Page:The autobiography of a Pennsylvanian.djvu/62

 and not obliged to work quite so hard, my situation will be all that I could wish.

I had already noticed in the West Chester papers the death of your little daughter. It must have been a severe blow. Though I am not married (as you seem to suspect), and, of course, have been spared any such sad experience, I can truly understand and sympathize with it. I hope, however, your fine little boys are as strong and hearty as when I last saw them. John must be grown out of my knowledge, and as for the young Henry Clay, I can only conjecture his features. I do not expect any of them would recognize me, for my friends tell me I have changed considerably in appearance.

Why do you never visit New York? It would be an easy matter to come here for a week or two during our concert and opera season, and you have never yet fairly seen our great American metropolis. I have seen and heard a great deal of Jenny Lind since she came. She is all that has been said and more.

I must close. I write this at my office desk in the midst of business. I must not forget to say, however, that in a few weeks I expect to complete the redemption of the note held by Moses, and so release you of the only remaining responsibility. Foster has acted even worse than I anticipated after my experience of him. He is now editing an old Hunker paper in western New York.

With kindest regards to Mrs. Pennypacker, Dr. Whitaker and your father-in-law's family, I am.


 * Faithfully yours,

Among his other correspondents were Thaddeus Stevens, Josiah Randall, Dr. Joseph Carson, Dr. George B. Wood, Joseph R. Ingersoll, and Watson, the annalist.

When I was about ten years of age I took part in a local dramatic performance in the Temperance Hall, given by the “Youths' Improvement Society” and made my first public appearance.

About this time there came a great change in the lives and fortunes of the family as I have heretofore depicted them. The addresses made by my father — professional, political and didactic — had drawn attention to him beyond the immediate neighborhood. Among other things, he 54