ourse, and I began slowly to recover.
But just when I was considered sufficiently strong to be again allowed
the care of my child, my husband was prostrated by the same disease from
which I had just recovered, and in ten days I was left a widow with my
helpless child. I cannot even now dwell upon this season of sorrow. All
my former trials appeared as nothing when compared with this. Had it not
been for my boy I could almost have wished I had not been spared to see
this hour, but I banished such thoughts as wrong and impious, and tried
to look the dreary future calmly in the face. I soon found it necessary
to devise some means of support for myself and child. I thought of many
plans only to discard them as useless. I once thought of opening a
school as my own mother had done, but the care of my child prevented me
from supporting myself in this way; and I would not consign him to the
care of strangers. I at length decided to seek to support myself by the
use of the needle, and accordingly rented two rooms on a respectable
street, and removed thither with my child, where, by the closest
industry I succeeded in keeping above want for more than three years,
when my health failed from too close application to my employment. My
physician strongly advised me to leave the city, as he thought country
air would have a beneficial effect upon my health. I followed his
advice, and, with the small sum of money which I had been able to lay
by, added to what I received from the sale of my few articles of
household furniture, I left the city. When I left Boston I had no
particular place in view as to where I might find a home. I had decided
upon opening a school in some country village if I could meet with
encouragement in the undertaking. About fifty miles distant from this
city I was taken ill, and for several weeks was unable to proceed on my
way. When I was sufficiently recovered to allow of my again travelling I
found it to be imperatively necessary that I should seek some place
where I could earn a support for myself and child, as the small sum of
money with which I left Boston was now nearly gone. The kind gentleman,
in whose house I remained during my illness, informed me that he was
well acquainted in the village of Walden, and he thought it a place
where I would be likely to succeed in establishing a select school for
young children, as he informed me there were many wealthy people
residing here, who would patronize a school of