About this time we had ceased from digging a well, after finding no water at twenty-five feet; although we had employed a great hazel-wizzard; and his rod had repeatedly turned down over the spot, and that so hard as to twist off a little of the bark. Even the diviner was quite at a loss to account for the failure; insisting yet the water must be lower, as "his rod never twisted so powerful arnest if they want water somewhere!"

Now Henry was of the same opinion; and, therefore, bringing Mr. Hum, the wizzard (or witch, there so called) to me, the two prevailed on me to go only four feet lower -Henry undertaking the job at fifty cents per foot! I had supposed the boy would have a comrade to work his windlass; but no, down went Henry alone with the necessary implements; and after digging, and breaking, and prying, and shovelling, up the ladder he came, let down his empty bucket, descended, filled the bucket, reascended, wound up his load, and so on, till he had cleared out "his diggins!" And away he went again to work with hammer and sledge, bar, spade, shovel, and bucket; till, within a week, our well was four feet deeper and Henry two dollars richer ! But although water was "somewhere," it had not risen in our part of the world;-the bottom of the pit was still as dry and comfortable as an oven!

Our hero in similar ways procured the other two cash dollars; and by the aid of some student's mastering in private several elementary studies, he was, at the opening of the next session, matriculated as something more than a Freshman. And now, while attending his regular studies, he still by jobbing maintained his mouth and laid by a few dollars for books and future tuition fees. He contrived even to be appointed sub-deputy librarian of the Woodville Library, adding thus to his information and funds; and, as if all this were not enough, he one day waited on Mr. Clarence to ask if the school-laws would permit him to study law and remain a student!

"Study law!-Henry ?"-said Clarence.

"Yes, sir; lawyer Cravings will find me books; and thinks in a year or two I can plead before magistrates. If it is not against the laws

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Do,

"Why, certainly we have no law against that; such a case was never imagined as probable or possible. however, not neglect your regular college studies, and then, it is nobody's business what else you may study or learn.”.

Our young man, sure enough, went to work at the law, Hooser-fashion indeed, and still attended well to his regular studies; and in two weeks before the exhibition, he did actually defend and win a cause before Squire Snab, and against and from the redoubtable lawyer Cravings himself —and, with the contingent fee, he paid our treasurer the tuition price of the next term!

Very good, young gentlemen! laugh at all this if you please. But had you heard Henry, ranking now about Sophomore, deliver at the exhibition, his Speech on Man, you would have offered, as is usual in here, a price for it, in view of your Senior Speech! Come! I will bet you two dozen racoon skins against a pair of kid gloves, or even a pot of cold cream, that if wrote your own speech, when you were graduated, it was not as good as his!

you

CHAPTER LIII.

"Such a noise arose,

As the shrouds make at sea in a stiff tempest;
As loud, and to as many tunes; hats, cloaks,
(Doublets, I think,) flew up ;-and had their faces
Been loose, this day they had been lost. Such joy
I never saw before."

SOME may wish to know how our Faculty spent vacations in the woods. As to Clarence, in term time, he preached twice on Sabbath, and sometimes oftener; beside, lectures in the week, and the like,--but, in vacations, he commonly did more. This very vacation, he once walked five miles in the rain; preached an hour and a half in the open air; and then walked back the same distance to Glenville's new cabin, on the river. Our preacher was, what is called a laborious minister: and yet his ecclesiastical stipend, and that in trade, averaged only fifty dollars per annum! yea! he has even been without a morsel of food in his house, or a stick of wood for a fire--and, in a cold winter day, lay thus sick and deserted!

Clarence, however, would laugh a little but, then, for this, Carlton was usually to blame. Hence, we do hope "the brethren," when reading this work, will be careful to condemn the right person—and that, not too severely; as the author, a somewhat ubiquitous man, has had the pleasure of hearing Bishops, Priests, and Deacons, as well as the inferior ministers, preachers, and exhorters, do secular laughing, beside "making merry" with friends, according to the Scriptures.

Thus our Faculty, in vacations, did often, what classical people do elsewhere--nothing! Sometimes, they did next

to nothing-smoking! and very often they did-cuttingup! And this last consists in craking nuts and jokesracing one another, and slamming doors-in upsetting chairs, and even kicking up carpets! Great wisdom, however, and art and tact, and gentlemanly feeling, are requisite for the cut-up; and specially in knowing where and when to cease: and, of all men, to do the thing right, Harwood, Clarence, Glenville, and Carlton were just "the dandy!" If the affair is not done up to the pointit is teasing; if beyond--it is horse-play; but if in medio tutissimi--it is the most tickling and exhilatory!--better to provoke laughter than all the jest-books in existence. The cut-ups were usually in wet weather.

In dry times, our literati strolled into the forests; where mineralogy, botany, and natural history, suggested by dark masses of rough rocks, or curious stones and shells, never before handled by moderns; or by enormous wild flowers, with cups large enough to hold two thimbles-full of dew; or by a startled snake, ringing his warning under prostrate trunks on or near which the learned stood; or, by crackling brush and whirling leaves, where shone a streak of bounding wolf or glancing deer--became recreations detaining our friends till dinner was deferred until tea, and tea until supper, when all were devoured as one! Perhaps the mind never so marched towards the west, as once when Clarence and Harwood, and several visiting literati, were seen by the Author, all in a line, knee-deep and wading towards the occidental sun, through the fresh-fallen leaves; and thus discussing,-at one time, the Greek Tragedians,-at another, the Calculus and the Analytical Geometry! It was the only time the Author ever witnessed the Grand Abstraction embodied and embattled! And he feels elated as the White Man who talked-(in Judge Hall's Works)to the very Indian whose great-paternal grandfather had

actually heard of the man whose father had seen the skeleton of a Gopher!

Often, too, would I seduce the Faculty into a hunt, by quoting the Greek of Xenophon, where Cyrus the Elder inflames his comrades, by descriptions of wild boars that rushed on the hunter's spear like warriors in battle, and of deer that leaped oh! how high! But this vacation, I proposed a party, to visit and explore a cave just discovered by a hunter in pursuit of a fox, that darted down a sink-hole and disappeared, in an opening among some rocks.

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In any village is it difficult, but especially in a NewPurchase one, to keep such intention secret. Soon, then, was it bruited through Woodville, that Carlton was making up a party for the cave; when further invitation was useless, our main art now being to keep out some, whose room was better than their company." And this must be done without seeming to interfere with people's liberty of going where they liked. The prevention was partly accomplished by fixing on no definite day; and deferring, till some became weary of waiting and left town, or so engaged that going would then be impossible. Some, also, were specially asked; but not before it had been ascertained that small chance existed of their obtaining horses. This was the case with the Doolittles; who, as we rode by the morning of the expedition, answered somebody's* expressions of regret that we should be deprived of the pleasure of their company, with-" Well! thank you all the same for the invite-next time we'll look up nags and critters a smart chance quicker!"

Unexpectedly, one fine morning, the rising sun shedding

*This was young Capers Smileal; who was aware, I fear, how the matter was. He would do well in here among his relations the Smootheys and Glibs.