Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1841-01-29
A MELTING STORY.

,ess that facetiOuS aptness Of inilcting good
1umored revenge which seems to be innate
with Green Mountain boy. Impose upon
Or injure vermonter, and he will seem the
lrollcst and best naturcd fellow you ever
knew in all your life, until suddenly he poun-
ccs upon you with some cunningly devised
offset for your duplicity; and even while he
makes his victim smart to tho core, there is
that manly open-heartedness about him
which lnfuses balm even while the wound is
opening, and render it quite impossible that
you should hate him, however severe may
have been the punishment he dealt out to
you. These boys Of the Green Mountains
seem to possess natural faculty Of extract
ing fun from every vicissitude and accident
the changing hours can bring; even what
are bitter vexations to others, these happy
fellows that in manner so peculiar as to COM
pletcly alter their former character and make
them seem to us agreeable, or at least endu-
rable, which was before in the highest degree
offensive. Another man will repay an ag-
gravation or an insult by instantly returning
injury, cutting the acquaintance and shutting
his heart forever against the offender: but
Vermonter, with smile upon his face, will
amuse himself while obtaining far keener
revenge, cracking joke in conclusion, and
making his former enemy forgive him and
even love him after chastisement.
One winterevening, country store-keep-
or in the Mountain State was about closing
his doors for the night, and while standing
in the snow outside putting up his window
shutters, he saw through the glass ounging,
worthless fellow within, grab pound of fresh
butter from the shelf and hastily conceal it
in his hat.
The act was no sooner detected than the
revenge was hit upon, and very few mo-
mcnts found the Green Mountain store-
keeper at once indulging his appetite for fun
10 the fullest extent, and paying off the thief
with facctlous sort of torture, for which he
might have gained a premium from the old
inquisition.
~ say, Seth" said the store-keeper,
coming in and closing the door after him,
sapping his hands over his shoulders and
stamping the snow of his shoes.
Seth had his hands upon the door, his hat
upon his head, and the roll of new butter in
his hat, anxious TO make his exit as soon as
possible.
81 say, Seth, sit down; l reckon, now,
on such an e-tar-nal night as this, leetle
something warm wouldn't hurt fellow
come and sit down."
Seth felt very uncertain he had the but
ter, and was exceedingly anxious to be of,
but the temptation Of something warm
sadly interfered with his resolution to co.
This hesitation, however, was soon settled by
the right owner Of the butter taking Seth
by the shoulders and planting him in seat
close to the stove, where he was in such a
manner cornered in by barrels and boxes,
that while the country grocer sat before him
there was no possibility Of his getting out,
and in this very place sure enough the store
keeper sat down.
"Scth, we'll have little warm Santa
Cruz" said the Green Mountain grocer, as
he opened the stove door, and stuffed in as
many sticks as the space would admit, "witll-
out it you'd freeze going home such night
as this"
Seth already felt the butter settling down
closer to his hair, and jumped up, declaring
he must go.
"Not till you have something warm, Seth !;
come, I've got story to tell you, too sir
down now )" and Seth was again pushed into
his seat by his cunning tormenter.
sob! it's tn darn'd hot here" said the
petty thief, again attempting TO rise.
"Set down-don't be in such a plaguey
hurry ,"rctortcd the grocer, pushing him back
in his chair.
"But I've got the cows to fodder, and
some wood to split, and l must he agoin,'
continued the prosecuted chap.
"But you mustn't tear yourselfawa Seth
in this manner. Set down let the cows
take care of themselves, and keep yourself
cool; you appear to have the fdgctts," said
the roguish grocer with a wicked leer.
The next thing was the production of two
smoking glasses Of hot rum toddy, the very
sight of which, in Scth's present situation,
wonld have made the hairs stand erect upon
his head, had it not been well oiled and kept
down by the butter.
"Seth, I'll give you toast now and YOU
can butter it YOURSELF" said the grocer, We,
with an air of such consumatc simplicity tina,
poor Seth still believed himself spccted
"Seth, here's-here's a Christmas goose--(it
was about Christmas time)-here'sa Christ
mas goose, well roasted and basted, chi |
tell you, Seth, it's the greatest eating in ere :
alton. And, Seth, don't you never use hogs
fat or common cooking butter TO haste with
fresh pound butter, just the same as you see
on that shelf yonder, is the only proper thing
in nature to haste goose with come take
your butter--I mean, Seth, take your toddy."
Poor Seth now began to smoke as we'll as
TO melt, and his mouth was as Theoretically
sealed up as though he had been dumb
Streak after streak the butter came pour
ing from under his hat, and his handkerchief
was already soaked with the greasy overflow.
Talking away, as if nothing was the matter,
the grocer kept stulfing the wood into the
stove, while poor Seth sat Dol, upright, with
his back against the counter, and his knees
almost tOuchiny the rcd hot C,,r,.r. boc,..