The magistrates soon began to suspect that the mint-master would have the
best of the bargain. They offered him a large sum of money, if he would
but give up that twentieth shilling, which he was continually dropping
into his own pocket. But Captain Hull declared himself perfectly satisfied
with the shilling. And well he might be; for so diligently did he labor,
that, in a few years, his pockets, his money bags, and his strong box,
were overflowing with pine-tree shillings. This was probably the case when
he came into possession of Grandfather’s chair; and, as he had worked so
hard at the mint, it was certainly proper that he should have a
comfortable chair to rest himself in.

When the mint-master had grown very rich, a young man, Samuel Sewell by
name, came a courting to his only daughter. His daughter,—whose name I do
not know, but we will call her Betsey,—was a fine hearty damsel, by no
means so slender as some young ladies of our own days. On the contrary,
having always fed heartily on pumpkin pies, doughnuts, Indian puddings,
and other Puritan dainties, she was as round and plump as a pudding
herself. With this round, rosy Miss Betsey, did Samuel Sewell fall in
love. As he was a young man of good character, industrious in his
business, and a member of the church, the mint-master very readily gave
his consent.

"Yes—you may take her," said he, in his rough way; "and you’ll find her a
heavy burden enough!"

On the wedding day, we may suppose that honest John Hull dressed himself
in a plum-colored coat, all the buttons of which were made of pine-tree
shillings. The buttons of his waistcoat were sixpences; and the knees of
his smallclothes were buttoned with silver threepences. Thus attired, he