The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1839-05-16
From the Southern Literary Messenger.
THE PLEA OF INFANCY.

In the year IT'S. a young man named
T E commenced tho trade of
merchandise in a county adjoining his
native one Of ID. Ills capital was not
more than four or 1--WE hundred dollars;
and his stock in trade consisted only Of Q
barrel Of sugar, bag or two Of coffee.
two casks Of whiskey, one ditto Of hard
cider. some nails. bar iron. and half do
zen Of small notions" such as pins.
fshhooks. &c. &c. Nothing particular
was known Of him in that neighborhood.
though some Of the wise heads had been
occasionally shaken of the idlsness OF bis
life. II had certainly verged upon dissi-
patton. Ills father had never controlled.
never usefully employed him; but had
suffered him TO raise pocket money in the
three stages of childhood. boyhood, and
youth, SUCCESSFULLY, BY selling hsre-skins
and rackoon skins, and by gambling.
lie was at times q registering, turbulent
blade, as ever pitched dollar or drained
a glass; but like most do.nse- goods,
he could be, when he pleased, smooth
aud specious in word and manner. as DO
lial himself. lie was moreover. hand
some: Of precisely that feminine beauty.
which in any man is apt 70 beioken a
light mind and frivolous character, but in
one whose 10, Of life is low, hardly ever
fails 10 indicate, il j, does not cause, III
ter good-lor-noihingness.
Such was our young merchant. But
none Of his neishbors dreamed Of half
the i'll tina. was in him; the good was on
the surface. and every body vas cap,iva.-
ed BY il. Never had so small a grocer
so large run Of custom. Ills sugar and
coffee had 10 be renewed every two
weeks. E-'s /" store" became the
favorile haunt Of all che good fellows
within Eve miles around. All Saturdays
and many other days beside, were devo.-
ed there to ,ippling, pitching with dol
lars or with tlaI stones instead Of quoi,s.
playing cold sledge" Tor all-fours"))
with dirty, greasy cards; quarrelling and
fighting. L. was the inspiring genius Of
every such fru.ic; not only by dealing ou,
the LIQUOR, bu, by mixing with the drink
crs, and driving forward the jest, the
laugh, the game; nay. sometimes. for he
could 6uiiy very plausibIy) The quarrels
aud the eight. 1.-The ever himself fought.
| il was in a very slight way, merely to
maintain a reputation for spirit, which
was indispensable to good standing in
tina, region. II never los. him friend.
or gained him black eye for more than
three days. He was the darling of the
,opers. lie was SO gay and frank; his
laugh was such ready chorus 10 all their
Jokes; he poured on. his good drink for
Them SO ungrudgingly. not only while
their money lasted. but so long as they
had COW or q feather bed a. home; he
took such care Of them when they were
overcome with liquorAhelping 10 lift
them from the floor, where they would
be ,rampled upon. to his own bed in the
counting room, and when that was full,
to a snug corner where they might lie
and -! Then il one OF their horses al
pightfall, tired Of standing all day gnaw
ING the fence rail TO which he was tied.
happened to 60. Loose and Sc. OF home
wards, E. was sure to catch and secure
| him for the night, either by tying him to
The same stake again, or by putting him
in a pen hard by; often. too, throwing
him several corn stalks to browse upon
which the animal, il il were only for va
riety's sake. relished better than the rail.
There was nobody like T-E-.
The women Of the neighborhood, one
nigh, well think. would be with mos. dit:
fcul,y won over TO Els interest. Their
discomfort. certainly increased with his
trade. Husbands and fathers were often
or and of.ener seen staggering home.
with rod bloated faces, shiny. stupid eyes,
their whole persons oxhaling insuileraele