s or their fashions.

Now Angeline's father was a worthy blacksmith, an honest and upright
man, who lived hard by, had a house of his own, and owed no man a
shilling. This worthy blacksmith had two daughters, Angeline and
Margaret, both remarkable for their good looks, and both blessed with
loving natures. And it was said by the neighbors that the only flaw in
the character of this good man's family was made by pretty Margaret, who
went away with and married one Gosler, a travelling mountebank. This
man, it is true, asserted that he was a Count in his own country, and
that misfortune had brought him to what he was. His manners were,
indeed, those of a gentleman; and there were people enough who believed
him nothing more than a spy sent by the British to find out what he
could.

CHAPTER II.

COMING INTO THE WORLD.

It was mentioned in the last chapter that Hanz Toodleburg had seen
twenty years of the happiest of wedded life; and yet that Angeline had
not increased his joys with an offspring. Thoughtless people made much
ado about this, and there were enough of them in the settlement to get
their heads together and say all sorts of unkind things to Hanz
concerning this family failing. I verily believe that the time of
one-half of the human family is engaged seeking scandal in the
misfortunes of the other. And I have always found that you got the
ripest scandal in the smallest villages; and Nyack was not an exception.
No wonder, then, that Hanz had to bear his share of that slander which
one-half the world puts on the other. Not an idle fellow at the inn,
where Hanz would look in of an evening, but would have his sly joke.
Many a time he had to "stand" cider and ale for the company, and
considered he got off cheap at that. And when they drank his health, it
was with insinuating winks and nods; one saying:

"What a pity. He ought to have somebody to leave his little farm to."

"Yes," another would interrupt; "if he had a son he'd be sure to leave
him the secret of Kidd's treasure."

The gossips of the village were to change their tune soon. Dame rumor
had been whispering it around for a month that there was something in
the wind at Toodleburg's. And, to put it more plainly, it was added
that Hanz was soon to be made a happy man by the appearance of a little
Toodleburg. This change, or rather apparent change, in the prospects of
the family did not relieve Hanz from the tax for ale and cider levied on
him by