the most awful ever heard, and would far surpass all the thunders of Jupiter. Very well this wiseacre understood what the result would be; for with all the proneness of uncultured human nature to perpetual racket, he knew that, even in that, unanimity or concert of action was totally impossible.

The appointed moment came, and as everybody listened, with mouth, ear, and eye open, to catch and note the terrific crash, the result was that, saving the quiet and peaceful days of Eden, there had not been so still a time since time itself began, no person having hallooed at all, but an old woman over in a corner of China.

CHAPTER II.

FRANKLIN PIERCE IN SCHOOL-STARTS IN HIS PROFESSION-BEGINS HIS POLITICAL CAREER-THE

LEGISLATURE-CONGRESS.

RANKLIN PIERCE, fourth son of Benjamin

FRA

Pierce and his wife, Anna Kendrick, was born on a farm at Hillsborough, in New Hampshire, November 23, 1804. Now the house in which Pierce was born is one of the few straggling houses standing along the road, and altogether dignified with the name of Hillsborough village. Most of these houses have farm-lands in the rear of them of greater or less extent, and most of the land connected with the Pierce homestead is still undivided. This Hillsborough has a post-office in a store on the road-side, and several hundred yards from this is a hotel. These present the only signs of business apparent in the "village," save that a snug little two-room frame building not far from this hotel, and standing far back in a large, clean, pretty yard, has above its door "Frank H. Pierce, Attorney at Law." The inside of this snug little office presents the appearance of the retreat of an old flourishing lawyer, and does so mainly because it contains, to a great extent, the library of President Pierce. The main village in this county is called "The Bridge," and it is a Hillsbor

ough too.

The railroad passing through this county now has a station at this place, and this is called Hillsborough Station. In the peculiar, needless, and annoying custom of this country there are many other Hillsborough villages and hamlets in Hillsborough County. When this is said it will be readily understood that in most of the early references to Hillsborough, the town (township) or county is really meant.

It is worthy of remark at this point that the first seventeen Presidents of the United States, with, perhaps, the exception of Martin Van Buren and Andrew Johnson, were born on farms. Johnson was a native of the town of Raleigh, North Carolina, certainly; but Martin Van Buren's case is not so easily settled. The house in which he was born, even now, is on the very outskirt of the village of Kinderhook proper. Like many of these country places, especially in the Middle and Eastern States, these village houses were attached to farms. Still Abraham Van Buren's house became a sort of inn, and was the village loafers', drinkers', and gossips' resort, and the place of meeting in the transaction of some of the small political affairs of the town (township) and village. Kinderhook was a country place, and Raleigh was little more.

Benjamin Pierce gave all his children a good book education for the times; but for some reason, as in almost all such cases not very apparent, it was decided to give Frank still better opportunities. This was certainly not owing to the boy's precocity or uncommon taste for books, for he possessed neither. However, he was early sent to the academy at Han

cock, and subsequently to another at Francestown, where he lived in the family of Peter Woodbury, the father of Judge Levi Woodbury, with whom he studied law in after years. At this time he was known as an amiable boy, and while not distinguished for brightness, he was really a favorite, especially out of school, with young and old, on account of his frank and attractive manners and acts. He was an unpretending, kind, generous, and gentle fellow, and these traits hung to him through life.

In 1820 he entered Bowdoin College, at Brunswick, Maine, and in the summer of 1824 graduated well up in his class. This institution had among its students at this time several young men who became distinguished in letters and politics. The unfortunate Jonathan Cilley and John P. Hale were two of the latter; and Calvin E. Stowe and Nathaniel Hawthorne, two of the former.

For the first year or two many of his bright companions greatly distanced him in the school-room; while his attractive social traits placed him among, the leaders on the outside. He was first or second officer of a military company of students in which poor Hawthorne, who never could have had the least taste for such a thing, was a private. In this capacity Pierce was quite brilliant, even taking for his parade, grounds forbidden to such use, and disputing with the president of the college as to the supremacy of military over civil authority. In the second or third winter of his college course, he made a visit to Hebron, Maine, with his associate, Zenas Caldwell,

school for three One of his cam

where he was induced to teach a months at thirteen dollars a month. paign biographers relates the following story of him while acting as schoolmaster here, whether with a view of intimating some uncommon superhuman agency in his affairs or not it is not said:

"Entering the school-house, he found nine different kinds of arithmetics in use! His first act was to send down to Portland for a copy of each. At last, in the course of the winter, he came upon a very blind problem, which, amid all the cares which pressed upon him, he could not solve. He took the book containing the problem home to his boarding-house, and walked the floor incessantly. It was in vain that he thought. He went back to his school-room the next morning, dejected, and delivered a long lecture to his scholars upon the propriety of their solving their own problems, as it would do them but little good were he to show them the process. The same night in his room, he again worked painfully at the incorrigible problem; and when about to give up in despair, while walking the room, he chanced to cast his eye upon a little recess in the chimney. Turning a button and opening the door, without any particular object in view, he saw a sheet of paper covered with figures, and looking carefully upon it, what was his astonishment to discover the very problem over which he had so long puzzled his brains, wrought out carefully to a correct result. In a moment he saw the principle which he had overlooked, and which was a key to the answer sought."

Of his school-days at Bowdoin, his friend Hawthorne wrote:

"Pierce's class was small, but composed of individuals seriously intent on the duties and studies of their college