University of Virginia Library

1. CHAPTER I.

I was born in one of the eastern cities, and was the sixth
of eleven children, of poor parents. When I was about
six years of age, my family emigrated to Kentucky, then
considered the “far west.” At the end of six years, my
father failed in business; and as he was now entirely too
poor to provide for his large family, those that were deemed
old enough sought employment to support themselves.
Nor were they wholly unprepared for the exigency; for
our honored parent, in more propitious times, had placed
the proper estimate upon the importance of education, and
from the time we were old enough to go to school, until
the loss of his fortune, (and every dollar was honorably
offered up to his creditors,) we had excellent preceptors.
Being unluckily the sixth child, I was not so far advanced
in the books as my seniors, when the disaster alluded to
befell us—but as I had the advantage of my five juniors,
there was no just cause of complaint. I had the rudiments
of a good English education, and an insatiable passion for
books, which they deemed quite sufficient for the very

humble part it seemed I was destined to play in the great
drama of life.

Two of my sisters that were older than myself, were
married about the time of our misfortunes; and soon after,
three of my brothers (all my seniors) left home to seek
their fortunes. My father then leased a farm of moderate
dimensions, and made no scruple to toil himself, in quest
of an honest livelihood. His creditors, convinced of his
unimpeachable integrity, were indulgent, and suffered him
to retain a male and female servant, in the hope that he
would at no distant day be enabled to liquidate the balance
of their claims, without being under the necessity of subjecting
him to total destitution. My father, the colored
boy, and myself (I being now some twelve years of age),
cultivated the fields, while my mother superintended the
garden, the raising of poultry, and all the other matters
pertaining to the house and its immediate vicinity.

During the first year all was novelty and happiness.
Farmer Shortfield (the name of my honored father), was
distinguished in the neighborhood for his theoretical knowledge
of agriculture, (which is so seldom made available
in practice,) and for his excessive delight in rural pursuits.
For my part, I must have the candor to confess, that a few
months sufficed to cool my zeal, and to dampen my ardor
in the use of the hoe and the plough. But I never grew
weary of my country abode—it was a mere repugnance to
labor. No one ever found keener enjoyment in the sight
of green fields, ripening fruit, wild flowers and clear running
streams, than myself. Each spreading tree was to me
a canopy in Eden; and I was too often surprised by my
indignant father reposing under them, musing over the
pages of some entertaining book, while the old mare at the
plough was playing havoc with the corn. “What in the

world are you doing there, Luke?” was the exclamation of
my father, which often saluted my astonished ears while
absorbed in such visions of enchantment. And the exclamation
was frequently, and never amiss, succeeded by
the shrill whistle of the birch across my shoulders. My
father was not severe in his chastisements, only being impelled
by a sense of duty; and I have more than once seen
his assumed austerity completely overthrown by my ludicrous
expressions of astonishment, on being so suddenly subjected
to the lash in the midst of my empyreal fancies. On such
occasions, I have seen him turn his face away to hide a
smile.

Matters went on thus for several years, without any incidents
worthy of narration. My repugnance to useful
labor never diminished, although I never hesitated to exert
myself in the way of sport. I had a fondness for angling
and shooting, and would walk or wade from morning till
night in pursuit of such pleasures as these sports would
afford. I preferred to pursue them alone, so that my solitary
meditations should not be subjected to interruption.
And I may say that these tastes and habits of my boyhood
have remained unchanged throughout my eventful life.

But I must hasten through the intervening space to the
time when I became a western merchant. The experiment
in agriculture did not prove successful. I was not destined
to be a farmer. It was proposed that I should learn
a trade. I consented to be a printer, and my father made,
or was about making, application to have me bound to Mr.
Francis P. Blair, who published a paper in Frankfort, when
a letter was received from a lawyer, who was the clerk of
the court of a neighboring county, and who had been informed
(by whom I never knew) of my passion for reading,
proposing that I should become a deputy in his office.

For my services, he agreed to board and clothe me; besides,
I was to have the use of his excellent library, and
the benefit of his instruction in the study of the law. Being
left free to choose which pursuit I would follow, my inclination
jumped with the last proposition, and so I embraced it.

I remember it as yesterday. After receiving the admonitions
and blessings of my parents, I resolutely set out
alone, and on foot, to traverse the country some thirty miles,
in a direction I had never traveled before. I had a couple
of biscuits in my pocket, and two or three shirts in a cotton
handkerchief. I had not more than one dollar in money.
But I was confident of a bright future. I had read of many
poor boys who, by dint of their own exertions, achieved
wealth and distinction; and as my father had convinced me
that my future welfare depended altogether upon the success
of my own efforts, I had resolved to struggle manfully
for myself. When I had gone about two miles, and had
ceased to meet with any one I knew, or who knew me, as
a matter both of economy and convenience, I transferred
my shoes from my feet to the stick upon my shoulder; and
dismissing every thought of my humble condition from my
mind, resumed my journey with unwonted animation and
cheerfulness. It was a lovely morning in June. The sky
was bright—yea, brighter, and the air more exhilarating,
than I have since known them to be in the boasted climes
of the European continent. Such, at least, has been my
experience. The birds sang merrily in every hedge, and
on every tree; and the bright rays of the sun streaming down
through the interstices of the over-hanging sugar maples,
were filled with golden insects. Never shall—never can—
that day of my most utter destitution be banished from my
mind. It was the happiest day of my life. For no sooner
had my sad thoughts at parting passed away, than they

were succeeded by a train of bright fancies, which completely
bereft me of all consciousness of my really pitiful
and forlorn condition. As if by the influence of some
potent spell, I saw myself grown to man's estate. I was
rich, or at least had sufficient wealth to command every
luxury I desired. I was successful as a pleader and orator.
I was married to the being of my choice, (and in reality, I
had at that early age chosen my bride, although she was
my senior, and had never received the slightest intimation
of my intentions,) and finally, pictured myself returning in
my own coach to my delighted parents, and receiving the
congratulations of all my kindred and friends. Such is a
mere outline of the wild, extravagant conceit of my boyish
imagination. The details of that stupendous fancy-piece
occupied my mind the whole day, and my steps never
grew weary. I have here dwelt upon that day-dream perhaps
too long, because it is my habit often to revert to it.
It was to some extent a true vision. Many of the ideal
enjoyments then revealed to me, subsequently became reality.
But there were no reverses, none of the stings of
disappointment, shame and misery, in that bright picture,
which were encountered in after life. Yet had I never
departed from the path which the pious care of my parents
had pointed out for me to pursue; had I never for a moment
been tempted by the alluring and delusive blandishments
of the Evil One, to do an act incompatible with the
precepts of morality and religion; or at any time omitted
to do that which I should have done—although my transgressions
have not been more numerous, or more flagrant,
perhaps, than those with which a majority of mankind may
be justly reproached—it is my deliberate conviction that
every desirable particular of my prophetic vision would
have been fully realized. And I trust the young reader,
particularly, who may be cast upon the world without fortune,
will derive profit from the lesson of my experience.

I arrived at the place of destination about sunset, and
after a refreshing sleep, rose the next morning full of vigor
and hope. I was easily instructed in my duties, and soon
installed in the office. I became an efficient deputy to my
employer or patron, in an unusually short space of time—
and before many months had passed, was able to discharge
all the duties of my principal, when business required
his presence elsewhere. The duties were not onerous.
They consisted principally in the recording of deeds and
wills; and as I was expeditious with my pen, I had about
two-thirds of my time to devote to reading. And here I
would warn the young reader against an error I fell into.
I read too rapidly and too much, without sufficient meditation,
or exercise. I was more intent upon gleaning new
ideas and new incidents, by running in rapid succession
through the volumes before me, than judiciously digesting
and thoroughly comprehending what I had already perused.
This was a great defect in my early reading, which I have
had reason to deplore ever since. And my taste (all unguided
as it was) gave a decided preference to historical
and miscellaneous works, instead of the law books. In
less than two years I had galloped through the history of
Greece, of Rome, of England, (Hume and Smollett's large
volumes,) of the United States, and several hundred volumes
of romances, poetry, &c.; and when I had accomplished
all this, I had but a very imperfect and confused
recollection of the contents of any of them, except the
latter. And during all this time, I had not gone through
the four volumes (the old edition) of Blackstone! But
now, as I had read everything else in the library, I was in
a manner forced to go through with my legal studies. In

vain I essayed to correct the error of hasty and superficial
study. The habit was fixed upon me, never to be entirely
removed. I made an abstract of Blackstone, and all the
other books put into the hands (at that time) of the law
student. I had all the principles and points, upon which
the student was usually examined, committed to memory,
and could repeat them verbatim, like a parrot, and understood
them about as well. However, my preceptor examined
me, and pronounced me capable of answering all
the questions likely to be propounded by the judges. I
had studied as long, and probably nearly as well, as most
of the young lawyers of that day were in the habit of doing.
But then there was one obstacle in my way which I had
not hitherto thought of, and no one, until then, had apprised
me of it. I could not practice in any of the courts
until I was twenty-one years of age; and, as I lacked several
years of the prescribed figure, and was becoming very
impatient to be doing something more than merely earning
my victuals and clothes, I wrote a letter to my brother
Joseph, whose lot had cast him into the then wilderness of
Missouri, and who was now getting a very good salary in
a store, in the main village on the river, stating the particulars
of my condition, and my anxiety to do something
for myself, and for the benefit of our aged and indigent
parents.

In due course of mail, (which was more tedious then
than now,) my brother Joseph's answer came to hand.
He advised me by all means to join him in Missouri, and
stated that his generous employer had been so well pleased
with his conduct, that he designed sending him, with a
branch of his establishment, to a new town about to be
erected farther up the river, and for his services was to
give him one-half of the profits. He said he would need

a clerk; and that I, no doubt, would answer his purpose.
He enclosed me fifty dollars to defray my expenses thither,
which were to be repaid out of my salary. My salary was
to be one hundred and twenty dollars the first year, besides
my board—to be increased the next; and he had no doubt
I would, in the course of a very few years, obtain an interest
in some one of the numerous establishments then
springing up in all directions. My mind was made up to
go to this new El Dorado, provided my parents consented.
I consulted my preceptor, who neither advised me to go
nor persuaded me to stay; he was a conscientious and upright
man; he acknowledged his inability to decide which
would be the best course for me to pursue; and so he referred
me to the counsel of my parents.

An unpleasant occurrence in the office about this time,
confirmed my desire to abandon my official station of deputy
clerk, and was well nigh involving my principal in
difficulty. It was the law (and I believe it is so still), that
every one entering into the holy state of matrimony, should
first procure a written license from the county court clerk's
office. It sometimes happened that the parties applying
were strangers to the clerk or his deputy, and not unfrequently
they were inhabitants of some other county. If
either of the parties were under twenty-one years of age, it
was necessary to have the consent of the parent or guardian,
and if the clerk issued his license without this requisition
having been complied with, he was liable to a heavy
penalty. On one or two occasions I had detected and defeated
fraudulent attempts to procure licenses. They had
attempted to palm off on me counterfeit parents and guardians,
without success; and as I had been complimented
for my sagacity, I felt a little proud of my acute discrimination
in such delicate cases. One day, however, I met

with more than my match, in a pretty, sprightly girl of sixteen.
She was one of a party of four or five males and females
from a neighboring county, who entered my office
early one morning in November. She was the first to
speak, and as I remember the dialogue distinctly, I will
repeat it verbatim.

Miss H. Well, Mr. Shortfield, I suppose you know what
we are after?

Mr. S. A license, of course; but you can't be accommodated
for four or five years to come.

Miss H. How can you tell? Perhaps my father won't
wish to keep me waiting so long—or suppose you were to
fall in love with me—what then? Would you postpone
your own happiness?

Mr. S. (considerably confused.) In the latter event, I
would, if unsuccessful in obtaining your father's consent,
run off with you to the Gretna Green, in Ohio, opposite
Maysville.

Miss H. Oh, but I would not consent to that. I have
read of too many false priests and faithless lovers. I don't
think I would trust you. I would rather rely upon my
own wit to get the license. I could do it! Woman's wit
can cheat the very “old boy!”

Mr. S. Yes, but woman's youth and beauty could hardly
be mistaken by any clerk for age and wrinkles. (As I
said this, I glanced at a female seated beside her, who was
to be the bride in this instance, and who bore unmistakable
signs of being upwards of forty.)

Miss H. Better late than never—don't you say so, aunt?

The Aunt. But it's not so very late with me, I'm sure.
Yet I suppose he will make no scruple about my age.

Mr. S. Oh no! And yet I cannot perceive the necessity

of one of your years running away from home to get
married.

The Groom, who was about thirty years of age. I will
explain that to you. Her father and I had a personal difficulty,
and he forbade me the house.

Mr. S. But the clerk of your own county could have no
objection to issue the license, seeing you are both of age.

Miss H. But then the romance of the thing, Mr. S.; consider
that. I said there ought to be a clandestine marriage,
and there shall be. I always loved runaway matches,
although I would not run away myself, and I am determined
to enjoy the fun of this one. So just go to work,
Mr. Deputy. I only wish my aunt was about seventeen,
so that I could give you a specimen of woman's wit. I
would cheat you, as sure as you live. I have heard all
about your keenness in detecting cheats, but then the men
undertook the business.

Mr. S. And I should like to have an opportunity to try
your wit. If it was yourself, instead of your aunt, you
would certainly have to return without a husband.

Miss H. That I wouldn't! I'd have the license, and a
magistrate, and be married in this very room, in spite of
you!

This vehement outburst produced much merriment. I
proceeded without farther colloquy to fill up the blanks,
and on asking the name of the lady, the aunt, forcing a
blush, came forward and said, Juliet Frances Hamilton.
The license was duly signed, and delivered to the groom.
About this time the lively young girl complained of a sudden
indisposition, and asked me in a beseeching tone if I
could procure her a glass of fresh water. As I rose to get
the glass, I perceived two men standing outside of the
office near the back window, which roused my suspicions

that there was something mysterious, if not wrong, in the
proceeding. I ran across the street, however, for the water,
and returned in the space of about three minutes, having
been detained that length of time by the young man of
whom I obtained it, who insisted upon giving the glass a
thorough washing. When I entered, I saw that the two
gentlemen who had been standing behind the office, had
joined the party within, and one of them was a magistrate
of the place, noted for his practical jokes.

“It's all over now, Mr. S.,” said Miss H., when she
took the glass from her lips, her pallor being now succeeded
by one of the most crimson blushes I ever beheld.

“I am glad you have recovered,” said I; “you certainly
look better than you did.”

“That is not what I mean,” she replied; “I mean the
wedding is over. You must excuse haste—but we were
really too impatient to wait till you got back—were we
not, husband?” And as she said this, she clasped the arm
of the groom. The truth then flashed upon me at once.
The aunt had assumed the name of the niece, and the young
girl had planned and executed a cheat upon me, sure
enough! That was the last license issued by me. The
party was not overtaken by the girl's father for several
weeks. But the groom's friends mustered in his defence,
and after several gun-shots, and some wounds, the couple
were left together without farther molestation. The parent,
however, for several months, had it in contemplation to
commence legal proceedings against the clerk.