Jenks' Portland Gazette. Maine Advertiser

MONDAY, JANUARY 24.

For this Gazette.

MR. JENKS,

EVERY man loves to be talking of his own affairs; and this perhaps would be reason enough for my troubling you with this: but besides that I think my story a little odd and somewhat curious, and for that reason may give your friends, if I can only tell it right, a bit of amusement, I hope thereby to gain a friend or two if I should find in need. Without more preamble then you must know that my father left me the homestead farm of sixty acres or thereabouts; and he left my son Tom, then a lad, and all the brat I have, a lot of wild land of about a hundred and forty acres, with only a potato yard or so cleared upon it—with this condition though that I should have the chief management of his lot till such times as Tom could out talk me, or till we should agree that it was best for him to take it into his own hand. From that day forward the young dog took every opportunity he could get to be at work on his land—And not only so, but he has built two or three saw mills upon the brooks that run through it, and has got boats of his own to carry boards, and wood, and beef, and fish and so on, across the pond that washes one side of it. To say the truth it has now become an inheritance worth the having. As all this work not only helped my interest, but also gave my family a weight, as a body may say, in the town, you may be sure I did not hinder it. Tom was twenty four years old the seventeenth day of October last; and has been hammering these two or three years upon being his own man. He says, among other things,

That he is now of full age, as he calls it, being above one and twenty.

That there are two or three young gentlemen (his very words) of his acquaintance, younger and not so rich as he, who set up for themselves a year or two ago; and that these young gentlemen (mind you) and all the neighbors and towns people are laughing, and pointing, and making mouths at him, because he is still a boy, and under his father, when he might be a man and have a family of his own; so that, he says, he is a laughing stock for the whole town.

That neighbor Lumber's farm, being thrust in, as it were, between his lot and mine, a great deal of time is lost in going backwards and forwards.

That it is a shame for us at all hours to pass through neighbor Lumber's gateway, and directly by his door, more especially at meal times.

That nothing he is sure, makes us keep on doing so but just to show the neighbors that we have more lands and are richer than they.

That his lot is more than as big again as mine, and therefore wants his whole contrivance and labor.

That when he's upon the spot all the time, he can carry it on cheaper, and to better account.

That though he can't but own that my coaxing him to help build my new parlour last year, was done in due form, and with his own consent, yet he can't help thinking that it bordered somewhat a little upon the take in: and that my design to build a dove-house near carries a little of the same meaning with it—And both not only because I thereby get so much clear of old lim, but also because I may think he will be the more loth to quit.

That his proportion of these two jobs would build him as good a house as he wants.

That we bring the hay all off his lot and carry no manure back, so that it is not so rich as it would be if the hay was spent on it.

That people break in upon the back of his lot, and steal away the timber and do other damage, when if he was there himself he could not only hinder them, but could make that very circumstance turn to good account.

That I myself have carried off materials from his land to build a school house or two on mine, which, as I shall have the boarding and other bills of the scholars, will be all for my benefit and none for his.

That his wood and timber have not been managed with that good husbandry which they ought to be—nor have the affairs of his lot in general been so well done as he thinks he could have done them himself.

That he is now no more than an actor. But that as soon as he is for himself he is sure of being a Selectman; which, he says, will add weight to our end of the town.

That he is not only of age, but has also sufficient ability and experience to manage an estate as well as the first farmer in town.

For these reasons the young jackanapes says he thinks it high time for him to marry and set up for himself— and actually talks of going a courting.

Now did ever anybody hear the like! The forwardness of young fellows now a days is truly astonishing! Why, they talk about marrying as tho' it was a common business. It was quite different, Mr. Jenks, when I was young.

I remember I once made up to a young girl as tho I had a liking for her, when my mother, who happened to see me, gave me such a box on the ear as I shall never forget. However, notwithstanding Tom's forwardness, I can see plain enough he is not really in earnest, tho he pretends he is:—the reason of which I know to be his fear that he and his wife (when he gets one) will quarrel about the spot whereon to set their dwelling house. Besides, if the worst comes to worst, I think I, with his mother's help, can yet out talk him.

Yours to bush,

Simon Croaker.