Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1859-12-24
MISC ELLA N Y.
UNCLE ABEL AND LITTLE EDWARD.
BY HARRIET BEEcuER STOWE.


Were any of you born in New England, in
the good old catechising, school-going orderly
timesp If you were, you must remember my
Uncle Abel, the most perpendicular, upright,
downright, good man, that ever labored six
days and rested on the Sabbath. You remem-
Der his hard, weather-beaten countenance, where
every line seemed to be drawn with pen of
iron and the point of diamond his consider
ate gray eyes that moved over the objects if
it were not best to be in hurry about seeing
the circumspect opening and shutting OF his !
mouth his down-sitting and uprising; all OF
which appeared to be performed with convic-
ton aforethought, in short the whole ordering
of his life and conversation, which was accord
ing to the tenor of the military order, "to the
right about face-forward-march !"
Now, if you have supposed from all this tri-
anguarism of exterior that this good man had
nothing kindly within, you are much mistaken.
You often find the greenest grass under a snow
drift and though my uncles mind was not ex-
actly of flower garden kind, still there was an
abundance of wholesome and kindly vegetation
there. 1t is true he seldom laughed, and never
iokcd himself; but no man had more serious
and weighty conviction of what good joke was
in another; and when some excellent witticsm
was dispensed in his presence, you might see
Uncle Abel's face slowly relax into an express
sion of solemn satisfaction, and he would look
at the author with certain quiet wonder, as if
it was astonishing how such thing could ever
come into a mans head. Uncle Abel also had
some relish for the fine arts, in proof whereof
might adduce the pleasure with which he gaz-
ed at the plates in his family Bible; the like
ness whereof presume you never any of you
saw and he was also such an eminent musician
that he could go through the singing book at
sitting, without the least fatigue, beating time
like wind-mil all the way. He had, too,
liberal hand-though his liberality was by the
rulo of three and practice. He did to his neigh
bors exactly as he would be done by-he loved
some things in this world sincerey-he loved
his God much, but he honored and feared him
more; he was exact with Others, he was more
exact with himsclf--and expected his God to be
more exact STILL Everything in Uncle Abels
house was in the same time, place, manner and
form, from years end to years end. There was
old Master Rose dog after his own heart, who
always walked as if he was learning the multi
plicaton table. There was the old clock forev-
er ticking away in the kitchen corner. There
were the never failing supply of red peppers
and onions hanging over the chimney. There
were the yearly hollyhocks and morning glories,
blooming around the windows. There was the
''best room" with its sanded floor, and ever
green asparagus bushes, its cupboard with a
glass door in one corner, and the stand with
the Bible and almanac on it in the other. There
was Aunt Betsey, who never looked any older,
becaused she always looked as old as she could I;
who always dried her catnip and wormwood last
of September and began to clean house the first
of May. In short this was the land of contin-
uance.
Old Time never seemed to take it into his
head to practice either addition, subtraction or
multiplication on the sum total This Aunt
Rotsay oforonopod was the npafpst and most
efficient piece of human machinery that ever
operated in forty places at once. She was al
| ways everywhere, predominating over and see
| ing to everything; and though my Uncle had
| been twice married, Aunt Betseys rule and au-
thority had never been broken. She reigned
over his wives when living, and reigned after
them when dead and so seemed likely to reign
to the end of the chapter But my uncle's last
wife left Aunt Betsey much less tractabe sub
ject to manage than had ever fallen to her lot
before Little Edward was the child of my un-
cle's old age, and brighter, merrier little bios
som never grew on the edge of an avalanche.
He had been committed to the nursing of his
grandmother until he arrived at the age of in
discretion. and then my old uncle's heart yearn-
| ed towards him. and he was sent for at home.
| His introduction into the family excited terri
BILE sensation. Never was there such con-
temner of dignites, such violator of such high
places and sanctities, as this very master Ed
ward. 1t was all in vain to try to teach him
decorum. He was the most outrageously mer-
ry little elf that ever shook head of curls, and
it was all the same to him whether it was Sab
bath day or any other day. He laughed and
frolicked with everybody and everything that
came in his way, not even excepting his solemn
old father and when you saw him with HIS arms
round the old mans neck, and his bright, blue
eyes and blooming cheek pressing out by tht
black face of Uncle Abel, you almost fanciet
that you saw spring caressing winter. Uncle
Abel's metaphysics were sorely puzzled how tc
bring this sparkling, dancing compound OF spir
it and matter into any reasonable shape, for hi
did mischief with an energy and perseverance
that were truly astonishing. Once he secured
the floor with Aunt Betsey's Scotch snuff, ant
once he spent half an hour in trying to maxi
Rose wear her spectacles. In short, there wa
no use but the right one to which he did no
nut everything that came in his way. But Un
Gle Abel was most of all puzzled to know wha
to do with him ON the Sabbath, for on that da.
Master Edward seemed to exert himself partic
ularlv to be entertaining edward must no
play on Sunday" his father would say, and thel
Edward would shake his curls over his eyes ant
walk out of the room as grave as the catechism
but the next moment you might see pussy scam
pering in dismay through the "best room" wit
Edward at her heels, to the manifest discomfor
of Aunt Betsey and all others in authority.
At last my uncle came to the conclusion tina
.;t wasn't in natur' to teach him better, an
that he would no more keep Sunday than tn
brook in the lot My poor uncle, he did nc
know what was the matter with his heart bu
certain it was he had lost all faculty of scoldin
when little Edward was in the case, though b
II would stand rubbing his spectacles quarter
an hour longer than common, when Aunt be
- alA Il