The Lock and Key Library: The most interesting stories of all nations: American

Probably Deadman's Point, a small island near Deadman's Bay, off the eastern coast of Newfoundland.

42

Aspect.

43

See Story of the Blind Man, Baba Abdalla, in Arabian Nights' Entertainment. An inhabitant of Bagdad, Asiatic Turkey, meets with a dervish, or Turkish monk, who presents him with a vast treasure and with a box of magic ointment, which, applied to the left eye, enables one to see the treasures in the bosom of the earth, but on touching the right eye, causes blindness. Having applied it to the left eye with the result predicted, he uses it on his right eye, in the hope that still greater treasures may be revealed, and immediately becomes blind.

44

A bay of the East River, on which the Brooklyn Navy Yard is situated.

45

The southern extremity of New York City.

46

See Shakespeare's The Tempest, act ii., sc. 2.

47

At the time this story was written Bloomen-dael (Flowery Valley) was a village four miles from New York. It is now that part of New York known as Bloomingdale, on the west side, between about Seventieth and One Hundredth Streets.

48

Orchard oriole.

49

"Root house," i.e., a house for storing up potatoes, turnips, or other roots for the winter feed of cattle.

50

The same, no doubt, of whom mention is made in the history of Dolph Heyliger.

51

A fabric made of goat's hair and silk, or wool and cotton.

52

Hermann Boerhaave (1668-1738), a celebrated Dutch physician and philosopher.

53

Jan Baptista Van Helmont (1577-1644), a celebrated Flemish physician and chemist.

54

A mountain chain in northwestern Germany, between the Elbe and the Weser.

55

Astrology, alchemy, and divination were three imaginary arts. The first pretended to judge of the influence of the stars on human affairs, and to foretell events by their positions and aspects; the second aimed to transmute the baser metals into gold, and to find a universal remedy for diseases; while the third dealt with the discovery of secret or future events by preternatural means.

56

A divining rod is a rod used by those who pretend to discover water or metals underground. It is commonly made of witch hazel, with forked branches.

57

Hobby, or hobbyhorse, a favorite theme of thought; hence, "to mount a hobby" is to follow a favorite pursuit.

58

Overcoat.

59

Dutch courage is courage that results from indulgence in Dutch gin or Hollands; here applied to the gin itself.

60

"Three wise men of Gotham,
They went to sea in a bowl —
And if the bowl had been stronger,
My tale had been longer."
Mother Goose Melody.

Gotham was a village proverbial for the blundering simplicity of its inhabitants. At first the name referred to an English village. Irving applied it to New York City.

61

A small bay in the East River below Corlear's Hook.

62

A German exclamation of anger, equivalent to the English "zounds!"

63

A swift, disorderly movement.

64

A noisy throng.