[From _Autobiography of Samuel D. Gross, M. D._ (Philadelphia,
1887, v. i.)]
It was pleasant to dwell in the land of Boone, of Clay, and of
Crittenden; to behold its fertile fields, its majestic forests, and
its beautiful streams; and to associate with its refined, cultivated,
generous-hearted, and chivalric people. It was there that I had hoped
to spend the remainder of my days upon objects calculated to promote
the honor and welfare of its noble profession, and finally to mingle
my dust with the dust and ashes of the sons and daughters of Kentucky.
But destiny has decreed otherwise. A change has come over my life. I
stand this evening in the presence of a new people, a stranger in a
strange place, and a candidate for new favors.