was to rouse the dozing and
quicken the indolent. While the company were engaged in this
conversation, "Gentlemen," said Mrs. Greene, "apply to my young friend,
Mr. Whitney--he can make anything." Upon which she conducted them into a
neighboring room, and showed them her tambour-frame, and a number of
toys which Mr. Whitney had made or repaired for the children. She then
introduced the gentlemen to Whitney himself, extolling his genius and
commending him to their notice and friendship. He modestly disclaimed
all pretensions to mechanical genius; and when they named their object,
he replied that he had never seen either cotton or cotton-seed in his
life. Mrs. Greene said to one of the gentlemen: "I have accomplished my
aim. Mr. Whitney is a very deserving young man, and to bring him into
notice was my object. The interest which our friends now feel for him
will, I hope, lead to his getting some employment to enable him to
prosecute the study of the law."

But a new turn that no one of the company dreamed of had been given to
Mr. Whitney's views. It being out of season for cotton in the seed, he
went to Savannah and searched among the warehouses and boats until he
found a small parcel of it. This he carried home, and communicated his
intentions to Mr. Miller, who warmly encouraged him, and assigned him a
room in the basement of the house, where he set himself at work with
such rude materials and instruments as a Georgia plantation afforded.
With these resources, however, he made tools better suited to his
purpose, and drew his own wire--of which the teeth of the earliest gins
were made--an article which was not at that time to be found in the
market of Savannah. Mrs. Greene and Mr. Miller were the only persons
ever admitted to his workshop, and the only persons who knew in what way
he was employing himself. The many hours he spent in his mysterious
pursuits afforded matter of great curiosity and often of raillery to the
younger members of the family. Near the close of the winter, the
machine was so nearly completed as to leave no doubt of its success.

Mrs. Greene was eager to communicate to her numerous friends the
knowledge of this important invention, peculiarly important at that
time, because then the market was glutted with all those articles which
were suited to the climate and soil of Georgia, and nothing could be
found to give occupation to the negroes, and support to the white
inhabitants. This opened suddenly