Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1884-10-17

ing when Aunt Esther rebuked me gravely,
saying, The bright things Of this world are
Of short duration :" but dear, gentle grand
ma said With a smile, that it was natural and
right for the young to admire beauty, at
which Aunt Esther seemed much displensed.
sometimes think she does not like mo be-
cause ! am young, but that cannot be. Yeti
cannot quite understand how, being my own
sweet mothers sister, she can be so unlike
her.
''We have Just had tidings that cousin Nat
and his friend Captain Morris intend to ar
rive here on the 3lst of December. Uncle
Nathaniel says he will have a tea party and
invite Lieutenant Macey's family, and Uncle
Edward Stsrbuck's family, and few others
to meet our guests, and to sit the old year
out and the new year in
1--WE cooked a beautiful dinner and our
guests all came. l wore my new blue gown
with some lace grandma gave me in the neck,
and my own dear mothers gold necklace"
tied back my curls, that cousin Nat will not
allow me to braid with blue ribbon which
he bought in London. Aunt Esther said men
dislike to see girls look so brave, but grandpa
kissed me and called me "a bonnie bluebell.'
"Aunt Content has been much pestered In
her mind because she knew not how to serve
her tea or cook it, and after our neghbors
we're assembled she confded to them her
perple1ity. They all gathered around the
chest, smelling and tasting the fragrant herb.
Mrs. Macy said she had heard that it ought
to be we'll cooked to make it paatable Aunt
| Edward Stsrbuck said lady in Boston who
had drank tea told her it needed good guam
tity for a sleeping, which was the reason it
was so expensive, so Aunt Content hung the
| bright fve-gallon bell-metal kettle on the
crane, and putting two quart bowlful of tea
in it with plenty of water swung it over the
e. 81 bnr .t, ,a1i iv bifobn,, -
keep it boiling
"While was laying the table heard Lyd-
ia Ann Macy say, I have heard that when
tea is drunk it gives a brilliancy to the eyes
and youthful freshness to the complexion.
am afraid thy sister in law failed to put in
enough of the leaves. So Aunt Esther put
in another bowlful. When the tea had boiled
an hour my cousin and Capt. Morris arrived.
Then the tea, which had boiled down to
about gallon, was poured into grandma's
silver tankard and carried to the table, and
each guest was provided with one of her sill.
yer porringers; also with cream and Jumps
of sugar.
1.-The captain talked to me before dinner,
and told him before l knew l was getting
confidential how you were all off in the wilds.
He said enterprise was what the new country
needed, and that it was not best to have Nan
tucket peopled entirely with Starbucks. That
l was one of the old stock it was plain to be
seen he said If my name was Wentworth
and then he looked pleasantly around the cir
Gle of the Starbucks. l suppose do not re-
semble them at ALL l saw Aunt Esther look
ing at me so sharply that l remembered she
had often told me it was not seemly to talk
with men so presently l became discreetly
silent But when dinner was announced, the
captain took me out and made me sit by him.
after grandpa had asked a blessing on
the food Aunt Content said to her son and
his friend, Il have made q dish of tea for you,
but am fearful il is not rightly made, and
would like to have your opinion; ! whereup-
on my cousin and the captain looked and
shifted at the tea, and my cousin made an
sweT, AS my loved mother desires my opin-
ion, must needs tell her that a spoonful of
this beverage, which she hath with such hos
ptsble intent prepared for u.s. would go nigh
to kill any one at this table, and the captain
said, laughingly, that my aunt could keep
the decoction to dye the woolens. He fur
ther said he would instruct us how to draw
the tea, and this young lady he said, turn
ing TO me, 'shall make the first dish OF tea
ever made on Nantucket. So the tea was
made by his direction and poured into the
tankard Aunt Content had got ready, aud the
captain carried it to the table for me aud
helped to pour it into the porringers for the
guests He was so kind also as to say it was
the best dish of tea be had ever tasted.+
1--WE had a wholesome dinner, and enjoya-
BILE withal. Cousin Nat told stories and sang
songs in which Capt. Morris joined him,
and then the happy new years greeting took
the place of the good-byes when our neigh
bors left for their homes.
"My cousins friend still stays for shoot
ing, and there is not much spinning aud
weaving DONE for it takes SO much time for
bo he md ha yia
He is very agreeable, and calls grandfather
the Miles Standish of Nantucket heard
him tell Uncle Nathaniel that we had good
blood, and ever since he became acquainted
with Cousin Nat he had conceived great ad-
miration for the Nathaniel Starbucks and he
said something about wife. Perhaps he re-
mains here on Aunt Esthers account; but
dear me, she is so prim Il write with all re-
| spect, dear mother, and he is such jovial
gentleman, do not understand how such
wedding could be harmonious. If he has
regard for her it must be on account of the
| Starbuck blood.
"Oh, my mother, how can 1 tell you It
is not for love of Aunt Esther that Captain
| Morris remains, but your own little daugh-
| ter; ; and all the Starbucks, saving Aunt Es-
ther-who declares l ought to be put back
| into pinafores-have given their consent that
l shall DO married and sail away with my
husband in his ship to foreign parts, to see
for myself all the wonders of which have
heard so much of late. But 1 will not give
my consent until 1 first have that of my
father and mother; so there is a company
being made up to go with cousin Nat and the
captain through the SHOWS to your far-away
home.
"And SO, after all, it will be this new friend
| of whom l have written SO much who will
| take this long letter to you. am sure, dear
mother, that you who know my heart so well
| will not think it unseemly for me TO pray
that the Lord will guide your heart and that
of my father to feol kindly toward this gen
tleman for, indeed, he is of good repute,
| and is so kind as TO be very fond of me and
! lifts feel that have your consent, and that
of my honored father, with your blessing, l
shall be very happy, and take an honest pride
in being his honored wife.
THE captain declares laughingly that l
am sending him on quest like knight of
old to prove his love. l cannot help think
ing it strange his wanting to marry me, and
when 1 said so one day, he replied, grayely,
that it was all on account of the tea, which
got into his head. And, indeed, it may be
so, for was highty, and hardly shut my eyes
to sleep at all the night after partaking of it
and even my dear grandmother says she
would not answer for the consequences of
what she might be led to do were she to
make use of it every day.
II send you, with other articles some of
this famous tea, and bit of the white Grape
that shall, il it so seemeth best in the judg-
ment of my honored father and dear mother,
wear as a wedding gown.
The household all join in sending loving
greeting to you all, land remain now and
ever, Your dutiful and loving daughter,
"RosE STARBUoK WENTWORTH"
So on some day in that midwinter of l745
old teDor-Captain Morris and Cousin Nat
crossed the bar at high tide, sailed up the
bay singing sea songs, no doubt, allow and
aloft, struck the woods at Woods Holl and
went tramping through the snow Portsmouth
way perhaps, after the Wentworths in the
wilderness, came back duly with blessing,
and then the great parlor would shine again
in the great log fire, and all the Starbuch
faces would grow radiant save it may bt
that of poor Aunt Esther, who had a seore
of her own, perhaps, Ruth came near guess
ing, touching that jovial gentleman who bore
the maid away from her sweet wild islant
home.
'Beads still in favor with ancient women in New
England.
t'rhey are a handsome race tThe roguel
SThe maid Is all In tremble along here and ha
to be "edted" mite.
| When the Vassar girls want to swear thel