The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1847-04-17
For the Girls and Boys,
Uncle Abel and Little edward.
my HARRIET BEEcUER STOWE.

y
the good old catechising, school going, order
iy times. Ifyou were you must remember
my Uncle Abel, the most perpendlculnr up
eight, downright good man, that ever lubored
six days and rested on the Sabbath. You
remember his hard weElher beaten counte-
nance, where every limo seemed to be drawn
with pen ofiron and the pQiptAfa diumondi
his considerate grey eyeettfl Moved over the
objects ms ifit were notibEFto be ina hnrry
about seeing; the cirUihispect opening and
shutting of his motitli his devastating and
uprising; all of Which appeared to be per-
formed with n conviction atore thought; in
short, the whole ordering of his life and con-
yersaton, which was, according 10 the tenor
ofthe military order, "to right about face
furw0rd-march"
Now, if you supposed from all this TRAN
gulnrism of exterior, that this good man had
nothing kindly within, you were much mis-
taken. You often find the greenest grass
undera snow drift; and though my uncle's
niud wns not exactly of the flower garden
kind, still there was an abundance of whole
some aud kindly vegetation there. IL is true
lac seldom laughed, aud never okcd himseli
but no man had more serious ana Welghty
conviction Of what good Joke was IN anoth-
GRAND when some excellent WttlclSm was
dispensed in his presence you might see un-
~
sion of solemn satisfaction, and he would
look ut the author with II certain quiet woll-
der, rs if it was astonishing how such thing
could ever come intou mans head. Uncle
Abel also had some relish for the fine arts,
ia proof whereof might udduce the pleasure
with which lie guZed nj the plates in his
Family Bible; the likeness whercofI presume
YOU never any of you saw; and he was also
such an eminent musician that he could go
through the singing book at IL sitting, with
out the least fatigue, like windmill all the
way. He had too, II liberal hand, though his
liberaity was all by the rule Of three aud
practice. lie did to his neghbors exactly
as he would he done 10y he loved some things
in this world sincercly--he loved his God
much but he honored and feared him more;
he was exact with others, he was more eXact
with himselfand expected his God to be more
exact still. Every thing in Uncle A5ePs
house was in the same time, place, manner
and form from years end oycars end. There
was old Master Bose Il dog after my uncc's
own heart, who always walked as ifhe was
learning the multiplication table. There
was the old clock forever ticking AWAY III the
kitchen corner, with picture OIL It's face OF
the sum- forever sitting behind perpendcn-
lar row of poplars. There was the never
filling supply oired peppers and onions hang
w holyhocks and morning glories, blooming
around the windows. There was the chest
ROOM" with its sandeh floor, and evergreen
asparagus bushes, its cupboard with glass
door in one corner, and the stand with the
Great Bible and almanac on it in the other.
There was Aunt Betsey, who never looked
any older, because she always looked as old
as she could; who always dried her catmip &
NORWOOD the last ofSeptember, and hegnn
to clean house the first Of May. In short, tins
was the land continuance.
Old Time never seemed to take 1t into ms
head to practice either addition, subtraction
or multiplication on the sum total. This aunt
Batscy, aforenaIned, was the neaest and most
efficient piece of human machinery that ever
operated in forty places at once. She was
always everywhere, predominating over, and
seeing to every thing: and though my uncle
had been twice married, AUNT Betsey's rule
had never been broken. she reigned over
his wives when living, and reigned after them
when dead; and so seemed likely to reign TO
the end ofthe chapter. But lay uncle'S Ia
tast wife left Aunt Belsey much less tracta-
BILE subject to manage than had ever fallen 10
her lot before. Little Edward was the child
.ofmy uncle's old age, aud brighter, merrier
little blossom never grew upon the edge OF
an avalanche. He had been committed TO
ed at the age of indiscretion, and then my
old mcIe's heart yearned towards him, and
he was sent for home. His introduction into
the family circle excited IL terrible sensation.
Never was there such n contemner of dIgnl-
ties. such Il violator of all high places and
sanctitins, as this very Master Edward
II was all i'm vain 10 try To teach him decurum.
He was the most outrageously merry little elf
that ever shook head of curls, and 1t was all
the same to him whether it was Sabbathdny,
or any other day. He laughed and frollcked
with everything that came i'll his way, not C.
ven excepting his solemn old fathcr;and when
YOU saw him with his arms around the old
mans neck, and his bright blue eyes and
blooming cheek pressing out by the bleak
face of uncle Abel you almost fancied that
YOU saw spring caressing winter. Uncle A
bels metaphysics were sorely puzzled how
to bring this sparkling, dancing compound
ofspirit and matter into any reasonable shape
for he did mischief with an energy and per-
severance that was truly astonishing. Once
he secured the floor with Aunt Betsey's
Scotch snuff, and once he washed the hearth
with uncle AbePs immaculate clothes brush,
and once he spent half an hour i'll trying 10
make Bese wear his spectacles. In short,
there was no use but the right one, to which
he did not put every thing that came in his
way. But uncle Abel was most of all puz-
zled to know what to do with him on the Sab
BATH for on that day Master Edward seemed
TO exert himself particularly 10 be entertain
ing. "Edward, Edward must not play on
Sunday" his father would say. and then Ed
ward would shake his curls over his eyes
and walk out of the room as grave as the cat
echism, but the next moment you might see
pussey scampering in dismay through the
~''best room,' to the manifest discontinue of
Aunt Betsey and all others in authority.
At last my uncle came 10 the conclusion