St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1884-02-14

| came IN an told me that Aunt Rebecca
was dead, jest sat right down, kinder
stunned like. | couldn't ha' felt much
worse ef it had been my mother. An
1t was so awful sudden Why, I'd
seen her only the week before, an she
| looked uncommon smart for her,
thought. Eff it had been Uncle Enos,
her husband, | shouldn't ha' wondered
| He'd had the heart disease for years.
an we'd thought he might die any
minute; but to think of her
81 jest stared at Israel. felt too
bad to cry. | didn't, till happened
to look down at the apron | had on.
1t was like a dress she had she had a
piece left, an she gave it to me for an
apron. When | saw that, bust right
out sobbin'
$50 Lord says l, this apron she
give me! Oh dear! dear! dear'
Sarah says Israel, it's the will of
the Lord"
"I know it, says |, but she's dead,
an she gave me this apron, dear bless
ed woman,' an | went right on cryin',
though he tried to stop me. Everg
time | looked at that apron it seemed
as if | should die.
Thar want any particulars, Israel
said. All the man that told him knew
was that woman hailed him from one
of the front windows as he was drivin'
by, and asked him to stop an tell us.
| s'posed most likely the woman that
hailed him was Mis- Simmons, a wild
der woman that used to work for aunt
Rebecca busy times.
''Wa'al, Israel kinder hurried me to
git ready. The funeral was app'inted
at two O'Clock, an we had a horse that
want much Swifter than the one you're
drivin' now.
$50 | got into my best black gown
the quickest | could. | had good
black shawl, and black bunnit too,
so looked quite decent. felt reel
glad | had 'em. They were things ]
had when mother died. | don't see
hardly how | had happened to keep
the bunnit. but it was lucky did. /
got ready in such a fiutter that | got
on my black gown over the caliker one
I'd been wearin', an never knew it
till | came to go to bed that night, but
don't think it was much wonder.
"We'd been havin' terrible dry
spell, jest as we've been havin' now.
an everything was like powder.
thought my dress would be spoilt be
fore we got thar. The horse was
dreadful lazy, an it was nothin' but
g'langin' an slappin' an whippin' all
the way, an it didn't amount to nOthin'
then.
"When we'd got half way thar or so,
thar come up an awful thunder shower
from the northwest, Jest as its dOin' to-
day. Wa'al, thar want nOwhar to
stop, an we driv right along. The
horse WANT afraid of lightnin', an we
got in under the shay top as far as we
could, an pulled the blanket up over
us, but we got drippin' wet. An thar
was Israel in his meetin' coat, an me
in my best gown. Take it with the
dust an everything, they never looked
anyhow again.
"Wa'al, Israel Changed to the horse,
an put the whip over her, but she lest
logged right along. What with feelin'
SH a 1ual about :Gt aunt Rebecea, an worryin'
thought | should never live to git
thar.
"When we driv 10y the meetin'-hOuse
at Four Corners, where aunt Rebecca
lived, it was five minutes after two, an
two was the time Sot for the funeral.
| did feel reel worked up to think we
was late, an we chief moIrners.
When we got to the house thar seemed
to be considerable goin' on around it,
folks goin' in an out, an standin' in
the yard, an Israel said he didn't be-
lieve we was late, after all. He hOl
Tered to IA man standin' by the fence,
an asked him if they had had the flu
neral. The man said no; they was
goin' to hev it at the meetln'- house at
three o'clock. We was glad enough to
hear that, an Israel said he would
drive round an hitch the horse, an I'd
better go in an git dried off a little,
an see the folks.
'It had Stacked up then, an was
only drizzlin' a leetle, an lightnin' Il
good ways off now an then.
"Wa'al, | got out, an went up to the
house. Thar was quite IA lot of men |
knew standin' round the door an in
the entry, but they only bowed kinder
stiff an solemn, an moved to let me
pass. | noticed the entry floor was
drippin' wet too. Been rainin' in,
thinks |. 4 wonder why they didn't
shet the door, ! went right into the
room on the left-hand side of the en-
try-that was the settin' -rOOm-an'
thar, a-settin' in a cheer by the winder,
Jest as straight an smart as could be,
in her new black bunnit an gown, was
aunt Rebecca.
"Wa'al, eff | was to tell you what |
did. Almiry, s'pose you'd think twas
awful. But | s'pose the sudden change
from feelin' so bad made me kinder
highstericky. | jest sOt right down in
the first cheer | come to, an laughed.
| laughed till the tears was runnin'
down my checks, an it was all | could
do to breathe. There was quite a lot
of uncle EnOs's folks settin' round the
room-his brothers family, an some
cousins-an' they looked ut me as et
they thought | was crazy. But seein
them look only sot me off again
Some of the folks came in from the en-
try, an stood starin' at me, but | jest
laughed harder. Finally aunt Rebecca
comes up to me.
"'FOr mercy's sake, Sarah, says she
what air you doin' so for p
"'Oh dear ? says l. Il thought you
was dead, an thar you was a-settin'
! Oh dearr
"And then begun to laugh again
/ was awful ashamed of myself, but
couldn't stop to save my life.
"'For the lands sake, aunt Rebec
ca says |, is thar funeral or a wed
din, an eff thar is a funeral, who'
dead p
"'Come into the bedroom with me
minute, Sarah,' says she.
"Then we went into her bedroom
that opened out of the settin' room, an
sot down, an she told me that it wa
uncle Enos that was dead. 1t seem
she was the one that hailed the man
an he was a little hard of hearin', al
thar was a misunderstanding betweel