THE SEARCH AND FINDING 



such a place as I had roughly indicated, would 

 be willing to sell? 



For twenty-four hours I was in a state of 

 doubt; after that time, I may say the doubt 

 was removed. I must frankly confess that I 

 was astounded to find what a number of per- 

 sons, counting not by tens, but by fifties, and 

 even hundreds, were anxious to dispose of a 

 "situation in the country" which fully corre- 

 sponded to my wishes (as advertised). 



Were the people mad, that they showed 

 such eagerness to divest themselves of charm- 

 ing places ? Or were my fine pictures possibly 

 overdrawn. And yet, who could gainsay 

 them ; are not trees, trees — and brooks, brooks 

 — and the sea, always itself? 



I think my New York friend, to whom I had 

 ordered all replies to be addressed, may have 

 handed me a peck of letters ;— blue letters, 

 square letters, triangular letters, pink letters 

 (in female hand), and soberly brown letters. 



Not a few of the propositions contained in 

 these letters were, at first sight, plainly inad- 

 missible; as where a sanguine gentleman sug- 

 gested that I should make a slight change of pro- 

 gramme, so far as to plant myself on the shores 

 of the Great Lakes, or in a pretty retiracy, 

 among the fine forests along the Erie Railroad. 



19 



