A Yankee would have betaken himself to the corner grocery.
But here, though that "adjunct of civilization" was directly across the
way, most likely it had never had a stove in it. The sun would give
warmth enough in an hour,--by nine o'clock one would probably be glad of
a sunshade; but the man was chilly after his ride; it was still a bit
early to go about the business that had brought him into town: what more
natural than to hitch his horse, get together a few sticks, and kindle a
blaze? What an insane idea it would have seemed to him that a passing
stranger might remember him and his fire three months afterward, and
think them worth talking about in print! But then, as was long ago said,
it is the fate of some men to have greatness thrust upon them.
This main street of the village, by the way, with its hotels and shops,
was no other than my river road itself, in its more civilized estate, as
I now remember with a sense of surprise. In my mind the two had never
any connection. It was in this thoroughfare that one saw now and then a
group of cavaliers strolling about under broad-brimmed hats, with big
spurs at their heels, accosting passers-by with hearty familiarity,
first names and hand-shakes, while their horses stood hitched to the
branches of roadside trees,--a typical Southern picture. Here, on a
Sunday afternoon, were two young fellows who had brought to town a
mother coon and three young ones, hoping to find a purchaser.
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