The Middlebury galaxy. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1848-1850, 1848-05-02

Well, the day afore the party Jefferson
come hum to stay few days. l told him
| was gwine to the donation party, and
he said he'd like no better fun than to 90
with me. Jeff's always ready to 60, you
know. So he went and got ream O.
nice paper for the parson to write his sar-
mons On. At last the day come, and l
and JEFF, we started off for the party. We
went quite arly in the evenin, for want
ed to be there fore twas crowded. Their
hadn't nobody come when we got there,
only three or four ladies', that was a git
tin the supper ready. There was Glory
Ann Billins, and Polly Marian Stillman,
and 10 Gipson's wife, and old Mother Par
ker settin' the table. You know at
them kind O. dewins they always have a
supper sot out for the company. The
congregation provides the Entertainment
ginerally, but in this place the minister's
wife has to find good share ont. Miss
Scrantum found the tea and coffee, and
sugar and cream, and butter, and SO forth.
Some O the neighbors sent in cake and
pies, and cheese and biscuit. But Miss
Scrantum was afeard Their wouldn't be E.
nough O. the cake and pies-so she sent
to the bakers and got a mess more
We'll, | axed Miss Gipson where we should
put our donations, and she told US TO take
'em in the parlor and lay em on the table.
Their was table there purpose to put
the dry goods on. The provisions was
carried into the store-room. So we went
in there and laid 'em on the table. The
bunnit was pinned up in newspaper.
Jeff he sot down, and started off to find
Miss Scrantum. found her IN the kitch-
EN- a maxim coffee. She looked dretful
tired and beat out. was real sorry l
hadn't went sooner and helped her. She
was wonderful glad to see me- and told
her to go and dress herself, and Id make
the coffee. So she thanked me and went
and | took hold and made the coffee.
Their was an awful sight ont; never
made so much afore in all my born days,
and never expect to again. Twas made
in Miss Scrantum's biler. She'd secured
it up for the occasion. Twas biler that
held ten pals full-and it was brimmin'
full O. coffee. After I'd got it made, i
went back into the settin'-room. They d
got the table all sot. Ther was lots o.
cake, and biscuit, and pies. and cold meat
aud all sorts O. stuff. Then | went into
the parlor, and 10 and behold, 10 GIBSON
wife and old Miss Parker had ondid the
bunnit, and was admirin' ont at wond.
erful rate. Jest then Mr.. and Miss Scran.
tum and the children come in, and dear
me how pleased they was with the bun
nit. Miss Scrantum, she tried it on, and
il fitted her TO 7. But Susan you'd
ought to seen Susan She jumped and
frisked round, and didn't hardly know
what to dew with herself, she was SO de.
lighted. 90, Miss Magwire," says she,
THAT beautiful bunnit wasn't for you after
all, was it? What a dear good woman
you are, to make ma such fine present
She'll look as nice asany body now--won'i
you ma? They seemed wonderful pleas
ed to see Jefferson, tew; and Mr.. Scran-
tum was'yery glad to git the paper-said
twas Jest what he wanted. Well, purity
soon the company begun to come. and
they come pourin' in thicker and faster
till the house was crammed. The settin'-
room door was locked, so as to keep EN-
out O. there till supper was ready-and
tell We, all the rest O. the house was Jest
as full as it could stick. The parlor and
the hall and the bedrooms was all crowd
ed and crammed. You'd a thought,
from the number O. folks that was there,
that ther'd ben a wonderful sight O. do
nations brought-but as true as I'm iv-
in critter-that are table want half full.
But then ther was good many families
that fetcht one article TO answer for the
hull. For instance, Deacon Skinner and
all there and Miss Skinner fetcht skein
O. yarn to knit Parson Scrantum some
socks. Miss Hopkins and her three dar-
tiers and her son and his wife, that was a
visitin' her, and their children all come
and Miss Hopkins brought half pound
O. tea. And the Runyons with their four
Young ones-what 90 you think they
brought? Why, Miss Runyon fetcht a
little fancy basket to stick on the centre
table and put visitin' cards in. And the
Miss Foote's, three on 'em, they brought
Miss Scrantum pair o cuffs. And all
the Brighams, they fetcht neck ribbin
for Susan. And Deacon Peabody and his
tribe, theirs as much as dozen on 'em,
they brought small cheese. heerd af-
forwards that hall font was donation and
t'other half was to go for pew-rent. And
Cappen Smalley and all his children was
there. He fetcht box O raisins gu: Of
his store, ther was twelve pound int, and
Susan told me afterwards that ten pounds
was to go towards pew-rent and the rest
was present. The Wilder Grimes and
Charity was there, of course. They did
MT go nigh the donation table for some
time, and | was kind O. Gurus to know
whether they'd brought anything, SO l
watched 'em, and bymeby, observed
Charity go silly up, when she thought no
body didn't see, and lay little paper on
the table. l had curiosity to see what
,vae in n ca as ccop az I Uof chance |