Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1859-12-17
miscellaneous
LITTLE EDWARD.
ny HARRIET BrscusR srows.

good old catecbising, church-going, school-going
elderly times9 If so, you may have seen my
Uncle Able the most perpendicular, rectangular,
upright downright good man, that ever labOied
six days and rested on the seventh.
fou ememoe his hard, weather beaten coun-
tenance, where every line scanned drawn With "a
pen OF iron and tho point Of a dilmon6; his con-
siderato, gray eyes that moved ever objects as if
1t were not best 10 be in a hurry about seeing the
circumspcct opening and shutting of his mouth |;
his down-si'ting and uprising, all performed with
conviction aforethought-in short, the whole order
ing of his life and Conversation, which was uc-
cording to the tenor VI the military order, 'to the
right about ace-forward march Now if you
suppose, from all this triapgularism Of exterior,
that this good man had nothing kindly within,
you are much mistaken. Yuu often fnd the
greonest grass under q snow drift and, though
my unele's mind was not exactly of the flower
garden kind, still there was an abundance Of
wholesome and Indy vegetation there.
1t is true he seldom laughed, and never joked,
himself, but no man had q more serious and
weighty conviction Of what q good joke was in
another ; and when some exceeding witicism was
dispensed in his presence, you might see Uncle
Able's face slowly relax into an expression Of
solemn satisfaction, and he would look at the au-
thor with O sort OF quiet wonder, as If il was past
his comprehension how such a thing could come
into q mans head.
Uncle Able, too, had some relish for the fine
arts in proof of which | might adduce the pleas
ore with which he gazed at the plates in family
Bibles, the likeness whereof is neither in heaven,
nor on earth, nor under the earth. And be was
also such au eminent musician that he could 60
through the singing sook at one sitting, without
.be least fatigue, beating time like a windmill all
the way.
Flo had, too, a liberal hand. though his liberali-
~ was all by the rule of three. lie did to his
neighbors exactly as he would 5e done by he
loved some things in this world very sincerely !;
and he loved his God much, but he honored and
feared him more be was exact with others, he
was more exa.t with himself, and he expected his
God to be more ex ct still.
Everything in Uncle Able's house was in the
samo time, and place, AMI manner, aud form,
from years end to years end. There was old
Master Bose, q dog after my Uncle's own heart,
who always walked as if he were studying the
multiplication table. There was the old clock,
forever ticking in the kitchen corner, with a pic
ture on its face of the sun forever setting behind
q perpendicular row of poplar trees. There was
the never failing supply of red peppers and on
ions hanging over the chimney. There, too, were
the yearly holyhocks and morping-glories, bloom
ing about the windows. There was tbe'best roop,,'
with its ssnded floor, the cupboard corner with
Its glass door. the evergreen asparagus bushes in
the chimney, aud there was the stand. with the
Bible and almanac on it, in another corner.
There, too, was Aunt Betsey, who never looked any
older, because che always looked as old US she
could who always dried her catnip and worm
wood the last of September, and began to clean
house the first of May. In short this was the
land of continuance. Old Time never took it into
his head to practice either addition, or subtraction
or multiplication on its sum total.
This Aunt Betsey aforenamed was the neatest
and most efficient piece of human machinery that
ever operated in forty places at once. She was
always everywhere, predominating over and see
ing to everything and though my Uncle had
been Twice married, Aunt Betsey's rule and au
thority had never been broken. She reigned ovel
his wives when living, aud reigued after them
when dead, and SO seemed likely to reign to ID,
end Of the chapter. But my Uncle's latest wifi,
left Aunt Betsey a much less ira ctable subjec
than had ever before fallen to her lot. Little Ed
ward was the child OF my Unole's cd age, and
brighter. merrier, little blossom never grew on til
verge Of an avalanche. He had been COMMITTEES
to the nursing of his g%randmamma till he had ar
rived at the age Of indiscretion, and then my oil
Uncle's heart SO yearned for him that be was sen
for to come home.
His introduction into the family excited n terri
BILE sensation. Never was there such a contemne
Of dignities, such q violator of high places anc
sanctities, as this very Master Edward. 1t wa
all in vain to try to teach him decorum. lie wal
the most outrageously merry elf that ever shook
head Of curls and it was all the same to hin
whether it was Saba day or any other day, be
laughed and frolicked with every body and every,
thing that came in his way, not even excepting
his solemn old father and when you saw him,
with his fair rms around the old mans neck, and
his bright blue eyes and blooming cheek pressing
out besides the bleak faco of Uncle Able, you
mightfancy you saw spring carressing winter. I'm.
etc Ablets metaphysics were sorely puzzled by this
sparkling. dancing compound of spirit and matter
nor could he devise any method of bringing it in
to any reasonable, shape, for he did mischief with
an energy and perseverance, that was truly aston
ishing. Once he secured the floor with Aunt Bet
sey's very best Scotch snuff, once he washed u,
the hearth with Uncle Able's most immaculat
clothes brush ard once he was found trying /
make Bose wear his fathers spectacles. In shor
there was no use, except the right one, to whiel
he did not put everything that came in his way.
But 10 cle Able was most Of all puzzled to kno,
what to do with him on The Sabbath, for on tha
day Master Edward seemed to exert himself to b
particularly diligeni and entertaining. Edward
-EdEsrd must not play Sunday ! bis fathe
would call cot and then EDWARD would hold u
his curly head and look as grave as a catecbiem
but in three minutes you would sec pussy seam
ering through the best room, with Edward at he
heels, to the entire discontinue OF all devotion il
Aunt Beisey and all others in authority.
Al lcngth my Uncle came to the conclusion tina