So you
perceive there will be no novelty in the appellation."
"I would have made oath to it," cried the captain, "from your
well-established humility. Is the place as large as London?"
"It can boast of little more than my own office, a tavern, a store, and a
blacksmith's shop, captain, as yet; but Rome was not built in a day."
"Your neighbours, sir, must be people of extraordinary discernment; but
the name?"
"That is not absolutely decided. At first it was called Dodgetown, but
this did not last long, being thought vulgar and common-place. Six or
eight weeks afterwards, we--"
"We, Mr. Dodge!"
"I mean the people, sir,--I am so much accustomed to connect myself with
the people, that whatever they do, I think I had a hand in."
"And very properly, sir," observed John Effingham, "as probably without
you, there would have been no people at all."
"What may be the population of Dodgetown, sir?" asked the persevering
captain, on this hint.
"At the census of January, it was seventeen; but by the census of March,
there were eighteen. I have made a calculation that shows, if we go on at
this rate, or by arithmetical progression, it will be a hundred in about
ten years, which will be a very respectable population for a country
place. I beg pardon, sir, the people six or eight weeks afterwards,
altered the name to Dodgeborough; but a new family coming in that summer,
a party was got up to change it to Dodge-ville, a name that was immensely
popular, as ville means city in Latin; but it must be owned the people
like change, or rotation in names, as well as in office, and they called
the place Butterfield Hollow, for a whole month, after the new inhabitant,
whose name is Butterfield.
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