having a similar termination, and as he was tolerably illiterate, and
rarely wrote his name, the change came to be accepted. A new
schoolmaster who spelled it Millerd in the copy-book of Charley's
grandfather fixed the orthography and pronunciation in the new form.
About the time that Millard Fillmore became President by succession, the
contemporary Millerds, who were Whigs, substituted _a_ for the _e_ in
the name. After he came to New York, Charley shifted the accent to the
last syllable to conform to a fashion by which a hundred old English
names have been treated to a Gallic accent in America. After this
acquisition of a new accent Charley was frequently asked whether he were
not of Huguenot descent; to which he was wont to reply prudently that he
had never taken much interest in genealogy. Just why it is thought more
creditable for a resident of New York to have descended from a Huguenot
peasant or artisan than from an English colonist, those may tell who
fancy that social pretenses have a rational basis.

Charley's mother's father was named Vandam. The family had been a little
ashamed of the old Dutch cognomen; it had such a wicked sound that they
tried to shift the accent to the first syllable. Among the fads that
Charley had taken up for a time after he came to New York was that of
collecting old prints. In looking over a lot of these one day in a
second-hand book-shop, he stumbled on a picture of the colonial period
in which was represented one of the ancient Dutch churches of New York.
There was a single stately carriage passing in front of the church, and
the artist had taken the pains to show the footman running before the
coach. The picture was dedicated to "Rip Van Dam, Esq.," president of
the council of the colony of New York. As a Christian name "Rip" did not
tend to take the curse off the Van Dam. But this picture made Charley
aware that at least one of the Van Dams had been a great man in his day.
He reflected that this must be the old Rip's own carriage delineated in
the foreground of the picture of which he was the patron; and this must
be his footman charging along at breakneck pace to warn all vulgar carts
to get out of the great gentleman's road. Millard bought the print and
hung it in his sitting-room; for since he had been promoted in the bank
and had been admitted to a fashionable club, he had moved into bachelor
apartments suitable to his improving fortunes and social position. He
had also com