Accidentally I saw in a newspaper an advertisement for young men to sell a book of the early history of the war, and I proposed to Mudge that he could sell this book. But his aristocratic ideas were hard to overcome, until I insinuated that he might have a valet to carry the books and take care of him. This modified his ideas on my suggestion.
His memory of locality was surprising. When he escorted me to Boston “to see the town” he would say, “Now over there is the bird-cage (a shop) and there is the flat-iron sign, so we must go this way.” Only once he failed, and then he said we must go back to the bird-cage, after which we started again all right.
I went with him to Boston, and had an interview with the agent, who was greatly pleased to have a martyr of the war to sell the book. I imperatively urged Mudge to start at once, which he did with his valet the next day; when I also left Lynn. He wrote from memory in a good clear hand, with a little slat to guide his pen, of his phenomenal success, which was such as we expected. During his tour about Massachusetts he called at the home of the poet Longfellow, who sent me a much prized photograph with his autograph.
Many bought of the poor boy, out of sympathy and patriotism, this very imperfect book, which, doubtless, they never read. In the course of a year he again wrote that he had opened a stationery store in Lynn, and was doing a good business; and later he employed four clerks. Still later I was dumbfounded on receiving an announcement of his marriage.
HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW
Three years after, when I visited their pretty cottage on Lynn Beach, near that of Fanny Davenport the actress, William was not at home, but I saw his charming wife and their handsome, healthy boy of sixteen months.
CHAPTER VIII
THE START FOR THE FRONT
“Woman should take to her soul a strong purpose, and then make circumstances conform to that purpose.”