The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1860-02-24
Uncle Abel and Little Edward.
BY HARRIET BEECuER STOWE.

Were any of you born in New England,
in the good old catechising, school.going, or
derly times? you were you must remcm-
Der my Uncle Abel, the most perpendicular,
upright, downright, good man, that ever Ia
bored six days and rested on the Sabbath
You remember his hard, wcather-beaten
countenancc, where every hue seemed to be
drawn with pen of iron and the point of
diamond; his considerate gray eyes that
moved over the objects as il it were not best
to be in hurry about seeing; tho circum-
spect opening and shutting of his mouth
his down.sitting and uprising. all of which
appeared to be performed with a conviction
alorethOught, in short, the whole ordering
of his life and conversation, which was, ac-
cording to the tenor of the military order,
Z" to the right about acc-iorward-
march :"
Now, fyou have supposed from all this
triangularism of exterior that this good man
had nothing kindly within, you are much
mistaken. You often find the greenest grass
under snow drift; and though my uncle's
mind was not exactly ofthc flower garden kind
still there was an abundance of wholesome
and kindly vegetation there. 1t is true he
seldom laughed, and never ioked himself;
but no man had q more serious and weighty
conviction of what good joke was in an
other; and when some excellent witticism
was dispensed in his presence, you might see
Uncle Abel's face slowly relax into an ex-
preston of solemn satisfaction, and he would
look at the author with certain quiet won
der, as if it was n astonishing how sucha thing
could ever come into mans head. Uncle
Abel also had some relish for the fine arts,
in proof whereof might adducc the pleasure
with which he gazed at the plates in his
family Bible: the likeness whereof presume
you never any of you saw and hewas also
such an eminent musician that he could go
through the singing book at asitting without
the least fatigue, beating time like wind
mill all the way. He had, too, a liberal
hand-though his libcrality was by the rule
of three and practice. He did to his neigh
bors exactly as he would be done by-he
loved some things in thisworld sincercly-he
loved his God much, but he honored and
feared him more; he was exact with others,
he was more exact with himsclf-and expect
ed his God to be more exact still. Every
thing in Uncle Absl's house was in the same
time, pl ICE, manner and form years end to
wears end There was old Master Rose, q
dog after his "wn heart, who always walked
ms if he was learning. the multiplication
table There was the old clock forever tick
ing away in the kitchen corner. There were
the never failing supply of red peppers and
onions hanging over the chimney. There
was the yearly hollyhocks and morning
glOries blooming around the windows. There
was tho "best room with its sandcd floor,
and evergreen asparagus bushes, its cupboard
with glass door in one corner, and the
stand with the Bible and almanac on it in
the other. There was Aunt Betsy, who
never looked any older, because she always
looked as old rs she could; who always
dried her catnp and wormwood the last of
September, and began to clean house the first
of May. In short, this was the land of con-
tinuance.
Old Time never seemed to take II into his
head to practice either addition, subtraction
or multiplication on the sum total. This
Aunt Betsy, aforenamed, was the neatest and
most efficient piece ofhuman machinery that
ever operated in forty places at once. She
was always everywhere predominating owe:
and seeing to everything; and though my
uncle had been twice married, Aunt Betsys
rule and authority had never been broken.
She reigned over his wives when living, and
reigned after them when dead and so SEEM
ed likely to reign to the end OF the chapter.
But my uncle's last wife left Aunt Betsy
much less tractable subject to manage than
had ever fallen to her lot before. Little Ed
ward was the child of my uncle's old age,
and brighter, merrier little blossom never
grew ON the edge ofan avalanche. He had
been committed to the nursing of his grand
mamma until he arrived at the age OF in
discretion, and then my old uncles heart
yearned towards him, and he was sent for at
home. His introduction into the family ex-
cited terrible sensation. Never was there
such a contemner Of dignities.snch violater
of such high places and sanctities, as this
very Master Edward. II was all in vain to
teach him decorun He was the most out
mgeously merry little elf that ever shook
head of curls, and it was oil the same to him
whether II was Sabbath day, or any other