I forgot to state that the death and burial of Silas
Deemer occurred in the little village of Hillbrook,
where he had lived for thirty-one years. He had been
what is known in some parts of the Union (which
is admittedly a free country) as a 'merchant'; that
is to say, he kept a retail shop for the sale of such
things as are commonly sold in shops of that char-
acter. His honesty had never been questioned, so
far as is known, and he was held in high esteem by
all. The only thing that could be urged against him
by the most censorious was a too close attention to
business. It was not urged against him, though many
another, who manifested it in no greater degree,
was less leniently judged. The business to which
Silas was devoted was mostly his own--that, pos-
sibly, may have made a difference.
At the time of Deemer's death nobody could recol-
lect a single day, Sundays excepted, that he had
not passed in his 'store,' since he had opened it more
than a quarter-century before. His health having
been perfect during all that time, he had been
unable to discern any validity in whatever may or
might have been urged to lure him astray from his
counter; and it is related that once when he was
summoned to the county seat as a witness in an
important law case and did not attend, the lawyer
who had the hardihood to move that he be 'ad-
monished' was solemnly informed that the Court
regarded the proposal with 'surprise.
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