ute. They had no
other law. Only church members could vote, which was different from the
arrangements in New York City in after-years.

[Illustration: GOVERNOR ANDROS.]

The Connecticut Colony had a regular constitution, said to have been the
first written constitution ever adopted by the people, framed for the
people by the people. It was at once prosperous, and soon bought out the
Saybrook Colony.

In 1662 a royal charter was obtained which united the two above colonies
and guaranteed to the people the rights agreed upon by them. It
amounted to a duly-authenticated independence. A quarter of a century
afterwards Governor Andros, in his other clothes and a reigning coat of
red and gold trimmings, marched into the Assembly and demanded this
precious charter.

A long debate ensued, and, according to tradition, while the members of
the Assembly stood around the table taking a farewell look at the
charter, one of the largest members of the house fell on the governor's
breast and wept so copiously on his shirt-frill that harsh words were
used by his Excellency; a general quarrel ensued, the lights went out,
and when they were relighted the charter was gone.

Captain Wadsworth had taken it and concealed it in a hollow tree, since
called the Charter Oak. After Andros was ejected from the Boston office,
the charter was brought out again, and business under it was resumed.

Important documents, however, should not be, as a general thing,
secreted in trees. The author once tried this while young, and when
engaged to, or hoping to become engaged to, a dear one whose pa was a
singularly coarse man and who hated a young man who came as a lover at
his daughter's feet with nothing but a good education and his great big
manly heart. He wanted a son-in-law with a brewery; and so he bribed the
boys of the neighborhood to break up a secret correspondence between
the two young people and bring the mail to him. This was the cause of
many a heart-ache, and finally the marriage of the sweet young lady to a
brewer who was mortgaged so deeply that he wandered off somewhere and
never returned. Years afterwards the brewery needed repairs, and one of
the large vats was found to contain all of the missing man that would
not assimilate with the beer,--viz., his watch. Quite a number of people
at that time quit the use of beer, and the author gave his hand in
marriage to a wealthy young lady who was attracted by his gallantry and
fresh young