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

I'm ana croWdln into the Settln room. some
O. the folks pushed and jammed as if they was
afeard they shouldn't git the best chance. Clio
~ Ann Billins sOt at one end o the table q
pourin' coffee, and 10 Gipson's wife at 'tother
end pourin' tea; and l tell We, twas as much
as ever they could dew to pour it fast enough.
jeff, he flew round and helped the ladies'.
For my part, didn't feel ike eahn' much
| was jammed up agin the wall and couldn't
stir hand nor foot. So ] told jeff to fetch me
a cup of tea and nut-cake, and he did; and
| took en, and managed TO eat the nut-cake,
but somebody hit my elbow and made me spill
the heft o the tea so | stood and held my
empty cup, and looked on to see the perform
ance. l say fort. if 'twant worth seem, I'm
mistaken. Why if was a starvin' TO death,
l shouldn't be willin' to act as some O them
folks did. They pushed, and elbowed, and
pulled, and hauled, and grabbed like crazy
critters. Twas amusin' to see 'em put down
the vittals-Pd gin sixpence, Nancy, to a
had you there; 'twould ben fun for you TO
look on and see the dewins You'd a thought
that the biggest part o the company hadn't
had nothing to eat since the last donation par
ty, and didn't expect to have nothing till the
next one. The wimmin, as Il general thing
took tea, and eat the cake and pies, and so
forth. And the men, they let into the coffee.
and biscuit, and cheese, and cold meat, and
such like. / actilly see Deacon Skinner drink
six cupso' coffee, and eat in proportion. And
DR.. Lippincott, my grief twas perfectly as
tonishin' to me that one mortal body could
hold as much as that man put in-no wonder
he's 50 fat-they say he gifts the heit of his hv-
in away from home-contriveS to git to one
patients house Jest as dinners ready, and to
anothers jest at tea time, and so eats with 'em.
And | wish you'd seen the Widder Grimes
Grammany how the critter did stuff ltook
paricer notice of her, and | see she had an
awful great work-bag on her arm, and every
little while she'd contrive to tuck piece in
tot, when she thought nobody lookin'. As
soon as got chance / hunched jeff, and
says I-"For PHYS sake, JEFF, dew obsarve the
the Wilder Grimes" 81 JEFF, he watched
her spell. "By George" says he, III that
amt rich l' tell We twas fun for jeff. Byme-
by-alter she'd got her bag purity well filed,
saysJen to me, SAYS he-"Now, mother, may |
stir her up little? IL don't care says |.
So he reached forrard and ho.lered across the
table few her, loud enough for every body to
hear-"Miss Grimes, may | come 10 your par
?" "My party;?' says she; "what do you
mean 2" "Why," says jeff, say he, Il reck-
oned from the size O your bag, and the guam
tity o provisions YOU was layin' in, that you
was calcu!atn' to make party, and thought
I'd like to come" Every body looked at Miss
Grimes; and, tell We, she looked as if she'd
like to crawl into some knot-hOle-and | don't
know but what she dil-ior she made her dis
appearance amazin' soon after. And, then,
them summary gals-gracious how they did
eat / 'sposc they was half-starved at Miss
Pinchem's Afore long the table was purity
well cleared, and Miss Scrantum had to 90 to
the buttry and bring on all twas left. | guess
everything in the house that could be cat
without stoppin' to cook it, was made way with
that night. When the Summary gals Lad cat
all they wanted, they amused thcmsC Ives {
throwin' hunks O. cheese and butteTed biscuit
ut the young men. After most o the other
catablcs had been disposed Of Dave Runyon
great gumpl went into the battry and brought
out the box o raisins THAT was to 20 towards
Cappen Smalley's pcw-rent, and handed 'em
around Everybody grabbed. especially the
summary gals and children, till ther want one
left in the box. When supper was about fin
ished, Jane Elizy Fustick, (shc's always try
in to dew something cunnin',) she went into
the s,ore-room and got a chain o sassages, that
old Miss Croker brought, and come along sli-
iy and throw'd it round Liph Peabody's Shout
ders. Liph, he was standin' by the tea board,
drnkin' cup O. coffee. When he felt the
sassages come foppin' round his meek, he was
skairt, and whiskcd round suddenly and bit
the tea board, and knocked it of onto the floor
/ and smash went everything on it What
made 1t more aggravatin' was, Their was dOz-
en- Chany cups and sarcers on it that Miss
Scrantum had fetcLt out after the folks come
out 10 supper. They was some that she sot I
great deal by; her mother gin EN- few her,
and her mother was dead. She didn't bring
EN- on at first, for fear they'd get broke. She
sot on all her common crockery, and borrercd
good deal at Smalley's store, calculatin' If
any ont was broke 10 pay fort. But when
she see so many folks croudin' out. she was o.
fcard thcr wouldn't be cups enough, so she
fetcllt out her mothers Chany cups and sot
EN- on the tea board. But Glory Ann got a.
long without usin' EN-. and there they sot, and
when the tea board fell, they fell few, and every
one on EN- was broke or cracked. Gracious !
how Miss Scrantum looked when she see her
precious Chany all to pieces. She didn't say.
word, but her lips quivered, and she trem
PILED all over. But she seemed to overcome It IN
minnit and went and brought a basket and
begun TO pick up the pieces, and and Jeil
took hold and helped her. A good many o
the company had gone back into the paIlor /;
but ther was enough left to track the sassage
round and, my goodness what work they made
with em While we was a pickin up the
crockery, all of sudden ther was terrible
hoIlerbaloo in the parlor-Jef and me rushed
in to see what was the matter, and gracious
grandfather what do you 'spose 1t was?
Why one O. them pesky seminary gals had
throw'd hunk O. cheese and hit Miss Scran-
tum's parlor lamp that was settin on the table,
and knocked it over and broke it all to flinders.
But that want the wost on't-wherc it tum-
bled over it fell right onto that plum-colored
satin bunnt, and the lie run all over it in min
nit Afore anybody could keich the bunnit, one
side ont, ribbin and all, was completely rui ed.
Such sight as twas. you never set your tew
looking ewes on! All theile thatdidn't 60 on.othe
bunnit was soaked up in the paper that Jefi'ool,
that was lyin'right asdeonf, and the biggest
part O that was spilled few. Ny grief how l did
feel whenI see that beautiful bunnit in such a
condition And poor Miss Scrantum turned as
pale as death, and Susan cried like everything. |
I avail Son, innincott (fhe DEBTORS red head