The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1856-08-14

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to do seemed no better than at first. Thi:
sovereign he determined to invest in sundry
small wares, and try what he could, do ia
peddling them about from house to house,
In this he was more successful than he ex.
pected ). his profits were from the first
enough to meet his small expenses, and af
terwurds to gradually increase his stock in
trade, which, from being only the value of q
sovereign at first, was in the course of few
months worth many soyereigns. sf
The digging of cellars was hard work,
much harder than attending to gentleman's
garden, and Leary as soon as he saw O'Shane
was doing we'll at pedding, became SO much
dissatisfied with his employment that he de.
termned to give it up and try what he could
do with the "pack." He had nearly five
sovereigns laid by, and was about investing
these under the advice of his friend O'Shane,
in goods suitable for the trade of peripa-
tetic dealer, when he was taken sick and
Law i'll for some weeks.
His expenses and toctor's bill during this
time, took away all of his little capital, and
he was about returning with SCARED spirit to
his spade and mattock, when O'Shane gen.
erously offered to loan him enough TO make
a fair start as q pedler. With gratified
feelings the kind tender was accepted.
The interests of the two young men being
now more really united than they had yet
been, and as both were required TO be much
from homes small house was taken between
them, and their families united in order to
lessen expenses. This arrangement contin
ued Tor about year and half, during which
period Leary and O'Shane had reaped very
fair harvest on their labors. Al the end of
this time the former, having saved about
three hundred dollars, laid by his pack and
opened "grocery and liquor store" At
this point, the ways by which the two friends
were to travel in the world, diverged. They
parted with many sincere expressions Of
friendship and mutual pledges to aid each
other if the power to do so remained,
With three hundred dollars, shrewdness.
industry and economy in personal and fami.
ly expenses, success in the "grocery and IL
quor business wGs certain thing. Sixyears
from the day Leary put up his sign, he sold
out his shop and commenced the business OF
wholesale dealer in general, but rum and
whskey in particular, on Bowley's wharf.
He was then worth some ten or fifteen thou,
sand dollars, and deemed it but due to in
crease his Importance as a merchant, to as
sumo style Of living rather more imposing
than the back rooms and second stories of a
grog shop. But even in gratifying his pride,
Leary was cautious not to put the main
chance in jeopardy. A house at four or five
hundred dollars rent, and five or six hundred
dollars laid out in parlor and some addition
al furniture, covered the length and breadth
of his extravaganza, at this era of his histo
ry. During the whole Of this period, he had
heard nothing from O'Shane except that on
his arrival at Charleston, the place of desti
nation, he had found all as had been repre-
scented to him, and that the situation he had
excepted would enable him if he had his
health to lay UP something
The change that had passed over Terrance
Leary in ten years was quite remarkable
When he landed from the Cleopatra, he was
fair specimen of rough, healthy, coarse
young Irishman, and retained this appear
ance until he got behind his own counter, at
which time gradual process of transiorma-
ton commenced. The corduroy trousers
gave way to cashmere pants, the coarse
roudabout to long tailed coat, and the seal
skin to black beaver with shining sur.
face the stout, well creased brogans that
had carried him many a mile, over rough
roads as we'll as smooth ones, were thrown
aside, for we'll blacked boots that had never
covered his feet. In this dress, Leary, at
first, scarcely knew himself, but he was not
long in forgetting that he had ever worn
any of inferior quality. The constant atten-
dance upon customers, with the nece essity Of
handling himself all the various commodi-
ties which he had to sell, prevented Leary
from making any further material alterations
in his every day external appearance, until
he ceased to be a retail dealer and wrote
himself ga merchant" At this period the
change in the man was very apparent. He
stood at least two inches higher t; the rea-
son was, his chin had become elevated pre-
cisely that much farther above the point
where the collar bone rests against the ster
mum. He shaved, or was shaved every
morning there was time when once or
twice week was deemed sufficient. His
linen was faultless and changed every NOR
ming his black coat and pants guitles of
every sight Of hard service.
A,few years more, and Terran Leary
Esq, was a man Of wealth, standing and
importance--one of "the first merchants
in the city. A porter, laboring man or
clerk, was now treated by him more like
dog than a human being. He had no
sympathies whatever with the poorer class
es--actually despising everything not pos
sessed of golden attractions.
One day, 1t was twenty years from the
time the ways of the young Irishmen be-
came divergent--Leary was sitting in his