The Portland daily press., 1862-07-30
COMMUNICATIONS.
Written for the Press
A Letter to Sam Pumpkins from his Cuz-
zen Dorothy Ann away Down East.

n L6ltcT 10 sam PUMPKINS from his CuZ-
zen Dorothy Ann away Down East.
Ny DEAR CUzzEN SAM received your
last epystle in dew time, and should hev an
serd it afore now but / hev bin awful bizzy
gittin reddy to go up to Portland to attend the
massonick seebrashun. / didn't know as
thot praps you'd like to have a discripshun
oft Well, fustly we tfor wasn't alone) took
the bote in the P. NJ. an arroye there the next
day In the A. NJ. Our rapturus ears was gre
ted with sounds of marshul musick. They
play'd Nelly BLY,, waite for the Wagon, yanke
doodle and several uther Natonantic ayers
which was charinin. tell you Sam twas
enuff site better'n your fiddle. Ihad hearn tell
considerable bout the prosesshun an was aw-
full anckshus to see it; twas bout the longest
prosesshun of the kind ever seen. I've seen
good many funeral prosesshuns, but don't
think any of um was so long as that one was.
Sum of the prosesshun was on hoss, sum was
in too seated kiverid karridge (suthin like
Squire Washburn's up our way, only bigger
my cuzzen in the city sez thems barroochis,
sum was walkin, sum he'd on three cornerd
hats with white feathers, an sum he'd strips of
velvit round their necks. / told my cuzzen
/ gest them men had sore throtes but she
grined and sed them was regailyures, sum
didn't hev on no regailures, only little white
apons with blew ribbun. After we he'd vew'd
um long enough there cum real hansum fel-
Ter an asked men my cuzzen if we wouldn't
go to Mr. Pribbles hous to dinner. Now Sam
praps you never herd of Mr. Pribble. well he
bilt CRATE hous, an he'd lots of pooty furni-
tary in it, why such a CRATE hous l never see,
an he went to takin borders and dodgers an
itinnyrunts as my cuzzen sed, but what she
mept by that was more'n know'd. Well as
was sayin this hansum feller asked men my
cuzzen If we would go and we code. | CESS
youder larfed for they had the table sot in a
big room big enuf for a dancin hall, an such
lot of um to. Jest as l was goin to set
down, there come feller up behind me and
with an apon tide round him and do you think
Sam he shuved my chair rite agin me so as
you spose sot down ruther sudden. This ryled
me, an when l turned round to tell him he
needd.Aeseh he could impose on me diskiv-
i
without adressin him. o sez what funny
tumblers they hey here, such hi ones. Hush sez
my cuzzen thems gobblers. And don't you think
Sam they hey little towels stuck rite into um.
SEE | that's funny place to keep theyer towels
shonld think. My cuzzen turned kinder red
ez If twas hot day, ('twasn't tho) an sez she
thems napkins to wipe your face an fingers
with. | spose she thot didn't no much, for
every time Fde goter speek she'd look as if
she'd ruther give the world than for me too
but didn't care no how, for sech queer way
as they did hev of doin things at Mr. Pribbles
house, l never see afore Why they he'd little
handbills all over the table. Hullow sez /, goin
to be a pannerrammer? funny place for ham
bills tho sez /. The hansum feer spoke up an
sez he thems bill-o'-fare. Billy who, sez l.
bill-of-fair, seq my cuzzen, pokin me in the
rybs, them is printed statemunts or outlynes
of the vittles that is produced for our nasty
fycashun, an you ken be helped to any of the
artikles enumerated on that doykyment, sez
she, now don't talk so loud.
That feller with the apon on KEEP stanin at
our elbose, heerin all we sed; so sez / what
do you want? Sez he, want to wait upon
you. No You don't, sez 1; I'm alreddy spoke
for, sez |. Sez my cuzzen, (feelin jellus) he
wants to know what you win hev to eat. Well,
sez l, if Miss Pribble is good cook. I'll hev
sum rosie turkey, for | ken git enuff corn-beef
an liver on the farm. So after I'd got reddv
to eat, and he'd all the preliminary escorts, as
my cuzzen called um, thot I'd employ my
hiest idees to talk to the feller; so, sell, by
way Of introjucshion, Mr.. Pribbles house ruth
er beets anything we've gut down east. In
deed, sez he. Yes, sez 1. Now, my CONVEX
sashunal powers isn't much, and he wound up
so sudden like, that didn't no what subjeck
TO interuce next, so, sez l, holdin up my fork,
they keep they're tin ware shiny, don't they?
/ ges Miss Pribblc must be master tidy bout
house; an as he didn't say nothin but YES,
which seemed to be a favrite phraize of ex-
presshun, KEEP on. Sez l. examnin it close
thems ruther hevy for tim ges they must be
puter. ges if l see Miss Pribble I'll screp
acquaintance with her, an ask her where she
gifts her scourin stuff
BY TINS time my cuzzen was ez she said
completely fiustered, an mortyfycashun cum on
so, sez !, | guess we'd better git her out, for
she's kinder dillykit; so, after she begun TO re-
sumo, she asked the feer if he wouldn't go