trained as a scholar, he added
farming to his accomplishments, and when he settled down at Hyde Hall it
was as a son of the soil. For the rest of his life, being at once a
gentleman and a farmer, he was the better in both characters for being
so much in each. The combination of birth and practical aptitude gave
him a position quite unique in Cooperstown and the surrounding country.
He was a man of wide reading and culture, an exceedingly good talker,
and a delightful social companion. He was at the same time respected as
a farmer among farmers, who knew him well, and called him by his
Christian name. It is related that shortly after her marriage to Hyde
Clarke, the stately and distinguished Mrs. Clarke was complaining to her
butcher in Cooperstown that he had sent her poor meat. "Very sorry, Mrs.
Clarke," replied the butcher "but 'twas one of Hyde's own critters!"

[Illustration: HYDE CLARKE

From the portrait by Ellen G. Emmet]

Hyde Clarke had certain mannerisms that added interest to his
personality. He would sometimes sit silent in company, without the
slightest effort to contribute to the conversation; but when he chose to
talk, he talked well and informingly, and it was a delight to hear him.
In a voice well-modulated and even, he selected his words with care,
sometimes pausing for the precise expression, which he brought out with
a quiet emphasis that made its exactness impressive. Repeatedly in
conversation he seemed about to smile, or there was a movement behind
the drooping moustache and in the eyes that suggested merriment, which
quickly disappeared when one began to smile in return, leaving one with
a foolish sense of having smiled at nothing. His deliberation of speech
was significant of his carefulness of thought and judgment, and he was
always leisurely in action. If he invited a guest to dine with him at
seven o'clock, he was quite likely himself not to reach home until
seven-thirty. A tall, calm man, he had the "British stare" to
perfection, which in him was not an affectation, but arose from an
entire lack of self-consciousness, and from moments of
absent-mindedness. He could stare one out of countenance without
intending rudeness; he could ignore the social amenities when he chose,
without giving offense; while he was the only man in Otsego who could
enter a lady's drawing-room in farming togs and with a hat on, without
seeming less than well-bred.

His arrival at the services of Christ Church on