s that business people clung to because they wanted to be near
to everything. Harlem and Yorkville were considered country. Up on the
east side as far as Eightieth or Ninetieth Street there were some
spacious summer residences with beautiful grounds. A few fine mansions
clustered about University Square. City Hall Park was still covered with
fine growing shade-trees. There was such a magnificent fountain that
Lydia Maria Child, describing it, said there was nothing to equal it in
the Old World.

Still, the unmistakable trend was up-town. Grace Church was agitating a
new building at Tenth Street. Rows of houses were being put up on the
new streets, though down-town people rather scoffed and wondered why
people were not going up to Harlem and taking their business places
along.

After much discussion the Underhills settled upon First Street. Stephen
made the decision, though he had great faith in "up-town." This was
convenient. Then they could buy through to Houston Street, and there was
a stable and sort of storehouse on the end of the lot. And though you
wouldn't think it now, it was quite pretty and refined then, from Avenue
A out to the Bowery. They were in a row of nice brick houses, quite near
First Avenue, on the lower side of the street. Opposite it was well
built for quite a space, and then came the crowning glory of the block.
About a dozen houses stood thirty or so feet back from the street and
had lovely flower-gardens in front. Stephen would have liked one of
these, but the houses were not roomy enough. And in their own place they
had a nice grass-plot, some flower-beds, and several fruit-trees, beside
a grape-trellis. He thought his mother would be less homesick if she
could see some bloom and greenery.

It was the last of March, 1843, that the little girl came to New York.
Mrs. Underhill believed it only an experiment. When the boys were grown
up and married, settled in their own homes, she and 'Milyer would go
back to Yonkers on their part of the farm and have a nice big house for
their old age and for the grandchildren. In her motherly heart she hoped
there would be a good many of them. She couldn't have spared any of her
eight children.

The house in First Street seemed very queer. It had a front area and two
basements, two parlors on the next floor with folding-doors and a long
ell-room, rather narrow, so that it would not darken the back room too
much. Up-stairs there were three large chambers and