Having brought our party into safe harbourage we will look back a little, and become further acquainted with our personages, before we proceed with our history. Ephraim Marvin was the third son of a farmer in the neighborhood of New-Haven, Connecticut, and until his fifteenth year, assisted his father and brothers, in the cultivation of the farm; attending occasionally the village school, during the winter season; but, receiving a cut in his knee, as he was chopping wood for the fire, this accident occasioned a total change in his future views and prospects. The cure was very lingering, and it was feared, that Ephraim would be lame through life. This would prove a great inconvenience to a farmer. Study was then the only resource, and the lad must push his way up in life by learning. So thought his parents; and, fortunately, Ephraim was much addicted to study, and having resigned his pretension to the homestead, to an elder brother, he limped to school, and commenced a wider range of studies. The progress he made at school in Arithmetic, and Mathematics was considerable; and, from some old books in possession of the family, and others that he borrowed from his neighbours, he acquired a considerable knowledge of Geography, and History. But books of controversy were what mostly abounded in his neighbourhood; and Ephraim was very fond of arguing on divinity, with his mother and sister Martha. From this the transition to metaphysics was very easy; and our young American was soon lost in its mazes; but here he had his arguments to himself. The old people checked the prophane suggestions, sometimes engendered in the fertile imagination of their son; while sister Martha followed, with cautious steps, her daring conductor; but, far from controverting, submitted with implicit defer ence to that prodegy of learning, her handsome brother, whom she already began to idolize in her heart, as the paragon of perfection. Ephraim was now nineteen, and it was high time to choose a profession. He had acquired all the village schoolmaster could teach. The funds of his father could afford no higher means of instruction; for on a farm of fifty acres he supported a family of nine children. But Ephraim Marvin was a lad of spirit. He was in his own estimation very learned, had entirely recovered of his lameness, and wished for a wider range to his genius, than Connecticut could afford. With a large silk handkerchief full of necessaries, and five dollars in his pocket, he went on board a sloop, and was landed in New-York. But he soon found that a capital of five dollars would not set a man up in business at New-York; nor did his learning command the respect it did in his native village. Some had even the effrontery to laugh at what they termed his rusticity and self-importance; but he resisted their ill manners with becoming gravity, and stood self-collected within himself. His little stock was nearly exhausted, and still he had not succeeded in any attempt to obtain employment. "New-York city is not at present the place for me," said Ephraim to himself, "I must seek farther, and go where learning is duly appreciated." The first rays of the next morning's luminary found Ephraim Marvin three miles from the city, travelling on foot, with his handkerchief of necessaries in his hand. He was, towards evening, joined by a farmer on horse back, who reined in his horse, that he might converse with the foot passenger. A little desultory chit chat brought on a certain degree of intimacy; and the stranger, on stopping at a substantial looking farm house, invited our itine ránt to enter; who gladly complied, and partook with his host of a hearty supper. Our young Yankee endeavoured to make himself agreeable, and soon inspired his host and hostess with a wonderful opinion of the learning and acquirements of their guest. In the course of the evening, he learnt that the village school was vacant; the former incumbent having abandoned his school house, for the profession of the law. The idea of supplying his place, immediately occured to our New-Englander. He proffered his services, and through the influence of Mr. Vanderhausen, was installed in the office of schoolmaster to the village. He was, in return, particuarly assiduous to instil learning into the minds of the bold Anthony, and little dimpled Cornelia: and the intimacy, thus commenced, continued long after the worldly prospects of Marvin had undergone a mate. rial change. In five years, our friend Ephraim saved two hundred dollars. He had now a capital, and might return to New-York. Here he established a grocery shop, on a small scale at first; but extending his business, as his means encreased. Meanwhile, sister Martha began to be considered an old maid. She had entered her thirtieth year, when an uncle died, who left her five hundred dolfars; and, while considering on the best manner of disposing of her fortune, she received a letter from her favourite brother, containing an account of his new establishment, his hopes, and prospects. "My five hundred dollars," thought Martha, "may be a great object to my brother, at his first commencement. ia business." Her father was dead: her sisters were ail married. Her eldest brother had proceeded to the new countries; and her widowed mother resided with the second son, who possessed the homestead. Martha wrote to Ephraim, offering to keep house for him, and resign her newly acquired fortune to his disposal, as an addition to his stock in trade. The brother gladly accepted her proposal, knowing how valuable her economical qualities would be to him, independent of her ready money, no mean acquisition to one, whose whole capital did not exceed three hundred dollars. The perils of the voyage, and unattended, were nothing to Martha's sisterly affection. Behold them, then, settled on the first floor of a small, but neat house, in the Bowery. She managed the household affairs, with the utmost neatness and economy, still, however, contriving to preserve an appearance of gentility, far above their neighbours in the same situation. It was not long, before the attentive Martha discovered that the boy in the shop cheated them. He was .therefore dismissed, and she likewise undertook the charge of that department, in conjunction with Ephraim, who was necessarily often absent, in attendance on the markets. By their joint and close attention to business, the capital encreased, and the concern was removed to the lower end of Water-street, where it continued to flourish; and Miss Marvin, released from her attendance on the shop, took possession of a neat house, that her brother had lately purchased in the Bowery, where she presided with an increase of consequence. While Mr. Marvin, besides attending to business, took lessons in dancing and fencing, to qualify him for appearing in a genteel mauner in the higher circles, to which he was now admitted. CHAPTER II. He led her to the nuptial bower, JAGO. A very sociable evening was passed by our friends. Mr. Marvin had many enquiries to make, concerning his former pupils and old friends; and the Vanderhausen family were anxious to hear all the news from the city. The desolation occasioned by the fever, was a never failing topic with the good farmer and his wife; while their daughter endeavoured to obtain information from Miss Marvin, concerning the latest most fashionable bonnets, declaring that the last one, sent her from the city,was so dutchified, that, absolutely, she would not long be seen wearing it. Miss Marvin, with great pomposity, endeavoured to answer her enquiries, and harangued, in a very dignified manner, concerning the fashions: but soon the depopulating epidemic again absorbed their undivided attention, until the family and their guests retired for the night. Little Theodore slept with his new protectress, aunt Martha, as she taught him to call her, to whom he had already begun to attach himself. His arrival with the Marvins, had occasioned little sensation at Vanderhausen farm; as they, unwilling to excite curiosity concerning him, had merely said, that he was the son of a friend, who had confided him to their сате. Our citizens remained quietly with the Vanderhausen family, until the progress of the infection was |