CHAPTER XXIII. 



CONVALESCENCE. 



One striking feature that exhibited itself in the midst 

 of this mania, was the fact that prominent among the lead- 

 ing dealers in fancy poultry, constantly appeared the names 

 of clergymen, doctors, and other "liberally-educated" gen- 

 tlemen. 



In Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and most of the East- 

 em States, this circumstance was especially noticeable ; and 

 more particularly in England. Whether this class of the 

 community had the most money to throw away, or whether, 

 their leisure afforded them the better opportunity to indulge 

 in this fancy, I cannot say ; but one thing is certain, — 

 among my own patrons and correspondents, for the past 

 five or six years, I find the names of this class of " the 

 people " by far the most conspicuous and frequent. 



There came mto my oflSce, one morning late in 1853, 

 a Boston physician (whom I had never seen before), 

 who introduced himself civilly, and invited me to ride a 

 short distance with him up town. I was busy; but he 



