organ of the Dutch Reformed Church. The office was in Ann street, and in the same building, next story above, was the printing office of Horace. Greeley, who was then publishing a literary paper called The New Yorker." In those years business was dull and times were hard. The New Yorker" was having a hard struggle to live. On one Saturday Mr. Greeley, failing to obtain money enough to pay off his help, sat down and cried over his hard luck. CHAPTER XVII. ENTERING UPON A NEW LIFE. N the city of Lowell. Mass., in 1839, Mr. Hil IN dreth opened a printing establishment for himself and began the publication of a weekly paper entitled the Literary Souvenir." This publication met with a very favorable reception, and was liberally patronized by the operatives in the mills. and by persons of literary tastes throughout New England. During the spring of 1839 he became acquainted with a young lady of Newburyport, Mass.. of unusual beauty and aimiability of temper. About this time Mr. James F. Stuart of Newburyport, a mutual friend of Mr. Hildreth and his new lady acquaintance, wrote and published the following stanza: "A star there was a-shining, To lighten up his path And his lonely spirit cheer. "Yes, he did find a maiden Whose heart did prove sincere, "A home within her bosom, The acquaintance with this young lady ripened into love, and the "Literary Souvenir" of Oct. 26, 1839, contained the following announcement: Married, in Newburyport, Oct. 24, 1839, by Rev. Mr. Lambert, Mr. Azro B. F. Hildreth, of Lowell, to Miss Hannah D. L. Rier, daughter of the late Capt. Dennis Rier of the former place. The happy couple, whose wedding was thus announced, began their married life with bright hopes and high anticipations of many years of prosperity. Their wedded life was indeed very happy. but it was of short duration. The young wife, during the succeeding winter, took a severe cold, which settled upon her lungs, and from it she never recovered. Consumption, that dire disease of New England, ensued, and every curative effort proved unavailing. The Literary Souvenir" of June 5th. 1841, contained the following obituary notice: Died. in Newburyport, May 20, 1841, of consumption, Mrs. H. D. L. Hildreth, wife of A. B. F. Hildreth, of Lowell, Mass., aged 21 years, 6 months and 11 days. Thus has passed away the companion of my bosom. About eighteen months ago We commenced life's pilgrimage together, full of the buoyancy and spirit of youth, elated with the brightest anticipations of the future, and for a while prosperity and happiness hovered around us. But this season of bliss was of short duration. Consumption, a disease that annually sweeps off its thousands and tens of thousands of New England's fair daughters, laid its cruel hand upon my dear wife, and human skill was unable to wrest her from its grasp. She had from early life known affliction and sorrow. For nearly twelve months did she linger out a life of suffering with wonderful fortitude and patience. She had visited Vermont, in the vain hope of regaining her health where she spent the winter, and had just made the journey thence to Newburyport that she might there die and be buried among her kindred; while I, her husband, had returned to my business in Lowell, when, sooner than was expected, the news came that my dear wife was no more! Alas, how suddenly have all my fond hopes been blasted; how like a dream have they passed away! She who but as yesterday was whispering encouragement and love in the ears of him who pens these lines, herself full of cheerfulness and gayety, has suddenly been cut off in the morning of life-is dead and gone forever! Nay, not dead. She lives -lives in a brighter and better world beyond the skies, where "Sickness and sorrow, pain and death, Conscious to the last, just before her end, she raised her hands, and seeing the evidence of approaching dissolution, she cast her eyes upon the friends around her, and with a smile of Christian triumph and joy that rested upon her countenance even after her happy spirit had winged its way to the regions of immortal bliss, without a struggle or a groan, she yielded her soul unto Him who gave it. We should not wish her back. It matters but little when we die, but how well." H. CHAPTER XVIII. TH THE LOG CABIN CAMPAIGN. HE death of his beautiful and amiable young wife weighed heavily upon the mind of Mr. Hildreth. But time can heal the wounded heart. He applied himself closely to the business of his printing house, and to the editing and publishing of his newspapers. In politics he was an ardent Whig, and in the Presidential campaign of 1840 he took much interest. Of course he voted for General William Henry Harrison, the Presidential candidate that year. On the 4th of July, 1840, Mr. Hildreth, in company with many others, rode in a log cabin from Lowell to Concord. The cabin was of large dimensions and was drawn by twelve large and powerful horses. It had a band of music on the top and flag staff from which floated the stars and stripes. The sides of the cabin were decorated with cider barrels, coon skins, bear traps, &c. On that day the "glorious fourth" was celebrated by 40,000 people gathered around the monument on the old Concord battle ground, and the exercises were very enthusiastic. The log cabin, with its Whig occupants, left Lowell at about daylight and |