CALVIN: 



A STUDY OF CHARACTER. 



ALVIN is dead. His life, long to him, 

 but short for the rest of us, was not 

 marked by startling adventures, but 

 his character was so uncommon and his qualities 

 were so worthy of imitation, that I have been 

 asked by those who personally knew him to set 

 down my recollections of his career. 



His origin and ancestry were shrouded in 

 mystery ; even his age was a matter of pure 

 conjecture. Although he was of the Maltese 

 race, I have reason to suppose that he was 

 American by birth as he certainly was in sym- 

 pathy. Calvin was given to me eight years ago 

 by Mrs. Stowe, but she knew nothing of his age 



