St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1894-03-08

This here she's jest stripped oil Is the
sweetbread. Yonder's the paunch,
n this Iivery-lookin' mess I'm sllc1n
off it's the melt Some says you can
tell by the aiges of it whether win
ter's comm off mild or hard. How
is it, granny ?"
Granny shrilly opined that either
thin aige or thick aige meant
cold winter, but he couldn't call to
mind just how twas, and fresh re-
lays arrived with the piece de resist
ance of the coming meal-the pluck,
comprising liver and lights, and the
novices timidly set to work, spurred
on by lively and unique instructions,
to assist in its preparation Tor the
pot and the dripping pan. Some
you bile down n gravy it, n some
you jest set in and let sizzle. Don't
be stingy with the salt and pepper,
girls, n dash O. sage. Them in the
oven'll be the donest, but we'll mux
'em all in together finally"
Company began to arrive, old
neighbors who had met annually for
long years around this same convi-
vial board, and the kitchen present
lv boosted an expectant and ever
widening circle as the killers rested
from their labors and slipped hard
cider, drawn ice-cold from the barrel
in the pasture, and the women knit
edging and exchanged gossip, the
simple, harmless small news of the
kindly community. Old man Hard
castle had backed two bushel of
railroad coal home; Oliver Benson
had acquired likely COW in trade if
he could but gentle her; Mandy
Collins had sent a boy home for
sassin' of her, because the law was
agin her lickin on him, and there
hadn't Orter be no sech law; Zeb
Bartlett had killed three foxes three
weeks runnin', and it looked so his
luck was turnin'. Three young
good-fer-nuthins had come up from
daown t the Antony, half shrewd,
n coaxed off Silas Hathaway's Bub,
n got him tight with nothin' but
common beer with pepmint in it, n
it had fetched drunk. You wouldn't
think sech as that would fetch drunk,
but it does.
Then there was the recent funeral
to discuss, the latest excitement,
with its many absorbing details !;
how she had failed toward the last,
n twas fret, fret, fret all the
time-how her feet was all pulled up,
and red as fire O cold, N she
couldn't only jest tottle; how Sarah
Emma was mad because she wasn't
invited special, n never came nigh
the funeral; how, after the connec-
ton was seated, Miss Chace came in
with three young ones bla tin like
CATS, cause they was in a strange
place.
Twas a powerful sermon the eld-
er preached over her," thoughtfully
remarked one Of the male audience
basking on the wood box; "a real
good sermon. | hadn't no fault to
find. One thing he said l shan't
never forget. %, that fust night in
the gravel he said. 1t took holt of
me, he hollered it out so loud and
clear. o, that fust night in the
gravel says he"
A temporary gloom overspread
the waiting circle, dispelled only by
the cheerful hustle of the volunteer
kitchen maids, the rattle of cutlery
as the extension ia bic was pulled to
it's EXTREMIST length, and the appe-
thing aroma of the old-fashioned
dish, nearing completion in the siz-
cling kettle. Onion, turnips, pota-
toes and pumpkin were whipped
into place, boiled meal dumplings,
to be served with gravy, dotted the
board, and pumpkin pie and old
fashioned rusk were set on to relieve
dessert. Amid breathless interest
the two mighty dishes of pluck were
safely filled and with a universal
scraping Of chairs the banquet began.
Where were the nOvices' resolu-
lions and the sustainment of the
precautionary lunch eaten at home !?
They were hungry, pig KILN had
become a thing of the past, and the
sage-dressed liver had a tempting
odor. Even the connoisseurs failed
to Guido them. The hostess re-
ceived her various tributes with
lofty calm. 1--WE stood to n got
up pluck dinners 40 year, n ct 'em
co." she responded gracefully.
pity, IL nam SOl ~ WI iOi CHI
now. Here, granny, draw yer plate
up leetle higher tew yer"
For the patriarch, hurriedly
mumbling his gravied dumping with
a toothless glee, was establishing a
Morse's alphabet in brown dots and
dashes across the shining table cover.
Light compliment and badinage
were exchanged among the ladies,
and recipes for rusk, but the men
folk devoted themselves to business,
with no frivolous decours, while
plates were emptied and reflled
twice and thrice, and in time apall-
ing by it's brevity, the event of the
year was over. Mild bets exchanged
between the slayers as to the weight
of the swine, they set forth to their