420 Lafayette Moonshine. 
mother's lips, he assented so far as to not know but il might be a 
good plan, though he thought he should rather that Charles should 
go into some other store, until he had worn off' some of his country 
habits and assumed at least the outlines of refined life. 
Circumstances however, forbade his suffering the chagrin which 
he was so fearful would follow the course marked out by his 
mother. Charles, in the first place, had no inclination to leave the 
plow, and in the second, Mr. Lafayette Moonshine's visit was 
protracted some weeks beyond the time first specified for his de- 
parture and at length he concluded " not to go back." Whether 
this conclusion came on through any reflections of his own during 
his " country visit," or whether it was actually settled before he 
came that his employers had no further need of his services, is not 
a point for us to settle. Rumor, however, gave some insinuations 
that Mr. Moonshine had an antipathy to the busy employments 
behind the counter, or rather that he was above his business, and 
altop-ether a more important personage than either of the firm 
that employed him. 
Several months passed away before " a suitable opening pre- 
sented itself" to give employment to our man of consequence. 
It is needless for us to imagine how" these passing days were 
spent. Any thing but profitable employment occupied his time. 
He did, however, enter into one or two speculations, but the re- 
sult of these was any thing but flattering to his business talents. 
At last he found a vacancy in a village store, where he secured 
a place wherein his time would pass in the appearance of business; 
and here, dividing his time between employment and pleasure, 
for a wonder, he spent a long New England winter. The open- 
ino- spring broke propitiously upon his opening prospects. Dur- 
ing the winter, he had made acquaintance with one Jerome 
Bonaparte Bangup, a young man of congenial temperament, and 
upon whom Dame Fortune had dispensed a small amount of cash, 
an article whose importance is fully appreciated in testing indi- 
vidual merit, and whose presence is absolutely necessary in order 
to the accomplishment of all great and daring enterprises. And 
a full month before May-day might be seen in glittering letters, 
over a late vacant store in a neighboring village, the names 
" Bangup & Moonshine." 
The reader may well imagine, that to the whole Moonshine 
family it now appeared conclusive that the tide of fortune was 
turning rapidly in their favor. " Mr. Moonshine, the merchant," 
was applauded as an " elegant man," — " a splendid fellow," by 
at least a dozen street spinsters, and the whole village population 
quoted his opinion as putting all matters of dispute at final issue. 
Miss Elizabeth Cornelia came to see " brother's new establish- 
