Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1874-03-25
The Cohan>ey Tea Fight.

" 1t Is pouring cats ana dogs. said
Violet, looking out of the window at the
storm. " There isn't Il bit of Use in think
ing of it, Is there, aunt
should say not answered Aunt
Elizabeth. 10 be sure 1t may clear up
before five o clock, but unless the weather
improves, | think YOU had better give
1t up.
Give up what ? asked Grandmother
Howell.
Going to Annabclla tlOyd's tea-hght.
grandmother" answered.
My dear said Aunt Elizabeth. She
hild Il horror OF slang, and She had never
heard tins particular phrase, winch had
Just begun to come INTO use twenty years
ago.
te;I-lght' And what l. a tet-nght'
asked gran lmotler
Oh, "a little sociahlc tea-party all OF
glri-, Y"a know, eAplHlned. Anna
h"ll1 Floyd, across the creek, has one tins
afternoon, but am AFRAID We can't 90.
mph' Sald grandmother. Il re-
member u tea-hght on ColEnNey Greek
worth gong to,-but 1t WAS II mans tea
hght. not GIRL :, though 4 glrl helped get
1t up, after all.
Oii, please do tel Us about H. grand
ma. said Violet and together: and Aunt
Elizabeth added: :, \ eS. d". gran'imothcr;
II Will help to max" the tune pass pleas
antly.
Violet and myself were making Olr an
nual visitation to Aunt Elizabeth in Green
Wich- New Jersey. We had been there 50
often that 1t was like another home to us,
AMI we knew every house and store and
tree in the broad. quiet street, and every
face in the meeting house, for Aunt Eliza
beth was Friend. and we always went t.
meeting with her. These visits Were
among the happest times of my life
loved Aunt Elizabeth dearly. and all but
adored my great-gr;tndmothc Howell
liked the place and the quiet friendly ways
yes, and the meetings too, even when
there was no preaching and we had Il 81
lent season. Violet sometimes found il
rather dull. but never did.
Aunt Elizabeth lived near the landing
in a wide, comfortable stone house, shaded
by such enormous and aged willows As
think grow nowhere else. From nv win
dow | could see the green at the end o
the street, with one gigantic buttonwood
growing in the centre, the river, or creek
lS we always called it, and the schooner,
and steamers on their way up to Bridge
ton, the metropolis of West jersey; ant
Il wonderful, quaint. pretty. hospitablt
little metropolis it is. | have not seer
that prospect for many long wear, but
have only to shut my eyes to call it all III
before me as plain rs day.
This particular day we were engaged Il
Il small tca-partv ut Annabela Floyd'.
over across the river We were yer,
much bent upon going, but during tn,
morning such Il storm of wind and raj,
had set in, that even Violet confessed tn,
expedition must be abandoned. Unde
these disastrous circumstances, it NAV b,
believed that we hailed with delight tn,
prospect of Il story from grandma.
Grandma Howell was past ninety. Sh,
was somewhat infirm. but her mind wa
AS bright and her feelings as keen as the,
had ever been. She had not the absolut,
patience and self-restraint of Aunt Eliza
beth, her granddaughter, and would some
times wax warm in II adebate, while he
} sarcasm was not Il weapon to be light
encountered: but nevertheless, eyervhod'
loved and respected Grandma Howell
well, get your work and sit down
and LII tell YOU the storvr' said grandma
) who never could bear to see anv one idle
1t all happened in the year IVA, Thin
of that, children, Those willows owe
t there were quite small trees. remember
All, well, it seems "a long time to wait
1T was in the berinnipo of that s,r,
wear. that Aunt Betsy broke IN hons.
keeping and went to live with her nenhev
Abiram Haskins, taking me with her
Aunt Be sy was Il widow, and Abiram'
/ mother had died not long before; and a
he was bachelor and had IL large farm
: he needed some woman about the hons,
So he asked Aunt Betsy to come and tax
charge, and she consented. His hons
| stood near the end of the street , I;ttI