From the time Mr. Hoskins came to Babelmandel the weather had been very bad, even for the season; scarcely a day passed without violent storms of wind and rain; the hugest trees were thrown down, and the roads so flooded, that travelling was, in a manner, suspended. He was in consequence obliged to stay with us much longer than he had originally intended: indeed, this must have been the case had the weather been ever so fine; for he suffered so severely from the grasps of the he-bear, that I was apprehensive he had sustained some deadly inward injury. It proved, however, not so, though he was much hurt; for by the time the snow began to appear, he was able to walk about, and he spoke of returning to Vermont.

In the mean time we had pretty well assorted our ideas about a joint concern in a small seed and notion store. He was to advance five hundred dollars to enable me to furnish it; and a prospect soon opened of doing so with great advantage, as I shall presently relate.

I have already informed the courteous reader that Olympus was injudiciously located in a swampy hollow—and that for some time before my arrival there it had ceased, as the settlers said, to progress. No new inhabitants came, and many of those who had been enticed to it at the commencement of the settlement were then talking of changing. In fact, it was plainly ordained to be soon a wastage; for the houses received no repair; few windows, if any, in the town had a whole pane in them. It was a puzzle to imagine where the old hats were all found that served as substitutes for glass.

Among others of the Olympians who had determined to leave the place in the spring, with the intention of returning to Utica, was one Ezra Quincey Nackets, who kept both store and tavern. He had all the summer and autumn been afflicted with the ague, and was much out of heart with every worldly thing.