t he
compensated for it by the high reverence with which he spoke of Colonel
Lapham's record during the war of the rebellion, and of the motives
which impelled him to turn aside from an enterprise in which his whole
heart was engaged, and take part in the struggle. "The Colonel bears
embedded in the muscle of his right leg a little memento of the period
in the shape of a minie-ball, which he jocularly referred to as his
thermometer, and which relieves him from the necessity of reading 'The
Probabilities' in his morning paper. This saves him just so much time;
and for a man who, as he said, has not a moment of waste time on him
anywhere, five minutes a day are something in the course of a year.
Simple, clear, bold, and straightforward in mind and action, Colonel
Silas Lapham, with a prompt comprehensiveness and a never-failing
business sagacity, is, in the best sense of that much-abused term, one
of nature's noblemen, to the last inch of his five eleven and a half.
His life affords an example of single-minded application and unwavering
perseverance which our young business men would do well to emulate.
There is nothing showy or meretricious about the man. He believes in
mineral paint, and he puts his heart and soul into it. He makes it a
religion; though we would not imply that it IS his religion. Colonel
Lapham is a regular attendant at the Rev. Dr. Langworthy's church. He
subscribes liberally to the Associated Charities, and no good object or
worthy public enterprise fails to receive his support. He is not now
actively in politics, and his paint is not partisan; but it is an open
secret that he is, and always has been, a staunch Republican. Without
violating the sanctities of private life, we cannot speak fully of
various details which came out in the free and unembarrassed interview
which Colonel Lapham accorded our representative. But we may say that
the success of which he is justly proud he is also proud to attribute
in great measure to the sympathy and energy of his wife--one of those
women who, in whatever walk of life, seem born to honour the name of
American Woman, and to redeem it from the national reproach of Daisy
Millerism. Of Colonel Lapham's family, we will simply add that it
consists of two young lady daughters.

"The subject of this very inadequate sketch is building a house on the
water side of Beacon Street, after designs by one of our leading
architectural firms, which, when complete, will