To wind up by stating that I got married to a beautiful heiress, after the usual stern opposition, but final consent of her stony-hearted old “parient,” and that I settled down after my rambles, and lived to a green old age, would be a very happy termination; but the events narrated are of too recent occurrence, and would appear like anachronisms. So, I must abandon that idea.
Still, I must make some disposition of myself, for if the reader is allowed to suppose me still perambulating over the world with the inevitable CRUTCH, he will feel that he has not yet read the conclusion of my story, and will look forward to the publication of a supplementary volume of adventures, similar to these—look forward, I heartily assure him, only to be bitterly disappointed. Linger over this volume, gentle reader, for when you have laid it down you will hear of John Smith, the man of the CRUTCH, no more. He is a dead letter.
But now for that disposition. This remarkable character must be got rid of some how. But how? I can think of no end for him so fitting as _death_.
So, dear reader, as I have abandoned the idea of concluding with an account of my marriage; as death is a circumstance of almost as much importance in one’s history; and as I am supported in this course by eminent precedent—Moses having given a graphic account of his own death in Deuteronomy; and as, moreover, this may be read years hence, when the hand that is writing it has indeed grown cold, and the pen fallen from its weary grasp, (and when there will be a vacant crutch to let,) I will conclude by simply stating that I died.
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All changes were typographical in nature. Punctuation errors were silently fixed. Inconsistent or older spellings of words were not changed. Differences between chapter titles in the Table of Contents and at the beginning of a chapter were left as printed. The other spelling changes were:
p. 21 athough was replaced with although p. 26 hurridly was replaced with hurriedly p. 42 persecucutions was replaced with persecutions p. 66 eat was replaced with ate p. 193 nevet was replaced with never p. 194 strategem was replaced with stratagem p. 209 scarely was replaced with scarcely p. 244 Misouri was replaced with Missouri p. 288 circumtances replaced with circumstances p. 332 endeaver replaced with endeavor p. 343 do not not replaced with do not p. 376 vogage replaced with voyage p. 368 "to" inserted after "had happened" p. 370 occuence replaced with occurrence p. 372 vogage replaced with voyage.