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An Only Son; A Narrative by the Author of "my Early Days."
An Only Son A Narrative by the Author of my Early Days Author:William Kennedy General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1832 Original Publisher: L.C. Bowles Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can sel... more »ect from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: CHAPTER III. My business education was soon brought to a close. From the period of dereliction I was forbidden to appear in the shop, unless when tinder paternal inspection. I was at no pains to conceal the irksomeness of duties thus regulated. I was chidden in presence of strangers in terms very mortifying, and retorted the supposed indignity by sullenness and inattention to the customers. My conduct was reported to my father, who ordered me to remain at home until the return of Mr Jonas. After his arrival a circumstance occurred not unworthy of being related. High-sounding words had peculiar charms for me. 1 loved the sonorous names, as well as the surpassing fables, of heathen mythology, and was partial to geography and the globes, of which I understood not a tittle, on account of their 'longitude and latitude -- equinoctial and meridian -- azimuth circles and ecliptic' -- appellatives of distant countries and constellations. These I used to amuse myself by repeating when in bed, in a sort of singing tone, and also before my aunt, and our old female servant, who were half afraid that the pressure of learning would turn my brain. I had read of magic and its operations, and of the influence of the stars, and I fancifully invested the magnificent phrases I had collected with attributes of congenial mystery. The twelve signs of the Zodiac were, in an especial manner, endeared to my imagination. There was a fine garden of early fruits about three miles from our house, the owner of which had invited me to visit it, along, with the two sons of a neighboring farmer. After ...« less