Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1868-09-29
Uncle Johns Adventure.

"When | was a lad of seventeen"
be said, II was little vain and lit
tie green. Ny father and mother were
very strict with their children, and,
though generally kind and forbear-
ing, when they did give us the oil of
birch, we got more than taste and
no sugar after it.
'1 had some pretty cousins, but |
had never seen them. One of them,
Margaret, called Elite, was, | was told
very beautiful. She had received some
fattering accounts of myself, from the
pen of another relative, and evidently
thought me, as thought myself, some
what superior to the rest of the fami-
ly.
Among my fathers many provisos
for the regulation of our family affairs
was one-a good one, too-that no
member of his household must be out
after ten o'clock.
"To this he adhered with such Ro-
man strictness, that two of my elder
brothers, one twenty-five and one
thirty, had never dared to evade the
rule.
"One cold winter evening-it was
Saturday, and almost as sacred in my
fathers eyes as the Sabbath had
gone with neighbor's son some five
miles into the country. We loitered,
for it was a beautiful night. The
moonbeams glittered on the white
snow by the wayside-the weather
was only exhilirating, not very frosty
and the village clock struck eleven
just as | arrived in sight Of the high
white fence and the walls ofhome.
For a moment | stood like one
pctrifed. What should | say for my
self, if my father had remained up
waiting for ne.
"There was no light to be seen,
and my heart beat more freely, though
| crept like culprit toward the house.
| tried the doors. They were all fast
ened; but l gained an entrance, IA
miliar to no one but myself-into the
cellar,
"The door leading into the hall was
locked; and, at first, there seemed a
prospect Of spending the night there ;
but it was only fastened by a hook,
and | hit upon the ingenious device
of inserting a splinter sufficiently
firm to pass through the creyice, and
at last succeeded in releasing myself.
"How delightfully."- warm the kitchen
felt! The odor oftaked pears and
Sundays rndding created in me an
instantaneous appetite. If | could
but find light! fumbled about in
the intense darkness, my fingers COM
ing in contact with everything but
what | wished, until, after a search
Of ten minutes, | found myself in pos
session of old candle end and one
match.
"No sooner had | lighted the match
than it took the liberty of going out
the fire having previously taken the
same precaution- and l was again
cropping in the dark.
ITO make it yet more intolerable,
had, as the sailors say, lost nv bear.
ings. There were opposite closets
and opposite doors, but for the life
of me | could not tell which led into
the pantry, which into the hall and
which out into the street.
However, | determined to have
some of the baked pears; and, fortu
nately, | hit upon the closet. There
| searched until | had come into pos
session of table spoon and plate
and, crouching, | began to feel about
among the pots and pans.
Gone of them, fancied indicated
its contents by the slight warmth i
yet retained, so | in with a spoon anC
dipped out what would have been my
share at supper, debating with myself
whether | should eat them there Of
take them to my room, where coulC
hide the evidence of my guilt, namely
the dirty plate and spoon. But th'
comfortable warmth of the kitcnen de
cided me. | could take the empt,
dish up stairs, and bring it down il
the morning, unobserved and clean.
II seated myself on the old settee
fearlessly plunged in the spoon, fear
lessly accepted its contentS-a hug
mouthful of soft soapl
"The misery at that moment | nev
er shall forget. Soft soap had alway
been my pet adherence; the yer.
sound was odious to me. | manages
to clean the spoon, for knew if tn
matter leaked out, | should neve
hear the last of it. The plate ant
offending soup threw out of the win
dow as far as | could aim, and from
the yell of poor cat at that particu
lar moment, l should not wonder if
hit something.
"There was nothing to do but G
up the stairs and go to bed. pal
TALLY undressed in the kitchen, 'crep
to my room, and had just reached th
bed, where the moonlight, comm
through the windows, showed me tw
faces on the pillow, and clusterin
curls. This was embarrassing; an
| made my way out of the room NOR
rapidly than | had come into it.
"My teeth were beginning to cha
ter with the cold. A spare bedroom
and the garret remained for my az
/. commodation, and | crept quickly t
the former, when | was greeted wit
sound more nasal than musical.
@Peeping in between the curtain
II discovered two persons sleepin
there, and concluded they were m
nncle and aunt from Granville. Turl