Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1856-08-14

| 80 -,,~N 1859 mo ceiOhSt VypoShV
made any glasses at all entirely unnecessary
1t was only an aristocratic weakness in Tiff
Spectacles he somehow considered the mark of
gentleman, and an appropriate symbol for one
who had = been fetched up in one of the very
fustiest families of Old virginny."
He deemed them more particularly approp;.
ate, us, in addition to his manifold outward du-
ties, he likewise assumed, as the reader has
seen, some feminine accomplishments. Tiff
could darn stocking with anybody in the
country; be could cut out childrens dresses
and aprons; be could patch and he could seam;
all Of which he did with infinite se,isatisfac-
ton.
Notwithstanding the many crooks and crosses
in his lot, Tiff was, on the whole, CHEEKY fell
low. lie had an oily, rollicking fulness of ma
ture, an cxuherancc of physical satisfaction in
existence, that the greatest weight of adversity
could only tone down to becoming sobriety.-
He was on the bappiest terms of fellowship
with himself he liked himself, he believed in
himself; and when nobody else would do it, he
would pat himself on his own shoulder and say,
Tiff, you re IL july dog IL fine fellow, and
like you :" lie was seldom withouta running
strain Of soliloquy with himself, interminglcd
with joyous bursts of song, and quiet intervals
of laughter. On pleasant days Tiff laughed
great deal. He laughed when his beans came
up, he laughed when the sun came out after Il
storm, he laughed for fifty things that you never
thpk Of laughing at, and it agreed with him
he throve upon it. In times Of trouble and
perplexity, Tiff talked to himself, and found a
counsellor who always kept secrets. On the
present occasion it was not without some inward
discomfort that he took Il survey Of the remains
Of one OF lis best-latted chickens. which he
had been intending to serve up, pecemeal, for
his mistress So he relieved his mind by little
confidential colloquy with himself.
"Dis yer" he said to himself, with con
temptuous inclination towards the newly-arriv.
cd, " will be for eating like judgment, | pose.
Wish now | had killed de old gobbler! Good
enough for hiln-raal tough, he is Dis yer,
now, was my wimest chicken, and dar she'll
jist sit and see him cat it Laws, desc yer
women Why, dey does get so sot on husbands :!
Pity they couldn't have something like to be
sot on 1t just rifles me to see him gobbling
down everything, and she u looking on! Well,
here goes, said he, depositing the frying-pan
over the Goals, in which the chicken was soon
fzzling. Drawing out the table. Tiff prepared
it for supper. Soon coffee was steaming over
the fire, and corn-dodgers baking in the ashes.
Meanwhile, John Ciipps was busy explaining
to his wife the celebrated wares that had SO
much raised lis spirits.
"Well, now, yer see, Sue, this yer time I've
been up to Raleigh and met fellow there,
coming from New York, or New Orleans, or
some Of them northern states"
New Orleans isn't u northern state" hum
bly, incrposcd his wife, " is it "
We'll, new something Who the devil
cares Don't you be interrupting me, you
Suse!"
Could Cripps have seen the vengeful look
which Tiff gave him over the spcctacles at this
moment, he might have treInbled for his sup
per; but innocent Of this, he proceeded with
his story.
You see, this yer fellow had case of bon
nets just the heig ght of the fashion. They come
from PaIis, the capital of Europe. and he sold
th III to me for mere song Ah you ought
to see 'em I'm going to get Um out. Tiff,
hold the candle here And Tiff held the
burning torch with an air Of grim skepticism
and disgust, while Cripps hammered and wrench
ed the top boards off and displayed to view a
portentons array Of bonnets, apparently of ev-
cry obsolete style and fashion of the last fifty
: years.
/" Dem fust rate for scarescrows, anyhow ~
O muttcred Tiff
Now what said Crpps,--" Sue, what dc
t you think gave for these "
" l don't know, said she family.
' "Well, gave fifteen dollars for the Who'll,
| box And there ant one of these" said he
displaying the most singular specimen on hi
q hand, =" that isn't worth from two to five dol
lars shall clear, at least, fifty dollars ON tina
box"
. Tiff, at this moment, turned to his frying
b pan, and bent over it, soliloquzing as hc dit
t so-
d Any way. $ found out one ting-wher
de women gets dem roosts Of bonnets dey war
at calnp-mectings. Laws! deys enough tt
a spie work of grace, dem ar IF was tt
/ meet one of dem AZ of night in u graveyard
3 should tink was sent for-not the pleasant
: est way of sending, neither. Poor misses i
/ looking mighty faint Don't wonder, though
8 'Nough to SCARF weakly woman into fts!'
y " Here, Tiff, help Inc to open this box. Holt
a the light here. burned if it don't come Of
n hard Here's u lot of boots and shoes got o
d the same man. Some Of 'em Is mates, and som
y ant, but then, took the lot cheap. Folk
i don't always war; both shoes alike. Nigh
e like to war; an odd one sometimes, ef it's cheap
Now. this yer parr of boots is ladies CUTTERS, al
g complete, 'cept thars hole in the lining, dow
rs by the toe; body ought to be careful abou
IN putting it on, else the foot will slip betwee
~ the outside and lining Any body that bear
ne that in minc--just as nice pair of CATERS a
en- they'd want Bargain, there, for somebody
complete one too. Then I've got two or thre
bureau drawers that I got cheap at auction
ng and | reckon some on EN- will fit the old fram
me that got last year. Got 'em for n mere sonp
~ Bless you, massa, dat ar old bureau I too
leh for de chicken coop! Turkeys chickens bo,
md in lively"
ear %, well, scrub it up--'twill answer ina.