The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1878-12-28
Written expressly for The ADVOCATE.
We All g0f0r TEMPERANCE up HERE,
Il Holiday Memoir.
ny hfss SIIIANNA SINBADj

by Mfss SIIHANNA SINBADj
Just twenty years ago, four Of us, cousins
Lou, Mamie, Bessie and myself, were paying
visit to uncle Zeke and aunt Becky Bein
campen, IN the PerlSiomen valley. How
quickly the time has flown awayl car
scarcely realize that il has been twenty
years, yet it is even so. The fact that mJ
three cousins are married, and have brough
up families of children--some of whom con
slider themselves young ladies and gentle
men-tells story that the hasty fight o
time cannot controvert, But, if l could
smooth the few wrinkles which care ha!
made on my brow and pluck the silvel
threads from my hair, should feel as young
to-day as did then. and as happy; and
do not believe that my cousins, with theil
care-inspiring families and, have mind
to say, growing husbands, can say as much
But, at the start, have digressed from
my purpose, for my plan was to commence
with a description of uncle Zeke and aunt
Becky, and of the holiday visit which We
paid them.
Uncle Zeke Beincampen was one of the
smoothest tempered, easiest-going, joliest
old farmers that you ever saw, and his rubi-
cund face was at all times an infallible
remedy for the "blues." He lived in the
Perkiomeu valley, in large old-fashioned
farmhouse, which was buried in a grove ol
fruit and ornamental trees and grape-vines
and near which rippled the waters of Perk-
iomen creek. To say that large, hand
some farm surrounded it, completes the pic
ture.
Aunt Becky was almost like him, with
one exception, that while uncle Zeke was
generous and open-hearted, she was always
full Of care about the future, and looked
upon the most trifling loss to heras an omen
of approaching misfortune, and seemed TO
live in constant dread of the poor-house.
With this social.combination,i it is not SUR
prising that uncle Zeke was we'll to do in
life, most of which he and aunt Becky had
accumulated during many years of patient
industry, frugality and welded harmony,
on the farm which we have described.
We had planned to spend Christmas with
uncle zeke and aunt Becky. We had never
done SO; and you may be sure that we
cherished many bright anticipation of the
fun we should have, during the two weeks
we were engaged in packing up a large
trunk to take with us in common, and other
wise getting ready for the trip.
Aunt Becky had written us to come with
out fail. She proposed to have Christmas
eve reunion of friends, Christmas tree and
family feast next day. Her only daughter,
who had married Prof. Metzger,of Philadel-
phia, with her three children we had never
seen, would be there, and she wished to
have as many of the family-and especially
ourselves-as possible. She would have John
her son-meet us with the carriage at AL
lentown the day before Christmas.
Early in the morning, before we started,
while we were assembled to take account of
stock, and think whether our trunk contain
ed everything we were likely to need for the
weeks visit, cousin Lou came waltzing into
the room, and taking a bundle from under
her shawl, with mysterious laugh all over
her face, said, addressing me:
Now, Si,'-that is the name they call
me for short, snow amt this just gay
Cousin Sam,'-that's my brother" who
spent his summer vacation at Uncle Zekes,
says they all go for temperance up there, land
as we have always been used to having wine
at our parties here, he has made us present
of these four bottles of champaign to take
with us,and has loaned us his cork screw and
telescope cup; and now we'll put them all
together in one end of the trunk, and then
we can drink the wine, and nobody will be
the wiser"
How thoughtful in SAM" we all said.
We reached Allentown in safety and found
cousin John, quite a mischevious appearing
young man ,havingpast his seventeenth birth
day waiting for us at the depot withthe family
barouche, drawn by uncle Zeke's best span
Of horses. By common consent we christen-
ed him, at the start, cousin Jack"
Uncle zeke and aunt Becky had only two
children living John, andSarah before mem
toned, the wife of Prof Metzger. John was
the counterpart of his father, both in person
al appearance and disposition.
When we got fully under way, had pas
sed beyond the suburbs of Allentown, and
were speeding onward to the Perkiomen,
laughing at cousin Jacks rustic wit and re-
partee, he reined up the horses TO q walk,
and said:
= guess its lunch time. Mother put a
lunch in the carriage for us, aud it's as we'll
to get outside of it now as any other time.
And now look here, girls" he added, lifting
junket basket from under the seat on which
he sat, al am going to make confdants of
you, and if you ever squeal on me, I'll inur-
der the whole of you, by thunder"
owe won't squeal-of course not. What
do you take us for?" we all said, with one
voice, winking at each other.
"You see" the old governor and mother
are strong temperance people, am captain
of the Temperance Cadets, and in fact we all
so for temperance up here. But know that
your fathers have wine -cellers at home and
you too have always had a sip ofwine at your
tables at home, and so as mother puts up
number of bottles of homemade wine every
year, hooked two bottles of it yesterday,
and have brought them with me for lunch
Its pure grape juice, five years old.
We complimented COUSIN Johns thought
fulness, while he put down the curtains to
the barouche, and as the horses walked slow
ly along, we spread aunt Beeky's toothsome
lunch on our laps.
I'm highwayman," said he, "if did
MT forget to take something along to drink
out Of"
"We can drink out of the bottle" laugh
ingly said Lou.
"Of course we can" we all chimed in.
"You must drink first, cousin John, said
Bessie.