144 JYicholas Bradford. [March, 



meted out to him. He, (Henry) however, gave no sign that such 

 was his opinion. He wisely listened and talked to the father, 

 concluding that in accordance with a praiseworthy custom, he 

 would betake himself to bed at an early hour and leave to his 

 daughter the task of entertaining the visitor. At what hour Hen- 

 ry returned to his father's that night is uncertain. Certain it is 

 that he was never out of his room at college at so late an hour. 



CHAPTER II. 



Mr. Bradford, was for many years one of the most industrious 

 farmers in the place. Few men raised better crops, few better 

 cattle, or kept his fences and buildings in better repair. Few men 

 minded their own business better, and were more generally respect- 

 ed. Things were thus going on well with him, till in an evil hour 

 he was nominated for supervisor by one party, and no opposition 

 was made to the nomination by the other. 



That to him very unexpected event, happened on this wise. 

 The patriotic leaders of the dominant party could not agree 

 among themselves as to who should serve the people in the offices 

 of the current year. They therefore were obliged to select a man 

 who had no claims. The opposite party thought it useless to make 

 any opposition. So he was elected by almost a unanimous vote. 

 Many honest men who were not in the habit of going to elections, 

 turned out to vote for a man who had never sought office, and 

 whose good care of his farm gave a pledge of good care of the 

 town. He made a good supervisor, but he got, as his neighbor 

 Jackson said, a " taste for office," which grew upon him to the 

 damage of his farm, comfort and character. We have already 

 seen something of its influence on his farming. Let us now take 

 a glance at some other of his " fair business transactions." 



" Good evening, Mr. Roy," said Mr. Bradford, to a man with 

 a damaged countenance, and dilapidated wardrobe, as he entered 

 the house just before sunset one evening, " how do you do ?" Mr. 

 Bradford rose with evident reluctance and gave the unit of sov- 

 reignty of his hand. 



" Fm pretty well, how do you do ?" 



" Very well ; how are the children ?" 



" They ain't to home." 



Mr. Roy's children were a little eccentric in their habits. They 

 were not parlic-ularly given to staying at home. They were 

 sometimes I'ouiid in other people's barns, hen-roosts, &c., at night. 

 Several of them had taken lodgings for a time in a public build- 

 ing at the county seat. It was natural for the father of the town, 

 and the expectant legislator, should feel solicitious about such 

 children, and make them the subject of defininte inquiries. That 

 inquiry elicited no definite information. 



