Egotism 1; or, the Bosom Serpent

[From the Unpublished "Allegories of the Heart."]

1 The physical fact, to which it is here attempted to give a moral signification, has been known to occur in more than one instance.

"Here he comes!" shouted the boys along the street. "Here comes the man with a snake in his bosom!"

This outcry, saluting Herkimer's ears as he wa