) worth her whole house put together. This was the only answer
we could ever get from him; and as my wife, by some of those odd ways in
which women find out everything, learnt that he was of very great
connections, being related to the Knickerbockers of Scaghtikoke, and
cousin german to the Congressman of that name, she did not like to treat
him uncivilly. What is more, she even offered, merely by way of making
things easy, to let him live scot-free, if he would teach the children
their letters; and to try her best and get her neighbors to send their
children also; but the old gentleman took it in such dudgeon, and seemed
so affronted at being taken for a schoolmaster, that she never dared to
speak on the subject again.

About two months ago, he went out of a morning, with a bundle in his
hand--and has never been heard of since. All kinds of inquiries were made
after him, but in vain. I wrote to his relations at Scaghtikoke, but they
sent for answer, that he had not been there since the year before last,
when he had a great dispute with the Congressman about politics, and left
the place in a huff, and they had neither heard nor seen anything of him
from that time to this. I must own I felt very much worried about the poor
old gentleman; for I thought something bad must have happened to him, that
he should be missing so long, and never return to pay his bill. I
therefore advertised him in the newspapers, and though my melancholy
advertisement was published by several humane printers, yet I have never
been able to learn anything satisfactory about him.

My wife now said it was high time to take care of ourselves, and see if he
had left anything behind in his room, that would pay us for his board and
lodging. We found nothing, however, but some old books and musty writings,
and his pair of saddle-bags; which, being opened in the presence of the
librarian, contained only a few articles of worn-out clothes and a large
bundle of blotted paper. On looking over this, the librarian told us, he
had no doubt it was the treasure which the old gentleman had spoke about;
as it proved to be a most excellent and faithful History of New York,
which he advised us by all means to publish; assuring us that it would be
so eagerly bought up by a discerning public, that he had no doubt it would
be enough to pay our arrears ten times over. Upon this we got a very
learned schoolmaster, who teaches our children, to prepare it for the
press, whic