AARON BURR 51 



school and home and could not be found for three 

 days. 



At seven years of age he was up in a cherry tree 

 when a very prim and disagreeable spinster came to 

 call, and he indulged in the childish luxury of 

 throwing cherries at her. She sought "Uncle Tim- 

 othy," who took the seven-year-old child into the 

 house, gave him a long and severe lecture, offered a 

 long prayer of warning, and then "licked me like a 

 sack." 



At ten years of age he ran away from the severity 

 of his uncle, and went to New York and shipped as 

 cabin boy. His uncle followed him, and when the 

 little fellow saw him he went to the top of the 

 masthead and refused to come down until his 

 uncle agreed not to punish him. It is easy to see 

 that his uncle aroused in him all the characteristics 

 that should have been calmed, and gave him none of 

 that care which father or mother would have pro- 

 vided him. 



At twelve he entered Princeton, and graduated 

 with honors at sixteen. College life had its tempta- 

 tions, but he conducted himself with unusual deco- 

 rum, and upon graduation went to study with an 

 eminent clergyman. Apparently he expected to 

 enter the ministry, but the theology of Dr. Bellamy 

 did not commend itself to him, and even less did 

 the spirit with which the theologian met his queries, 

 so that for the remaining sixty odd years of life he 

 would not talk about theology. Here was a brilliant 

 lad, fresh from college, with the inheritance of Burr 



