Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1847-08-26

: pan, as it began to simmer on the fire. The
great time had at length arrived. All was
eager expectation and wonder. On stools
, and chairs in front of the fire, or upon the
: hobs beside it, the whole crew perched them
, selves, in order to command a birds eye,
, or rather, perhaps, a sleeps eye view of the
interior of the vessel, through which their
mother caused the spoon necessarily to wan
, der. En- how the sugars melting Eli,
how the bells are coming up Eth how
red it is!' were among the exclamations
, which broke from them every moment, whilst
every eye glistened with delight, and every
mouth gushed with the water of hope. "Eh,
mother, I'll stir for ye," cried Tam. "No,
let me-let me--let me--let me-" exclaim-
ed half score of voices, amongst which
could be heard that of child of two years,
which only spoke from imitation of the rest.
This the mother, for reasons good, was
pleased to decline, although the perspiration
was already pouring in streams over her
good natured cheeks. Tam, however was
not to be banked in his obliging design ;
so he rushed to drawer, got horn spoon
and next instant was helping his mother in
her culinary duty. The help he gave might
have been repealed, if the rest had not i'm
mediately followed his example; so, that,
before she could utter word of remon-
STRANGE, her spoon was struggling in the boil
ing mess with six or eight others, welded
by hands quite as vigorous, and little more
active than her own. To have attempted
to thrust out these volunteer spoons, would,
she perceived, only cause the loss of as
much jelly as would stick to them, and this
as often as they might be withdrawn. Feel
ing herself quite unable to contend with the
enemy, she tried to temporise with them.
She said she would allow them to stir if they
would promise not to take out their spoons
to lick them All readily promised and
next moment, as if the forbddance had only
served to suggest the trick to them, each
one was seen cooling his spoon by vigor-
Gus application of his BREATH and endeavor-
ing to divest it of its lucious burden. Vain
was every plteous protestation of the per-
spring woman-vain every threat, for she
at length began TO threaten-equally vain
all attempts to thurst them away from
place to which the constant stirring chained
herself. She vowed she would tell their ia
ther, and they should see what he would
say but they well knew they should all be
in their beds before he came home. By
and by, the time came when she herself
should taste the Jelly, to ascertain if it was
sufficiently boiled; and for this purpose she
took out some, which she put into a saucer,
and placed on the dresser When, after
minute she turned round to taste this little
quantity, she behed the saucer applied YER
tically to Tam's face while his two wicked
grey eyes twinkled merrily over the upper
edge. The rascal had licked it as clean as
if it had been washed. "Ah, Tam" she
could only cry. She now put a small guam
tity into two saucers, which she placed on
the sides of the fireplace, so as to be direct
ly under her eye. That instant they were
both whisked off by two new culprts, who
securely enjoyed the treat at the back of the
door, while she could only cry to them that
they were young blackguards, and should
have none when it was ready. But these
tricks of three of the younkers unavoidably
led to other tricks, it being an old establish
ed maxim in this house, that if one got any
thing good whether by free-will offering or
by stealth, all the rest were entitled to as
much. Davie therefore, and Will, consid-
ering themselves defrauded by the stothref
of Tam, Jock and Peter, instantly set about
measures for the purpose of righting them
selves; and seizing two of the little pots
which their mother had placed on the table
for the reception of the jelly, began to help
themselves to a reasonable proportion out of
the pan, by means of their spoons. The
mother entreated that they would put down
the pots, as the jelly was now ready and
would spoil if longer kept on the fire. She
even promised them whole slices of bread
covered with jelly if they would do as she
babe them. But they had long come to
know the force of the old proverb, that a
, bird in the hand was worth two in the bush
| and, even if she were afterwards to deny
them what she now on certain condition
offered, they had too much reliance on their
; own powers of appropriation, to fear that
they should make themselves at least as well
, They, therefore, licked on with due DELHI
| Grafton till they had finished their messes
| when, to do them justice, they did replace
, the pots. Mrs. Sempill was now in sad
! stew with heat and apprehension, and wish
! ed heartily that she had never attempted to
! make Jelly. "Oh BARNS, bairns," she ex.
e claimed piteously; then added in her own
= thoughts, :" was there ever one poor woman
sac trySted with family as | have been
f If he had been but at hame himself (mean.
h ing her husband, they might hae been keep
Y it aft me awhile. But he's never here when
d he's wanted" All regrets, however, were
S now vain, and she was glad to conclude the
business, as she thought, by pouring out the
J., contents of her pan, which she found to fill
S only three pots and tea-cup, being not
t above the half of what she would have had
n If the children, to use her own expression
e had behaved themselves
: In compound state between par-boiled
e baked and melted, poor Mrs Simpill now
h sat down to rest on chair as far from the
l. fire as possible, while the Juveniles, still fal
= from seated, nocked about the three pot,
:, and the tea-cup, to gaze upon the still ho
t, liquid, and calculate how many slices o
IS loaf it could make delicious. Moth
+ ing, of course, but the absolute dread o
n scaldng their fingers could have prevented
a them from plunging into it; the mother
n knew that, and was for the mean time a
r ease on the subject. But this state of thing
l. lasted but for short time A tremendous
2 attack was now made upon her for piece
2, with jelly upon them, by way of trying it
/ She had, they alledged, promised them a
E. much, and there, they said, was the loa
,r ready to be cut for the purpose "Weel