The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1882-03-31

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exactly such as Aunt Grizzel's mother
used to have. Then it came to me like
flash Of ghtning-Aunt Grizzel's
china r.
Probably it's all broken by this
time,' gloomily suggested her hus-
band.
Nonsense said Mrs. Symington,
briskly. "Aunt Grizzly never broke
anything in her life She is careful.
ness itself; and mp there in Maine, you
know, they don't have clumsy mattresses
to fling things about. No, no you
may depend that she has it all safe and
sound in one OF those odd little three.
coinered cupboards OF hers. A treasure,
Stanhope, O perfect treasure. Money
wouldn't buy such a set as that;
hundred years old, II it's day. So, il
you won't mind, my deer, I'll Just run
up to Maine, and see about it,"
"Do as you please, Arabella," said
MIR. Symington, resiguedly. He knew
that Mrs. Symington generally did as
she pleased, and he saw no especial ad.
vantage in debating the question.
THANKS. dear; 80 kind of you I"
uttered Mrs. Symington. "And Of
course I can't go to the polar regions
entirely unprotected, so I'll order
one OF those comfortable seal dol
mans that everybody is wearing now,
and new plush hat with cluster OF
ostrich tips. One must go dressed like
other people; and il you can give me
twenty-five or thirty dollars dare say
Aunt Gri2zy will let me have the set
for that she don't know the value OF
old china, poor thing y and the Jour-
ney won't be more than thirty dollars
both ways; if I go by sea. including
stateroom."
at appears to me-" said MIR. Syming-
ton, discouragingly, "that this is a
good deal of wild goose chase, going
dancing up to the northern boundaries
OF Maine at this time OF year for an old
set OF truupery china which probably
didn't cost ten dollars to start with"
"Oh, Stanhope, it did |" cried the
lady, Indignantly. at was real India
ware, imported, without paying a dollar
Of duty, by an old sea captain in the
India trade, expressly for my grand
mother Grumpton. And besides yon
are SO groveling and prosaic in your
ideas. AS il the original cost of thing
of this nature signifies It's the aesthetic
value that VIC look at, don't you seer"
"Ah |" said Mr.. Symington. "Well,
if you must go. you must go, I suppose;
and OF course shall have to give You q
check for what money you are likely to
want"
And Mr.. Symington sighed deeply
and went upstairs to get q piece OF
court.plaster for his cut finger.
Mrs. Symington went to Wild River,
in the northern boundaries Of Maine,
where the pine forests were matched
with snow, and the icicles tinkled in
the woods of a moonlight night like 70
many castanets gone mad. She made
the greater part Of the voyage bv seq.
the trater was rough and the gallo tenn
pestous.
" will come back by land" che said
to herself, as she sat in the little hotel
ut Portland, and viewed her green and
yellow complexion with q shudder
money wouldn't induce me TO risk my
life again in that horrid steamer, where
one is butleted and seesawed about on
waves that arc as high as house. The
palace car fare will be something OF en-
extra expense, and shall lose my re-
turn ticket by steamer, but I'm sure Mr.
Symineton won't grudge it TO me when
he hears how I've been pitched and
tumbled about On the ocean in peril OF
my life"
Ard shes.put on her black brocaded
silk, her new plumed hat, and the seal
dolman, and took the noithward bound
train, resolved TO present an imposing
appearance to Aunt Grizzy Grump-
, ton when she should reach Wild River
station.
1t was very cold-a dull, bitter ,leaden
cold-with the ground frozen like a
rock, the streams bound in ice, the
sky gray and bitter, with an ineffable
gloom. Aunt Giizzel humpton lived
in little onestoried Louse on tho top
OF an uncompromising hill, where a
solitary cedar tree was twisted around
like corAscrew with the force Of the
east wind, and the few lean sheep
huddled behind the rocks in sbivering
groups, picturesque, bnt far from COM
Portable. And even after they had
come in sight Of the old building whose
one coat of red paint had long ago been
worn away by the suns and rains Of
well-nigh century. Mrs. Symington
had serious doubts whether the one.
horse sleigh in which she was jerked
and jolted up the incline would not be
blown sheer away by tho rush OF the
tempest before they could reach their
destination.
However, it wasn't And once in
Aunt Grizzy's cottage things were very
comfortable. There was no wide
throated chimney, filed with moss
fringed logs, such as the fancy OF city
dwellers is apt to depict in the solitary
farmhouse. PeUplo in Malne know
better than that. But there was an i'm
mense cook stove. which heated the
, , room 10 an atmosphere OF eighty odd
/ degrees; the cracks in the window
sashes were pasted over with brown
paper, and sand bags were laid on the
top lodges, while q double rag carpet
covered the floor, and O wood-box,
heaped to the very top, stood in the
angle OF the chimney piece. Aunt
Grizzy's dress was Of blue homespun
flannel, and she wore worsted hood
pulled over her ears, and little plaid
shawl folded over her breast, and she
was addicted to the use of snuff, and
said "HeyT whenever any one ad-
dressed her.
my cheeny?" said Aunt Grizzy.
swell, I'm free to own that / think a
deal Of that cheeny. But don't know,
Niece Arabelia, how you came to hear Of
it,"
"It is an heirloom in our family,
Aunt Grizzel." said Mrs. Symington,
exerting herself to speak loudly.
hey p said Aunt Grizzy, with her
hand placed sounding board fashion
behind her ear.
Every one must have heard Of it,"