To a
natural waywardness and quarrelsomeness had been added a heritage of
bitter memories, and the outlook was not bright.
Upon one thing the youth was determined: he would no longer be a
charge upon his uncle or upon any one else. What to turn to, however,
was not so easy to decide. First he tried the saddler's trade, but
that was too monotonous. Then he undertook school-teaching; that
proved little better. Desirous of a glimpse of the world, he went to
Charleston in the autumn of 1782. There he made the acquaintance of
some people of wealth and fell into habits of life which were beyond
his means. At the race track he bet and swaggered himself into notice;
and when he ran into debt he was lucky enough to free himself by
winning a large wager. But the proceeds of his little inheritance,
which had in the meantime become available, were now entirely used up;
and when in the spring the young spendthrift went back to the Waxhaws,
he had only a fine horse with elegant equipment, a costly pair of
pistols, a gold watch, and a fair wardrobe--in addition to some
familiarity with the usages of fashion--to show for his spent
"fortune.
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