The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1885-02-26

had her two children, one OF Wh0m she
told Mrs. Crawford was probably coming
down with the measles. The other child
narrowly escaped falling down the cellar
steps, disaster which Mrs. Crawford
Judged from Mrs. Higgins manner she
would have been held responsible for.
Mrs. Simmons, the grocer's wife, ar
rived next, carrying ten pound package
Of brown sugar, the Sweetening power Of
which her husband had said was unusual
" great She had also worked a tidy for
Mrs. Crawfords rocking chair, and was
quite surprised to find out that Mrs.
Crawford had some tides already.
Mr.. Winter, the hardware merchant,
walked over with his wife, who mad
brought some loaves of fresh bread and
another frosted cake. Mr.. Winter him
self had package of ten-penny nails and
a jack knife, with a gimlet and button
hook attached.
Trustee Higbee unloaded five more
pumpkins. which the minister carried
down to the cellar. One of them rolled
against dry goods box, upon which the
jar OF ounce preserves was standing.
The jar slid off and rolled over the stones,
and most of the preserves ran out on the
ground.
Deacon Wiley came in next with some
celery, which he told the minister he had
understood was excellent for building up
the nervous system. Mrs. Wiley had a
brace of chickens already cooked, which
she said would do for supper
Deacon Hiram Bodgett brought q
bushel of Spltzenberg apples, and his
eldest son, a lad Of eighteen, had bush
ell of black walnuts. Mrs. Blodgett had
some raised biscuits and a pan of seed
cakes.
Mrs Martha Richards brought a couple
of flat irons which were too heavy, she
said, for her use, and her daughter had
made a handsome holder for taking the
irons off the stove when they were hot.
Mrs. Richards said her brotherin- law
Michael would bring some pumpkins and
another squash or two, and Just then Mr..
Richards arrived. When Mr.. Crawford
carried the squash down cellar he slipped
upon the spilled preserves, and in falling
slightly sprained his wrist Mr. Rich
ards wife lad embroidered pair of
slippers for the minister, which were
found to be too small. Her daughter had
made a chintZ- covered chair cushion,
stuffed with corn husks and this was too
large for any chair in the house.
The druggists wife had an electric belt
for the minister, which her husba d war
ranted to cure any liver trouble known
Other ladies brought various good
things for the supper, and the gentlemen,
when they arrived later, had also a great
variety of gifts. Among them was a
horsewhip, a sawbuck, a cord of four
foot wood which was dumped out in the
street for the minister to carry to the
woodshed a lot of seedcorn tied togeth
er by the husks, a peck of dried apples,
a fail which was recommended as being
unequaled for threshing out beans, two
homemade boot jacks, a curry comb and
brush, ''pounding barrel" for washing
clothes and a FOUNDER, gallon of soft
soap and some more pumpkins. Some of
the ladies brought strips of rag carpet,
some of which were more or less worn,
and one Of them bad dozen balls of car
pet rags and five pounds Of warp. There
were also some newspapers with scaIl-
oped edges, which were suitable for pan
try shelves.
But the most striking gift of all was
that Of Deacon Thomas Jetfers. 1t was
after dark when the deacon arrived, aId
the house was crowded. Mr.. Crawford
heard him shouting out in the street and
went out bareheaded. The deacon was
holding the reins to his team with one
hand and rope attached to a COW in the
other.
There, elder said the deacon,
'there's COW brought You. She's an
awful good cow been III our family more
than twenty years. My father gave heI
| to me when was married. She's farrow
and don't give any milk, but she's an aw-
| ful good cow
''Fm very much obliged. rm sure,
| Deacon" said Mr.. Crawford. Then ht
took the rope and, wadIng through the
snow, led the cow around 10 the woodsheO
and tied her up there. The pastor hard
| ly knew what to do with the COW, which
! bad but one horn and seemed uncommon
| ly vicious for one of her age and gooC
| bringing up,
The supper was great success. There
were several little articles, such as eggs
and spices, wanting among the gifts, but
these Mrs. Crawford supplied from hel
own store. After supper the spitzenberg
apples were eaten and so were the BLACK
Walnuts.
The pastor and his wife were very tire(
when their party was over, and went di-
rectly to bed. When they arose in the
morning they found their dry wood haC
all been burned up the night before in al
effort to keep the house warm. Snow
had fallen, and after the wood which lay
in the street had been cut up by the min
lister, it was found difficult to make i,
| burn. The COW manifested desire fol
something to eat by frequent appalling
sounds, and the minister, after trying hel
with the dried apples which she rejected
meanwhile endeavoring to hook hlm will
her one horn, gave her couple OF The
twenty odd pumpkins in the cellar. EV
cry article of cooked food in the house
was gone, and the stores were closed
The brown sugar still remained, anC
there We're the winter squashes and al
the articles which could not be eaten
Mrs. Crawford cooked some Of the squash
and with few of the raised biscuits
which had been overlooked, they made 4;
| breakfast.
The pastor preached a very goo(
Christmas sermon, although somewha
hoarse. After the sermon he was told b,
a number of persons that the donation
was considered the most successful hel(
for years.
Three months later there was anothe
gathering at the parsonage. The Rev
Eleazer Crawford was dead.
t(tauuht cold s0matina 6urinU the W in
ter and never got over it," said Trustee
Higbee. consumption, guess"
81 don't think was ever strong enough
for country minister's wife," said Mrs
Crawford, day or two before she died
"Why, do you know, that donation part,
last Christmas tired EleaZer and me al
completely out" New York Times
For Winter Cough and Group Jadwin's Ia
| SVrup is a nOSitiVe and sure cure. No cure n