Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1841-05-05
Iings, and other Puritan

nuts, indian puddings, and other Puritan
daintlcs, she wss as round, and plump,
as pudding. With this round rosy
Miss Betsey, dill Samuel Scw"ll fall IN
love. A. he wns young mnn oI good
character, industrious IA his business,
aud member ol the church, the mint
mnsrer readily gave his consent.
"Yes--you may take her." said he,
in his rough way, "and you will find her
heavy burden enough :"
! On the wedding day We may suppose
that honest John Hull dressed HIMSELF
IA a plumb rulorcd coat, all the buttons
of which were made OF pine tree shll-
Iings. The buttons of his waisIcoai
were sixpeuces and the knees of hIs
sa.all clothes were buuoned with silver
lhreepences. Thus a,ircd he sat with
great dignity in Grandlather's char (;
and being portly ole gentleman, h"
completely filled it from elbow 10 elbow.
On the opposite side of the room, be-
\ tween her bridemaids, sat Miss Betsey.
She was blushipg wilh all her might,
aud looked like u full blown IWonv, Il
great red apple, or any other round aud
scarlet object.
l There, too, was the bridegroom, dress
ed in line purple coat, and gold lace
wuistcoat, with as much other hnery as
4 Iihc Puritan laws aud customs would al
low hun to pul on. Ills hair was cropt
close to his head, because Governor
Endcou had forbidden any man to wenr
It below his ears. But he was very
pcrsonnble young man aud SO thought
the brIdemalds and Miss l}elsey herself.
! The mInt-masler also was pleased with
his son-in. law especially he had court
ed Miss Beiscy ont Of pure love, aud
had said nothing about her portion. SO
when the marriage ceremony WAS over,
/ Captain Hull whispered word /" two
I of his men servants, who immediately
went out aud soon rslurnrd, luggng M
\ IA large pair of scales They were such
| a pair as Wholesale merchants use, lol
weighing bulky commodities, aud quite
IA bulky commodity was TO be weighed
| IN them.
/ daughter Betsey," said the mint
master, "get into one oi these scalcs!'
\ Miss Be,scy-or Mrs. Sewall, as We
must now call her-did as she was I'D
! like dulIlul child, without any question
/ Of The why aud wherefore. But what
Il her father could mean, unless to make
! her husband pay for her by the pouAd,
/ On which case she would have been a
dear bargain) she had not the leas, idea.
"And now" said honest John Hull to
the servants, bring that box hlther.
\ The box, to which the mint-masier
\ pointed, was huge, square, iron bound,
oaken chest; II was bIg enough, my
children, f,r all four of y"u 10 play hide.
| and seek IN. The servants tugged with
! might and main, hut could not lll the
enormous receptacle, and were finally
| obliged To drag 1t acioss the iioor. -
n Captain Hull then took ii key from his
4 gIrd!e, unlocked the chest, aud lifted lis
! pouderous lid. Behold II was full TO
the Drlm of br ght pine tree shilIrngs,
! fresh from the mint; and Samuel SrwulI
! began TO thlnk that his iaiher-ln-law had
got possession OF all the money IL the
Massachusetts Treasury. But it wa:
only the mint masters honest share o
coinage
/ Then the servants, al Captain liulPs
command heaped double handiuls o
shllIings into one side of the scales, whil,
Bctsey remained in the other. Jingle
iillueic, went the shlilings, as handful al
ter handful was thrown in, I'LL, plnml
and ponderous as she WAS, they ialrl,
weighed the young lady from the floor
. "There, SON Sewall" cred the mint
master, rcsuming his seat il Grandla
TIERS chair, "take these shIings for ny
daughters portion. Use her kindly
: and thank Heaven for her. 1t is no
every wife that's wprlh her weight IL
Il silverW
/ The children laughed heartily at this
legend, and would hardly he convinced
! but that Grandfather had made 1t out o
! his own head. He assured them faith.
fully, however, that he had found it 1t
the pages of a grave historian, and haC
1 merely tried To tell It in a sumewhat fun
nier style.
"WeII, Grandfather" remarked Clara
"it wedding portions nowadays wcr'
paid as Miss Betsey's was, young ladle
would not pride themselves upon ialr
, form, as many OF then do