St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1902-07-16
PEAcHAM.
The Meeting of the Fifty Club


Thursday afternoon the members OF
the Fifty Club were entertained at the
home OF Mrs Kate Hutchinson. Each
member was re quested to bring one or
more photographs of her youth, these
were numbered and each member asked
to guess the names. A prize was of1ereo
to the one guessing correctly the great
est number. Two shared the honor ana
the pr re. Miss Sara A. Bailey read a
clever poem An old dav book once the
property OF Nehemiah Bradley, t=rnlshed
her subject, this day book was kept IN
1911 and was recently found IN the cellar
of Mr. S'eele's store. Toe style OF the
charges is describedin Miss Bailey, poem
entitled Entries Found in a Day Book, "
and given below:
In this old Day Book, musty with age,
] read a history on each page - -,
Which throws a light on the Good Old
Times"
And gives excuse for my hating rhymes.
Very pathetic it seems to me,
And funny, too, to great degree
The debit and credit entrie' there
So varied and meagre beyond compare.
In one small store that is standing still.
Nehemiah Bradlee dispensed with will
Cups and saucers" with fine herds grass,
And yellow ribband" to each sweet lass
"One nutmeg" for "ninepence" small,
For knitting socks, one cotton pail,
A pint OF walnuts" sometimes bought
With reckless lack of prudent thought.
OF pins for wife" one half paper
To furnish forth some wedding caper;
OF calico" three yards or less
Suffice family to dress.
Mourning for Betsey."rest her soul!
A quarter for q brown punch BOWL
An axe helve and suggestive powder,
Some fish that savors still OF chowder.
Each maiden then of high degree
Was gartered in fine quality"
And all who would the cobbler hire
sole leather bought OF Nehemiah
No less a star than Leonard Worcester
Purchased the ''quills" of some orthodox
rooster,
Or gander perhaps,-in We olden times
Men were authentic, even in rhymes.
Of paper often half quire''
Was credited to Nehemiah
BY this same parson, so revered,
And by each sinful urChin feared
spelling book, as was most ft,
Gave dignity to the wit
OF these same ancestors OF ours,
And lengthend many tedious hours
For luckess children. doomed to be
Unheard in older company.
For one-thrd of yard of sarcnett"
Twenty-Five cents is the usual debt,
"Spider-Sleves" and TOW cloth" stout
No one ventured to be without.
With flints at two cents each, who would
Buy odorous matches if he could?
"One ink powder, don't ask me
What school of medicine this might be.
With laudab1e pride in outward things,
British shirting'' fit for kings,
IA hair-comb'' charged to each family
Was ever a badge of quality.
To "Jack Mattocks" father of Billy,
Brandy to treat some ancient GoodWillie;
For father one west pattern" ample,
A single "Bible" for sample
For mother,-no doubt, whose ackno wledge(
sphere
Was the religious atmosphere,
Good for women even then,
But a trifie weak for thirsty men.
For, tell it not in Gath. pray,
These forebears of an early day,
Bought brandy, whiskey, and plain rum
In quantities to strike one dumb.
Ashbel Reuben, and Abel, too,
Had need of a w. c. T. U.
So this matter of-fact old quill
Tells tale of the naughty still
TIL at makes their descendants almost wish
They'd spent their money for more Goldfish,
Or something to ease the patient wife
Who lived less convivial life.
Peace to their ashes! every one
We have entered into their labor done,
Their very blunders prove that we
Their lineal offspring surely be.