going and never tired, up early and late, of a chirruping sort of
address and an equal temper, and while he appeared to be thrifty and
money-making, he did all manner of good turns for the high and the
humble; and, although everybody said he was the homeliest young man in
the region, yet more village girls went to their front doors to see
him than if he had been a showman coming to town to do feats of magic.
He was not unintelligent either, and could play on the violin, compute
accounts equal to the best country book-keeper, and as he was of
religious turn, although attached to no particular denomination, the
meeting-houses on every side, hardly excepting the Quakers themselves,
delighted to see him drive up on Sundays and tell an anecdote to the
children and sing a little air, half-hymn sort, half stave, but always
given with a good countenance, which apologized for the worldly notes
of it. If any severe interpreter of Christian amusements took the
people to task for tolerating such a universal and desultory
character, there were others to rise up and ask what evil or
passionate word or act of sorry behavior in Fithian Minuit could be
instanced. The severe Francis Asbury himself raised the question once
on the Bohemia Manor amongst the Methodists, and got so little support
that he charged young Minuit with the possession of some devilish art
or spell to entrap the people; but Fithian once, when the good
itinerant's horse broke down on the road, met Mr. Asbury, won his
affections, and mended his big silver watch.

"This mending of clocks, watches, and every description of
time-keepers was the occupation of Minuit. He had picked up the art,
some said, from a Yankee in the army at the close of the war, and
certainly no man of his time or territory had such good luck with
timepieces. Residing in the little village of Christina (by the
pretentious called Christi-anna, and by the crude, with nearer