Her own life had been prosperous, and her marriage happy. Her
brother, however, had fallen back into his old habits, and died ere
the war of 1812 was ended. Dorothy had returned to her friends in
Massachusetts, and was still living, in a comfortable condition,
owing to a legacy from an uncle. The bee-hunter had taken the field
in that war, and had seen some sharp fighting on the banks of the
Niagara. No sooner was peace made, however, than he returned to his
beloved Openings, where he had remained, "growing with the country,"
as it is termed, until he was now what is deemed a rich man in
Michigan. He has a plenty of land, and that which is good; a
respectable dwelling, and is out of debt. He meets his obligations
to an Eastern man just as promptly as he meets those contracted at
home, and regards the United States, and not Michigan, as his
country. All these were good traits, and we were glad to learn that
they existed in one who already possessed so much of our esteem. At
Detroit we found a fine flourishing town, of a healthful and natural
growth, and with a population that was fast approaching twenty
thousand. The shores of the beautiful strait on which it stands, and
which, by a strange blending of significations and languages, is
popularly called the "Detroit River," were alive with men and their
appliances, and we scarce know where to turn to find a more
agreeable landscape than that which was presented to us, after
passing the island of "Bobolo" (Bois Blanc), near Maiden.
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