do it right away, then,” said Clinton; and he and Whistler -procured shovels, and began to dig the holes. - -“I should like to see a skunk,” said Whistler; “do they show themselves -around here very often?” - -“Yes, I see them occasionally,” replied Clinton. “One moonlight evening, -last spring, I had been away, and when I came home, I saw one sitting on -our door-step; but he walked off as soon as he heard me, and I didn’t -think it best to follow him.” - -“They are nasty-looking things, I suppose,” said Whistler. - -“Why, no; there is nothing very bad-looking about them,” replied -Clinton. “Their fur is brown, with white stripes, and if it wasn’t for -their odor, they would be hunted for their skins. People sometimes eat -skunks when they can’t get anything else, and they say the meat is very -well flavored.” - -“What kind of a trap is it you are going to borrow?” inquired Whistler; -“will it kill the animal, or only make a prisoner of him?” - -“It is a steel trap, such as they catch wolves with,” replied Clinton. -“It catches the creature by the leg, and he can’t get away, unless he -leaves his leg behind.” - -“Perhaps you will catch a wolf,” suggested Whistler. - -“No, a wolf didn’t do this. He would have eaten or carried off more of -the hens,” replied Clinton. - -“Don’t you suppose the wolves come down here from the forests, -sometimes?” inquired Whistler. - -“Yes, I know they do,” replied Clinton. “Last winter two men were in the -woods, about a dozen miles north of Brookdale, when a deer dashed out -from a thicket, within two rods of them, with a large wolf close on to -his heels. Before they could raise their rifles the wolf had the deer by -the neck; but they fired, and shot them both dead. I saw both of the -animals over to the Cross Roads. The wolf was over seven feet long, and -he was a savage-looking fellow, I can assure you. Another man, last -winter, was crossing a pond on skates, when a pack of wolves made after -him, and, in his hurry and fright, he skated into a hole in the ice, and -was drowned.” - -“Do the wolves ever come this way in the summer?” inquired Whistler. - -“Yes,” replied Clinton; “there are often great fires in the woods, in -summer, that burn for weeks, and then the wolves, and bears, and moose, -get driven from their quarters, and sometimes they pay us a visit. Mr. -Oakley, who lives on the Passagamet river, fifteen miles from here, had -ten sheep killed by wolves, about a year ago. A part of the flock came -round the house, and looked frightened, and the folks went over to the -pasture where the sheep were kept, to see what the matter was. They -found seven of them dead, and some of them were torn dreadfully; but -three of them were alive, and were hurt but very little. They only had a -little scratch on the throat, that looked as if it might have been made -with the point of a pin. They carried these three home, and clipped off -the wool around their wounds, and washed off the blood, and put on some -salve; but they all died in an hour or two. The wolves poisoned them, or -else they were frightened to death.” - -“And you say bears sometimes prowl around here, too,” said Whistler. - -[Illustration] - -“Yes,” replied Clinton; “four or five years ago, one was seen over in -the woods, where we went the other day when we saw Dick Sneider. Last -winter father and I rode over to a logging-camp, in a sleigh, and spent -two or three days with the loggers. We had a capital time. We ate with -the men, and slept on heaps of leaves, in their log huts. They had -rousing fires, burning all night, in the middle of the huts; and, -instead of chimneys, the smoke went off through a large hole in the -roof. But that isn’t what I was going to tell you about. We stopped one -night at ‘Uncle Tim’s,’ as they call him, about half way between here -and the camp. He lives in a ‘clearing’ in the woods, and there’s no -other house for miles around. He told me a good many stories about wild -beasts, and one of them was about a bear that he killed last fall. One -morning he discovered that some creature had made great havoc in his -cornfield in the night, and he found the tracks of a bear all over the -lot. He saw, by the tracks, that it was a very large and heavy animal; -and, as he had a bear-trap, he thought he would try to catch him with -it, rather than have a fight with him. So he baited the trap, and set it -in the cornfield; but the next morning he found it just as he left it. -The bear had walked all around it two or three times; but he knew too -much to go into it, and he made his supper off of green corn again. -Well, Uncle Tim said his dander was up, then, and he made up his mind -that if the bear got any more of his corn, he should take some of his -bullets with it. So, in the evening, he took his rifle, and hid himself -among the trees just by the edge of his clearing, pretty near the place -where the bear’s tracks were. Well, he waited, and waited, hour after -hour, but he couldn’t hear nor see anything of the bear. It wasn’t very -dark, as there was a moon. His wife and two boys, and his big dog, were -in the house, waiting and watching as patiently as they could; for Uncle -Tim told them not to show themselves unless he gave a loud whistle. -Well, about one o’clock in the morning, he thought he heard a slight -noise, and, sure enough, there was the old fellow within a few feet of -him, and looking directly at him. Uncle Tim took good aim, and then -blazed away, with as heavy a charge as his gun would bear. The ‘varmint’ -gave one spring towards him, and fell dead almost at his feet. He -weighed about five hundred pounds, and I don’t remember how much oil -Uncle Tim got out of him, but it was a good lot. He got a bounty from -the state, too, for killing him.” - -“He must be a brave man,” said Whistler. - -“O, these old pioneers don’t mind such things,” said Clinton; “they soon -get used to bears and wolves. But I saw in a newspaper, the other day, -an account of a fight a little boy had with a bear, that was really -worth bragging about. He lived near Lake Umbagog, which is on the line -between Maine and New Hampshire, and I believe he was only nine years -old. He saw a bear in an oatfield, near the house, and he thought he -would pepper him with a few buck shot. The bear was wounded, and showed -fight; so the little fellow picked up a club, and went at him. The boy’s -mother saw the fight, and she gave the alarm to his father and an older -brother, who were at work near by; but when the bear saw them coming, he -made off as fast as he could. The family gave chase, but they were not -well armed, and were obliged to let him escape. Well, a few days after, -that same bear was seen near the same place, with a sheep in his mouth; -and that same little fellow went at him again, with a club, and made him -drop the sheep, and scamper off into the woods. At another time this -bear came to the house, when the woman was alone. He put his fore paws -on the window sill, and stuck his head and shoulders into the room, and, -after he had looked around a little, he walked off without touching -anything.” - -“That is being a little too neighborly. I shouldn’t like to live quite -so near the bears as that,” said Whistler. - -“I should want something more than a club, if I had got to meet one,” -said Clinton. - -“But I shouldn’t be afraid to meet a fox, or a wild-cat, or a ’coon, in -the woods,—should you?” added Whistler. - -“I shouldn’t want any better fun than to meet a ’coon or a fox,” replied -Clinton; “but if I had got to tackle a wild-cat, I should want to be -pretty well armed. It isn’t every man that can ‘whip his weight in -wild-cats,’ as they say out west.” - -“Why, I had an idea they were a good deal like our house-cats, only they -are not tame,” said Whistler.[2] - -Footnote 2: - - Whistler was partly right. The domestic cat, when deprived of a home, - sometimes takes to the woods, and leads a savage life. It is then a - wild-cat; but it is a very different pussy, for all that, from the - large, tiger-like creature to which that name properly belongs. - -“They do look something like a cat,” replied Clinton, “but they are -twice as big, and almost as savage as tigers. I saw a dead one, once. -They have little short tails, and very strong, ugly-looking jaws. A boy -that lives at the Cross Roads killed the one I saw. He was hunting -rabbits, about half a mile from the village, when he saw the head of a -strange-looking animal in a tree right over him. He didn’t know what it -was, but he concluded to fire; and, just as he did so, the creature -sprang right at him. The shot didn’t seem to hurt him much, but he was -in a terrible rage. The boy dodged him as he leaped from the tree, and -then they had a pitched battle for three or four minutes. The fellow got -some pretty hard scratches, and had his clothes torn; but he beat the -wild-cat with the breach of his gun until he killed him. He lugged the -body home, and he felt as grand as any body you ever saw, for a month -afterwards. The wild-cat weighed about twenty-five pounds, and he had -the skin stuffed, and has got it now.” - -The slaughtered fowls were now all buried, and the boys went in to -breakfast. In the course of the forenoon, after Clinton had done his -work, he and his cousin went down to Mr. Preston’s, to get the trap. The -story of the catastrophe awakened the interest and sympathy of the -neighbors, and quite a discussion ensued as to the nature of the enemy -that had done the mischief. Mr. Preston said it would not be at all -strange if a wild-cat or fox was prowling around the neighboring woods, -but he thought it quite as probable that a skunk had killed the fowls. -He did not think it was a raccoon, as, he said, this animal eats only -the heads of the poultry it kills. As Mr. Preston was an old logger, -having spent his winters in the forests for many years, he was well -acquainted with the wild animals in that quarter, and Clinton placed -considerable confidence in his opinion. Still, he was not quite -satisfied that his chickens had fallen a prey to the despised skunk, and -Mr. Preston accordingly hunted up his rusty wolf-trap, and gave him some -directions in regard to baiting and setting it. - -Ella, who listened to this conversation, seemed somewhat alarmed to hear -that the woods around Brookdale were ever visited by such strangers; and -when Whistler told her that even wolves and bears sometimes came down -into the neighborhood, she declared most vehemently that she should not -dare to go out of sight of the house again while she stayed there. - -“O, yes, you will; you will come over and see us,” said Clinton. - -“No, I shan’t; you have wild-cats around your neighborhood,” she -replied. - -“But Willie and I will come down with guns, and escort you up and back -again, if you’re afraid,” added Clinton. - -“I hate guns; I should be afraid to go with you, if you carried -them,—boys are so careless with fire-arms,” replied Ella. - -“Then we’ll come without guns,” remarked Willie. - -“Yes; and I’m thinking _you_ would run as fast as I should, if you saw a -wild beast coming,” said Ella, laughing. - -“No, I shouldn’t, either; I’d stand my ground as long as any body -would,” replied Whistler, with some warmth. - -“Well, Ella,” said Clinton, “I really wish you _would_ come over once -more, before you and Willie go home; and Em, and Hatty, too,—I want you -all to come.” - -“Well, perhaps we will, after you have caught your wild-cat,” said Ella, -as the boys moved off. - -“She is pretty good at quizzing,” said Clinton to his cousin, as they -walked away. “I really hope I shall catch something; if I don’t play a -joke upon Ella, then, no matter.” - -“If you do, you will be paid off, with interest, I can promise you -that,” replied Whistler; and he related an instance in which Ella “came -up” with a boy who took the liberty to play a practical joke upon her. - -The day was very warm, and the heat of the sun almost overpowering. Mr. -Davenport took a long “nooning,” as was his custom when the weather was -oppressively hot. Throwing himself upon a settle, after dinner, in the -coolest room he could find, he sometimes indulged in a nap, but more -frequently employed the hour of rest with a book or newspaper, or in -conversation with his wife or children, or in thinking over the affairs -of the farm. On this occasion, Clinton brought in the trap, and showed -it to him. After examining it in silence, he inquired: - -“How much is your loss, Clinty?—have you figured it up?” - -“No, sir; I haven’t thought anything about that,” he replied. - -“Then it doesn’t trouble you much, I presume,” said his father. - -“No, sir; I care a good deal more for the poor hens than I do for the -money,” replied Clinton. - -“That’s right!” said his father; “you’ve made considerable profit out of -your poultry, and you must expect to meet with some losses, once in a -while. Losses are inseparable from business; and the wisest way is to -make the best of them when we can’t avoid them. If a man meets with -nothing but prosperity, he is apt to grow reckless in his management, -and oppressive towards others; or he becomes wholly absorbed with the -world, and forgets that there is a God or a future life. But adversity, -if a man knows how to profit by it, will correct these faults. I have -met with some pretty serious losses in my day; but I can see, now, that -I am better off than I should have been if they had never befallen me.” - -“Do you think you are better off for being cheated out of everything you -owned, when Mr. Jellison failed?” inquired Clinton. - -“I have no doubt of it, now, although it was a severe blow to me at the -time,” replied his father. “I was a young man then, and had set my heart -too intently on making money, as though that were the great object of -life. Perhaps, if I had not met with that loss, I should have grown up a -miser. I have learned this lesson, on my way through the world: that a -man’s happiness doesn’t depend on the amount of money he owns. In one -sense, in fact, we do not own anything—we are only stewards. The -property is lent to us for the time, and we are bound to make a good use -of it. It belongs to the world, or, rather, to God. It was in the world -before we came, and it will remain here after we have gone; and we shall -have to give an account of the use we make of it while it is in our -hands. As I have a claim on all you own, so there is One who has a claim -on whatever I possess.” - -“But I didn’t know you had a claim on my money,” replied Clinton. - -“Have you ever settled for your board, and clothing, and education, and -all the other expenses of your bringing up?” inquired his father. - -“No, sir,” said Clinton. - -“Well, your hundred dollars would not go far, if you undertook to pay -those bills,” continued his father. “More than that, the law of the land -gives me a right to all your earnings until you are twenty-one years -old; did you know that?” - -“No, sir; I never heard of that before,” replied Clinton. - -“It is so,” resumed his father; “but, in return, the law obliges me to -support you, during that time, unless you run away from me, or refuse to -obey me. And you will find that this dependence upon others will follow -you through life. We never outgrow it, no matter how old or how rich we -become. We are all of us beholden to others, but most of all to God, -every day of our lives.” - -This conversation led Clinton to make an estimate of his pecuniary loss -during the afternoon, and he found that it amounted to the sum of five -dollars and fifty cents. He showed Whistler his account book, which was -kept in a neat and accurate manner. In this book he set down all his -receipts and expenses on account of the poultry, and at the close of -each year he “struck a balance,” and ascertained the amount of his -profits. At this time he had one hundred dollars in a savings bank, on -interest, besides about five dollars in his own hands,—all of which his -fowls, and the labor of his own hands, had earned him. He also owned his -stock of poultry, which, before the disaster of the previous night, he -valued at about twenty dollars. - -After tea the boys baited the trap, and set it in the garden, near the -hen-house. They skilfully concealed it under leaves and other litter, -leaving only the bait prominent; and, after watching it from the chamber -window as long as there was light enough to distinguish anything, they -went to bed, to dream of bears, and wolves, and wild-cats, and to see -visions of nondescript beasts not to be found in any work on natural -history. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER X. - - THE HOMEWARD TRIP. - - -“WELL, Clinty, have you caught your wild-cat?” inquired Mr. Preston, the -morning after the boys set the trap. - -“No, sir; it’s so stormy, I suppose he thought he would not go out,” -replied Clinton. - -“Postponed his supper on account of the weather, eh? He must be a very -fastidious fellow,” added Mr. Davenport. - -“Or, perhaps he was afraid he should wear his welcome out, if he went to -the same place two nights in succession,” suggested Whistler. - -“I shan’t give him up yet; I mean to keep the trap set till I go to -Boston,” said Clinton. - -The storm, which set in soon after the boys had fixed the trap, -continued, with but slight intervals, for nearly two days. It was quite -severe, obliging all the family to keep indoors during its continuance. -Clinton and Whistler found a very pleasant, and not altogether -unprofitable amusement, during this protracted storm, in constructing a -“dissected map” of the United States, which they designed as a present -to Whistler’s little sister, Ettie. Whistler, who had been taught to -draw maps at school, made a handsome copy of the map of the United -States, on a single sheet of paper. The first draft included only the -boundaries of the states and territories, the principal rivers, chains -of mountains, lakes, &c. He then cut apart, with the scissors, the -several states and territories. Clinton, who had been preparing a number -of thin blocks of wood, of a uniform height, now cut them out into the -exact shape of these various sections of the map; and, meanwhile, -Whistler was engaged in finishing up each state by itself, inserting the -principal towns, coloring the surface, and, finally, pasting the several -sections upon the blocks which Clinton had made ready. Clinton also made -a neat little box in which to keep it. The whole affair was very well -done; and the boys found that the putting of the little blocks properly -together, afforded an interesting and instructive amusement, even to -them, familiar as they were with the geography of the country. To Annie, -who knew little of this study, the game was even more curious and -puzzling. - -The storm at length passed away, but only two or three more days -remained for Whistler to spend in Brookdale; and, as Clinton was to -accompany him home, a good share of their time was occupied in preparing -for the journey, and in talking over their plans. The trap was inspected -early each morning, but it remained undisturbed; and, although several -times freshly baited, not so much as the track of a creature was to be -seen around it. Clinton at length lost his faith in its virtues, and -returned it to Mr. Preston, the afternoon before he left for Boston. - -Whistler was hardly aware how much he had become attached to his uncle’s -family, until the hour of separation came. Then the old farm-house -seemed suddenly invested with a new beauty, and he felt himself drawn -towards its inmates by a stronger cord than ever before. There was but -little time, however, for farewells or last words of counsel. The -travellers were obliged to be on their way soon after sunrise, and Mr. -Davenport had the horse punctually at the door, to take them over to the -Cross Roads. A few hasty good-bys, a lingering look behind, and their -long journey was commenced. They stopped at Mr. Preston’s, and took Ella -into their wagon, as she also was going home. - -The stage coach came along soon after they reached the Cross Roads, and -the three young passengers took their seats within it. For about five -hours they were jolted along over rough roads, and steep hills, and log -bridges, occasionally passing through pretty villages, or among thrifty -farms; but much of the time hemmed in by forests on either side, or -surrounded by miles of wild land, from which the timber had been -removed. They all were wise enough to take some luncheon with them, and -they found a good use for it by the time they reached the end of the -stage route. - -After purchasing their tickets for Boston, the young travellers found -that they had nearly half an hour to spare before the cars would start. -Clinton, who had never traveled on a railroad but once before, and had -never seen a locomotive except on that occasion, proposed to go and see -the machine, which was then receiving its wood and water just outside of -the station house. Before going, however, they picked out their seats in -the train, and left them and their valises in charge of Ella. The boys -then spent some time in looking at the engine, and watching the -movements of those who had it in charge. After the wood-box and -water-tank of the tender were filled, the machine was backed to its -place at the head of the train. One of the men now jumped off, and the -other began to oil some of the joints and bearings of the engine. - -Although a locomotive was something of a curiosity to Clinton, it was -soon evident that he knew more about it than many boys of his age, to -whom a railroad train is an every-day sight. His mechanical taste had -led him to read whatever he could find about steam engines, and, by the -help of his father, he had acquired a pretty accurate idea of the -principles involved in their construction. He was thus able to name and -explain the action of parts of the locomotive of which even Willie had -no definite notion. - -The train was fast filling up, and the boys now took their seats. The -signal to start was soon given, the engine gave a jerk and a rapid -succession of puffs, and the cars began to glide over their iron course. -The views from the car windows now took up the attention of Ella and the -boys. The solemn forest and the bustling village,—the thrifty farm and -the wild and rocky pasture,—the rough old hills and the narrow, winding -valley,—the quiet river and the noisy mills upon its banks,—these were -the scenes that passed before them in a rapid panorama. - -They had proceeded fifteen or twenty miles, and their interest in the -outside world was beginning to flag a little, when the conductor of the -train came along, and, taking a vacant seat by the side of Whistler, -commenced a conversation with a man seated behind them. - -“Reed has got one of his odd fits to-day,” said the conductor, in a tone -which Whistler could not help overhearing. - -“Has he?” inquired the other man. - -“Yes; he’s as short as pie-crust,” replied the conductor. - -“Well, Reed always was subject to these cross spells from a boy,” said -the other. “We were as intimate as two mice in a stocking when we went -to school; but he used to have the sulks terribly then, once in a while, -and wouldn’t speak to any body all day long. I reckon it has grown upon -him ever since.” - -“Yes, I think it has,” said the conductor. - -“But Reed is as good-hearted a fellow as ever lived, after all, and a -_first-rate_ engineer,” added the passenger, laying great stress on the -last adjective. - -“Yes, he is the best engineer that runs on this road, by all odds,” said -the conductor. “He is always on hand, and he is cautious and careful -almost to a fault. He is cool, too, and thinks quick when any accident -happens.” - -“He understands machinery pretty well, I should think,” observed the -passenger. - -“Yes; he knows every bolt and screw in his engine just as well as you -know the way from your house to your shop,” replied the conductor. - -“Well, an engineer’s berth is a pretty responsible one,—more so than -yours. Don’t you think so?” inquired the passenger. - -“Yes; so far as the safety of the train is concerned, more depends on -him than on the conductor, or any body else,” replied the other. - -“But if every thing goes right, the ‘gentlemanly conductor’ takes all -the glory,” said the passenger, with a sly chuckle. - -“Yes, and he is saddled with all the blame if every thing doesn’t go -right,” retorted the conductor. - -“No, it isn’t so; people remember that there is such a person as the -engineer when an accident happens, and that’s about the only time they -do think of him,” replied the passenger. - -“Well, the conductor is held responsible for the train; but, after all, -a great deal depends upon the engineer, as you say,” said the conductor. -“He has his hands full every moment while the train is in motion. He -must judge of and regulate the speed, and see that the boiler is kept -supplied with water. At the same time, he must keep his eye on the -track, and see that there are no switches wrong, nor broken rails, nor -men, nor teams, nor other obstructions, in the way. He must look out for -signals of caution, and keep his machinery well oiled. He must watch his -engine closely, to see that every part works right; and if he hears any -unusual noise about the machinery, he must discover the cause of it. -When the train approaches a station, in order to bring it to a stand at -the right spot, he must take into account the speed and weight of his -train, the number of brakemen, the grade of the road,—whether upward, -downward, or level,—the state of the track,—whether dry, wet, or icy, -&c., &c. Besides all these things, he must be ready to act -instantaneously if any accident happens, and to do two or three things -at the same moment, if necessary. A man ought to have a pretty good head -to do all this, day after day, and never make a blunder.” - -“That’s a fact,” replied the other. “We’re going at a pretty fair jog, -now,” he added, after a moment’s pause. - -“Yes,” said the conductor; “the road is very straight along here, and we -get up an extra speed. I suppose we are going at the rate of forty miles -an hour, now.” - -“Did you ever think what the consequences would be if the engineer -should lose the control of the engine when it is going at full speed?” -inquired the passenger. - -“There isn’t much danger of that,” replied the conductor; “but, still, -such things have happened. We had an engine break its throttle-valve -once on this road, and the only way the engineer could stop it was by -putting out the fire. It ran about three miles before he could bring it -to a stand. If such an accident should happen near the end of the line, -it might do a good deal of mischief. But the greatest accident of this -kind that ever I saw, happened when I was out west. I was in a train -that was stopping at a dépôt, when a freight train suddenly came along, -and run into us. Our engineer and firemen saw that a collision was -coming, and jumped from the engine. Well, sir, the force of the blow -uncoupled the locomotive and tender from the baggage-car, and actually -jerked back the lever, and started the engine under a full pressure of -steam. She shot forward like an arrow, and we could see her for several -minutes flying over the track at the rate of seventy miles an hour. The -furnace had just been crammed with wood, and there was a full head of -steam on. The distance from Cincinnati was only fourteen miles, and we -knew she would get over the ground in about twelve minutes if the track -was clear, and then would come the crash. We listened, and almost -expected to hear it. But, as good luck would have it, the furnace door -flew open, and that stopped the draught, and the runaway came to a dead -halt just before it reached the city. I call that a pretty narrow -escape.” - -“Yes, it was, truly,” remarked the passenger. - -The train was now approaching a station, and the conductor broke off the -conversation, to which Whistler had listened with much interest, and -left the car. - -[Illustration] - -Railroad travelling, after the first hour or two, usually becomes rather -tedious, and the experience of our young travellers was not materially -different from that of older people. Now and then, however, as they -dashed on, an incident served to enliven the way. The attention which -the train every where attracted, although it must have been as familiar -a sight as the rising of the sun, accorded well with Clinton’s feelings; -but he was somewhat at a loss to account for the fact itself. In the -villages and at the dépôts people stared at the engine and cars as -intently as if they had never before seen such a sight. In passing over -a river they were greeted with cheers, the swinging of hats, and the -elevating of oars, by a party of boys in a small boat. At one station a -little black dog had the presumption to run a race with the train as it -started up, but he soon gave up the contest. A horse in a pasture kicked -defiance at his iron namesake, with heels high in the air, and galloped -to the remotest bounds of his enclosure. A flock of sheep in a field -huddled tremblingly together, and then broke the solid phalanx, and -hastily fled, as the train went thundering by. A brood of chickens -snuggled under their mother’s ample wings; and even that most grave and -unimpassioned of domestic animals, the cow, many of which they passed, -almost invariably looked up with a wondering expression of countenance, -and seemed more than half inclined to ask what the fuss was all about. -Such is the homage which man and beast ever pay to the railroad train, -the novelty and wonder of which are scarcely diminished by our -familiarity with it. - -It was late in the evening when our young travellers reached their -journey’s end. Ella’s brother, Ralph, was waiting their arrival at the -dépôt, and his fair young face lit up with joy when he saw his sister -and Whistler descend from the train. As Ella was encumbered with a -trunk, he procured a place for her and her baggage in a coach, and then -walked, with the other boys, towards the quarter of the city in which -both families resided. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XI. - - THE CITY HOME. - - -WHEN Clinton awoke the next morning, and looked around upon the large, -high chamber, and the strange furniture, and caught a glimpse through -the windows of a long row of brick buildings, he could, at first, hardly -tell where he was. Consciousness quickly returned, however, as he called -to mind the long journey of the day before, and the warm greetings which -he and Whistler received at the end of it. His cousin, whose bed he -shared, was still soundly sleeping, although the sun’s bright rays had -found their way into the room. People are apt to be more wasteful of -their morning hours in the city than in the country. Clinton’s curiosity -to see how the neighborhood looked by daylight would not allow him to -remain long in bed. He got up quickly, dressed himself, and was peering -inquisitively from the windows, when a loud scratching at the door led -him to open it, and in sprang Bouncer, Whistler’s handsome and -intelligent dog. With one leap he was on the bed, and in a moment the -sleeper was awakened, and engaged in a lively frolic with his -four-footed friend. - -“O, you black rogue!” said Whistler, seizing him by the fore paws; -“you’re glad I’ve got home, are you? Then kiss me, that’s a good fellow. -There! that will do! Yes, he’s glad his master’s got home, so he is; and -he almost flew off the handle last night, didn’t he? and he couldn’t -wait for him to get up this morning, could he? Well, his master’s glad -to see him, too, so he is. There, sir, you’ve kissed me enough; now jump -down, and let me get up. Go and kiss him,” pointing to Clinton. “That’s -cousin Clinton. Don’t you know him?” - -“You ought to know me, Bouncer, for you sent me a wag of your tail in a -letter last spring,” said Clinton, alluding to a rough pen and ink -sketch of Bouncer’s tail which Whistler’s father had enclosed in a -letter to Clinton, among sundry little love messages from the family. - -“O, yes, I remember that!” said Whistler, with a laugh, as he jumped out -of bed. “What did you think when you saw it? Didn’t you laugh?” - -“I rather think we all laughed a little over it,” replied Clinton. “I -had some idea of sending you back one of our cat’s purs in my letter, -but I didn’t know exactly how to do it.” - -“But what did you get up for, and leave me here asleep? Is that the way -to serve a fellow?” inquired Whistler. - -“O, I thought I wouldn’t disturb you,” replied Clinton. “I wanted to see -that splendid view you told me of when we were on Bald Peak. Do you -remember?” - -“Yes; ninety-five millions of miles. But, you see, it’s all sky-scape; -there isn’t much landscape to boast of,” said Whistler. - -“No, I see there isn’t,” replied Clinton, as he glanced at the -interminable brick block, with its row of low wooden sheds in the rear, -all of uniform size and pattern, and its little bits of open spaces -between the sheds, which served as back yards. - -The row of houses, the backs of which bounded the prospect from -Whistler’s window, was situated on a street parallel with that on which -Mr. Preston lived. Dwellings and stores are usually built in blocks, or -joined together, in cities and towns, because the land is too valuable -to admit of an open space around each separate building. Mr. Davenport’s -house was a fair specimen of this style of building. It was not far from -the centre of a block of about twenty houses, which were very nearly -uniform in their external appearance. It was of brick, and three stories -high, besides the basement and attic. There were two entrances to each -house,—the front door, reached by four stone steps, and a door opening -into a narrow archway, which led to the back yard. An iron balustrade -extended the entire length of the block, in front of the second story. -Add to this a brick sidewalk, with a line of young trees near the edge, -and a clean and well-paved street, and you have a tolerably distinct -picture of the outside of Whistler’s home. - -Whistler’s chamber was in the third story, on the side of the house -farthest from the street. It was quite neatly furnished. The floor was -carpeted, and the windows curtained. It contained a bureau, with a -mirror attached to it, a small dressing-table, and several chairs, all -of which, together with the bedstead, were painted a light chocolate -color, ornamented with dark stripes. In one corner was a marble -wash-basin, supplied with Cochituate water by means of a pipe, and -furnished with an outlet at the bottom, connecting with another pipe, to -let off the dirty water. There was a grate in the room, and a marble -mantel-piece, over which hung a large engraved likeness of Washington, -in a rosewood frame. On the side of the room opposite the bed there was -a small book-rack, which was filled with volumes and pamphlets, many of -which belonged to Whistler. There was a closet in the room, in which he -kept his clothing, and many of his playthings. The general appearance of -the chamber bore witness to the neat and orderly habits of its occupant. - -The boys had now dressed and washed themselves, and brushed their hair, -and went down stairs, followed by Bouncer. In the sitting-room they -found Mr. Davenport, in his dressing-gown, so absorbed in his morning -paper that he apparently did not notice their entrance. Not wishing to -disturb him, they soon left the room, but had not gone far when he -called to them in a loud and rather authoritative tone: - -“Boys! boys! come back!” - -They returned, wondering what the matter was, and Clinton, at least, -feeling a little alarmed at such a stern call. They stood, just inside -the door, about a minute, before Mr. Davenport spoke; and then, lifting -his eyes from the paper, in a very sedate manner, he said: - -“Good morning, boys.” - -“Good morning, sir,” replied the boys, in a somewhat reserved and -confused manner. - -Another awkward pause followed, during which Mr. Davenport was engrossed -with his paper. Whistler at length inquired: - -“Is that all, father?” - -“That is all,—what more would you have?” replied his father, a twinkle -of fun now appearing in his eyes, and about the corners of his mouth. - -They left him to the quiet enjoyment of his joke and his paper, and went -into the dining-room, as the apartment was called where the meals of the -family were spread. There they found Mrs. Davenport, assisting in -putting the breakfast upon the table, while Ettie, Whistler’s little -sister, was arranging the chairs. These, with Margaret, the domestic, -constituted the whole of Mr. Davenport’s family at this time. - -The breakfast-bell was rung, and the family gathered around the table, -and soon commenced a lively conversation, much of which was addressed to -Clinton. - -“I believe this is your first appearance in Boston, Clinton,” observed -Mr. Davenport. - -“Yes, sir, it is,” replied Clinton. - -“Well, you will see a great many strange sights, as you go about the -city,” continued his uncle. “Boston isn’t a London, nor a New York; but -it beats Brookdale, by considerable, in business, wealth and population. -When I first visited Boston, thirty years ago, I thought it was about -the biggest city in the world, and I can assure you it has grown a -trifle since then. But I’ve got a word of advice to give you, and that -reminds me of it. You don’t want to appear green, verdant, raw, -countryfied, as we city folks say?” - -“No, sir,” replied Clinton, in some trepidation at this startling array -of epithets. - -“Well, then,” continued his uncle, “you must follow these three rules. -First, don’t stare at anything; that means, don’t look at anything as -though it were new or strange. The second rule is, don’t be astonished -at anything. And the third is like unto it,—don’t admire anything.” - -Clinton looked perplexed. Sight-seeing was one of the principal objects -of his visit to the city; and a pretty kind of sight-seeing that would -be, he thought, if he could not look at anything, nor evince any -surprise or pleasure, for fear of violating the cold proprieties of city -manners. Whistler also shared in his perplexity; but, believing there -was a “catch” somewhere in his father’s advice, he said: - -“Father isn’t in earnest; he doesn’t mean what he says, I know.” - -“Yes, I am in earnest,” replied his father. - -“But, how can he see the city, if he mustn’t look at anything?” inquired -Whistler. - -“That’s another affair, altogether,” said Mr. Davenport. “I was telling -him how to avoid appearing green, not how to see the sights. When I -first came to the city myself, I suppose I was grass-green,—fast color, -warranted to wash,—although I didn’t know it then. I used to go staring -about at every thing and every body, looking into all the shop windows, -reading all the signs, and seeing more wonders than there were chimneys -in town. This used to provoke my brother, who had lived in the city a -whole year, and had grown wonderfully genteel in his notions. He carried -himself as stiff as a poker, and every time I turned my head he would -say, ‘Don’t stare about so! you act like a regular greenhorn!’ At last I -got quite angry with him, and I told him, right up and down, that I -didn’t care if I was green,—it was my favorite color; I liked it; I -gloried in it; I should be just as green as I pleased, and he needn’t -throw it in my face any more. Now, if you want to see the sights, -Clinton, I don’t know as you can do any better than I did; but, if you -do not want people to suppose that you are not accustomed to the city, -then you can follow the rules I have given.” - -“I want to see things; I don’t care whether people think I’m from the -country, or not,” replied Clinton. - -“Very sensibly said, and I am happy to see that you take after your -uncle,” said Mr. Davenport. “But we city folks are queer people. We get -up all manner of wonderful clap-traps and contrivances, to astonish our -country cousins, and then, if they look at them, we laugh, and tell them -they’re green. But all the greenies don’t come from the country, by a -good deal. I’ll warrant you see a specimen from the city, now and then, -down in Brookdale. How was it?—did the cows chase you, Whistler, or -didn’t they appreciate your verdancy?” - -“No, sir, they didn’t chase me; but I suppose it was because feed was -uncommonly good,” replied Whistler. - -“Pretty fair,” said his father, who always relished a joke. - -“Do cows ever eat boys, father?” inquired Ettie, who had soberly -listened to the conversation, but apparently without fully comprehending -the drift of it. - -This question, asked with all gravity, and affording such a fine -specimen of the very thing they were talking about,—city verdancy,—was -received with a general laugh, which sent the tears brimming to Ettie’s -eyes, when her father kindly replied: - -“No, darling, the cows don’t eat boys; but they sometimes chase them, -and toss them in the air with their horns, when they feel cross.” - -“When we went to ride, the other day,” continued Ettie, “we saw a cow -shaking her head at a dog, and running at him; and the dog kept jumping -before her, and barking right in her face. She wanted to hook him, -didn’t she?” - -“Yes,” said her father; “and if the dog hadn’t been a little too spry -for her, she would have sent him spinning into the air, just as you -would toss up your doll.” - -The conversation now changed to other topics, which we need not follow. -It was not without an object that Mr. Davenport introduced the subject -that has just been alluded to. This object was twofold. First, he wished -to put Whistler on his guard against manifesting any impatience or -unkindness if his cousin, in their walks about town, should happen to -look at things pretty hard. And then, again, he thought it would be well -enough to hint to Clinton, in a delicate way, that prolonged and -excessive staring at novelties in the public streets, is regarded as a -mark of rusticity by well-bred people. He knew that Clinton would not -attempt to follow the rules he gave; neither did he suppose he would -imitate his own example—somewhat exaggerated, no doubt—and make himself -“as green as he pleased.” Curiosity would forbid the first, and that -regard for the opinions of others which we all feel, deny it though we -may, would prevent the other. He left it for his nephew’s good sense to -find “the golden mean” between these two extremes. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XII. - - ROMANCE AND REALITY. - - -CLINTON’S first day in the city was diligently devoted to sight-seeing, -under the direction of Whistler. As it was Saturday, and the last day of -Whistler’s vacation, they were both naturally anxious to make the best -use of the time. It would be no easy matter to track them through the -crowded and intricate streets, and mark the weary miles of brick -sidewalk they travelled over, now pausing to look into a gay shop -window, or to gaze at an imposing building; now sauntering along the -water’s edge, amid a forest of shipping and long ranges of granite -warehouses; now making a pleasant detour to the Common, and resting -themselves under the shadow of its lofty trees; and now picking their -way through the narrow streets of the poor, with their tipsy rows of -weak-jointed buildings, their plenitude of foreign faces and strange -brogues, and their astonishing overflow of infantile humanity, scattered -all along the sidewalks, in undress, half-dress, and almost no dress at -all. Nor were these the only novelties that attracted the notice of -Clinton. The constant succession of strange faces of every conceivable -type, the curious variety in dress and manners, the novel vehicles and -equipages in the streets,—these and many other things arrested his -attention at every step, and often suggested remarks that seemed very -droll to Whistler. - -At length, however, the boys were both forced to confess that they were -very tired; and towards the middle of the afternoon Clinton concluded -that he had seen enough for one day, and proposed to Whistler to return -home. His feet, unused to the brick and stone pavement, were now so sore -that he walked with difficulty; and he declared that he felt more -fatigued than he should if he had hoed corn all day. They accordingly -took the shortest route home. Just before they reached the house, the -bell in a church steeple which they were passing began to toll. - -“What is that for—a funeral?” inquired Clinton. - -“No, it’s for a fire, I suppose; they don’t toll the bells for funerals -in Boston,” replied Whistler. - -“Is it a fire?—let’s go to it!” exclaimed Clinton, forgetting, in his -excitement, his weary limbs and tender feet. - -“No, I wouldn’t; we’re too tired to run to a fire now,” said Whistler. -“Besides, it’s a great way off; I believe it’s over to South Boston. Let -me count again.” - -The tolling, which had ceased for a minute, was now resumed, and six -loud strokes were given, followed by another pause. - -“Yes, the fire’s in District No. 6; that’s South Boston,” continued -Whistler. - -“How far is it from here?” inquired Clinton, who still felt inclined to -go to the fire. - -“It can’t be less than a mile, and it may be two, if it’s in the further -end of South Boston,” replied Whistler. - -“Nobody seems to be going to it. Why, I should think every body would -run when the bells ring for fire,” said Clinton, who was surprised to -see how little notice was taken of the alarm. - -“The firemen run, but other people don’t mind the alarm, unless they see -the light or the smoke,” replied Whistler. - -An engine now came along, making a great noise as it rattled over the -pavements, although there were no bells upon it, and but little shouting -among the men who had charge of it. It was very gayly painted, and -decorated with highly-polished brass mountings. There were only about a -dozen men at the rope when the engine first came in sight; but their -ranks soon filled up by the arrival of other members of the company, and -the engine went spinning through the street at a rapid rate, followed by -a swarm of ragged boys. Clinton was more than half disposed to fall in -with the crowd of urchins; but, perceiving that Willie had no idea of -joining in the race, he prudently concluded to forego the pleasure. - -The boys had now reached the house, and, on throwing themselves into -comfortable seats, began to realize how tired they were. They found -Ettie at full length upon the floor, engaged in putting together the -dissected map which the boys had made for her. Her knowledge of -geography was so slight, that the puzzle was anything but a simple one -to her. - -“What’s the matter, Sissy?—can’t you put it together right?” inquired -Clinton. - -“Yes, I can, _almost_,” replied Ettie; “but two or three of these pieces -are real ugly,—they won’t go in any where.” - -“Let me see if I can’t help you,” added Clinton, getting down upon the -floor with his little cousin. - -“I’d rather find it out myself,” replied Ettie, timidly. - -“O, well, then, I won’t meddle with it,” said Clinton. “You’re just like -me; I don’t like to have folks show me how to do things, when I can find -out myself.” - -Clinton could not repress a quiet smile as he glanced at the map, and -witnessed the strange positions which some of the states had assumed. -Illinois and Mississippi had exchanged places, both apparently quite -unconscious that they had “got into the wrong pew.” Tennessee had turned -half a somerset, and was standing upon her head. Maine was vainly trying -to fill the space that rightfully belonged to New York, while for the -last-named state no place had yet been found. - -“What a curious thing that fire-alarm is! Do you understand how it -works, Willie?” inquired Clinton. - -“Yes, I’ve heard it all explained,” replied Whistler. “In the first -place, the city is divided into seven fire districts. In each of these -districts there are a number of little cast-iron boxes, fastened to the -sides of buildings, such as I showed you on Faneuil Hall. These are the -signal stations. When a fire breaks out near one of these stations, the -watchman, or the man who keeps the key, goes to the box and turns the -crank in it slowly six times. That sends the alarm along the wires to -the central office, in Court Square, and the man there knows just where -it came from, and he strikes the number of the district upon the bells. -There are about forty of those signal boxes, and each has its wire -running to the central office. Then there is another set of wires that -lead from the office to the bells.” - -“All the bells in the city strike at the same time, don’t they?” -inquired Clinton. - -“No, there is no need of ringing all the bells,” replied Whistler. -“There are only seventeen bells, I believe, connected with the alarm, -and these all strike together. The ringing is done by machinery, -something like the striking part of a town clock. It has a weight, and -an electro-magnet; and the power that sets it in motion comes from the -great battery in the central office. If the fire is put out before all -the engines get there, an engineer goes to the nearest signal box and -telegraphs ‘all out,’ and the man in the central office gives the signal -on the bells, and then the firemen go home.” - -“It’s a complete arrangement, isn’t it? I should think the firemen would -like it. It must save them a good many steps,” said Clinton. - -“It does,” added Whistler. “Before we had this telegraph there used to -be a great many more false alarms of fire than there are now. Besides, -when there is a fire, it saves them a good many steps in finding it.” - -Mr. Davenport now came in, and, after a few words with Ettie, who had -not yet mastered the secret of the dissected map, he added, turning to -the boys: - -“Well, young gentlemen, have you seen all the sights, and got home at -this time of day?” - -“No, sir, we haven’t seen half of them; but we got pretty tired, and -thought we’d been about enough for one day,” replied Clinton. - -“And you looked at everything just as hard as you pleased, did you?” -continued his uncle. - -“Yes, sir,” replied Clinton. - -“But he didn’t act green at all, father,” added Whistler. - -“My feet got real sore, though,” said Clinton, whose modesty led him to -turn the subject. “I told Willie I’d rather hoe corn all day than walk -about the roads here,—I mean the streets.” - -“Well, I’m about used up, too,” said his uncle. “I’ve been cudgelling my -brains all day over a very intricate insurance case, and I believe I -don’t understand it now quite so well as I did when I began. Why, -Clinton, hoeing corn is real fun compared with much of the work that we -city folks have to do. If you were to live here, and earn your living, -you would have to put up with worse things than sore feet. Many country -people seem to think that we have nothing to do but to sit in our -armchairs, and read the papers, and discuss the news, and take money; -but if they could exchange work with us a little while, they would be -more contented with their lot forever after. They work hard and get -tired, I know; but we not only get tired, but sick, too, and worry and -fret ourselves into our graves, while they are in the prime of life. -They work out in the pure air, while we are stived up in little hot -rooms, breathing everything but the odors of heaven. After all, the -country’s the place to enjoy life. Don’t you think so, Whistler?” - -“Yes, sir, the country’s the place for me,” replied Whistler. “When I’m -a man I mean to have a great farm, and have it stocked with the best -horses, and cows, and sheep, and pigs, and poultry. And you’ll come and -live with me, too; won’t you, father?” - -“Yes, I think I will, if you lump me in with the pigs, and poultry, and -other live stock,” said his father, with an assumed air of offended -dignity. - -“No, father, I didn’t lump you with the stock; I put a period after -them, and began a new sentence with you,” replied Whistler. - -“I think it must have been a very brief period; however, I’ll take your -word for it,” added his father. “But, speaking of the country, I suspect -you will find playing and working on a farm two very different things. -At any rate, I shall advise you not to invest your funds very deeply in -agricultural improvements, until you have worked on a farm a year or two -as a hand.” - -“But I thought you just said farming was the best employment for a man,” -observed Whistler, in some perplexity. - -“I did say what was equivalent to that,” resumed his father; “but all -men are not fit for farmers. Some are too lazy; some are too genteel; -some don’t know enough; some know too much, in their own estimation, and -so get their living by their wits; some are too uneasy to stay long -enough in one spot to raise a crop of six-weeks beans; some haven’t the -bodily strength to work on a farm; and some are too tricky to follow any -honest calling. Then there are others who were born to be sailors, or -mechanics, or students, or political leaders, or merchants, or doctors, -or clergymen, or lawyers. They have special talents for these or other -professions, and, of course, they can’t be farmers. You might as well -try to drown a man who was born to be hung, as try to make a farmer of a -man that was born to ‘plough the sea.’ But the great body of men do not -have these particular talents. They are about as well fitted for one -common employment as for another, and so they decide on the one that -they consider the most easy, profitable, and genteel; and it is just -here that they oftentimes make their great mistake. Are you going to -sleep over my lecture, Clinton?” he abruptly added, on observing that -his nephew had partially closed his eyes. - -“No, sir, I understood every word,” quickly replied Clinton, slightly -blushing. - -“Because, if you were, I thought I should like to keep you company,” -continued Mr. Davenport. “It’s a rather dry subject, I know; but it will -soon be one of practical importance to you, and Whistler, too. Have you -made up your mind what profession you should like to follow, Clinton?” - -“No, sir,—not exactly,” replied Clinton. “I like farming very well, but -I’ve thought I should rather be a merchant than anything else.” - -“Why do you think you should like to be a merchant?” inquired his uncle. - -Clinton was somewhat at a loss for an answer; but at length he replied, -with some misgivings: - -“Why, it must be fine to own ships and warehouses, and do a great -business, and make lots of money, and have everything you want, and be -looked up to by every body. Besides, the merchant can have his farm, -too, if he likes.” - -“But you have tried farming, and you say you like that pretty well?” -inquired his uncle. - -“Yes, sir,” replied Clinton. - -“Well,” resumed Mr. Davenport, “let me tell you one thing. With you, -mercantile life is all romance, just as farming is to your cousin. On -the other hand, farming is real to you, while Whistler has had a chance -to observe something of the dark side of mercantile and professional -life. When you think of being a merchant, you think only of fine ships, -and great warehouses, and sumptuous dwellings, and the portly and -dignified men who rule on ’change. You don’t think of the early years of -drudgery and poverty most of these men went through, or of the -temptations they were exposed to, which, perhaps, overcame a score of -their companions for every one that escaped; you don’t think how they -have risked health, and perhaps lost it; you don’t think what fierce -struggles they have encountered, what crushing losses they have met, and -what a weight of care rests upon them night and day; you don’t think it -is possible that they will yet meet with overwhelming reverses, and die -in poverty; and, more than all, you don’t think that these successful -merchants are themselves exceptions to the great mass of the profession, -who were only moderately successful, if they did not wholly fail. Is it -not so?” - -“Yes, sir, I never thought much of the dark side,” replied Clinton. - -“I do not say this to discourage you from being a merchant,” resumed his -uncle. “I would discourage no boy from entering any honest calling, if -he chooses it, and appears to be fitted to it. I don’t know but that you -have special qualifications for the mercantile profession. If you have, -I would advise you to make that your business. Otherwise, you had better -remain where you are. At all events, you ought to look at your favorite -profession on all sides, dark as well as bright, before you tie yourself -down in it for life. To sum up, as we legal gentlemen say—but we ought -to have the decision reported; have you got a scrap of paper, Willie?” - -“Yes, sir,—here’s a piece.” - -“Well, you shall be clerk of the court, and write down the decision. -Take your pencil, and write as I dictate, commencing each sentence upon -a new line.” - -Whistler followed his father’s directions, and the result was the -following memoranda: - - “All men ought to follow some useful employment. - - “Every man ought to choose that employment in which he can be - most useful and successful. - - “Agriculture is the primitive and natural employment of man. - - “It is an employment which combines the greatest number of - advantages with the fewest evils and temptations, and is - therefore best fitted to secure the happiness and good of - mankind. - - “It is an employment which must ever demand the hands of the - great bulk of the race. - - “But the state of human society, and the interests of the race, - render many other professions necessary. - - “God gives certain persons special talents for these special - callings, so that they enter them as if by instinct. - - “Many others are providentially thrown into them, having no - particular choice or inclination in the matter. - - “Others still enter them from choice. - - “Those who enter any profession from choice, should do so - deliberately and understandingly, and not suffer themselves to - be misled by a thin veil of romance. - - “All employments are honorable, so far as they are useful in - themselves, and are pursued in an honorable manner.” - -Mr. Davenport read the above after Whistler had taken it down, and then -handed it back to him, saying: - -“There, Willie, you have a legal opinion, without fee. You may keep it -among your valuables, and give Clinton a copy, too, if he wants one. You -may not fully understand these principles now, but you will by-and-by, -and they will be of great value to you, if you follow them.” - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XIII. - - SIGHT-SEEING. - - -“NOW for school, once more!” exclaimed Whistler, as he threw his -well-filled satchel over his back, fifteen minutes before eight o’clock -Monday morning. “Don’t you feel queerly at the beginning of a term? I -do. I’m glad to go to school again, and yet I feel sort of bad, too, -because the vacation is over. I feel worse than usual now, because I -can’t go round with you.” - -“You needn’t think of that; I can find my way about town alone,” said -Clinton. - -“You can tell about that better to-night,” replied Whistler. - -“Well, I won’t crow till I get out of the woods, at any rate,” said -Clinton. “But I’m going with you as far as your schoolhouse,—are you -ready?” - -“Yes,—come,” replied Whistler. - -[Illustration] - -They walked to the schoolhouse, accompanied by Bouncer, and remained -together till the bell summoned Whistler to his seat, and then Clinton -started upon his first exploration, alone. Turning his face towards the -business section of the city, which was in a northerly direction from -his uncle’s house, and occasionally whistling to Bouncer, who was still -looking wistfully towards the schoolhouse, he walked leisurely along, -with the air of one who is determined to see everything that is worth -seeing. Bouncer did not think it worth while to favor him with his -company; but Clinton found plenty of other dogs in his wanderings, of -all sorts and sizes,—quite as many, in fact, as he wished to see. One of -these dogs, which he encountered in a narrow alley, amused him very -much. He was harnessed into a little cart, and trotted along quite -briskly with his load. Two boys accompanied him, who appeared to be -Irish. One of them was quite large, and wore a coat which seemed -intended for his father. He had a little whip, with which he enforced -the orders he was constantly shouting to the dog. The other boy was much -smaller, and ran behind, pushing the cart. The load consisted of several -bundles, tied up in handkerchiefs. They contained dirty clothes, which -the boys were collecting for their mother, who was a washerwoman. - -[Illustration] - -The next object that attracted Clinton’s notice was a group of busts and -images, arranged upon a board, which a young man carried upon the top of -his head. Clinton thought it rather strange that he should carry so -heavy a burden in such a way; but the images were of plaster, and -hollow, and were much lighter than they appeared. The man was an -Italian; and whenever he met a gentleman, or saw a lady at a window, he -would call out, “E-me-ges!—buy any e-me-ges?” in his most persuasive -tone. He was a mild-eyed, dark-complexioned man, not very neat in his -personal appearance, and his clothing was a good deal be-patched, as you -will see by the engraving. - -In the course of the morning an incident happened to Clinton which made -him smile many a time during the day, as it came to mind. In passing a -shop, in front of which several birds were hung out in cages, he noticed -that the door of one cage was open, and that its tenant was on the -outside, apparently meditating a flight. The bird was nearly the size of -a pigeon, but he did not know what it was. Stepping into the shop, he -said: - -“One of your birds has got his cage door open, sir, and is hopping all -around outside.” - -“I know it,—but he won’t go off,” replied the man. “We leave the door -open purposely, and let him have the run; he never leaves the premises.” - -“O, I didn’t think of that,” stammered Clinton, a slight blush mantling -his cheeks. - -“Never mind; I’m just as much obliged to you as though he _had_ broken -out,” added the man. “You intended to do an act of kindness, and you -ought to have the credit of it. Won’t you walk in and look at the birds? -We’ve got a pretty large collection.” - -Clinton thankfully accepted the invitation, and found a large room -entirely filled with birds, this being the sole article in which the man -dealt. The collection embraced birds of almost every description, from -an eagle to a Java sparrow. Many of them were very rare and beautiful. -The singing birds seemed to vie with one another, to see which should -make the loudest noise; and the deafening clatter was by no means -improved by the occasional rough and discordant note of some unmusical -member of the family. In addition to the living birds, there were also -many stuffed ones, for the owner of the collection was a taxidermist. A -taxidermist is one who is skilled in preparing and preserving the skins -of birds, or other animals, so as to represent their natural appearance. - -After walking an hour or more about the business portion of the city, -examining the sights in a leisurely way, Clinton suddenly found himself -approaching the beautiful Common, of which Boston is justly proud. It -took him some time to reconcile his mind to its unexpected location, for -it seemed to him that he ought to be going from it instead of towards -it. However, there it was, and there was no disputing that. And he was -not very sorry, either, for he began to feel tired, and there are plenty -of seats and acres of soft grass on the Common. Entering the grounds at -the gate opposite Park-street Church, he threw himself upon the grass, -in the shade of a large tree, on a spot which commanded a view of the -greater part of the enclosure. - -The Common contains forty-eight acres, the surface of which is agreeably -diversified, much of it being broken into gentle swells. A vast amount -of money has been expended in beautifying it. A tall and handsome iron -fence surrounds it, which is nearly six thousand feet long, and cost -upwards of a hundred thousand dollars. Nicely gravelled walks, shaded by -trees, run around the enclosure, and cross it in various directions. -These walks are lit by gas, at night. The trees number nearly two -thousand, and comprise eighteen or twenty varieties, but about half of -them are elms. Scattered over the Common are several cast-iron hydrants, -from which streams of Cochituate water are always flowing, for the -refreshment of the thirsty. There is also a beautiful pond,—the “Frog -Pond” of olden times,—which is supplied with one of the finest fountains -on the continent. - -Such was the scene spread out before Clinton, as he sat upon the grass. -Add to the picture the scattered groups of well-dressed people who were -threading the walks or lounging on the seats, the merry children -gambolling upon the grass, and the birds flitting among the trees, and -you have made up a sight well worth seeing. - -As Clinton sat enjoying the scene, a huge column of water suddenly burst -forth from the pond, with a noise plainly perceptible, even at his -distance from it. It was the fountain. Forgetting everything else, he -ran with all speed towards it, for he had never seen it; and, as it was -allowed to play but seldom, owing to a scarcity of water at that time, -he had hardly dared to hope that his curiosity would be gratified. His -haste was needless, however, for it kept on playing, and he had ample -leisure to examine and enjoy it. It sent up a tall jet, which tapered -almost to a point, while a cloud of spray and vapor rose from the base. -The water sparkled gloriously in the sunlight, and the hues of the -rainbow danced among the mists. Clinton sat down under a tree, and drank -to his fill of the beautiful scene. - -[Illustration] - -This fountain has a dozen or more different jets. The highest one rises -to the height of ninety-eight feet, under favorable circumstances, and -is fed through an open pipe three inches in diameter. A pipe six inches -in diameter throws the water about eighty feet high. Another, with the -whole breadth of twelve inches, reaches but about forty feet. There is a -jet which is set at an angle, designed to play against the wind. There -are also jets which represent a variety of figures. One is called the -“willow,” from its resemblance to that tree. Another is the “lily,” -which sends out three side jets, representing the petals, and an upright -one in the centre, forming the pointal of the flower. Another is the -“vase,” and very graceful and picturesque it is. The amount of water -consumed by the fountain when it is in play is almost incredible. The -water rushes out with immense force; and some of the larger jets, if -kept in operation perpetually, would nearly or quite exhaust the regular -daily supply from Lake Cochituate. Of course the luxury can be indulged -in only occasionally, and for a few hours at a time. - -As Clinton sat gazing at the fountain, the majestic column of water -began to falter, and almost instantly lowered its proud crest and -disappeared, leaving no trace of the fountain but the iron pipe through -which it gushed forth. The man who had charge of it had shut off the -water, which is done by means of a stop-cock near the pond. He soon -after appeared, walking through the pond, towards the fountain. He wore -a pair of high, water-proof boots; and, as there was a series of stone -blocks from the border of the pond to the fountain, sunk but a few -inches under water, for him to walk upon, he got along very comfortably. -Having removed the mouth-piece of the fountain, he screwed on another -one, and returned. In a few moments the water burst forth in a new -shape. There were a number of small jets arranged in a circle, each jet -taking an outward direction. The water formed a graceful curve, as it -rounded over towards the lake; and though it was not so lofty and -imposing as the other jet, it was in some respects more beautiful. - -The fountain at length stopped playing, and Clinton, after watching a -while some boats which boys were sailing on the pond, started off in -quest of new sights. He first paid a visit to the great elm tree, near -the pond, admired its magnificent proportions, read its brief and -imperfect history, as inscribed on a tablet inserted in the iron fence -which surrounds it, and mused on the stirring scenes it had looked down -upon during the lapse of two hundred years. While thus engaged, he came -in contact with a quiet, modest-looking lad, of about his own age, who -seemed to be engaged in the same pursuit as himself—sight-seeing. A -mutual feeling of lonesomeness, or an intuitive perception of sympathy -and congeniality of character, or some other attractive principle, -seemed to draw them together, at first sight, and they were soon engaged -in conversation. In a short time Clinton had learned from his new -acquaintance that his name was Henry; that he came from the country, to -get a situation as apprentice, or clerk, but had not yet succeeded; and -that he had two older brothers in Boston, with whom he was staying. - -“Have you been up to the top of the State House?” inquired Henry, as -Clinton began to look about for some new object of interest. - -“No,” replied Clinton; “have you?” - -“Yes, I went up last week with my brother,” said Henry. “Come, let’s go -up now,—I should like to go again, and I can promise you it’s a splendid -sight.” - -“Come on, then,—it’s just where I want to go,” said Clinton, much -pleased that he was to have a companion in making the toilsome ascent. - -So they passed on, through the spacious front yard, with its many -flights of stone steps; paused a moment to look at the fountains in -front of the capitol; paid a visit to the marble statue of Washington, -in the alcove opening from Doric Hall; inspected such portions of the -building as were open to the public; and then began their long journey -to the lantern which surmounts the dome. Up, up, up they went, through -the state’s great garret, with its interminable stairs, its dreary -passages, its venerable dust and cobwebs, and its hot and stifling -atmosphere. Now they are in the great dome, whose huge frame-work -encompasses them on every side, and fills the mind with something like -awe. And now the light increases—they breathe easier. They have ascended -the last of the one hundred and seventy steps; they are two hundred and -thirty feet above the level of the sea. - -Clinton found that the lantern of the dome, which looked so small from -the street, was in reality a room of pretty good size. It was a museum -of autographs,—every place where it was possible to write, scratch or -cut a name, having been improved by the hundreds of thousands who have -visited this favorite resort of strangers. But the inside attractions -did not long detain the boys from the magnificent scene without. -Clinton’s exclamations, as his young companion hurried him from one -window to another, were few and brief, but by no means tame or -inexpressive. There lay the Common at his feet, looking like a -garden-patch of moderate size. The horses and carriages in the streets -seemed to be but baby toys, and the people were like ants creeping over -the ground. The city spread itself out on every side, with its long -lines of brick walls and slated roofs, and its innumerable steeples, -towers and cupolas, all compactly wedged together. Outside of this -shapeless mass of brick and stone was a line of water, which nearly -surrounded the city. A part of the way it was a narrow ribbon, crossed -by numerous bridges, over some of which railway trains were slowly -crawling, like caterpillars. Towards the east, however, the shore was -fringed with a forest of masts, and the waters stretched outward into -the great ocean, and the gleaming of white canvas could be seen, far -beyond the green islands that guard the entrance of the harbor. To the -landward were to be seen cities and villages, hills, fields and forests, -extending for many miles. The boys felt that but two things were -wanting, and these were, a good spy-glass, and some one, familiar with -the ground, to point out and name the various objects of interest that -were spread before them. - -After stopping more than half an hour in the lantern, Clinton and Henry -commenced the descent. It was nearly noon when they reached the street; -and, as Clinton had a long distance to go, and was not familiar with the -way, he soon parted with his companion, whose stopping-place lay in -another direction, and set his face towards the South End. He trudged -along carelessly, until he thought he must be in the neighborhood of the -street where his uncle lived. And now he tried to find his bearings, but -without success. Nothing looked familiar. He was in a maze. But, as he -always preferred to solve his own difficulties, rather than have others -help him out of them, he determined that he would make no inquiries so -long as there was a chance of finding his way out. Pretty soon he came -out on an avenue, which he knew must be Washington Street, from its -appearance. Now he felt that he had got a clew that would enable him to -find his uncle’s house. He walked along for nearly half a mile, but -could not find the street for which he was looking. He was beginning to -feel some misgivings, when he came in sight of a steeple on which the -points of the compass were indicated, and he discovered that instead of -going south he was actually heading towards the north. He also -recognized the church as the Old South, and he was, consequently, -further from his destination than when he left the Common. The sun was -so nearly overhead that it did not afford him much aid in directing his -course, and he had therefore trusted to instinct, which, in the human -kind, is not always a very safe guide. - -Of course Clinton faced about and retraced his steps. The dinner hour -was at hand; and, wisely concluding that he had experimented enough for -one day in the navigation of unknown streets, he inquired his way, and -at length reached his uncle’s, faint and weary with his forenoon’s -adventures. His account of his walk from the State House furnished -considerable merriment to the family. Whistler declared that he was -about to go after the city crier, and tell him to cry, “A child lost, -about fourteen years old,” &c., &c.; while Mr. Davenport, who always had -a story ready, said that Clinton was almost as bad as an old Quaker he -once knew, who used to come to Boston occasionally with a load of -chairs, and who would sometimes get so bewildered by the hubbub and -confusion of the city, as to go up three or four flights of stairs, into -the attic, to find his way to the street! He also related the case of a -little Irish boy, who landed in Boston from an emigrant ship, and -actually became insane from bewilderment. The little fellow, who was but -thirteen years old, had no friends here but a brother, who came over a -short time before. Confused by the strangeness, and, to his eyes, the -magnificence of the city, which for weeks had been the culminating point -of his anticipations, he wandered about, gazing upon the novelties by -day, and dreaming of them by night, until he believed himself the -inhabitant of a fairy-land, and could not recognize the brother whose -bed he shared; “for,” said he, “he was dressed so nice, and we used n’t -to be so at home.” Reason soon fled, and for weeks he by turns babbled -like a child and raved like a madman. He was taken to the lunatic -hospital, and it took several weeks to cure him. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XIV. - - SCHOOL TRIALS. - - -WHISTLER’S first day at school was not a day of unalloyed pleasure. It -was not without a severe struggle with his feelings that he met his -comrades and teachers, and took the familiar seat he had so long -occupied. The exciting scenes of the exhibition day, a few weeks -previous, came up vividly in his mind. The general credit with which he -passed through the examination, the applause with which his declamation -was received, and the praise bestowed upon several drawings and maps -executed by his hand, certainly were not of themselves unpleasant -recollections. But these happy memories were all embittered by another -thought, which he could not drive from his mind. He had left the school, -at the close of the last term, expecting to return to it no more. He had -presented himself as a candidate for admission to a school of higher -grade, and, to his great surprise and mortification, had been found -lacking in some of the necessary qualifications. - -This was the severest blow Whistler ever received. He went home and gave -himself up to his grief. His vacation was blasted, his visit to -Brookdale was spoilt, and, indeed, it almost seemed to him as if his -prospects for life were ruined. His mother tried to comfort him, but -without much success. When his father came home, at night, he was -informed of the result of Whistler’s application by Mrs. Davenport. The -tea-bell rang, but Whistler did not appear. The servant was then sent to -his room to call him, and brought back the reply that he did not want -any supper. After tea, Mr. Davenport went up to his chamber, and found -him lying upon the bed, with his face buried in a pillow. - -“Hallo! what does this mean, Whistler? What’s the matter with you?” he -inquired. - -There was no reply, but a sob. - -“Come, speak up!—what ails you?” - -“I—couldn’t get into the—High School,” sobbed the poor boy. - -“Couldn’t get into the High School? How happened that? Some partiality -or trickery, I suppose; they gave you all the hard questions, and the -others the easy ones,—didn’t they?” - -“No, sir,” replied Whistler, somewhat reluctantly; “the questions were -printed, and all the candidates had to answer the whole of them in -writing.” - -“Ah, that’s the way they manage, is it? Not much chance for foul play -there, I should say. Then it seems you couldn’t answer the questions.” - -“No, sir,—not all of them.” - -“Well, whose fault was that?” - -“Mine, I suppose;” and the tears started fresh from Whistler’s eyes. - -“I don’t know about that; perhaps no one was to blame for this failure. -I have had some doubts, all along, about your success; but I thought it -best not to trouble you with them, as I supposed you studied as hard as -you ought to. Was I right in my supposition?” - -“I believe I’ve done the best I could,” replied Whistler. - -“If you can say that with a good conscience,” continued his father, -“then I’m sure I shan’t blame you, and you ought not to blame yourself; -and I think you _can_ say it, for it agrees with what your teacher told -me. Come, cheer up! and don’t think any more about it. It will all come -out right, by-and-by. You’ll be admitted next year, and you’ll be able -to keep up with your class better than though you entered now.” - -These words of encouragement somewhat revived Whistler’s feelings, and -as nothing more was said in his presence about the matter, by his -parents, the tide of disappointment and mortification soon began to -subside. His sensitive mind, however, was not wholly relieved, and, -intimate as he shortly after became with Clinton, he could not impart to -his cousin this unhappy secret. Immediately on his return from his -vacation, in accordance with a plan he had formed, he asked his father’s -permission to enter a private school, instead of returning to the old -one; but the reasons he gave were not deemed satisfactory, and the -request was not granted. He accordingly reëntered the public school, -and, to his great relief, none of his mates laughed at him for coming -back, or even alluded to his unsuccessful attempt to get into more -select, if not better company. But he was very glad when the first day -of the term was over. - -Whistler was a diligent scholar; but, although by no means a dull boy, -he did not learn his lessons without much hard labor. Some branches he -acquired more easily than others. He had a taste for drawing, and copied -maps and even pictures very neatly. He was also a good reader, and in -declamation and composition he stood among the best in his class. But in -some other branches, particularly spelling and arithmetic, he was rather -backward. Nevertheless, he was an industrious scholar, and made fair -progress in his studies. - -But Whistler was not destined to get through the first day of the new -term without some unpleasant experiences. It so happened that in his -first recitation, which took place in the afternoon, he “missed” two -questions that were put to him. He felt vexed and mortified, and, at his -second failure, he could not keep the tears from coming into his eyes. -The teacher, as he recorded the demerits, noticed his pupil’s emotion, -but made no remark. He afterwards requested Whistler to step to his -desk, when school was dismissed. - -When the school closed for the day, Whistler proceeded to the place -appointed, but not without some unpleasant apprehensions, arising from -the imperfect lesson referred to. His fears were dispelled, however, -when the teacher, pointing him to a seat, remarked very pleasantly: - -“William, you are a pretty good draughtsman, and I’ve been thinking that -perhaps I could get you to do a small job for me.” - -“I should be happy to,” replied Whistler. - -“Do you suppose,” continued the teacher, taking a couple of pictures -from his desk, “that you could make a large copy, in outline, of each of -these figures?” - -Whistler looked at the engravings a moment, and replied, with some -hesitation: - -“I could copy them better on the same scale they are there.” - -“I know you could,” continued the teacher; “but that will not answer my -purpose. I want them to illustrate some remarks I wish to make to the -school, and they must be large enough to be seen across the school-room. -I have no time, just now, to copy them myself, and it occurred to me -that perhaps you would like to try your hand at it. You will find it -somewhat difficult, I suppose; but it will be a good exercise for you, -even if you should not succeed very well.” - -Whistler readily consented to undertake the job, and his teacher -furnished him with some large sheets of drawing paper, and gave him such -directions in regard to the work as he deemed necessary. - -Whistler now hurried home, where he found Clinton, who was so exhausted -by his forenoon’s tramp that he was glad to remain in the house the rest -of the day. With his characteristic dread of idleness, however, he was -busy at work with his pocket-knife, whittling out a puzzle for Ettie. It -was nearly completed. It consisted of a thin piece of wood, in which -three holes were cut,—one square, one round, and one triangular. The -holes were all of the same height and width. The puzzle consisted in -shaping a piece of wood so that it would stop up either of these holes. -To do this, he first made a square block,—a perfect cube. This, of -course, stopped up the square hole. He next rounded this into a -cylinder, so that it just fitted the circular hole, while by turning it -the right way, it would still answer to fill up the square one. He now -sharpened one end of this cylinder, until he had made a perfect -triangle, or wedge. This fitted snugly into the remaining hole, while -enough of the original form of the block remained to fill the other two -holes. - -As soon as the puzzle was finished, Whistler went up to his chamber, and -began one of the drawings he had engaged to make. His cousin watched his -operations with interest, but was unable to render him any assistance. -Indeed, this hardly seemed necessary, for the swelling outline grew -quite perceptibly under Whistler’s pencil; and, although he did not get -along without a frequent recourse to the India-rubber, his success was -quite equal to his own anticipations. He had drawn maps on both an -enlarged and a reduced scale from the original, but he had never before -attempted to do either with the human figure, which is far more -difficult. He determined to try hard for success, however; and the -somewhat doubtful manner in which his teacher spoke of his ability to -execute the drawings, seemed rather to stimulate than discourage him. -This was precisely what the teacher intended to do. He knew that the -task was a difficult one, though not beyond Whistler’s ability. He knew, -moreover, that if he had told his pupil it was easy, the latter would -scarcely have believed him, and would, perhaps, have been disheartened -by the first difficulty; whereas, by taking the other course, the boy’s -ambition and spirit were more fully aroused, and he was prepared for a -strong and patient effort. - -The next morning, Clinton having expressed some curiosity to see how a -Boston school was managed, he was invited by his cousin to accompany him -as a visitor, and he concluded to do so. Reaching the schoolhouse a -little before the hour of commencement, they stood in the yard, watching -the movements of the merry groups around them, when a large, ill-favored -boy cried out: - -“There comes that big dunce that’s down in the fourth class! Let’s poke -some fun at him, boys. What’s his name?—does any body know? No matter, -we’ll call him Donkey,—ha! ha! Let’s give him that for a nickname! Don’t -you call him anything else,—will you, boys?” - -“Good!—his name shall be Donkey!” said another boy; and several others -seconded the motion, while one or two began to shout “Donkey! Hallo, -Donkey!” to the unsuspecting butt of their sport. - -Whistler, perceiving how matters were tending, now stepped forward, and -said: - -“Don’t you do it, boys! It’s too bad to twit a fellow for what he can’t -help. That boy has been sick all his lifetime, and couldn’t go to -school, and that’s the reason he’s in the lowest class.” - -“That’s all gammon!” retorted the boy who proposed the nickname, and -whose name was Nathan Clapp. “Bill Davenport has a natural sympathy for -dunces,—he doesn’t want much of being one himself. You know he tried to -get into the High School, the other day, and they wouldn’t take him, and -he had to come back here again. Let him stick up for Donkey, if he wants -to; it’s natural for him to stand up for his own breed!” - -“If I’m a dunce, I should like to know what you are?” exclaimed -Whistler, his eye flashing with anger. - -“I wasn’t such a big fool as to try to get into the High School, at any -rate!” replied Nathan. - -“Don’t say anything more to him,—he isn’t worth noticing,” whispered -Clinton in the ear of his cousin; and the latter wisely heeded the -advice, and suppressed the angry retort which was trembling upon his -lips. - -“Can’t say anything more, can you? Well, I think you had better shut -up!” continued the other boy; and then, turning to the lad in whose -behalf Whistler had interfered, and who had now entered the yard, he -continued, “Hallo, Donkey! how d’ ye do? Got your lesson, hey? Let’s -hear you say your a, b, c’s. There, Donkey,”—snatching the book from -under his arm, and pointing to a line,—“what letter’s that? Don’t you -know, hey? Can’t you speak, you dunce? Come, talk up like a little man! -nobody will hurt you. What’s that letter, hey?” - -The boy, who was a peaceable and good-natured fellow, was evidently -annoyed by his tormentor; but he tried to take his jeers in good part, -and joined—not very heartily, it is true—in the laugh that was raised at -his expense. Nathan continued to hector him in this way for some -minutes, when Whistler, unable longer to repress his indignation, cried -out: - -“Don’t mind what he says, David; I’ll warrant you will rank ahead of him -in less than six months.” - -“You say that again, and I’ll rap you over the head!” exclaimed Nathan, -drawing himself up in a menacing attitude before Whistler. - -“There’s no need of saying it again; but I’ll stick to it,” replied -Whistler, with firmness. - -“Yes, you’d better back out! I knew you daresn’t say it again!” -continued the young bully. - -“If you call that a back-out, you’re welcome to all the comfort you can -get out of it,” calmly replied Whistler. - -“If you want to fight, then, come out here!” said Nathan, doubling up -his fists. - -“No, I thank you,” replied Whistler; “I don’t believe in fighting.” - -A boy here whispered to Nathan that the principal was in the -schoolhouse, and might overhear him. His voice, which had been loud and -defiant, was suddenly modulated to a very low tone, as he added: - -“You’re a mean, sneaking coward! I’ll leave it to all of the boys if you -aren’t.” - -This sudden transition from the loud tone of bravado to that of absolute -cowardice, was so ludicrous, that there was a general outburst of -laughter among the boys, in which Whistler himself heartily joined. They -began to challenge each other, in whispers, and declared that they were -not afraid of any body, in the softest tones. Nathan quickly disappeared -around the corner of the building, but the merriment went on until the -signal was given for school to commence. - -Clinton went in with his cousin, and remained through the forenoon, an -interested spectator of the proceedings. The boys first assembled in a -large hall, where a chapter was read from the Bible, and the Lord’s -Prayer repeated by the whole school. The several divisions then went to -their own rooms, each with its own teachers, and remained in separate -session, with the exception of the recess, until it was nearly time for -the school to be dismissed. All the pupils were then assembled in the -large hall, and, after singing two or three verses of a hymn, the -principal observed that he wished to say a few words before they -separated. He then proceeded, somewhat in the following strain: - -“I once knew a boy who was afflicted with a very painful disease, almost -from his infancy. For years he was confined to his bed, and it was -supposed that he would never be able to run about like other boys. He -had no father, and his mother was poor, and unable to provide him with -many of those little comforts that might have made his lot more -tolerable. He had a thirst for knowledge, but could not go to school, -and, indeed, he could not apply himself to books for any length of time, -his eyes were so weak. Still he managed to learn to read, and was quite -patient under his sufferings. - -“When this boy got to be twelve or thirteen years old, his health -improved so much that he was able to walk about. The first desire he -expressed was to go to school; and as soon as he was well enough, he was -permitted to attend one of the public schools. As he had enjoyed few -opportunities of learning, the teacher was obliged to place him in a -class of smaller children than himself; but, for all that, he was as -intelligent a boy, and as promising a scholar, as you could find in the -school, all things considered. But he had not been in the school two -days, before one of the large boys, who was not a remarkably good -scholar himself began to make him the butt of his ridicule, calling him -a ‘dunce’ and a ‘donkey,’ and tried to set the other boys upon him.” - -At this abrupt pause, most of the scholars looked earnestly, as if -impatient for the conclusion of the story; but a few, who recognized the -characters introduced, turned their faces towards David and Nathan. -After a moment’s delay, the teacher resumed his narrative: - -“There was another boy in that school, who, though he did not learn his -lessons so easily as some children, was nevertheless a diligent and -faithful scholar, and behind none of his comrades in intelligence. This -boy gallantly interfered in behalf of the new pupil; whereupon the large -boy fell upon him, and began to ridicule him because he had been an -unsuccessful candidate for another school.” - -The teacher again paused, and those of the boys who were not in the -secret began to wonder at the pointless conclusion of a story that -opened so promisingly. He soon continued: - -“I’m not going to call any names,—I shan’t say, as David said to Nathan -of old, ‘Thou art the man!’ but—” - -“It was Nathan who said that to David,” interrupted one of the older -boys. - -“I believe you are right,” continued the teacher, who possibly had not -blundered without a purpose; “but, as I was saying, I shall call no -names. I will merely say that those three boys are members of this -school, and that I have related only what actually happened. And now, I -want to put two or three questions to the school, and I wish every boy -to answer yes or no. Those of you who think it is fair and honorable to -ridicule a boy for his low standing in school, when he has been sick all -his days, and had no opportunity to learn, will please to say ‘Aye.’” - -There was no response. - -“Those,” continued the teacher, “who think it is mean and dishonorable -to do so, will please to say ‘Aye.’” - -There was a prompt and universal shout of “Aye!” - -“Now, those who think it is fair and honorable to ridicule a boy, who -studies hard and makes good progress, because he happened to make a -failure once in his life, may say ‘Aye.’” - -All were silent. - -“Those who think it base and mean to do so, will please to say ‘Aye.’” - -Again there was a prompt and hearty “Aye!” - -“Yes, I think there can be but one side to that question,” continued the -teacher. “A boy who has had no opportunity to study, ought not to be -blamed for his ignorance; and one who studies diligently, should not be -laughed at if he does not happen to know everything. These are not -dunces. The real dunce is the scholar who has the ability and the -opportunity to learn, but who will not exercise the one or improve the -other, and so remains ignorant. I can’t blame you much for laughing at -such a boy. He deserves it. - -“On the other hand, I do not consider that boy the most promising who -learns his lessons in the shortest time. Some of you have only to read -over a lesson a few times, and you are ready for recitation; while -others are obliged to work hard over it for an hour or more before they -can master it. Now, if some one should come in here, and ask me to point -out the six most promising scholars among you, I do not know that I -should select one of those lads who commit their lessons to memory with -so little effort; but I _do_ know that the boy who was laughed at -because he failed to get into the High School would be among the six, -and the others would be boys who, like him, appear to appreciate the -value of knowledge, and make a diligent use of their school privileges. - -“I will close,” continued the principal, “by reading to you a few facts -from a magazine I have in my desk, which go to show that some of the -most eminent men of all ages were remarkable only for dulness in their -youth. Rev. Dr. Channing, at one period of his youth, says the writer, -was considered a dull, plodding character. At nine years of age, one who -afterwards became a chief justice in this country, was, during a whole -winter, unable to commit to memory the little poem found in one of our -school books, commencing, - - “‘You’d scarce expect one of my age,’ &c. - -Dr. Scott, the commentator, could not compose a theme when twelve years -old; and even at a later age, Dr. Clark, after incredible effort, failed -to commit to memory a poem of a few stanzas only. Wellington, at the -military school, was not brilliant. The teachers of Linnæus thought he -was fit for nothing but a common mechanic. Sir Isaac Newton ranked very -low in school until the age of twelve. When Samuel Wythe, the Dublin -schoolmaster, attempted to educate Richard Brinsley Sheridan, he -pronounced the boy an ‘incorrigible dunce.’ The mother of Sheridan fully -concurred in this verdict, and declared him the most stupid of her sons. -Walter Scott had the credit of having the ‘thickest skull in the -school,’ though Dr. Blair told the teacher that many bright rays of -future glory shone through that same ‘thick skull.’ Milton and Swift -were noted for dulness in childhood. The great Isaac Barrow’s father -used to say that, if it pleased God to take from him any of his -children, he hoped it might be Isaac, as the least promising. Goldsmith -was dull in his youth, and Shakspeare, Gibbon, Davy and Dryden, do not -appear to have exhibited in their childhood even the common elements of -future success.” - -The principal now dismissed the school, and the boys filed out, in -military order, at the touch of a bell - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XV. - - LESSONS IN PHYSIOLOGY. - - -WHISTLER persevered with the drawings which his teacher had requested -him to make; and, though he was frequently obliged to rub out and -re-draw his lines, he became so much interested in the work that the -idea of being discouraged scarcely occurred to him. He devoted to it all -the time he could spare out of school, which was not much, now that he -had Clinton to entertain. In two or three days, however, the drawings -were completed; and it was but the work of an evening to shade the lines -with Indian ink. The next morning the young artist had the satisfaction -of handing them to his teacher, and of receiving both his thanks and -praise for the neat and faithful manner in which he had executed his -commission. After the opening exercises of the school, while all the -boys were assembled in the large room, the principal remarked that he -wished to address a few words to the scholars before they separated to -their several rooms. - -[Illustration] - -“I have noticed,” he said, “a somewhat prevalent fault in the school, -which I wish to correct now, at the beginning of the term. Some of you, -I perceive, do not know how to sit or stand properly. It is very -important that you all should acquire this art, or rather habit. If -necessary, you had better neglect your grammar or arithmetic a little, -rather than fail of this accomplishment. As you sit or stand now, you -will be likely to sit or stand as long as you live. Your bodies are now -growing very fast, and they will grow into the shape which you accustom -them to. If it is a bad shape, it will be difficult to correct it a few -years hence. - -[Illustration] - -“The great thing, in sitting, standing and walking, is _erectness_. Keep -the head up, and the body straight. Don’t try to hump your backs, nor -hang your heads as though they were too heavy for you. There are two -great objections to the crooked position. One is, it looks badly; and -the other is, it is very injurious to the body. I consider this subject -of so much importance that I have procured a few drawings to illustrate -it, which I shall fasten upon the wall, where you can all see them -several times every day. The first two that I shall show you were -executed by Master William Davenport; and I think you will all admit -that they are very creditable to him. This drawing”—and here the -principal held up the first design on this page—“shows the wrong -standing posture. There are not many of you that cut quite so bad a -figure as that when you stand up to read, but some of you resemble it a -great deal more than you ought to. Look at it, and see how ungainly it -appears! How unnatural it is! Now, just compare it with this -boy”—holding up the other design. “This is the right position. It is -easy, natural, graceful, and favorable to health. I wish you all to -imitate it.” - -The teacher now wrote “_wrong_” under the first drawing, and “_right_” -under the other, and then fastened them upon the wall. He then held up -to the school a large drawing, represented in the following engraving, -and said “For this drawing, and the mate to it, which I shall soon show -you, I am indebted to Miss Martin.” (This lady was one of the assistant -teachers.) “It shows the wrong sitting position, and it is a pretty good -likeness of the posture which many of you get into when you are writing -and ciphering. Just study that boy’s attitude. See his head, hanging -down as if it were loaded with lead,—and very likely it is, for he looks -like a dunce! See his cramped and hunched chest, and his twisted legs! I -will label it ‘_wrong_,’ and fasten it up here; and as often as you look -at it, let it be a warning to you. - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration] - -“And here, boys,” continued the principal, exhibiting the above drawing, -“you see the right sitting position. What an improvement it is upon the -other position, even if we think only of the looks! But the effect on -the health is far more important than that. I suppose you all know that -the spine, or backbone, is intended to support the body and keep it -erect. It is one of the most curious contrivances in our bodies. It is -composed of twenty-four small bones, between each of which there is a -piece of cartilage, or gristle, which we may compare to an India-rubber -spring. The whole makes a strong column, and yet it can be bent in any -direction, and is so elastic or yielding that it protects the head from -jars as completely as the softest cushion could do it. But the proper -position of this spinal column is the upright one; and it can never be -kept long out of that position without injury. Look at either of those -boys who are in the wrong position. The spine, you see, must be very -crooked. If they assume that unnatural position often, and remain in it -for a long time, there is danger that the cartilages or springs in their -backbones will harden where they are compressed, and then they will -always be distorted. Besides, there are certain muscles in our trunks -that sustain the spine. When we habitually sit or stand in a crooked -position, these muscles are severely taxed, and finally lose their -strength, and then we become liable to weakness and disease. Diseases of -the spine are very difficult to cure. People are sometimes confined to -their beds for ten, twenty, or thirty years by such complaints, before -death comes to their relief. - -“But the backbone is not the only sufferer from this bad habit. It -crowds the lungs, so that they do not have room to work. They become -contracted; the chest grows flat and narrow; the stomach and abdomen are -pressed together unnaturally; and, after a while, you will be unable to -take in air enough to give life and vigor to the blood. Then sores will -form in your lungs; the doctors will tell you that you are in -consumption, and death will begin to knock at your door. You can easily -satisfy yourselves on this point by an experiment or two. Put yourselves -into a crooked position, and then speak or read aloud a few minutes. -Then do the same thing in an upright position, and see how much easier -it is. Or, you may try to take a full breath without raising the -shoulders, and then do so giving the shoulders fair play. You will find -there is a right way and a wrong way to breathe, and that you cannot -breathe right when you are sitting, standing, or lying in an unnatural -position. - -“There is one other bad sitting position to which I wish to call your -attention. It arises from not keeping the arms on the same level, and is -generally caused by sitting at a table or desk that is too high or too -low. In resting one elbow, you throw up the shoulder on one side, and -depress the other, and the spine is thus made very crooked. You should -keep your shoulders as level as possible. Heads up, chest erect and -straight, and shoulders square and thrown back—that’s the true position. -Now, boys, you may go to your rooms, and see if you can put this lesson -in practice.” - -A few days after this, Whistler received another physiological lesson, -which made a still deeper impression upon his mind. It happened in this -wise. Ettie had a beautiful kitten, to which she was very much attached. -It was as white as snow, with the exception of its feet, and a black -spot under its neck. Its fur was very fine, soft and clean. One -afternoon, on returning from school, Whistler found the kitten asleep in -a little apartment which was devoted to Ettie’s especial use as a -play-room. His sister’s playthings were scattered over the floor, and -among them was a small box in which she kept many of her valuables, and -which she called her work-box. It was made of mahogany, and the top slid -on in a groove. Thoughtless of everything but fun, Whistler deposited -kitty in the box, and closed the top, chuckling to himself as he -imagined how Ettie would jump when she returned to her sports and opened -pussy’s prison. - -In the evening Ettie searched the house from cellar to attic for her -kitten, but it did not come to her call. Besides herself, no one was at -home but her father and the domestic, the rest of the family having gone -to hear the band play upon the Common, this being one of the evenings in -which music was provided for the public at the city’s expense. Ettie, -however, would give neither her father nor the domestic any peace until -they had joined her in the search; and when, after thoroughly exploring -the premises, outdoors and in, without avail, they told her she must go -to bed without seeing the kitty, she did not yield to their wishes -without some tears, although assured that the little stray-away would -doubtless come home in the morning. - -The next morning Ettie was among the first in the family to arise, and -she anxiously resumed her search for the lost kitten. Whistler heard her -from his chamber, and his intended joke then flashed upon his mind, -almost for the first time since he shut the box upon the kitten. -Hurriedly dressing himself, he went down to Ettie’s play-room, and found -the box just as he left it. Drawing off the cover, there lay the missing -kitten, cold and stiff in death. It had evidently died of suffocation, -or want of air. The joints of the box were fitted together with glue, -and the top slid on very snugly, so that it was nearly air-tight. - -Whistler felt sad enough at this unexpected issue of an act of -playfulness. His sadness was greatly increased by the consciousness -which flashed upon him that he was not altogether innocent in the -matter. But, at the same moment, another thought flashed upon his mind, -and that was, that the fate of the kitten need never be known to any one -else. Fortunately he had said nothing about shutting her up, and it -would now be very easy to dispose of her remains in a private manner. He -was not sure but that it would be a kindness to Ettie to leave her in -the dark as to the sad and untimely fate of her four-footed playmate. -Then he thought of an admonition which his father had often urged upon -him from early childhood. It was this: “When you accidentally do any -mischief, always promptly confess it, for I can forgive your -carelessness much more easily than your attempt at concealment.” He had -been too faithfully trained to this excellent rule to disregard it now; -and he made up his mind very quickly what course to pursue. Shutting up -the box, and placing it where Ettie could not get at it, he went to his -father’s chamber door, and knocked. Mr. Davenport was dressing himself, -and admitted him. - -“Father, I have done some mischief, but I didn’t mean to,” said -Whistler, with some hesitation. - -“What now?—some more of your heedlessness?” inquired his father. - -Whistler related his unhappy attempt at a joke, and its sad sequel. - -“Well,” said his father, when he had finished his confession, “that was -very bright in you, I must confess. Didn’t you know that cats have -lungs, and can’t live without air? What has become of all the physiology -you have learned at school and at home? Couldn’t you put enough of it in -practice to save that poor kitten’s life?” - -Whistler was silent. He was almost as much astonished as his father at -his own thoughtlessness, for his parents had taken unusual pains to -impress upon his mind some of the great laws of health, foremost among -which was the necessity of an abundant supply of pure air. He could -explain the uses of the lungs; he could name the gases of which air is -composed; he knew that a pair of human lungs need a hogshead of fresh -air every hour, to sustain health; and yet it did not occur to him that -a kitten would suffer, and perhaps die, if shut up in a box but little -larger than itself, and nearly air-tight. - -“Well, it can’t be helped now; but be more careful hereafter,” added Mr. -Davenport. - -“Had I better tell Sissy the kitten is dead, or would you say nothing -about it to her?” inquired Whistler. - -“Yes, go at once and tell her about it, and don’t keep her in suspense -any longer,” replied his father. - -Whistler promptly obeyed, breaking the news as gently as possible to his -little sister; but, in spite of his precautions, she gave vent to a -flood of tears, and refused to be comforted. Poor kitty had one sincere -mourner. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XVI. - - THE PRESTON FAMILY. - - -“MOTHER, may I go over to Ralph Preston’s, this evening, with Clinton?” -asked Whistler, one day, about the middle of September. “Oscar has got -home, and his cousin Marcus has come with him. I’ve seen them both. We -are going to take Clinton and Oscar by surprise. Oscar doesn’t know that -Clinton is in town, and Clinton doesn’t know that Oscar is. There’ll be -quite a scene, I guess, when they come together; you know they used to -be pretty intimate, when Oscar lived down to Brookdale.” - -Mrs. Davenport readily granted the desired permission; for, although it -was a rule of the house that the children should never be absent from -home after dark without the consent of one of their parents, the rule -was intended merely to shield them from the moral dangers to which the -young are exposed in the streets of towns after nightfall, and not to -debar them from any proper and innocent amusement. - -Whistler and Ralph attended the same school, and, although there was a -difference of two or three years between their ages,—Ralph being the -younger,—they were intimate friends. There were many excellent traits in -Ralph’s character. Whistler was also on terms of friendship with the -other members of the family—Alice, Ella and George. Alice was a young -lady of seventeen. Ella has already been introduced to the reader. -George, the youngest, was about nine years old. With Oscar, who was now -half way between fifteen and sixteen, Whistler had never been on very -good terms. Until within a little more than a year, they had been -classmates in school; but the character of Oscar, at that time, was not -such as Whistler could admire; and, on the other hand, Oscar seemed, for -some reason known best to himself, to take a dislike to Whistler, which -more than once manifested itself in blows. For all this, however, -Whistler now cherished no feeling of resentment towards his old enemy. -On the contrary, the shame and suffering which Oscar had brought upon -himself, and the desire and determination he had expressed to reform, -warmly enlisted Whistler’s sympathies in his behalf. - -Marcus Page, Oscar’s cousin, who had come to Boston with him, was about -eighteen years old, and lived in the small town of Highburg, in Vermont. -His mother had agreed to take Oscar into her family, where he would be -under good influences, and secure from the evil associations and -temptations of the city; and his release from the State Reform School -was conditioned upon this arrangement. Marcus was to spend a few day in -Boston, and then to return to his home, with Oscar. - -When Mr. Davenport came home to tea that evening, he brought a letter -for Clinton. It was from his mother, and was the first intelligence he -had received from home since his departure. It contained several items -of intelligence which, to him, were of considerable importance. Dick -Sneider, the supposed incendiary, had at length been arrested, and after -a preliminary examination, had been committed to jail, to await a trial -by jury. Clinton had been summoned as a witness against him; but, as the -trial could not take place for several weeks, he would have an -opportunity to finish his visit before returning. Nor was Dick the only -rogue that had been caught since Clinton left home. The letter stated -that some creature entered Mr. Preston’s barn, one night, and killed -four geese. A trap was set the next night, and the following morning it -held securely by the paw of the left fore foot a wild-cat that stood -seventeen inches high, measured three feet in length, and weighed -thirty-three pounds. He was alive, and not in a very amiable mood, when -discovered, but was despatched by two or three blows with a heavy stick. -His skin had been preserved. “It is the opinion of the folks here,” -continued the letter, “that this was the identical rascal that made such -havoc with your fowls, just before you left home; but we shall probably -never know for a certainty whether this was so or not. When we discover -a rogue, we are apt to lay upon him not only his own sins, but many -others for which we can find no owner.” - -If Mrs. Davenport entertained any doubt as to the guilt of the wild-cat -in the chicken affair, Clinton did not. It was as plain to him as day -that the feline monster was the real culprit. He had suspected as much -from the first, against his father’s doubts and ridicule; and now that -the presence of such a creature had been demonstrated, he wanted no -further proof. There was somewhat of a chasm between the two links of -the argument, it is true; but although the reasoning would hardly be -sufficient to hang a man, Clinton deemed it amply conclusive to condemn -a wild-cat. He exulted quite as much over the conquest of this midnight -marauder, as he did over the capture of the other and greater rogue -mentioned in the letter. - -After tea, Clinton went over to Mr. Preston’s house with his cousin. The -“surprise,” when Oscar and Clinton met, was quite as great, on both -sides, as had been anticipated. They were right glad to see each other -face to face once more; and, although Oscar at first seemed to feel some -restraint, the cordial manner with which his old comrades received him, -put him at his ease again. From regard to his feelings, no allusion was -made to his past career; but future plans and hopes were discussed quite -freely. - -“How do you think you shall like living on a farm?” inquired Clinton, -addressing Oscar. - -“O, I’ve made up my mind to like it, whether or no,” was the reply. - -“If you stick to that, you will be contented enough,” said Marcus. - -“You won’t have to work very hard this winter, I suppose,” added -Clinton, who remembered that industry was not one of Oscar’s virtues, -when he knew him in Brookdale. - -“No,—I’m going to the academy till next spring, if not longer,” replied -Oscar. - -“Are you?” inquired Clinton. - -“And I shouldn’t wonder if I had Cousin Marcus for a teacher, too,” -added Oscar. - -“Why, that would be complete!” said Whistler. - -“Yes; the trustees want him to be an assistant teacher this winter, but -he hasn’t given them any answer yet,” continued Oscar. - -“I should admire to have you for a teacher, I know I should,” said Ella. -“I should expect you would show me lots of favors.” - -“Perhaps I should,” replied Marcus; “but possibly they might not be just -such favors as you would like. We had a teacher in our district school, -once, who had his wife’s brother for one of his pupils. He was a large -boy, and quite a good sort of a fellow, too; but he got more whippings -than any two boys in the school. I suppose his brother-in-law thought he -must show him some favors.” - -“But you wouldn’t serve _me_ in that way?” said Ella. - -“I should hope not,—nor Oscar, either,” replied Marcus; “but I must tell -you what I told Ronald. He was quite tickled with the idea of my being -teacher; but I told him that if I showed him any partiality, it would -only be in looking after him a little sharper than I did after the other -scholars.” - -“Then Ronald is going to the academy this winter?” inquired Mrs. -Preston. - -“Yes, ma’am; he is to commence with the next term,” replied Marcus. - -“Ronald,—that’s a queer name!—who is he?” inquired Whistler. - -“He’s a little fellow that has lived with us several years,” replied -Marcus. “He is a French Canadian by birth; but his parents are dead, and -mother took him out of pity, and has brought him up, so far.” - -“He thinks a great deal of you, doesn’t he?” inquired Ralph. - -“He appears to,” replied Marcus. - -“He certainly ought to; your cousin Marcus has been almost a father to -him,” said Mrs. Preston. “He takes nearly the whole care of him, and has -made him what he is; and I suppose Ronald feels towards him very much as -he would towards a father.” - -“You give me more credit than belongs to me,” interposed Marcus. “If it -hadn’t been for mother and Aunt Fanny, I couldn’t have done anything -with him. He was the queerest little fellow you ever saw when he first -came to us. He was full of all sorts of pranks, and was as wild and -untrained as an Indian child.” - -“Did he talk English?” inquired George. - -“Yes, after his fashion,” replied Marcus. “His parents spoke broken -English, but French was their natural tongue.” - -“Does he speak French, too?” inquired Clinton. - -“No, he has lost that,” replied Marcus. “When I began to study French at -school, I thought he might be of some help to me; but I soon found that -his _patois_, as they call it, was about as bad as the English of a raw -Irishman. So we thought he might as well let it go.” - -“Does he speak English well now?” asked Whistler. - -“O, yes,—very well,” said Marcus. - -“What did you think of him, mother? You saw him this summer, didn’t -you?” inquired Oscar. - -“Yes, I saw him, and liked him very well,” replied Mrs. Preston. “He is -a bright, intelligent, wide-awake boy, but a little roguish, I should -say.” - -“But, mother, he is a good-hearted and well-meaning boy,” said Alice, -who also had visited Highburg that summer. - -“I have no doubt of it,” added Mrs. Preston; “but for all that he is a -little mischievous. I have laughed a good many times over one scrape he -got himself into while we were there. There are two buildings on the -farm that stand very near together, but do not touch. There is just -about enough space between them for a cat to walk through. Well, Ronald -took it into his head, one day, to crawl through that narrow space. So -he squeezed himself in, and pretty soon we heard a great outcry in that -direction. We all ran out to see what had happened, and there we found -the young rogue, wedged in so closely between the two buildings that he -couldn’t move an inch, and almost frightened out of his wits. Marcus got -ropes and pries, and we worked over him about an hour before we got him -out; and then he had to leave a good part of his clothing behind him. I -shall never forget how cheap he looked when he came out of that -place—his jacket in tatters, his clothes covered with mould and dirt, -and his face as red as a beet.” - -“He has a faculty for getting himself into such scrapes,” said Marcus. -“Last spring I had some business at Montpelier, and I took him with me. -The man I wanted to see was an officer of some kind,—a sheriff, I -believe. He wasn’t in when I called at his place of business, and so I -took a newspaper, and sat down to wait. I didn’t notice what Ronald was -about; but after a few minutes he came to me, with one of his droll -looks, and carrying his hands in a singular manner. He was handcuffed. I -at first thought it was a good joke, and laughed at it; but I soon found -it was a sorry joke to him, for he couldn’t get the handcuffs off. They -had spring locks, and fastened themselves, but could not be opened -without a key. Though they were too large for his wrists, I found I -could not slip them off without endangering his hands. Pretty soon a man -came in, and he told me that Ronald would have to wear the handcuffs -until I could find their owner, if it was for a week, as no key would -unlock them but the one that was made for them. This rather put a damper -on Ronald; but, fortunately, the man came in after a little while. Then -I thought I would carry the joke a little farther; so I pointed to -Ronald, and told him I had got a prisoner for him. He wanted to know -what he had done, and I told him he had put his hands where he ought not -to. ‘Ah, that’s bad!—that’s bad!’ said he; ‘how much did he steal?’—‘I -didn’t steal anything,’ said Ronald; ‘but I saw these things, and I -thought I’d try them on, and now I can’t get them off.’ The man saw -through the joke, then, and he got the key and took off the handcuffs.” - -“Ronald isn’t the first boy who has handcuffed himself,” said Mr. -Preston, looking up from one of several letters which he had been -opening and reading during the preceding conversation. “Here’s a boy, -now, who has put himself into worse handcuffs than Ronald’s, and, what -is more, he doesn’t know it; but any body else can see it plainly -enough.” - -“Who is he, father?—what has he done?” inquired Ralph. - -“He is a boy who wants a situation in my store,” replied Mr. Preston. “I -put an advertisement in the papers for a boy, and these letters are all -answers to it. Here is the advertisement; you may read it aloud, Ralph, -and then those who wish may examine this reply to it.” - -Ralph then read as follows: - - “WANTED, in a W. I. Goods Store, an active, intelligent boy, - about fourteen years old, who writes a fair hand, is quick at - figures, and whose parents reside in the city. Address, in - handwriting of applicant, ‘W. I. G.,’ at this office.” - -The letter to which Mr. Preston alluded was then handed around, and read -by all present, eliciting many amusing comments. The handwriting was -cramped, awkward, and in some parts scarcely legible; the spelling was -quite original; the sentences were run into each other with an utter -contempt for marks of punctuation; capital letters were withheld and -dispensed according to a system not laid down in any of the books; and -the general structure of the composition indicated an entire ignorance -of all rules and laws of established usage. It read as follows: - - “FALL RIVER, sep 14 - - “Honered sir—i see by the Boston dayly papers printed in Boston - that you want a boy if you do i think i might answer perhaps i - am fifteen old smart and strong have a good education have - ciphered through adams arithmetic once and took a meddle at the - last righting school——Perhaps you wont Think so by my righting - as i have got a very bad pen i have had some experience in my - unkles grocery and should staid there if was not so verry dull i - think i should like Boston a great deal Better. - - “As for sallary i think 50 ayear besides my board and cloathes - about right the first year i can come as soon as you want please - write to obedient Servant - - JOHN MORROW.” - -“Sure enough,” said Mrs. Preston, “that boy has put on -handcuffs,—handcuffs of ignorance! If he tells the truth, he has had -some opportunities of getting an education; but it is very plain that he -did not profit by them. He has put the handcuffs on, and he will have to -wear them, now.” - -The children insisted upon seeing the letters of the other applicants, -and they were accordingly handed around, read, and criticised, affording -much amusement to the company. None of them were quite so faulty as John -Morrow’s, though several of them did not do much credit to the writers. -Two or three, however, were very well expressed, and neatly written. One -of the best read as follows: - - “BOSTON, Sept. 15, 185-. - - “DEAR SIR: I read your advertisement for a boy, and think I - might answer your purpose. I was fourteen years old last June, - and have just left school, and come to Boston to earn my living. - My parents live in Dracut; but I have two grown-up brothers in - Boston, with whom I live, and who will look after me. I have the - recommendation of my school teacher, and several other - gentlemen, which I will show you if you wish. If you will try - me, I will endeavor to give satisfaction. You can find me at No. - —, —— Street. - - “Yours, respectfully, - - “HENRY E. HOYT.” - -“Why, Mr. Preston, I know that boy!” exclaimed Clinton, as soon as his -eye rested upon the above signature; “and I think he’s a good boy, too.” - -“Ah!” said Mr. Preston; “what do you know about him?” - -“I don’t really _know_ much about him,” replied Clinton; “but I liked -his appearance. I got acquainted with him on the Common, a week or two -ago, and I went up to the top of the State House with him. He told me he -came from Dracut, and lived with his brothers, and was trying to get a -place. This must be the same boy.” - -“Is that all you know about him?” inquired Mr. Preston, with a smile. - -“Yes, sir,” replied Clinton; “but he _looked_ like a good boy, and his -letter reads well, too. Don’t you think so?” - -“Yes,” replied Mr. Preston; “and, as you were so well impressed by him, -I think I will see him, at any rate, before I engage a boy.” - -“And if he gets the place, he must thank you for it, Clinton,” said -Whistler. - -“No, it will be owing to his writing such a good letter,” replied -Clinton. “If he had made such a bungling piece of work as that other boy -did, I wouldn’t have owned him as an acquaintance.” - -Thus the evening passed away in pleasant conversation, and all seemed -sorry when the stroke of the clock announced the hour at which Whistler -and his cousin were obliged to leave. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XVII. - - A WATER EXCURSION. - - -THE next Saturday Whistler came home from school in great haste, at -noon, and informed his mother that several of his young associates were -going to get a sailboat and take a cruise in the harbor, immediately -after dinner, and had invited him to go with them. Each boy was to pay a -small sum for the use of the boat, the amount of which assessment would -depend upon the number in the party. Whistler was quite anxious to go -with them, and he knew Clinton would be, also, although he had not been -able to find him since school was dismissed. The day was calm and -pleasant, the boys who were going were of good character, several of -them understood managing a boat, and they could not help having a good -time. Such was Whistler’s story. - -But his mother was not at all pleased with the project. She did not -consider it safe for a party of such boys to venture upon the water, -without a man capable of managing the boat. Whistler argued and pleaded, -but could not change her mind. She finally told him that she should not -give her consent to his going, and wished he would abandon the idea; but -added that, if he was very anxious to go, he might ask his father’s -permission, and if it was granted she should say nothing more about it. - -As Mr. Davenport generally dined down town when business was pressing, -Whistler started at once for his office. He found his father deeply -engaged with several gentlemen, and some time elapsed before he could -get even a look from him. After a while the busy lawyer stepped aside, -and, telling his son to “speak quick,” listened to his request. He asked -a question or two about the boys who were going, and, taking a handful -of change from his pocket, gave Whistler enough to pay for himself and -Clinton, and told him they might go with the party. - -Whistler hastened home, and informed his mother of his success; but she -kept her promise, and said nothing about the matter, although he tried -hard to draw from her some modification of her judgment. Soon one of the -boys who was getting up the party called to see whether Whistler was -going. For a moment he was in doubt what reply to make. He could not -consult Clinton, who had not yet returned. He wanted to go very much, -but he did not wish to set at defiance the known wishes of his mother. -He soon, however, made up his mind what to do. After a short but severe -struggle in his mind, he told the boy that he should not go. When -Clinton came in, and was informed of the affair, he appeared to be -satisfied with Whistler’s decision, though it was no less a -disappointment to him than to his cousin. - -“Well, boys, you have got back in good season from your excursion,” said -Mr. Davenport, when he came home from his business that afternoon. - -“We didn’t go,” replied Whistler. - -“Didn’t go!—how happened that?” inquired his father. - -“Mother didn’t want us to go, and so I thought we had better give it -up,” replied Whistler. - -“That was a good reason,—a very good reason,” said his father. “On the -whole, I think your mother was about right. It isn’t safe for a lot of -boys to go on the water alone; and I was sorry, five minutes afterwards, -that I consented to your going.” - -There the matter dropped; but the regard Whistler had manifested for his -mother’s wishes was not forgotten by either of his parents. It was -talked over when they were alone, and it was determined to reward him in -some way for his self-denying decision. The next Monday his mother had -the pleasure of informing him that the whole family were going to sail -in the harbor the following Wednesday, which was his birthday. Mr. -Davenport had chartered a fine yacht[3] for the occasion. Whistler had -liberty to invite the Preston children, and also Marcus, to go with -them; and several other invitations were likewise to be extended. - -Footnote 3: - - Pronounced YOT. - -Whistler lost no time in spreading the news of this arrangement among -those who were interested. He learned that Marcus and Oscar had intended -to start for Vermont on the day of the proposed excursion; but they were -easily persuaded to postpone their journey for one day, for the sake of -joining the party. Ella and her brothers, Ralph and George, only awaited -their father’s consent to give the invitation a cordial acceptance. -Indeed, so impatient were they, that Ralph proceeded at once to his -father’s store, and obtained the desired permission. Clinton and -Whistler went with him, and the first-named had the gratification of -meeting his chance acquaintance, Henry Hoyt, who had that morning -entered upon the service of Mr. Preston. Henry was not a little -surprised to find that there was so close a connection between his -courtesy to a fellow stranger and the success of his application for a -situation. - -Wednesday came, and Whistler was fourteen years old. The accustomed -birthday present from his parents, which had never failed him within his -recollection, was found upon his table when he awoke. It was a plain but -highly-polished rosewood box, filled with implements and materials for -drawing. Everything that a young artist could desire in the pursuit of -his favorite study was here to be found, neatly secured in its own -place. Whistler was delighted with the gift, and assured his parents -that they could not possibly have selected a present that would have -pleased him better. - -After breakfast, active preparations were made for the excursion; and -promptly, at the hour appointed, all of the company invited were -assembled upon the wharf where the yacht lay. The “Echo,” as she was -called, was rigged as a sloop,—that is, she had but one mast, and a -bowsprit. She was of about twenty-five tons burden, and looked quite -small by the side of the huge ships of ten or twelve hundred tons which -surrounded and overshadowed her. While these leviathans towered high -above the wharves, the modest Echo sat so low in the water that the -party had to go down a ladder to reach her deck. She was a neat, trim, -and graceful craft, however, and everything about her was scrupulously -clean. A blue pennant was flying from her masthead. - -The party seated themselves in the stern of the yacht, where they found -very good accommodations, while the skipper and his two men—who -constituted the whole crew—took their positions forward. Having cast off -their lines, they hoisted the jib, and began to push out from the wharf. -Both the wind and tide were contrary, and it required some nautical -skill to get out into the stream. Once clear from the wharf, the first -thing they did was to run into a small row-boat, and the next was to -thump against the side of a large steamboat which lay at the opposite -wharf. No harm was done, however; and, after a few unintelligible orders -from the skipper,—who had now taken his post at the helm,—they swung -clear of every obstacle, the mainsail was hoisted, and they were under -way. - -[Illustration] - -The wind being in an easterly direction, the yacht was obliged to “beat -out,” as it is called; that is, instead of taking a direct course for -the outer harbor, she had to sail in zigzag lines, approaching very -gradually towards the point to which she was bound. The first “tack,” as -the sailors term the course of a ship when beating against the wind, -took the Echo close to the shore of East Boston. A large steamship, just -arrived from Europe, was entering her berth; and, at the request of -several of the party, the captain of the yacht sailed up to within a few -yards of her, giving all on board a fine opportunity to inspect the huge -and stately leviathan. What an impression of strength and beauty, of -gigantic power and indescribable grace, did they derive, as they gazed -up from their frail and tiny craft upon the towering walls of this ocean -monster! A crowd was assembled upon the wharf, awaiting the landing of -the passengers; and several small boats were hovering around, drawn -thither, probably, like the Echo, by curiosity. Altogether, it was a -very lively and interesting scene. After sailing slowly by the -steamship, the Echo was put upon a new tack, heading towards the -opposite side of the stream. In taking these tacks from one side to the -other, considerable skill was required to steer clear of the numerous -vessels of all sorts that were lying in the course of the yacht. - -“Beautiful!” “charming!” “splendid!” were exclamations that frequently -arose above the general buzz of conversation, in the stern, as the Echo -glided smoothly over the waters. Nor were these extravagant terms; for a -sail down Boston harbor, on such a day, and in such a craft, is one of -the pleasantest excursions that can be imagined. But, while some of the -party were enjoying the beautiful views that presented themselves, -others, and especially the boys, were engaged in watching their boat, -and in examining its various appointments. - -“What queer seats these are! What is the object of making them in that -shape?” inquired Clinton, as he examined a stool that was shaped -somewhat like an hour-glass, and was made of tin, and painted, with the -name of the yacht inscribed upon it. - -“That is a life-preserver, as well as a stool,” replied Whistler. “If -any one should fall overboard, they would throw him one of these stools, -and that would keep his head above water till they could get him out.” - -“Now, look out for your heads, ladies, if you please!” said the captain, -as he was about to swing the boom around to the other side of the boat, -for the purpose of changing the tack. - -“No matter about the gentlemen’s heads!” said Whistler; and, suiting the -action to the word, he sat upright until the boom came upon him, and -then, dodging it a little too late, it took his hat from his head, and, -but for a quick movement on his part, would have sent it whirling into -the water. - -“If you had sat still a moment longer, Willie, we might have had an -opportunity to experiment with one of these life-preservers,” said -Marcus. - -“I know it,” replied Whistler; “and I’m not going to stay here and be -knocked round in this way! Come, boys, let’s go down into the cabin.” - -Several of the party accepted Whistler’s invitation. The cabin occupied -the middle part of the boat. Of course it was a rather small apartment; -but, for all that, there was a good deal in it. Every available inch of -room was fully improved. It was only about five feet high,—not high -enough to allow Marcus and Oscar to stand up straight. A permanent table -ran nearly the whole length, with leaves that dropped down when not in -use. There was a raised edge around the table, to keep the dishes from -sliding off when the sea is rough. The mast came up through the table, -but was handsomely paneled, and, but for its decided slant, might have -passed for a pillar. A castor and a basket full of tumblers were hanging -over the table, and benches were placed on each side of it. - -The cabin was also fitted up with berths, very much like the one which -Whistler occupied on board the steamboat, on his journey to Brookdale. -There were four of them on each side, and they were furnished with neat -white bedding. Under each berth there was a locker, for stowing away -clothing, &c. The cabin was lighted by the doorway, and by a skylight, -which was raised a little above the level of the deck. - -Forward of the cabin, and connected with it by a door, was the -cook-room. It contained a cooking-stove, with a bright brass railing -around the top, to keep things in their places. The funnel went up -through the deck. A man was kindling a fire, and as the room seemed too -small to hold two at once, the boys did not go in. - -Returning to the deck, the boys found that they were off Fort -Independence (Castle Island), distant a little more than two miles from -the city. The view was now very fine. The numerous islands of the harbor -began to appear, and glimpses of the ocean were obtained between their -green and sunny slopes. Several vessels, availing themselves of a -favorable wind, were entering the port in gallant style. Among them was -a noble ship, returning from a distant voyage. But few of her sails were -spread, yet she dashed through the waters with such grace and speed that -the boys could not refrain from giving her three cheers as she passed -their boat. The compliment was promptly returned by the sailors. - -The next object of interest that the Echo passed was the Long Island -Light, distant about five miles from the city. The air was now growing -uncomfortably cool, and the captain brought up from the cabin a quantity -of shawls, hoods, old hats, &c., which he said he kept expressly for -company. They were gratefully accepted; and the sudden outward -transformation which the party underwent, furnished no little food for -merriment. - -At noon, the captain invited the company to take something to eat. On -descending to the cabin, they found the table spread with a variety of -eatables. There were boiled ham, and tongue, and eggs; pies, crackers, -and bread; sardines, olives, and pickles; hot coffee and tea, and -genuine Cochituate, fresh, not from the pipes, but from an ice-tank. -There is nothing like snuffing the sea air to give one an appetite; and -the plain, substantial fare disappeared very rapidly from the table. -Before the meal was concluded, however, Ella and one or two others left -the table rather suddenly. Oscar, who was more of a sailor than any of -the rest, rallied his sister on her prompt acknowledgment of the claims -of Neptune; but she protested that she did not feel at all sick. Very -possibly she would, though, had she remained below a little longer. The -fresh air revived her, and the slight nausea she began to experience in -the cabin soon passed away. - -The Echo was now seven miles out, but had, in reality, sailed -twenty-five miles in making that distance. The broad ocean was in full -view, studded with sails, and the sea was much rougher than it was -before dinner. A large steamship was soon discovered, threading its way -out from among the islands. It was watched with much interest by all, -and as it passed near them they had a good view of it. It proved to be a -screw steamer; that is, instead of paddle-wheels on the sides, the power -was applied to a propeller under the ship’s keel. She presented a noble -and substantial appearance as she sailed down the harbor, impelled by an -invisible power, and seemed strong enough to withstand any shock that -she might encounter on the ocean. A clipper ship, outward bound, also -passed near them, having most of her canvas spread, and was an object of -scarcely less interest than the steamship. - -The yacht was now approaching George’s Island, where the party had -decided to land. This island, which is the key to the outer harbor, -commanding the open sea, belongs to the United States, and contains one -of the most extensive and costly fortifications in the country. The -fortress, however, is in an unfinished state. As they drew near to the -island, they found that it was surrounded by a sea wall, composed of -immense blocks of granite. This is necessary, to prevent the washing -away of the island in the furious storms which sweep over the coast. The -winds and waves have made sad inroads upon the islands in the harbor, -even within the memory of many now living. It is said that the breakers -now roll where large herds of cattle were pastured seventy-five years -ago. - -Having landed at the wharf, the party walked up towards the fort, which -is named after General Warren. Immense walls of granite, of the purest -quality and smoothest finish, towered above them. On the top of the -walls were banks of earth, neatly sodded. The road led them to a -substantial stone gateway, which was open, and they accordingly entered -it. They now found themselves in a narrow passageway, with high walls on -either side. There were many long and narrow openings in the walls, -through which muskets could be fired, should an enemy succeed in -landing, and try to take the fort. An invading force, hemmed in by the -walls, would receive a dreadful raking from these loopholes before they -could get inside of the fortress. - -On reaching the interior of the fortification they found themselves in a -large area. The captain of the yacht, who acted as their guide, informed -them that twelve acres were enclosed, and three more were occupied by -the walls. There were several workshops and a large dwelling-house -within the enclosure. As they were examining the fine specimens of -masonry which the walls presented, a gentleman wearing the uniform of an -army officer came up to them, and politely offered to show them over the -fortress. His offer was gratefully accepted. - -“We will first ascend the parapets, if you please,” said the officer, -leading the way towards a long flight of stone steps. - -“Work seems to be suspended here,” remarked Mr. Davenport, as they -passed several ox-carts that were covered with rust. - -“Yes, sir,” replied the officer; “the appropriation is exhausted, and -nothing has been done here for several months.” - -“This place will have cost Uncle Sam some money, when it is finished,” -continued Mr. Davenport. - -“Something over a million of dollars, probably,” replied the officer. - -“Well, perhaps it will be worth that money, in case of war,” said Mr. -Davenport; “but it strikes me that fighting is a pretty costly -business.” - -“O, what a splendid view!” was the general exclamation, as the party -reached the top of the parapet. - -“You perceive that the whole harbor is completely commanded by the -fort,” continued the officer. “Here, within a pistol shot, is the main -channel, through which all large vessels must pass as they enter or -leave the harbor. If an enemy’s ship were to try to pass here, after the -fort is mounted, we could bring from a hundred to a hundred and fifty -guns to bear upon her, at the same time, at any point.” - -They continued their walk upon the top of the parapet for some minutes, -enjoying the fine view to be had on every side. It is here that the -heaviest guns are designed to be placed, in the open air. Large square -stones are set for the guns to rest upon, and semi-circular ones for the -gun carriages to traverse. There is also a wall, behind which the men -can hide. - -On descending from the parapet, the officer unlocked a door, and, -through a rather gloomy passage, led them into the interior of the -fortress. Here they wandered for a quarter of an hour through a -labyrinth of massive masonry, gazing with wonder at the solid walls, the -arched stone roof, and the long series of rooms connected by doors. They -found but one gun mounted, but that served to illustrate the principle -on which the cannon are intended to work. The port-holes are so shaped -that the guns are allowed a wide range, and yet there is little room for -shot to enter from without. They have an inner and an outer flare, being -narrowest in the centre of the wall. That part of the carriage farthest -from the muzzle has a sideway motion, so that the gun may be readily -pointed in any direction required. The fort will mount about three -hundred guns. - -Besides the gun-rooms there are a large number of other apartments, to -which the party were introduced. Some of them are intended for -ante-rooms, into which the soldiers may retire. They have fireplaces, -and will doubtless wear an air of comfort and cheerfulness when finished -and furnished. Other apartments, designed as parlors for the officers, -are still more expensively finished. There are also kitchens, -sleeping-rooms, magazines, cells for prisoners, &c. - -“This must be one of the finest fortresses in the country,” said Mr. -Davenport, as they came out once more into the open air. - -“Yes, sir, it is,” replied the officer. “It is impregnable from sea; -but, if it could be attacked by land, it might be blown to pieces, after -a while. No masonry is solid enough to be proof against efficient land -batteries,—that was proved at Sebastopol.” - -“Well,” said Mr. Davenport, “the worst wish I have for Uncle Sam is that -he may never have occasion to use this immense fortress.” - -“I heartily join you in that wish, in spite of my profession,” replied -the officer; and he then politely took leave of them. - -Warmly thanking their guide for his attentions, the party hastened to -their boat, and were soon on their way back. The wind had died away, and -their progress homeward was not very rapid. The skipper evidently felt -somewhat concerned for the credit of his craft. He declared that she was -a swift sailer; but nothing, he said, could sail without wind, or in the -face of a stiff breeze. His equanimity seemed to be still more seriously -disturbed when a large schooner, with a great spread of canvas, came up -behind him, and began to gain upon the Echo. He kept a sharp eye upon -the intruder, as he evidently regarded her; and when she passed the Echo -to the windward, instead of the leeward, he could no longer restrain his -disgust, but remarked to Mr. Davenport, with some warmth: - -“A fellow that’ll do that is no gentleman!” - -A puzzled look from several of the ladies, who did not understand the -nature of the offence, recalled him to a sense of his dignity, and he -was soon as gallant and as good-natured as usual. In justice to him, it -should be remarked that the schooner, by going to the windward, had -taken the wind out of his sails, which is not considered a very -courteous act among sailors. - -The party reached the wharf in safety, and all declared that they never -spent a pleasanter day than in their trip down the harbor. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII. - - LAST DAY OF THE VISIT. - - -CLINTON remained in Boston about six weeks, or until the middle of -October. During that time he made himself pretty well acquainted with -the city, and visited all the objects of interest in and around it. At -length the last day of his sight-seeing was over, his valise was packed, -and he sat down with his uncle’s family for the last time. It was a cool -evening, and a fire in the grate sent out a cheerful warmth. His uncle -sat near the table, reading the evening newspaper. His aunt was busy -with her needle. Whistler was conning his next morning’s lesson, and -Ettie was showing to kitty the pictures in one of her books, while -Bouncer was asleep upon the mat. Clinton alone sat idle; but he was not -wholly unoccupied. His thoughts were busy, and a feeling of sadness was -stealing over him as the hour of his departure drew near. - -After a while Mr. Davenport laid his paper aside, and Whistler took it -up. He glanced over one of its columns with some care, and then said: - -“No news from the Susan yet; you will have to go home without Jerry, -Clinton.” - -The Susan was the brig in which Jerry Preston sailed. She was now -expected at Boston; and the boys had looked daily in the newspapers for -the intelligence of her arrival. Clinton had some hope that Jerry would -get back in season to return with him to Brookdale; but in this he was -disappointed. - -“Well, Whistler, what have you learned to-day?” inquired Mr. -Davenport,—a question which he frequently addressed to his son, in the -evening. - -“Let me see,” replied Whistler, slowly. “O, I’ve learned which are the -three hardest words to pronounce in the English language.” - -“Ah! what are they?” inquired his father. - -“They are, _‘I was mistaken_,’” replied Whistler. - -“What is there so very hard to pronounce about them?” inquired his -father, with affected simplicity. - -“It isn’t the words that are hard,—it’s the _sentiment_,” replied -Whistler. “Our teacher told us that some great man once said those were -the three hardest words to pronounce in the English language. He told -us, besides, of a great general who was defeated in battle, and who sat -down and wrote to the senate: ‘I have just lost a great battle, and it -was entirely my own fault.’ He said that confession displayed more -greatness than a victory.” - -“That is very true,” added Mr. Davenport. “But have you learned to -pronounce the words yourself? If you have, you have learned something -worth knowing.” - -“I don’t know,” replied Whistler, with some hesitation. - -“The item of knowledge you have picked up to-day,” continued his father, -“will not be of much benefit to you, unless you make a practical use of -it. Your teacher, I suppose, wished to teach you the duty of confessing -your errors. That is one of the hardest things a man ever has to do. It -takes a brave man to confess that he has done wrong, or has embraced -wrong opinions.” - -“I’ve learned another thing to-day,” continued Whistler; “I’ve learned -how much meanness there is in the world.” - -“Ah, you _have_ made an important acquisition!” said his father. “I’ve -lived in the world forty years, and I haven’t begun to find out all its -meanness yet.” - -“Well, if I haven’t found it all out, I’ve found enough,” resumed -Whistler. “This was the way it happened. Two or three boys of our class -came to me, this morning, and wanted me to sign a petition asking the -teacher to give us shorter lessons. About a dozen boys had signed it, -but they wanted me to put my name before theirs, at the head of the -petition, because I was one of the oldest boys. As soon as I found what -it was for, I told them I didn’t think our lessons were too long, and I -shouldn’t sign it. Then they all set upon me, and coaxed and flattered -as hard as they could. They said they were so sure that I would sign it -that they had left a place for my name, and that I should have more -influence with the master than they, &c., &c. And when they found that -that wouldn’t work, then they tried to bully me into it. Nat Clapp said -I needn’t pretend to be a better scholar than the rest of them, for I -had as hard work to get my lessons as any body did. Jo Clark said I -wouldn’t sign it because they didn’t consult me about it before they got -it up. Bill Morehead said I didn’t dare to sign it. I told him I dared -to refuse to sign it, and I thought that was more than some of them -could say. But I can’t tell you half what they said. I got real provoked -at last. I should like to know if I hadn’t as good a right _not_ to sign -that petition as any of them had to sign it? What business had they to -say my motives were bad, because I didn’t please to do just as they -wanted me to?” - -“How much boys are like men!” quietly remarked his father. - -“But you didn’t sign the petition after all, did you?” inquired Clinton. - -“No, that I didn’t,” replied Whistler; “and I was glad enough of it, -too, this afternoon. They couldn’t get but about a third of the class to -sign it, and they left it on the teacher’s desk this noon. He didn’t say -anything about it till just as school was about to be dismissed at -night. Then he told the scholars that he had received a petition for -shorter lessons from a portion of the first class. He said the request -was not only unreasonable, but the petition was disrespectful in tone, -and he considered it insulting. He said most of the boys who had signed -it were the idlest fellows in the class, and, he supposed, they would -like it better if he would give them no lessons at all. But, he said, -there were one or two names on the petition that he was surprised to see -there. He talked pretty hard to them, I can tell you. He said every boy -that had put his name to it deserved to be called out and punished; but -he concluded to let them off, this time, with merely reading their names -aloud to the school. So he read off the list; and if some of the fellows -didn’t feel cheap enough, then I’m no judge, that’s all!” - -“Did any body sign it that I know, except Nat?” inquired Clinton. - -“Yes, there was one other boy that you know; but I shan’t tell you who -he is,” replied Whistler. - -Clinton did not feel much curiosity in the matter, and did not press the -inquiry. The boy referred to was Ralph Preston, who had thoughtlessly -yielded to the solicitations of his comrades, and affixed his name to -the petition, without noticing that it was not couched in respectful -terms. He felt the public reprimand of the act very keenly; and -Whistler, out of friendship for him, kindly abstained from giving any -further notoriety to his error. - -“Well, Clinton,” said Mr. Davenport, after a short pause, “you’ve -explored our city pretty thoroughly,—now let us have your judgment upon -it. What do you think of it, on the whole?” - -“O, I like it very well!” replied Clinton. - -“That is rather faint praise,” observed his uncle. - -“I like some things very much,” continued Clinton, “and others I don’t -like so well.” - -“On the whole, don’t you feel quite willing to go back to the country?” -inquired his aunt. - -“I don’t know but I do,” replied Clinton, with some hesitation. - -“I see you haven’t wholly given up the idea of being a merchant, yet,” -remarked his uncle. - -“O no, sir, I wasn’t thinking of that!” replied Clinton. “But I should -like to enjoy some of the opportunities that boys have here,—good -schools, and plenty of books, and lectures, and everything else.” - -“These privileges or opportunities are very valuable, I know,” added Mr. -Davenport; “but, after all, don’t you know that the making of a man is -not in opportunities, but in himself? If you determine to be a man, the -lack of opportunities will not keep you back. You will work and struggle -till you have overcome every obstacle. On the other hand, if you haven’t -this strong will within, all the opportunities in the world won’t make a -man of you. Indeed, there is such a thing as having too much assistance. -If you set out a tree, and keep forever handling it, and scratching -about it, and trying to help it grow, it won’t come to much. It needs a -little wholesome neglect to teach it to take care of itself. So, if a -man wants to produce a strong, rugged character, he mustn’t go into a -hothouse to do it. Such a thing won’t grow there. So far as I can judge, -Clinton, you are doing very well with your present opportunities. Make -the most of them, and I think you will get along as well as most boys in -the city, to say the least.” - -“But I don’t have much time to study,” added Clinton. - -“Many men have stored their minds with valuable information,” continued -his uncle, “in odd moments snatched from their labors. Two of the most -learned men, in many respects, that I ever met with, did this. One of -them is Elihu Burritt, the ‘Learned Blacksmith,’ who acquired more -languages at the anvil than I can remember the names of. The other is -Charles C. Frost, of Brattleboro’, Vermont, who deserves to be called -the ‘Learned Shoemaker.’ I must read you a short account of Mr. Frost, -to show you what can be done in _one hour a day_.” - -So saying, Mr. Davenport took down a volume from the bookcase, and read -as follows: - - “At fourteen years of age, Mr. Frost left school, and commenced - learning the trade of a shoemaker. He worked as an apprentice in - his father’s shop seven years, when he shortly after became - interested in the business of making and vending shoes, in a - neat and tasteful shoe store, on his own account. He early - evinced a love of mathematical science, and has displayed - talents of no ordinary character in its pursuit. He says, in a - letter which I have received from him: ‘I early imbibed a love - of study. I recollect my first acquisitions were in Arithmetic, - and that the results gave me the highest pleasure. When I - excelled other boys in the school, my progress was attributed by - them to some peculiar mathematical talent. But it was not so. I - boast of no genius. I attribute my success uniformly to more - study than others gave their lessons or work, and, perhaps, to a - greater _love_ of study.’ Mr. Frost has found time, not only to - become master of all existing forms of algebraic numbers, but is - also familiarly and thoroughly acquainted with Geometry, - Trigonometry and Astronomy. He is at home in the Modern Calculus - and in the Principia of Newton, where few of our learned - professors venture, or feel at ease. Indeed, in mathematical - science he has made so great attainments that it is doubtful - whether there can be found ten mathematicians in the United - States who are capable, in case of his own embarrassment, of - lending him any relief. Remember that we are speaking of a - self-taught scholar, and he no genius. Let me tell you how it - was done. He says: ‘When I went to my trade, at fourteen years - of age, I formed a resolution, which I have kept till - now,—extraordinary preventives only excepted,—that I would - faithfully devote _one hour each day_ to study, in some useful - branch of knowledge.’ Here is the secret of his success. He is - now forty-five years of age, and is a married man, the father of - three children; yet this _one-hour_ rule accompanies him to this - day. ‘The first book which fell into my hands,’ he says, ‘was - Hutton’s Mathematics, an English work of great celebrity, a - complete mathematical course, which I then commenced,—namely, at - fourteen. I finished it at nineteen, without an instructor. I - then took up those studies to which I could apply my knowledge - of Mathematics, as Mechanics and Mathematical Astronomy. I think - I can say that I possess, and have successfully studied, _all_ - the most approved English and American works on these subjects.’ - After this, he commenced Natural Philosophy and Physical - Astronomy. Then Chemistry, Geology, and Mineralogy, collecting - and arranging a cabinet. ‘Next Natural History,’ he says, - ‘engaged my attention, which I followed up with close - observations, gleaning my information from a great many sources. - The works that treat of them at large are rare and expensive. - But I have a considerable knowledge of Geology, Ornithology, - Entomology, and Conchology.’ Not only this; he has added to his - stores of knowledge the whole science of Botany, one of the most - extensive now pursued, and has made himself completely master of - it. He has made actual extensive surveys, in his own state, of - the trees, shrubs, herbs, ferns, mosses, lichens, and fungi. Mr. - Frost thinks that he may possess the _third_ best collection of - ferns in the United States. He has also turned his attention to - Meteorology, and devotes much of his time, as do also Olmstead, - Maury, Redfield, Smith, Loomis, Mitchell, and many others, to - acquire a knowledge of the law of storms, and the movements of - the erratic and extraordinary bodies in the air and heavens. He - has also been driven to the study of Latin, and reads it with - great freedom. He has read and owns most of the gifted poets, - and is, to a considerable extent, familiar with History; while - his miscellaneous reading has been very extensive. He says of - his books: ‘I have a library, which I divide into three - departments,—scientific, religious, literary,—comprising the - standard works published in this country, containing five or six - hundred volumes. I have purchased these books, from time to - time, with money saved for the purpose by some small - self-denials.’ - - “Here, then, we have an account—I assure you it is wholly - reliable—of one, a plain man of forty-five, who has made the - compass, so to speak, of the hill of science, studying his HOUR - a day, when the day’s labor was done, for more than thirty - consecutive years. He began this one-hour system when he was - fourteen years old. Behold the result! Here is a man with the - cares, business, and responsibilities of life on his hands, yet - a devoted, faithful, successful student; a man who is a profound - scholar, and yet a plain-spoken, humble, pious, laboring man, - residing still in his native village, far inland, supporting - himself by his trade and daily labor, while he is worthy of a - position as a teacher in one of the best institutions of - learning in the land.”[4] - -Footnote 4: - - “Dreams and Realities in the Life of a Pastor and Teacher.” - 1856. - -“There,” resumed Mr. Davenport, closing the book, “you see what a man -can do in only one hour a day, diligently improved. Don’t you think you -might manage to devote that amount of time to study, Clinton?” - -“Yes, sir, I suppose I could,” replied Clinton. - -“Do you suppose every body could learn as much as Mr. Frost knows, if -they should try as hard?” inquired Whistler. - -“I suppose any man of fair natural powers, who should study as earnestly -and perseveringly as he did, would be about as successful,” replied Mr. -Davenport. “But, after all, we must aim at something higher than -success. We cannot all be great, or learned, or rich, or eloquent; but -we can all be what is better,—we can be good men and women. Indeed, -without a good character, all other gifts and acquirements only make a -man the more dangerous. And character, you know, is formed by little and -little. It is the result of a great multitude of little thoughts, and -acts, and emotions, all spun together into a complete fabric. Did you -ever go into a ropewalk, Clinton?” - -“Yes, sir; Willie and I went through the ropewalk in the Navy Yard,” -replied Clinton. - -[Illustration] - -“Well,” resumed his uncle, “the process of making character is something -like making a cable. First, there are the little fine fibres of hemp; a -great mass of these, twisted together, become yarn; several yarns make a -strand; three strands make a rope; and three ropes make a small cable. A -fibre of hemp is a very small and weak affair; but twist enough of them -together, and they will hold the largest ship in the gale. So the little -trifling acts and habits of the child seem very insignificant; but, -by-and-by, when they are spun into character, they will become as strong -as cables. Look out now, boys, and see that the little fibres, and -yarns, and strands, are all right; and in due time the great ropes and -cables will appear, and will hold the anchor fast, when you are -overtaken by the storms of life. - -“There, I have spun you out quite a speech; and a pretty eloquent one, -too!—eh, Whistler? Well, the fact is, I’ve been addressing a jury this -afternoon, and I haven’t had time to shake the kinks of oratory out of -my tongue, yet. Ettie, darling, did my fine speech put you to sleep? -Never mind,—don’t disturb her. We shall have to follow her example -before long, if we mean to see Clinton off in the morning.” - -The family retired at an early hour; and the next morning Clinton bade -them good-by, and set out for Brookdale. - - - - - THE END. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - New and Popular Series for Boys and Girls. - - -------------- - - THE AIMWELL STORIES; - - A SERIES OF VOLUMES, ILLUSTRATIVE OF YOUTHFUL CHARACTER, - AND COMBINING INSTRUCTION WITH AMUSEMENT. - - BY WALTER AIMWELL, - - Author of “The Boy’s Own Guide,” “Boy’s Book of Morals and Manners,” &c. - - WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS. - - -------------- - -The volumes will contain about 300 pages, 16mo, each, bound in cloth, -with gilt backs. Price 63 cents. - -☞ Each volume will be complete and independent of itself, but the series -will be connected together by a partial identity of characters, -localities, &c. - -The first four volumes of this series are now ready. They are entitled: - - OSCAR; OR, THE BOY WHO HAD HIS OWN WAY. - CLINTON; OR, BOY-LIFE IN THE COUNTRY. - ELLA; OR, TURNING OVER A NEW LEAF. - WHISTLER; OR, THE MANLY BOY. (_Just Published._) - MARCUS; OR, THE BOY-TAMER. (_In Preparation._) - - -------------- - - NOTICES OF THE PRESS. - -“One of the best series for the young ever written. Every family of -children ought to have them.”—CHICAGO CONGREGATIONAL HERALD. - -“They are written with great skill for the tastes and necessities -of children, and they are written conscientiously, with a moral -and Christian effort unobtrusively operative upon every -page.”—CONGREGATIONALIST. - -“A better series of books for children were never written. The author -has studied deeply and accurately the feelings, hopes, and thoughts of -youth.”—BOSTON MAIL. - -“The boys and girls must be grateful to Master Aimwell. He hits the mark -decidedly. So all of them, within our knowledge, who have read ‘Oscar’ -and ‘Clinton,’ pronounce, with one voice, and so they will say after -reading ‘Ella.’”—CHRISTIAN WATCHMAN AND REFLECTOR. - -“The author of the ‘Aimwell Stories’ has a happy knack at combining -amusement and instruction. Under the guise of a story, he not only -teaches a moral lesson, which is or ought to be a leading object of -every tale for children, but he gives his readers instruction in -philosophy, geography, and various other sciences. So happily are these -introduced, however, that the youthful reader must learn in spite of -himself.”—BOSTON JOURNAL. - -“It is the best series of juvenile books with which we are -acquainted.”—NORTHAMPTON GAZETTE. - -“We have spoken repeatedly, and with unqualified commendation, of this -series of juvenile volumes. It would be difficult to exaggerate their -merits as a source of amusement and instruction to children. Full of -interest in subject-matter,—chaste, graphic, and beautiful in -style,—pure and wholly unexceptionable in moral tendency,—we know of no -works in the city more delightful and valuable as gifts to -children.”—AMERICAN PATRIOT. - - - The Aimwell Stories. - - -------------- - - I. - - OSCAR; OR, THE BOY WHO HAD HIS OWN WAY. By WALTER - AIMWELL. With illustrations. 16mo. Cloth, 63 cents. - -“So graphic and natural are the incidents of this story, that it must -have been compiled from a real boy-experience.”—N. Y. HOME JOURNAL. - -“It is a very fine work. The author writes like one who understands the -springs of youthful action.”—CHICAGO CONG. HERALD. - -“This is one of the best books for boys we have ever read.”—BOSTON -TRANSCRIPT. - -“Few juvenile books are better designed and executed than -this.”—CHRISTIAN FREEMAN. - -“It is one of the Aimwell Series, and is from the same pen with -‘Clinton,’ a book for boys which has had few equals of its kind in any -age.”—NORTON’S LIT. GAZ. - - - II. - - CLINTON; OR, BOY-LIFE IN THE COUNTRY. By WALTER AIMWELL. - With illustrations. 16mo. Cloth, 63 cents. - -“Well, the boys have read it, and pronounce it ‘first-rate.’ We confirm -their judgment. It enters into the heart of the boy; comprehends his -thoughts, his wishes, and his temptations; mingles in his sports; -stimulates him in his studies, and implants right principles and noble -views. It is a safe book, an entertaining book, and a useful book.”—THE -INDEPENDENT, N. Y. - -“We attempted to read this book, but the boys got hold of it, and -morning, noon, and night, they kept hold of it, until one, and another, -and another still, had read it through. If their judgment is worth -anything, the book is capital,—one of the very best of its kind.”—N. Y. -EVANGELIST. - -“‘A prime book,’ as we heard a little boy say, who had just got through -with it.”—YOUTH’S COMPANION, BOSTON. - - - III. - - ELLA; OR, TURNING OVER A NEW LEAF. By WALTER AIMWELL. - With illustrations. 16mo. Cloth, 63 cents. - -“It would be difficult to find a child who would ‘skip over’ any portion -of this volume.”—BOSTON JOURNAL. - -“Neatly printed, beautifully illustrated, and most interestingly told. -Such volumes are a public treasure.”—BOSTON POST. - -“A capital little work, written with a good purpose, and well calculated -to enforce the moral lessons of the popular author.”—BALLOU’S PICTORIAL. - -“One of the best written, most instructive, and entertaining little -stories that has fallen in our way for some time.”—BOSTON TRAVELLER. - - - IV. - - WHISTLER; OR, THE MANLY BOY. By WALTER AIMWELL. - With illustrations. 16mo. Cloth, 63 cents. (_Just Published._) - - - V. - - MARCUS; OR, THE BOY-TAMER. (_In Preparation._) - - - VALUABLE WORKS FOR THE YOUNG. - -YOUNG AMERICANS ABROAD; or, Vacation in Europe: the Results of a Tour - through Great Britain, France, Holland, Belgium, Germany, and - Switzerland. By JOHN OVERTON CHOULES, D. D., and his PUPILS. With - Elegant Illustrations. 16mo, cloth, 75 cts. - -A highly entertaining work, embracing more real information, such as -every one wishes to know about Europe, than any other book of travels -ever published. - -Three intelligent lads, who knew how to use their eyes, accompanied -their tutor on a European tour; and, from a carefully-kept journal, they -wrote out, in a series of letters to a favorite companion in study, at -home, their impressions of the most remarkable places _en route_. The -pencillings are genuine and unaffected, and in all respects form an -interesting and instructive record of travel.—_Sartain’s Magazine._ - -One of the most instructive and delightful books of the age.—_Southern -Lit. Gaz._ - -Boys, here is a book that will suit you exactly. It is a series of -letters from certain boys travelling in Europe to their classmates in -this country. It will improve your knowledge and amuse you during long -winter nights.—_Methodist Prot._ - -It is worth much more than many a larger and more pretentious volume, -for giving a daguerreotype of things abroad.—_Congregationalist._ - -A beautiful book for young people, unlike any thing we have ever -seen.—_Ch. Ob._ - -Most interesting book that can be put into the hands of the -young.—_Olive Branch._ - -The best book of foreign travel for youth to be found in the whole range -of American literature.—_Buffalo Morning Express._ - - -THE ISLAND HOME; or, the Young Castaways. By CHRISTOPHER ROMAUNT, ESQ. - With Elegant Illustrations. 75 cts. - -The best and prettiest book for boys that we have lately seen.—_Boston -Post._ - -A stirring and unique work. It will interest the _juvenile men_ -vastly.—_Olive Br._ - -Delightful narrative of the adventures of six boys who put to sea in an -open boat, and were drifted to a desert island, where they lived in the -manner of Robinson Crusoe.—_N.Y. Com._ - -A book of great interest, and one which will be a treat to any -boy.—_Home Circle._ - -The young will pore over its pages with almost enchanted -interest.—_Transcript._ - -A modern Robinson Crusoe story, without the dreary solitude of that -famous hero. It will amuse and instruct the young in no ordinary -degree.—_Southern Lit. Gazette._ - -A story that bids fair to rival the far-famed Robinson Crusoe. We become -as much interested in the Max, Johnny, Arthur, and the rest of the -goodly company, as in the Swiss Family Robinson.—_Sartain’s Magazine._ - - -THE AMERICAN STATESMAN; or, Illustrations of the Life and Character of - DANIEL WEBSTER, for the Entertainment and Instruction of American - Youth. By the REV. JOSEPH BANVARD, author of “Plymouth and the - Pilgrims,” “Novelties of the New World,” “Romance of American - History,” etc. With elegant Illustrations. 75c. - -☞ A work of great interest, presenting a sketch of the most striking and -important events which occurred in the history of the distinguished -statesman, Daniel Webster, avoiding entirely all points of a _political_ -character; holding up to view, for the admiration and emulation of -American youth, only his commendable traits of character. It is just -such a work as every American patriot would wish his children to read -and reflect upon. - - - PLEASANT PAGES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE; - OR, BOOK OF HOME EDUCATION AND ENTERTAINMENT. - -BY S. PROUT NEWCOMBE. With numerous Illustrations. 75c. - -☞This work is designed for the pleasure and profit of young people; and, -as the title indicates, intended as an aid to Home Education. The great -variety of subjects presented, consisting of Moral Lessons, Natural -History, History, Travels, Physical Geography, Object Lessons, Drawing -and Perspective, Music, Poetry, etc., and withal, so skilfully treated -as to make truth simple and attractive, renders it an admirable family -book for winter evenings and summer days. - -A very excellent book. History, philosophy, science, stories, and -descriptions of games are all mingled together, and he who does not like -the compound must be hard to please.—_Post._ - -Pleasant pages, containing information on a great variety of subjects. -Here we have science and art made plain and captivating. The lessons in -drawing and perspective alone are worth the price of the volume. And -then a thousand questions which the intelligent young mind raises are -here answered.—_Parlor Magazine._ - -This is indeed a home book of endless amusement.—_Boston Atlas._ - -An admirable book of home education. We commend it to families.—_Alb. -Spec._ - -A work admirably adapted to the instruction and amusement of the -young.—_Reg._ - -A pleasant book, full of all sorts of information upon all sorts of -subjects.—_Jour._ - -One of the most delightful works for young people we have ever met with. -Few persons, young or old, could examine its pages without gaining -knowledge of a useful kind. It is one of the most successful -combinations of the pleasant with the useful to be found.—_Daily -Advertiser._ - -A book of not only “pleasant pages,” but of singularly instructive -pages. Even people not so very young might be profited by its -perusal.—_South Boston Gazette._ - -It presents much solid information, and opens before the young new -fields of observation. The youngsters will clap their hands with -joy.—_Scientific American._ - -There is a great deal of valuable information communicated in a very -simple and easy way. While it is full of useful instruction to children, -it is also suggestive to those who are called to conduct their -education.—_Puritan Recorder._ - -We like this book: it is well fitted for the family library. The young -like facts; when these are set forth in a pleasant way, the interest is -greater than fiction ever awakens, unless the fiction is made to appear -like truth.—_Godey’s Ladies’ Book._ - - -THE GUIDING STAR; or, The Bible God’s Message. By LOUISA PAYSON HOPKINS. - With Frontispiece. 16mo, cloth, 50 cts. - -An excellent work to put into the hands of youth. It is written in -conversational style, and opens up most beautifully, and with great -simplicity, the great leading evidences that the Bible contains God’s -message to man. Those seeking after truth will find it worthy of -frequent perusal.—DR. SPRAGUE, _in Albany Spectator_. - -We cordially commend the work to parents, children, and Sabbath -schools.—_Cong._ - -This volume should be in the hands of every youthful reader, and adult -persons would find it not only interesting, but instructive.—_Ch. -Chron._ - -The popular author of this book has conferred a favor on the public, for -which she deserves something more than _thanks_.—_Ch. Secretary._ - -One of the most valuable books for youth that we have seen.—_Cong. -Journal._ - -A book of more than common excellence. How often have we wished that all -the youth of our land might become familiar with its contents.—_Ch. -Mirror._ - - - NATIONAL SERIES OF AMERICAN HISTORIES. - =By Rev. Joseph Banvard.= - - -------------- - -PLYMOUTH AND THE PILGRIMS; or, Incidents of Adventures in the History of - the First Settlers. With Illustrations. 16mo, cloth, 60 cts. - -When once taken up it will not be laid down without regret until -finished.—_Courier_. - -An exceedingly interesting volume.—_Am. Traveller._ - -Popular reading, particularly adapted to entertain and instruct -youth.—_Mercantile Journal._ - -Every New Englander, wherever he resides, should own this -book.—_Scientific Am._ - -An extremely interesting volume, written in a plain but vigorous style, -adapted to the young, but will be read with interest by the older -ones.—_Ch. Freeman._ - -Highly attractive in style and instructive in matter.—_N. Y. Com. Adv._ - - -NOVELTIES OF THE NEW WORLD; an Account of the Adventures and Discoveries - of the First Explorers of North America. With numerous Illustrations. - 16mo, cloth, 60 cts. - -A series of books which will serve as valuable introductions and -enticements to more extended historical reading.—_Am. Traveller._ - -It has all the interest of a romance.—_Portland Transcript._ - -We have seen the boys bend over these pages, unwilling to leave them, -either for play or sleep; and when finished, inquiring anxiously _when -the next_ would come.—_Watchman and Reflector._ - -Neither too childish for adults, nor yet too difficult of comprehension -for children. They will delight as well as instruct.—_Mercantile -Journal._ - -Interesting scenes and events in the New World are here brought together -and invested with a charm that is irresistible by old as well as -young.—_Ch. Intelligencer._ - - -ROMANCE OF AMERICAN HISTORY; or, an Account of the Settlement of North - Carolina and Virginia, embracing the tragic Incidents connected with - the Spanish Settlements, French Colonies, English Plantation at - Jamestown, Captivity of Captain Smith, the Adventures of Pocahontas, - etc. With Illustrations. 60 cents. - -All the interest of romance, and the addition of veritable -history.—_Puritan Rec._ - -It is a most pleasing and instructive book.—_Home Journal._ - -Interesting as a novel, and a thousand times more profitable -reading.—_Lit. Mes._ - -Every library should be furnished with this Series of American -Histories.—_N. E. Farmer._ - -Admirably fitted for family reading, and calculated to interest the -young.—_Trav._ - -Attractive series of books founded on the early history of our country; -it will make a most valuable addition to all family libraries.—_Arthur’s -Gazette._ - -No more interesting and instructive reading can be put into the hands of -youth.—_Portland Transcript._ - -The series will embrace the most interesting and important events which -have occurred in the United States since the settlement of the country. -Each volume to be complete in itself; and yet, when all are published, -they will together form a regular SERIES OF AMERICAN HISTORIES. - - - VALUABLE WORKS FOR THE YOUNG. - =BY REV. HARVEY NEWCOMB.= - -HOW TO BE A MAN; a Book for Boys, containing Useful Hints on the - Formation of Character. Cloth, gilt, 50 cts. - -“My design in writing has been to contribute something towards forming -the character of those who are to be our future electors, legislators, -governors, judges, ministers, lawyers, and physicians,—after the best -model. It is intended for boys—or, if you please, for _young_ gentlemen, -in early youth.”—_Preface._ - -“How to be a Man” is an inimitable little volume. We desire that it be -widely circulated. It should be put into the hands of every youth in the -land.—_Tenn. Bap._ - - -HOW TO BE A LADY; a Book for Girls, containing Useful Hints on the - Formation of Character. Cloth, gilt, 50 cts. - -“Having daughters of his own, and having been many years employed in -writing for the young, he hopes to offer some good advice, in an -entertaining way, for girls or misses, between the ages of eight and -fifteen. His object is, to assist them in forming their characters upon -the best model; that they may become well-bred, intelligent, refined, -and good; and then they will be real _ladies_, in the highest -sense.”—_Preface._ - -Parents will consult the interests of their daughters, for time and -eternity, in making them acquainted with this attractive and most useful -volume.—_N. Y. Evangelist._ - - - _The following Notices apply to both the above Volumes._ - -It would be better for the next generation if every youth would “read, -learn, and inwardly digest” the contents of these volumes.—_N. Y. -Commercial._ - -These volumes contain much matter which is truly valuable.—_Mer. -Journal_. - -They contain wise and important counsels and cautions, adapted to the -young, and made entertaining by the interesting style and illustrations -of the author. They are fine mirrors, in which are reflected the -prominent lineaments of the _Christian young gentleman and young lady_. -Elegant presents for the young.—_American Pulpit._ - -Newcomb’s books are excellent. We are pleased to commend them.—_N. Y. -Obs._ - -They are books well calculated to do good.—_Phil. Ch. Chronicle._ - -Common-sense, practical hints on the formation of character and habits, -and are adapted to the improvement of youth.—_Mothers’ Journal._ - - -ANECDOTES FOR BOYS; Entertaining Anecdotes and Narratives, illustrative - of Principles and Character. 18mo, gilt, 42 cts. - -ANECDOTES FOR GIRLS; Entertaining Anecdotes and Narratives, illustrative - of Principles and Character. 18mo, gilt, 42 cts. - -Interesting and instructive, without being fictitious. The anecdotes are -many, short, and spirited, with a moral drawn from each, adapted to -every age, condition, and duty of life. We commend them to families and -schools.—_Albany Spectator._ - -Works of great value, for a truth or principle is sooner instilled into -the youthful heart by an anecdote, than in any other way. They are well -selected.—_Ev’g Gaz._ - -Nothing has a greater interest for a youthful mind than a well-told -story, and no medium of conveying moral instructions so attractive or so -successful. The influence is far more powerful when the child is assured -that they are _true_. We cannot too strongly recommend them to -parents.—_Western Continent, Baltimore._ - - - VALUABLE WORKS. - - -------------- - -KNOWLEDGE IS POWER: A VIEW OF THE PRODUCTIVE FORCES OF MODERN SOCIETY, - and the Results of Labor, Capital, and Skill. By CHARLES KNIGHT. - American edition, with Additions, by DAVID A. WELLS, Editor “Annual of - Scientific Discovery,” etc. With numerous Illustrations. 12mo, cloth. - $1.25. - -This work is eminently entitled to be ranked in that class styled “books -for the people.” The author is one of the most popular writers of the -day. His style is easy and racy, sufficiently polished for the most -refined, while it is peculiarly fitted to captivate plain, unlettered, -but thinking men. It is remarkable for its fullness and variety of -information, and for the felicity and force with which the author -applies his facts to his reasoning. The facts and illustrations are -drawn from almost every branch of skilful industry. It is a work, in -short, which the mechanic and artisan of every description will be sure -to read with a RELISH. - -MY SCHOOLS AND SCHOOLMASTERS; OR, THE STORY OF MY EDUCATION. By HUGH - MILLER, Author of “Footprints of the Creator,” etc. 12mo, cloth. - $1.25. - -“This autobiography is quite worthy of the renowned author. His first -attempts at literature, and his career until he stood forth an -acknowledged power among the philosophers and ecclesiastical leaders of -his native land, are given without egotism, with a power and vivacity -which are truthful and delightsome.”—PRESBYTERIAN. - -“Hugh Miller is one of the most remarkable men of the age. Having risen -from the humble walks of life, and from the employment of a -stone-cutter, to the highest rank among scientific men, everything -relating to his history possesses an interest which belongs to that of -few living men. The book has all the ease and graphic power which is -characteristic of his writings.”—NEW YORK OBSERVER. - -“This volume is a book for the ten thousand. It is embellished with an -admirable likeness of Hugh Miller, the stone mason—his coat off and his -sleeves rolled up—with the implements of labor in hand—his form erect, -and his eye bright and piercing. The biography of such a man will -interest every reader. It is a living thing—teaching a lesson of -self-culture of immense value.”—PHILA. CHRISTIAN OBS. - -“It is a portion of autobiography exquisitely told. He is a living proof -that a single man may contain within himself something more than all the -books in the world. This is one of the best books we have read.”—LONDON -CORRESP. N. Y. TRIBUNE. - -“It is a work of rare interest; at times having the fascination of a -romance, and again suggesting the profoundest views of education and of -science. The ex-mason holds a graphic pen; a quiet humor runs through -his pages.”—N. Y. INDEPENDENT. - -“This autobiography is THE book for poor boys, and others who are -struggling with poverty and limited advantages; and perhaps it is not -too much to predict that in a few years it will become one of the poor -man’s classics.”—NEW ENG. FARMER. - -THE HALLIG; OR, THE SHEEPFOLD IN THE WATERS. A Tale of Humble Life on - the Coast of Schleswig. Translated from the German of Biernatzski, by - Mrs. GEORGE P. MARSH. With a Biographical Sketch of the Author. 12mo, - cloth. $1.00. - -The author of this work was the grand-son of an exiled Polish nobleman, -His own portrait is understood to be drawn in one of the characters of -the Tale, and indeed the whole work has a substantial foundation in -fact. As a revelation of an entire new phase of human society, it will -strongly remind the reader of Miss Bremer’s tales. In originality and -brilliancy of imagination, it is not inferior to those;—its aim is far -higher. The elegance of Mrs. Marsh’s translation will at once arrest the -attention of every competent judge. - - - AMOS LAWRENCE. - - -------------- - -DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE OF THE LATE AMOS LAWRENCE; with a brief account - of some Incidents in his Life. Edited by his son, WILLIAM R. LAWRENCE, - M. D. With fine steel Portraits of AMOS and ABBOTT LAWRENCE, an - Engraving of their Birth-place, a Fac-simile page of Mr. Lawrence’s - Handwriting. Octavo, cloth, $1.50. Royal duodecimo edition, $1.00. - -This work was first published in an elegant octavo volume, and sold at -the unusually low price of $1.50. At the solicitation of numerous -benevolent individuals who were desirous of circulating the work—so -remarkably adapted to do good, especially to young men—GRATUITOUSLY, and -of giving those of moderate means, of every class, an opportunity of -possessing it, the royal duodecimo, or “CHEAP EDITION,” was issued, -varying from the other edition, only in a reduction in the SIZE -(allowing less margin), and the THICKNESS of the paper. - -Within six months after the first publication of this work, TWENTY-TWO -THOUSAND copies had been sold. It is the memoir of a Boston merchant, -who became distinguished for his great wealth, but more distinguished -for the manner in which he used it. It is the memoir of a man, who -commencing business with only $20, gave away in public and private -charities, DURING HIS LIFETIME, more, probably, than any other person in -America. - -“We heard it once said in the pulpit, ‘There is no work of art like a -noble life,’ and for that reason he who has achieved one takes rank with -the great artists, and becomes the world’s property. WE ARE PROUD OF -THIS BOOK. WE ARE WILLING TO LET IT GO FORTH TO OTHER LANDS AS A -SPECIMEN OF WHAT AMERICA CAN PRODUCE. In the old world, reviewers have -called Barnum THE characteristic American man. We are willing enough to -admit that he is a characteristic American man; he is ONE fruit of our -soil, but Amos Lawrence is another. Let our country have credit for him -also. THE GOOD EFFECT WHICH THIS LIFE MAY HAVE IN DETERMINING THE COURSE -OF YOUNG MEN TO HONOR AND VIRTUE IS INCALCULABLE.”—MRS. STOWE, IN N. Y. -INDEPENDENT. - -“This book, besides being of a different class from most Biographies, -has another peculiar charm. It shows the inside life of the man. You -have, as it were, a peep behind the curtain, and see Mr. Lawrence as he -went in and out among business men, as he appeared on ’Change, as he -received his friends, as he poured out, ‘with liberal hand and generous -heart,’ his wealth for the benefit of others, as he received the -greetings and salutations of children, and as he appeared in the bosom -of his family, at his own hearth-stone.”—BRUNSWICK TELEGRAPH. - -“We are glad to know that our large business houses are purchasing -copies of this work for each of their numerous clerks. As a business -man, Mr. Lawrence was a pattern for the young clerk.”—BOSTON TRAVELLER. - -“We are thankful for the volume before us. It exhibits a charity noble -and active, while the young merchant was still poor. And above all, it -reveals to us a beautiful cluster of sister graces, a keen sense of -honor, integrity which never knew the shadow of suspicion, candor in the -estimate of character, filial piety, rigid fidelity in every domestic -relation.”—NORTH AMERICAN REVIEW. - -“We are glad that American Biography has been enriched by such a -contribution to its treasures. In all that composes the career of ‘the -good man’ and the practical Christian, we have read few memoirs more -full of instruction, or richer in lessons of wisdom and -virtue.”—NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER. - -“A more beautifully printed volume, or one calculated to do more good, -has not been issued from the press of late years.”—EVENING GAZETTE. - -“This volume has been read with the deepest interest. It will be widely -circulated, will certainly prove a standard work, and be read over and -over again.”—BOSTON DAILY ADVERTISER. - - - CHAMBERS’S WORKS. - - -------------- - -CHAMBERS’S CYCLOPEDIA OF ENGLISH LITERATURE. A Selection of the choicest - productions of English Authors, from the earliest to the present time. - Connected by a Critical and Biographical History. Forming two large - imperial octavo volumes of 1400 pages, double column letter-press; - with upwards of 300 elegant Illustrations. Edited by ROBERT CHAMBERS, - embossed cloth, 5,00. - -This work embraces about _one thousand authors_, chronologically -arranged and classed as Poets, Historians, Dramatists, Philosophers, -Metaphysicians, Divines, etc., with choice selections from their -writings, connected by a Biographical, Historical, and Critical -Narrative; thus presenting a complete view of English literature from -the earliest to the present time. Open where you will, you cannot fail -to find matter for profit and delight. The selections are gems—infinite -riches in a little room; “A WHOLE ENGLISH LIBRARY FUSED DOWN INTO ONE -CHEAP BOOK!” - -FROM W. H. PRESCOTT, AUTHOR OF “FERDINAND AND ISABELLA.” The plan of the -work is very judicious.... Readers cannot fail to profit largely by the -labors of the critic who has the talent and taste to separate what is -really beautiful and worthy of their study from what is superfluous. - -I concur in the foregoing opinion of Mr. Prescott.—EDWARD EVERETT. - -A work indispensable to the library of a student of English -literature.—WAYLAND. - -We hail with peculiar pleasure the appearance of this work.—_North Am. -Review._ - -It has been fitly described as “_a whole English library fused down into -one cheap book_.” The Boston edition combines neatness with -cheapness.—_N. Y. Com. Adv._ - -☞ The American edition contains additional likenesses of SHAKESPEARE, -ADDISON, BYRON; a full length portrait of DR. JOHNSON, and a beautiful -scenic representation of OLIVER GOLDSMITH and DR. JOHNSON. These -important additions, together with superior paper and binding, render -the American far superior to the English edition. The circulation of -this work has been immense, and its sale in this country still continues -unabated. - - - CHAMBERS’S WORKS - - -------------- - -CHAMBERS’S MISCELLANY OF USEFUL AND ENTERTAINING KNOWLEDGE. Edited by - WILLIAM CHAMBERS. With Elegant Illustrative Engravings. Ten volumes, - 16mo, cloth, 7,00. - -This work has been highly recommended by distinguished individuals, as -admirably adapted to Family, Sabbath, and District School Libraries. - -It would be difficult to find any miscellany superior or even equal to -it; it richly deserves the epithets “useful and entertaining,” and I -would recommend it very strongly as extremely well adapted to form parts -of a library for the young, or of a social or circulating library in -town or country.—GEORGE B. EMERSON, ESQ., CHAIRMAN BOSTON SCHOOL BOOK -COMMITTEE. - -I am gratified to have an opportunity to be instrumental in circulating -“Chambers’s Miscellany” among the schools for which I am -superintendent.—J. J. CLUTE, _Town. Sup. of Castleton, N. Y._ - -I am not acquainted with any similar collection in the English language -that can compare with it for purposes of instruction or amusement. I -should rejoice to see that set of books in every house in our -country.—REV. JOHN O. CHOULES, D. D. - -The information contained in this work is surprisingly great; and for -the fireside, and the young, particularly, it cannot fail to prove a -most valuable and entertaining companion.—_N. Y. Evangelist._ - -An admirable compilation. It unites the useful and entertaining.—_N. Y. -Com._ - - - CHAMBERS’S WORKS. - - -------------- - -CHAMBERS’S HOME BOOK AND POCKET MISCELLANY. Containing a Choice - Selection of Interesting and Instructive Reading for the Old and the - Young. Six vols. 16mo, cloth, 3,00. - -This work is considered fully equal, if not superior, to either of the -Chambers’s other works in interest, and, like them, contains a vast fund -of valuable information. Following somewhat the plan of the -“Miscellany,” it is admirably adapted to the school or the family -library, furnishing ample variety for every class of readers, both old -and young. - -We do not know how it is possible to publish so much good reading matter -at such a low price. We speak a good word for the literary excellence of -the stories in this work; we hope our people will introduce it into all -their families, in order to drive away the miserable flashy-trashy stuff -so often found in the hands of our young people of both -sexes.—_Scientific American._ - -Both an entertaining and instructive work, as it is a very cheap -one.—_Puritan Rec._ - -It cannot but have an extensive circulation.—_Albany Express._ - -Of all the series of cheap books, this promises to be the best.—_Bangor -Mercury._ - -If any person wishes to read for amusement or profit, to kill time or -improve it, get “Chambers’s Home Book.”—_Chicago Times._ - -The Chambers are confessedly the best caterers for popular and useful -reading in the world.—_Willis’s Home Journal._ - -A very entertaining, instructive, and popular work.—_N. Y. Commercial._ - -The articles are of that attractive sort which suits us in moods of -indolence when we would linger half way between wakefulness and sleep. -They require just thought and activity enough to keep our feet from the -land of Nod, without forcing us to run, walk, or even stand.—_Eclectic, -Portland._ - -It is just the thing to amuse a leisure hour, and at the same time -combines _instruction_ with amusement.—_Dover Inquirer._ - -Messrs. Chambers, of Edinburgh, have become famous wherever the English -language is spoken and read, for their interesting and instructive -publications. They combine _instruction_ with _amusement_, and -throughout they breathe a spirit of the purest morality.—_Chicago -Tribune._ - -CHAMBERS’S REPOSITORY OF INSTRUCTIVE AND AMUSING PAPERS. With - Illustrations. An entirely New Series, containing Original Articles. - p. 260, 16mo, cloth, per vol. 50 cents. - -The Messrs. Chambers have recently commenced the publication of this -work, under the title of “CHAMBERS’S REPOSITORY OF INSTRUCTIVE AND -AMUSING TRACTS,” similar in style, etc., to the “Miscellany,” which has -maintained an enormous circulation of more than _eighty thousand copies -in England_, and has already reached nearly the same in this country. -Arrangements have been made by the American publishers, to issue the -work simultaneously with the English edition, a volume every two months, -to continue until the whole series is completed. Each volume complete in -itself, and will be sold in sets or single volumes. - -☞ Commendatory Letters, Reviews, Notices, &c., of _each_ of Chambers’s -works, sufficient to make a good sized duodecimo volume, have been -received by the publishers, but room here will only allow giving a -specimen of the vast multitude at hand. They are all popular, and -contain valuable instructive and entertaining reading—such as should be -found in every family, school, and college library. - - - VALUABLE WORK. - -CYCLOPÆDIA OF ANECDOTES OF LITERATURE AND THE FINE ARTS. Containing a - copious and choice selection of Anecdotes of the various forms of - Literature, of the Arts, of Architecture, Engravings, Music, Poetry, - Painting, and Sculpture, and of the most celebrated Literary - Characters and Artists of different Countries and Ages, &c. By KAZLITT - ARVINE, A. M., Author of “Cyclopædia of Moral and Religious - Anecdotes.” With illustrations. 725 pages octavo, cloth, 3,00. - -This is unquestionably the choicest collection of anecdotes ever -published. It contains _three thousand and forty Anecdotes_, and such is -the wonderful variety, that it will be found an almost inexhaustible -fund of interest for every class of readers; and to public speakers, to -all classes of _literary_ and _scientific men_, to _artists, mechanics, -and others_, a perfect DICTIONARY, _for reference_. There are also more -than _one hundred and fifty fine Illustrations._ - -We know of no work which comprises so much valuable information in a -form so entertaining.—_N. Y. Chronicle._ - -Here is a perfect repository of the most choice and approved specimens -of this species of information. The work is replete with such -entertainment as is adapted to all grades of readers, the most or least -intellectual.—_Methodist Quarterly Magazine._ - -One of the most complete things of the kind ever given to the public. -There is scarcely a paragraph in the whole book which will not interest -some one deeply; for, while men of letters, argument, and art cannot -afford to do without its immense fund of sound maxims, pungent wit, apt -illustrations, and brilliant examples, the merchant, mechanic and -laborer will find it one of the choicest companions of the hours of -relaxation. “Whatever be the mood of one’s mind, and however limited the -time for reading, in the almost endless variety and great brevity of the -articles he can find something to suit his feelings, which he can begin -and end at once. It may also be made the very life of the social circle, -containing pleasant reading for all ages, at all times and -seasons.”—_Buffalo Com. Advertiser._ - -A well spring of entertainment, to be drawn from at any moment.—_Bangor -Whig._ - -A magnificent collection of anecdotes touching literature and the fine -arts.—_Albany Spectator._ - -The most comprehensive collection of anecdotes ever published.—_Salem -Gazette._ - -A publication of which there is little danger of speaking in too -flattering terms; a perfect Thesaurus of rare and curious information, -carefully selected and methodically arranged. A jewel of a book to lie -on one’s table, to snatch up in those brief moments of leisure that -could not be very profitably turned to account by recourse to any -connected work in any department of literature.—_Troy Budget._ - -No family ought to be without it for it is at once cheap, valuable, and -very interesting; containing matter compiled from all kinds of books, -from all quarters of the globe, from all ages of the world, and in -relation to every corporeal matter at all worthy of being remarked or -remembered.—_New Jersey Union._ - -A rich treasury of thought, and wit and learning, illustrating the -characteristics and peculiarities of many of the most distinguished -names in history.—_Phil. Chris. Obs._ - -The range of topics is very wide, relating to nature, religion, science, -and art; furnishing apposite illustrations for the preacher, the orator, -the Sabbath-school teacher, and the instructors of our common schools, -academies, and colleges. It is a valuable work for the fireside, -calculated to please and edify all classes.—_Zanesville Ch. Reg._ - -This is one of the most entertaining works for desultory reading we have -seen. We hardly know of any thing at once so instructive and -amusing.—_N. Y. Ch. Intel._ - - - THE CRUISE OF THE NORTH STAR: - - A NARRATIVE OF THE EXCURSION MADE BY MR. VANDERBILT’S PARTY, IN THE - STEAM YACHT, in her Voyage to England, Russia, Denmark, France, Spain, - Italy, Malta, Turkey, Madeira, etc. By Rev. JOHN OVERTON CHOULES, D. - D. With elegant Illustrations, and fine Likenesses of Commodore - Vanderbilt and Capt. Eldridge. 12mo, cloth, gilt backs and sides. - $1.50. - -The cruise of the North Star was an event of almost national concern, -and was watched with universal interest. This volume is as different -from ordinary books of travel as the cruise of the North Star was -different from an ordinary trip to Europe. We need not bespeak for it -many readers.—_Providence Jour._ - -The American people ought to be proud of, and grateful to, Cornelius -Vanderbilt. This man has done more than a dozen presidents to give -America a respected name in Europe. In the person of Cornelius -Vanderbilt, American enterprise told the people of Europe what it could -do. The desire to get this curious narrative was so great that the whole -of the first edition went off in two days!—_Star of the West._ - -Those who remember to have met with a very interesting work, published -some two years ago, entitled “Young Americans Abroad,” will be glad to -learn that here is another book of travels from the same source. Do you -say your shelves are all full of books of travel?—we reply, with Leigh -Hunt,—then put in another shelf, and place this one on it—_Methodist -Protestant._ - -The work is one of the most entertaining, and, in its way, vivid, -portraitures of scenes in the Old World, that we have ever seen.—_Boston -Transcript._ - -The book is in many respects as novel as the occasion which produced it -was unique and memorable. Both the accomplished author and the -publishers deserve the best thanks for so tasteful a record of a -performance which has reflected so much credit abroad upon American -enterprise.—_N. Y. Courier & Enquirer._ - -This work is interesting, not only as a memorial of the North Star, and -her trip to Europe, but also as a record of European travel, narrated in -a lively manner, by a gentleman whose taste and attainments eminently -qualify him for the task.—_New York Times._ - -Never before did a private individual make so magnificent an excursion -as Mr. Vanderbilt. Dr. Choules, who was one of his guests, has given to -the world a charming account of this unique voyage, in a beautifully -printed and illustrated volume. We commend it to our readers as a very -entertaining, well-written book.—_Zion’s Herald._ - -The book will be eagerly perused, as a record of one of the unique -occurrences of the age; is written with a kind of drawing-room, -etiquette-like style, is mellow in sentiment, and is wholly destitute of -that straining after the sublime, and stranding in the “high-falutin,” -that characterize the effusions of the tourist generally.—_Chicago -Advertiser._ - -This beautiful volume describes, in a chaste and readable manner, the -fortunes of the widely-known excursion of the princely New York -merchant and his family and guests. From the eclat of the voyage -itself, and the pleasant way of Dr. Choules’ account of it, we think -the book is destined to have—what it deserves—a very large -sale.—_Congregationalist._ - - - MY FIRST IMPRESSIONS - OF ENGLAND AND ITS PEOPLE. - -BY HUGH MILLER, author of “Old Red Sandstone,” “Footprints of the - Creator,” etc., with a fine likeness of the author. 12mo, 1,00. - -Let not the careless reader imagine, from the title of this book, that -it is a common book of travels, on the contrary, it is a very remarkable -one, both in design, spirit, and execution. The facts recorded, and the -views advanced in this book, are so fresh, vivid, and natural, that we -cannot but commend it as a treasure, both of information and -entertainment.—_Willis’s Home Journal._ - -This is a noble book, worthy of the author of the Footprints of the -Creator and the Old Red Sandstone, because it is seasoned with the same -power of vivid description, the same minuteness of observation, and -soundness of criticism, and the same genial piety. We have read it with -deep interest, and with ardent admiration of the author’s temper and -genius. It is almost impossible to lay the book down, even to attend to -more pressing matters. It is, without compliment or hyperbole, a most -delightful volume.—_N. Y. Commercial._ - -This is a most amusing and instructive book, by a master hand.—_Dem. -Rev._ - -The author of this work proved himself, in the Footprints of the -Creator, one of the most original thinkers and powerful writers of the -age. In the volume before us he adds new laurels to his reputation. -Whoever wishes to understand the character of the present race of -Englishmen, as contradistinguished from past generations; to comprehend -the workings of political, social, and religious agitation in the minds, -not of the nobility or gentry, but of the _people_, will discover that, -in this volume, he has found a treasure.—_Peterson’s Magazine._ - -His eyes were open to see, and his ears to hear, every thing; and, as -the result of what he saw and heard in “merrie” England, he has made one -of the most spirited and attractive volumes of travels and observations -that we have met with.—_Trav._ - -Hugh Miller is one of the most agreeable, entertaining, and instructive -writers of the age. We know of no work in England so full of adaptedness -to the age as this. It opens up clearly to view the condition of its -various classes, sheds new light into its social, moral, and religious -history, its geological peculiarities, and draws conclusions of great -value.—_Albany Spectator._ - -The author, one of the most remarkable men of the age, arranged for this -journey into England, expecting to “lodge in humble cottages, and wear a -humble dress, and see what was to be seen by humble men only,—society -without its mask.” Such an observer might be expected to bring to view a -thousand things unknown, or partially known before; and abundantly does -he fulfil this expectation. It is one of the most absorbing books of the -time.—_Portland Ch. Mirror._ - - ------- - - NEW WORK. - MY SCHOOLS AND SCHOOLMASTERS; - OR THE STORY OF MY EDUCATION. - -BY HUGH MILLER, author of “Footprints of the Creator,” “Old Red - Sandstone,” “First Impressions of England,” etc. 12mo, cl. - -This is a personal narrative of a deeply interesting and instructive -character, concerning one of the most remarkable men of the age. No one -who purchases this book will have occasion to regret it, our word for -it! - - - A PILGRIMAGE TO EGYPT; - EMBRACING A DIARY OF EXPLORATIONS ON THE NILE, - -WITH OBSERVATIONS, illustrative of the Manners, Customs, and - Institutions of the People, and of the present condition of the - Antiquities and Ruins. By J. V. C. SMITH, M. D., Editor of the Boston - Medical and Surgical Journal. With numerous elegant Engravings. 1,25. - -There is a lifelike interest in the narratives and descriptions of Dr. -Smith’s pen, which takes you along with the traveller, so that when he -closes a chapter you feel that you have reached an inn, where you will -rest for a while; and then, with a refreshed mind, you will be ready to -move on again, in a journey full of fresh and instructive incidents and -explorations.—_Ch. Witness._ - -Every page of the volume is entertaining and instructive, and even those -who are well read in Egyptian manners, customs, and scenery, cannot fail -to find something new.—_Mercantile Journal._ - -This volume is neither a re-hash of guide books, nor a condensed -mensuration of heights and distances from works on Egyptian antiquities. -It contains the daily observations of a most intelligent traveller, -whose descriptions bring to the reader’s eye the scenes he witnessed. We -have read many books on Egypt, some of them full of science and -learning, and some of wit and frolic, but _none which furnished so clear -an idea of Egypt as it is_,—of its ruins as they now are, and of its -people as they now live and move.—_Watchman and Reflector._ - -One of the most agreeable books of travel which have been published for -a long time.—_Daily Advertiser._ - -It is readable, attractive, and interesting. You seem to be travelling -with him, and seeing the things which he sees.—_Bunker Hill Aurora._ - -We see what Egypt was; we see what Egypt is; and with prophetic -endowment we see what it is yet to be. It is a charming book, not -written for antiquarians and the learned, but for the _million_, and by -the million it will be read.—_Congregationalist._ - -Mr. Smith is one of the sprightliest authors in America, and this work -is worthy of his pen. He is particularly happy in presenting the comical -and grotesque side of objects.—_Commonwealth._ - -The reader may be sure of entertainment in such a land, under the -guidance of such an observer as Dr. Smith, and will be surprised, when -he has accompanied him through the tour, at the vivid impression which -he retains of persons, and places, and incidents.—_Salem Gazette._ - -This is really one of the most entertaining books upon Egypt that we -have met with.—_Albany Argus._ - -One of the most complete and perfect books of the kind ever -published.—_Diadem._ - -Of all the books we have read on Egypt, we prefer this. It goes ahead of -Stephens’s. Reader, obtain a copy for yourself.—_Trumpet._ - -The author is a keen observer, and describes what he observes with a -graphic pen. The volume abounds in vivid descriptions of the -manners, customs, and institutions of the people visited, the -present condition of the ancient ruins, accompanied by a large -number of illustrations.—_Courier._ - -SCRIPTURE NATURAL HISTORY; Containing a Descriptive Account of - Quadrupeds, Birds, Fishes, Insects, Reptiles, Serpents, Plants, Trees, - Minerals, Gems, and Precious Stones, mentioned in the Bible. By - WILLIAM CARPENTER, London; with Improvements, by REV. GORHAM D. - ABBOTT. Illustrated by numerous Engravings. Also, Sketches of - Palestine. 12mo, cloth, 1,00. - - - THE CAPTIVE IN PATAGONIA; - OR LIFE AMONG THE GIANTS. - By BENJAMIN F. BOURNE. With Illustrations. 12mo, cloth, 85 cts. - -This work, by Captain Bourne,—who was taken captive and retained three -months by the Patagonians,—gives an account of his capture and final -escape; a description of this strange people; their manners, customs, -habits, pursuits; the country, its soil productions, etc., of which -little or nothing has heretofore been known. ☞ A work of thrilling -interest, and of instruction to every class of readers. - -Any book, descriptive of a country which is almost like fable land to -the civilized world, must possess great interest; but this work, besides -having _this_ attraction, is written with much vigor and spirit, and is -replete with a variety of interesting facts, descriptive of the manners, -customs, character, etc., of the Patagonians.—_Sav. Jour._ - -A work of thrilling interest, and bids fair to be another Uncle Tom’s -Cabin. Captain Bourne is well known and highly respected in this -community; and the narrative of his strange adventures, startling and -romantic as they may seem, can be relied upon as strictly -true.—_Nantucket Eagle._ - -We have seldom read a work of such intense interest.—_N. H. Sentinel._ - -This is a narrative of great interest—_Phil. Ch. Observer._ - -We question whether the scenes, trials, hardships, adventures, etc., -could have been more vividly drawn had they emanated from the pen of an -IRVING or a COOPER.—_Rutland (Vt.) Herald._ - -The author is known as a respectable man, and one of high integrity; and -from his own experience has given particulars of the manners, customs, -habits, and pursuits of the natives. It is a thrilling narrative, and as -exciting as Typee.—_Newport Merc._ - -No work of romance can exceed to enchain the mind and awaken -interest.—_Cong._ - -Seldom, if ever, have we perused a work with so intense an interest. No -work of romance can excel it in power to enchant the mind, and awaken a -nervous desire to possess the valuable information which it -communicates.—_Amherst Express._ - -Having begun it one evening, we would not quit until the book had been -finished.—_Montpelier Journal._ - -Uncle Tom may stand aside for the present. Mrs. Stowe may herself, as -well as her readers, listen to the tale of a New Bedford sailor. His -narrative is one that cannot fail to move both to smiles and -tears,—containing touches of the broadest and most genial humor, as well -as passages of simple pathos, which dissolve the soul in sympathy.—_B. -H. Aurora._ - -Possessing all the interest of real adventure, with all the -attractiveness of romance, we do not wonder at its popularity.—_Boston -Atlas._ - -We have never before perused any personal narrative that has interested -us as this one.—_Fountain and Journal, Me._ - -We have scarcely been able to leave its attractive pages. If the reader -wishes to be amused, instructed, delighted, and benefited, he cannot do -better than to procure a copy.—_Gardiner Evening Transcript._ - -THE HISTORY OF BANKING; with a Comprehensive Account of the Origin, - Rise, and Progress of the Banks of England, Ireland, and Scotland. By - WILLIAM JOHN LAWSON. First American Edition. Revised, with numerous - additions. By J. SMITH HOMANS, Editor of Bankers’ Magazine. 1 vol. - octavo, 2,00. - -☞ A novel book, yet interesting and instructive; containing anecdotes of -men who have figured largely in the business, cases of forgeries, -counterfeits, detections, trials, etc. - - - WORKS JUST ISSUED. - - -------------- - -VISITS TO EUROPEAN CELEBRITIES. By WILLIAM B. SPRAGUE, D. D. 12mo, - cloth. $1.00. - -It consists of a series of Personal Sketches, DRAWN FROM LIFE, of many -of the most distinguished men and women of Europe, with whom the author -became acquainted in the course of several European tours. They are -portrayed as the author saw them in their own homes, and under the most -advantageous circumstances. Accompanying the sketches are the AUTOGRAPHS -of each of the personages described. This unique feature of the work -adds in no small degree to its attractions. For the social circle, for -the traveller by railroad and steamboat, for all who desire to be -refreshed and not wearied by reading, the book will prove to be a most -agreeable companion. The public press, of all shades of opinion, north -and south, have given it a most flattering reception. - -THE STORY OF THE CAMPAIGN. A Complete Narrative of the War in Southern - Russia. Written in a Tent in the Crimea. By Major E. BRUCE HAMLEY, - author of “Lady Lee’s Widowhood.” With a new Map, expressly for the - work. 12mo. Thick. Printed paper covers. 37½ cents. - -CONTENTS.—The Rendezvous; The Movement to the Crimea; First Operations -in the Crimea; Battle of the Alma; The Battle-field; The Katcha and the -Balbek; The Flank March; Occupation of Balaklava; The Position before -Sebastopol; Commencement of the Siege; Attack on Balaklava; First Action -of Inkerman; Battle of Inkerman; Winter on the Plains; Circumspective; -The Hospitals on the Bosphorus; Exculpatory; Progress of the Siege; -Burial Truce; View of the Works. - -It is the only connected and continuous narrative of the War in Europe -that has yet appeared. The author is an officer of rank in the British -army, and has borne an active part in the campaign; he has also won a -brilliant reputation as an author. By his profession of arms, by his -actual participation in the conflict, and by his literary abilities, he -is qualified in a rare degree for the task he has undertaken. The -expectations thus raised will not be disappointed. - -TRAGIC SCENES IN THE HISTORY OF MARYLAND AND THE OLD FRENCH WAR. With an - account of various interesting contemporaneous events which occurred - in the early settlement of America. By JOSEPH BANVARD, A. M. With - numerous elegant Illustrations. 12mo, cloth. 60 cents. - -“The volume is one of a series by the same author, and all those who -have purchased its predecessors will be sure to buy the present -work.”—HARTFORD PRESS. - -“We commend the work to our readers as a capital one for the instruction -as well as the amusement of youth.”—BOSTON ATLAS. - - ---------------------------- - -☞ G. & L. would call attention to their extensive list of publications, -embracing valuable works in THEOLOGY, SCIENCE, LITERATURE AND ART; TEXT -BOOKS FOR SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES, and MISCELLANEOUS, etc., in large -variety, the productions of some of the ablest writers and most -scientific men of the age, among which will be found those of Chambers, -Hugh Miller, Agassiz, Gould, Guyot, Marcou, Dr. Harris, Dr. Wayland, Dr. -Williams, Dr. Ripley, Dr. Kitto, Dr. Tweedie, Dr. Choules, Dr. Sprague, -Newcomb, Banvard, “Walter Aimwell,” Bungener, Miall, Archdeacon Hare, -and others of like standing and popularity, and to this list they are -constantly adding. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - ● Transcriber’s Notes: - ○ Missing or obscured punctuation was silently corrected. - ○ Typographical errors were silently corrected. - ○ Inconsistent spelling and hyphenation were made consistent only - when a predominant form was found in this book. - ○ Text that: - was in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_); - was in bold by is enclosed by “equal” signs (=bold=). - - - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WHISTLER *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following -the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use -of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for -copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very -easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation -of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project -Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away--you may -do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected -by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark -license, especially commercial redistribution. - -START: FULL LICENSE - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the -person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph -1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the -Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when -you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country other than the United States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work -on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: - - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and - most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no - restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it - under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this - eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the - United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where - you are located before using this eBook. - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format -other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm website -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain -Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -provided that: - -* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation." - -* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm - works. - -* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - -* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of -the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the Foundation as set -forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at -www.gutenberg.org - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, -Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up -to date contact information can be found at the Foundation's website -and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without -widespread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular -state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our website which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This website includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. |