ir position. "Many years
previous," he said, "when silk goods were scarce and dear, an old
lady in Ohio purchased a pair of black silk stockings. Being very
proud of this addition to her dress, she wore them frequently until
they became quite worn out; as often, however, as a hole appeared
in these choice articles, she very carefully darned it up; but for
this purpose, having no silk, she was obliged to use white yarn.
She usually appropriated Saturday evenings to this exercise.
Finally, she had darned them so much that not a single particle of
the original material or color remained. Yet such was the force
of habit with her that as often as Saturday evening came she would
say to her granddaughter, 'Anny, bring me my black silk stockings.'"

The Presidential campaign of 1844 was very exciting. Mr. Van
Buren's friends did not entertain a shade of a doubt that he would
be nominated, and his opponents in the Democratic ranks had almost
lost hope of defeating him in the nominating convention, when, at
the suggestion of Mr. Calhoun, he was adroitly questioned on the
annexation of Texas in a letter written to him by Mr. Hamett, a
Representative from Mississippi. Mr. Van Buren was too sagacious
a politician not to discover the pit thus dug for him, and he
replied with great caution, avowing himself in favor of the annexation
of Texas when it could be brought about peacefully and honorably,
but against it at that time, when it would certainly be followed
by war with Mexico. This was what the Southern conspirators wanted,
and their subsequent action was thus narrated in a letter written
a few years afterward by John Tyler, which is here published for
the first time:

"Texas," wrote Mr. Tyler, "was the great theme that occupied me.
The delegates to the Democratic Convention, or a very large majority
of them, had been elected under implied pledges to sustain Van
Buren. After his letter repudiating annexation, a revulsion had
become obvious, but how far it was to operate it was not possible
to say. A majority of the delegates at least were believed still
to remain in his favor. If he was nominated the game to be played
for Texas was all over. What was to be done?

"My friends," Mr. Tyler went on to say, "advised me to remain at
rest, and take my chances in the Democratic Convention. It was
impossible to do so. If I suffered my name to be used in that
Convention, then I became bound to sustain the nomination, even if