ght Nathaniel a very
disagreeable name. Her cousin, the rich dry-goods merchant in New-York,
who had four daughters and no sons, was named Hiram. Hiram was a good
name, not too long and very expressive. It sounded firm and strong. It
was a Bible-name, too, as well as the other. In fact, she liked it, and
she thought her cousin would be gratified when he learned that she had
named a child for him. There were advantages which might flow from it,
it was not necessary to specify, Mr. Meeker could understand to what
she alluded Mr. Meeker did not understand; in fact, he did not trouble
his head to conjecture; but it was settled Hiram should be the name, and
our hero was baptized accordingly. He was a good boy; never in mischief,
never a truant, never disobedient, nor willful, nor irritable, nor
obstinate. 'Too good for this world;' that is what folks said. 'Such an
astonishing child--too wise to live long.' So it was prophesied; but
Hiram survived all these dismal forebodings, until the people gave up
and concluded to let him live.

We pass over his earlier days at school. At twelve, he was sent to the
academy in the village, about a mile distant. He was to receive a
first-rate English education, 'no Latin, no Greek, no nonsense,' to use
his mother's language; but the real substantials. Hiram proved to be an
excellent scholar. He was especially good in figures. When he came to
study bookkeeping, he seemed as happy as if he were reading a romance.
He mastered with ease the science of single and double entry. He soon
became fascinated with the beauties of his imaginary business. For his
instructor had prepared for him a regular set of books, and gave him
problems, from day to day, in mercantile dealings, which opened up to
the youth all the mysteries of 'Dr.' and 'Cr.' Out of these various
problems, he constructed quite a little library of account-books, which
he numbered, and which were representations of various descriptions of
trade, and marked with the name of some supposed company, and labeled
'Business Successful,' or 'Business Unsuccessful,' as the case might be.

We must now turn from Hiram, engaged in diligently pursuing his studies,
and enter on another topic.

CHAPTER II.

Mrs. Meeker had been a church-member from the time she was fourteen
years old. There was an extensive revival throughout the country at that
period, and she, with a large number of young people of both sexes,
were, or thought they were, conv