University of Virginia Library

The accidental call of the travellers at the house of the
farmer, as narrated in our opening chapter, formed an era in
the life of Locke Amsden. By that call, new thoughts
had been suggested to his mind — new feelings and hopes
awakened in his bosom; and, as the slumbering energies of
his intellectual and moral nature became thus aroused, young
ambition began to point him upward to the temple of science,
over whose distanced-hallowed pinnacles floated the mystic
banner of fame. At first, every word of the revered stranger
was recalled, every position revolved over and over in mind,
and every argument carefully weighed; and the result of the
process was faith and conviction. Then came the inspiriting
words of the beautiful little being, who, in angel shape, had
thus appeared in his path to incite him onward; and, “I
would be a scholar, Locke,” continued to ring in his ears.
“Ay, and I will be a scholar!” he at length mentally ejaculated;
“and then I will go where she lives, and she shall
know that I have worthily done her bidding, and justified
the good opinion of her father. But where does she live? —
yes, where?” For he now recollected, that he had not
learned from her, or her father, the place of their residence;
and, under the proud and joyous impulse which his reverie
had imparted, he flew to his parents with the inquiry. But
neither of them could answer it. They had not ascertained
even the family name of their visiters. Mr. Amsden had

thought of asking the man these particulars; but, it occurring
to him that his wife would naturally find them out from the
little girl, he desisted. And this Mrs. Amsden had intended
to do; but her attention was so much engrossed in the cares
of preparing the dinner, that she had neglected it, till the
return of the gentleman into the house deprived her of the
opportunity of doing so, without appearing obtrusive. The
Christian name of the girl, therefore, with the fact, that she
and her father came from a place some fifty miles to the
south, and were destined to another nearly as far to the
north, was all that had been ascertained concerning them,
other than what their personal appearance indicated. But,
although our young hero was thus left in ignorance of the
names, residence, character, and calling of his new friends,
and for many years was doomed to remain so, yet the event
of their visit was not the less destined to exercise an important
influence on his future life and fortunes. It seemed to be,
indeed, one of those trifling incidents which so often seem to
change the fate of individuals, and impart an enduring impulse
towards a destiny to which, in all human probability,
they otherwise would never have been called. Such an
impulse had been imparted, in the present instance, by the
mere call of two entire strangers; and that simple incident
would probably have been sufficient of itself, had no other
grown out of it, to give a new and continuing direction to
the energies of him on whom it so peculiarly operated. But
there yet remained to be added another occurrence arising
from the circumstances of the first, which was directly calculated
to strengthen every impulse already received, and every
resolution formed under it.

About a month from the time the incidents we have been
sketching transpired, a strong board box, directed to Master
Locke Amsden, was left at the door by a teamster; who, saying
he had received it from another teamster, with directions to

leave it at this place, went on his way, without giving any
further information respecting it, or those who sent it.

Wondering what might be the contents of the box, the
receipt of which was so unexpected to him, though partly
anticipating the source from which it must have come, Locke
flew for his hammer, and knocked off the cover; when, to
his joyful surprise, he found the box filled with books, upon
the top of which lay a neatly folded and superscribed little
billet, directed to himself. Eagerly snatching up the paper,
he opened it, and read, in the finely-traced characters of an
unsettled female hand, the laconic contents:—