The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1877-05-04
MY GREAT.AUNT's WILL.

am clerk in country store, and
sometimes l wish I'd been MARTYR in
those days when they stretched people
gridiron. Then l think 1 could have
taken little comfort in life.
One fine morning while 1 was weigh.
ing out half pound of black tea, nv
fellow-sufferer in the dry goods and gro
Gerry infiction called OUT
"Here's a lady inquiring for you,
Sam"
In distinct outline before the door
stood little woman, her skirts spread
out by triangular hoop like the skirts
of the female figures we used to draw
on our states at school came up to
make my bow, and saw she had deposi-
ted brown willow basket ON the show
case and dropped black glazed bag at
her side. She wore stringv kind of
shawl, with fearfully long fringe, and
seemed to be afflicted with numb palsy.
Care you my nephew Sam'wel?'
asked she.
"My name is Samuel Haynes,
ma'am."
"Pm your fathers aunt, Loueezer
Haynes"
"Pm glad to see you, Aunt Louisa"
She looked al me sharply, as if was
making fun of her. suppose it is be-
the corners of my mouth turn up, peo-
pie are always suspecting me of making
fun of them. | wish those corners would
sink, and wonder they don't.
"Pm your only living female relative
oil the fathers side," said she.
My business experience with females
has been so imbittering, was glad to
learn she was the only one on the fa-
theirs side.
Gas you've no mother, 1 feel it my
duty to help make home for you."
Instantly l remembered that Aunt
Louisa was worth seventy-fve thousand.
l think learned that fact in early years
at the parental knee.
"Pm delighted to see you, Aunt LOU
lisa. I'll 90 right down to my boarding
place with you"
Hence, with brown willow basket in
one hand and shiny leather bag in the
other, and my great-aunt trotting be-
hind-why under heaven she didn't
walk by my side couldn't see I'VE
meandered down the street.
We met Evelina ANGELA Plimpton
l was engaged to Evelina ANGELA. l
had enjoyed that honor ever since one
July evening when there came up a sud-
den thunder shower, and she clasped
my arm and calculated she was so "tim-
i'd" An engagement was an annual
episode with Evelina. When solemn
ly asked Pa Plimpton's consent, he
didn't remove his pipe from his mouth,
but just nodded and pursued his previ-
GUS train Of thought. Evelina smiled
patronizingly upon me. Difference to
the aged knew she considered beauti-
full.
My aunt didn't like my boarding
place, and wasn't pleased with my
boarding mistress. She thought we'd
better keep house, and l spent the next
fortnight house hunting with her. The
great destderdtum seemed to be the
right kind of a "buttery;" one would
have supposed butter was to be the staff
OF life with us. We at last found a "but-
terry" on the northwest corner, opening
into both kitchen and dining-room, hav-
ing the requisite number of cupboards,
having shelves that admitted of being
taken out in house cleaning time,
painted bewitohing cream color; and
we engaged that buttery, regardless OF
cost or the character of the neighbors,.
The next momentous step was TO yet
my aunt's "thiugs" moved. 10
l had to 60 to her former place OF
abode TO see about getting the!things en-
route, and had 10 "meet them with a
carriage" at our depot. l felt like col
lector of antiquities just getting an as
sortment over from Egypt. l shall ever
feel grateful to the small boys of our
village for their self-restraint on this
tempting occasion. don't recollect q
single opprobrious epithet. They treat
my loads with respect TO which moth
ing but hoary hairs could entitle them.
There was cheese press, and don't
know but cider mill there was some
thing with four tremendously heavy
legs, always believed TO be something
in disguise of bedstead. There were
seven bandboxes (four large and three
smalD, five feather beds, seventeen
comfortables, and great deal of crock.
cry which evidently came over In the
Mayfower, but had much better have
put back to land In the Speedwell.
need not say that our residence when
furnished was neat but not gaudy.
slept under "risin3 sun" bed quilt,
and had round braided mat to put my
feet on when got out in the morning.
| sighed for Ily former cozy quarters,
but remembered my aunt's valuation,
and reasoned that ii she was my only
living female relative on the fathers
side, must of necessity be her only liv.
Ing male relative on the mothers side.
Soon after we were domesticated,
found that my aunt was subject to mys.
terious attacks, which attacks invsria.
] llk GaiTaH haas Ia. fhn ..fs.Lt a
made il imperative that ! should run foi
the doctor. Liability TO these attacks
precluded the possibility of my being
away from home evenings, excepting
Sunday and Thursday evenings, when ]