Before the period of which I write, the county and town had unfailingly voted the Democratic ticket.

But for half a decade the unrest of the cities reflected in the journals had been disturbing the minds of country communities in the Middle States.

In the rural districts of Pennsylvania there had been very little actively hostile sentiment about slavery, but the never ending disputes over Kansas had at last begun to weaken party ties, and more and more to direct opinion on to the originating cause of trouble.
The small voting population of Westways had begun to suspect of late that James Penhallow's unwillingness to discuss politics meant some change in his fidelity to the party of which Buchanan was the candidate.

What Mrs.
Ann felt she had rather freely allowed to be known.

The little groups which were apt to gather about the grocer's barrels at evening discussed the grave question of the day with an interest no previous presidential canvass had caused, and this side eddy of quiet village life was now agreeably disturbed by the great currents of national politics.