would probably have become a rich man. For a time things went on
swimmingly, but the novelty of the thing wore off, and he soon felt like
the clerk who told his employer "he only liked one part of the business
of store-keeping, and that was shutting the blinds at night." After
trying various kinds of business, with about equal success, he got
the idea, and a most absurd one it was, that farming "was his proper
vocation." His indulgent father again assisted him, by purchasing for
him a small farm, thinking he would now apply himself and make a living.
His father maintained a kind of oversight of matters during his
life-time, but in process of time he died, and Silas was left to his
own resources. His father's property was divided among the surviving
children, and it was found that Silas had already received nearly double
his share of the patrimony, so, of course, nothing remained for him at
the time of his father's death. Necessity at length drove him to
mortgage his home, and he never paid even the interest on the claim, and
when the above mentioned letter was written, the term of the mortgage
was nearly expired, and he must soon seek another home for his family.
Such was the idle whimsical being who now wrote to these relatives to
know what they thought of his removal to Canada, and only waited, as he
said, to see what encouragement they could give him adding that he was
willing to work and only asked them to assist him in getting his family
settled till he could look about him a little and see what was to be
done, signing himself their attached but unfortunate cousin. But the
professed attachment of her Cousin Silas failed to call up a very
pleased expression of countenance as my aunt refolded the letter,
saying, "Well if this isn't a stroke of business, then I'm mistaken.
What are you going to do about it Nathan Adams?" "I can't answer that
question just yet," said my uncle, reflectively. "I think we'd better all
have a night's sleep before we say any more about it." They felt in duty
bound to reply to the letter, but what reply to make was an unsettled