Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1856-09-20
EVENING STAR,
AUNT HANNAH TRIPE's EVENING
. TALES.
ALI, ARnUT HER CnU1 rxn.p

L remember now, it's year and one week
exactly; because L know had just finished
| spinning my mixed wool-the last of the fleece
that growed on old Humpback-Humpback
was sheep that my husband, poor, dear man,
| bought in York State of an auction feller and
he alters kept her wool for the stocking yarn,
because it was finer than the other sheepSes >
| wool, and not so nubby."
:" Wall, now the way that sheep died was
rally presbyterious twas one Of the seven
wonders of this mighty universe. Ye see,
one morning yer uncle, he says TO me, very
suddenly sez he, Hannah, / kinder feel as II
old Humpback wouldn't survive long shes
been ailin' good while, and you'd better be
savin' of that wool of hern, and knit the tops
| and toes OF yer stockings out of white
| az poohed at him, and SCI I, I" Law, Mica
jah, the sleeps well enough Do put on yer
boots and 60 to the barn if ye're q goin' to-
day. Don't set there a snufing ashes any
| longer
"Ye see, Micajah had wonderful habit of
gettin up and settin down by the fire in his
stOckin feet, and, with a boot in each hand,
there he'd set till 1 got breakfast reddy Now
L never allowed myself to get in the habit of
scoldin, but it alters did raise my 'ebenezer
to see anybody settin round in their stocking
feet, for if there's anything hate it's darn
ing up old stockings.
| AT this ere broad hint he pulled on his
boots awful spry and went out 1 KEEP. On
| gettin' breakfast. can remember Jest as
well as if it were but yesterday what [ was
cookin billed pertaterS; we did use to raise
the best per.aters that ever you seed there
| was the pink eye and the cranberry, and the
mango, and the rohan, and the long red, and
don't know what all. Wall, / was bilin
pertatorS, and then | had pork, good, fat,
salt pork to fry; We alters got our pork so fat
| that the pork would fry itself; none Of yer
suthern stuff L can tell ye. Then L had sas-
| sengers ana good corn bread. and some baked
beans that was left Of our dinner the day be
| fore. L alters gathers up the fragments, for
| do think 1t is a sin TO waste vittels. L rcmem-
| Der had just put them beans into a bowl to
| warm, when in rushed Micejah, his eyes ter
! ribly strained, and his mouth open jest for all
the world as if he was a ketching flies, and
| seZ he
"Oh, Hannah, she's dead Humpback's Is
dead poor old faithful critter, she's gone at
| last
II was dumofounded. dropped down on
a cheer, and sez I, sakes alive, Micajah, L
haint felt so bad since the very time that de-
sitefu! Poll HammertOn told Inc that it was q
sartin fact that you and Emmeline Pepperell
was ingGged. Dear, dear, how Solemnized /
| did feel then About what Poll told me, /
mean. l thought of all the poetry ever
read, and how disappointed ones alters
| drowned themselves in some wiiler bordered
lake; SO L ondid my hair to make me look
rhumatic, and went down to the frog pond in
| our pastur but there, this has nothin' to do
| with the old sheep, has it! 1 declare never
was guilty Of emigrating from my subject 8,
| afore. do think if any body kalkerIates tC
tell story they better tell il, and no; go Of
on some long rigmarOle after nOthin'. Now,
there's the Wilder Richards, she's the great.
est case to tell q story that ever you seed
She ii 60 all over creation teilin nothin'
| and thai critter actilly thinks that my CieeIo
Eldad is a goin' to be ketched in her yaller
false curls There, it almost deconposes ma
to think Of it; that cIitter my sons wife
| ID rather marry him TO a painted rag bag
and be done with it They do say that il is a
| fact that she daubs her face with butter-milk (
| to make it look white, aud rubs her checks in
mullen leaves TO make 'em look red, and puts
| lie on her hair and, and-let's see, where
! did L leave of! About my poor, demeAted
husband came In looking SO ;solemncholy.
Why he looked for all the world jest as he
did great while ago when he asked one time
| afore We was married-but there, might tell
ye as well as not, how l cum TO heV your
uncle, and then you'll know all about it
Ye see, was born and brought up II
Tattleville, and your uncle lived over to Pun
kin City. They alters called it Punkin City
because the folks over there had q good deal
Punkin City folks made all their bread out of
| punkins, used the leaves for pie kivers, the
stalks for clothes pins, and the shells-only
think Of it, child, they had mt a single dish
but what was punkin shell.
But there, you know if folks couldn't talk
| they couldn't say nothin and tain't no use TO
believe everything You hear.
"Wall, one time there was to be a great
| husking party at Deacon Lieingles'; il Was
| no in ha a,4tn
| though for the life Of me I never could sec
| what made 'em call il so I; there's precious
| little gold about it anyhow. l was acqusint.
| ed with Jerusha Liesingle, the deacon oldest
| darser (The deacon was widder She
| and me were great cronieS, can tell ye, and
| the way We used to gOit when we got together
was a caution. Jerusha had the Eeft Of the
! work to do; so the day afore the huskin she
| sent for me to come over and help her fix L
was tickled to death to 60, SO 1 put on my
| new calico dress; there, how we'll do remem-
ber that dress. 1t was a red and yaller
| stripe, with q sprlg Of roses every now AMI
| then on to it. 1t was made with short sleeves
and / put on my long sleeved spencer; it was
afore these ere basket waists cum In fashion,
We didn't have no such foolish names in them
good old times; well, put on my long sleeved
| spencer to keep my gown clean, and gay as
peacock, went over to the deacons
claw massy sake sich cluttered up
place rs that kitchen was 1 never did sec.
They had been churning. there sot tho churn,
half full of buttermilk, rite in the middle If
tho floor and the dinner dishes wasn't wash
ed, and the cat was actiily up in the sink
smcllin of the butter ladle. Poor Jerusha
her face was redder than June piney, and
her eyes looked like two holes burnt in red
blanket. She was into the suds up to her el-
bows, washin table cloths for the great Ca ion,
and her little sister, Huldah, was out pickin
up chips to make the FIRE kinde.
Wall. Jerusha," sez 1, g now Jest tell us
what you want done and here's the gal that
ready to propel."
Let mo see, sez she, there's the attic
beds to make, and the fore room to sweep, and
the dishes to wash, and two cracked puddin
dishes to sew together, and the coffee to grind,
and the knives TO scour, and then there's the
cookin let me think l baked the ginger
bread and fried the turnovers yesterday, and
this forenoon l made the punkin pies, so all
we'll have to do will be to make the appIe
and mince pies, We shall want two dozen Of
each kind, and then there's the doughnuts
and the -four bread to FIX.