Year: 1859

Now, If you supposed from all this trian-
gularsm Of exterior, that this good man
had nothing kindly within, you were much
mistaken. You often find the greenest
grass under snow drift and though my
uncles mind was not exactly of the flower
garden kind, still there was an abundance
of wholesome and kindly vegetation there.
1t is true he seldom laughed, and never
joked--himsef but no man had more
serious aud weighty conviction of what a
good joke was in another and when some
excellent witticism was dispensed in his
presence yon might see Uncle AbePs face
slowly relax into an expression of solemn
satisfaction, and he would look at The au.
thor with q certain quiet wonder, as if it was
astonishing how such thing could ever
come into a mans head Uncle Abel also
had some relish for the fine arts. in proof
whereof | might adduce the pleasure with
which he gazed at the plates in his Fam
! lily Bible the likeness whereof | presume
you never any of you saw and he was
also such an eminent musician that he could
go through the singing book at sitting,
without he least fatigue, beating time like
a windmill oil the way. He had, too. a
liberal hnnd-though bis liberaIity was all
by the rule of three aud practice. He did
to his neighbors exactly as he would be
done by-he loved some things in this world
sincerely--he loved his God much. but he
honored and feared him more he was ex-
act with Others he was more exact with
/ himSclf-and expected his God 10 be more
exnct still. Everything in Uncle Ahel's
house was in the same time. place, manner
aud form from years end TO years end
There was old Master Bose, a dog after
my uncle's own heart, who always walked
as if he was learning the multiplication Ia.
BILE. There was the old clock forever tick
ing away in the kitchen corner. with the
picture on its face Of the SUI, forever set
ling behind perpendicular row of poplars.
There were the never failing supply of red
peppers and onions hanging over the chin
neY There were the yearly holyhockS
and morning glorieS, blooming around the
windows. There was the "best room :"
with its sandy floor, and evergreen aspara.
gus bushes, its cupboard with a glass door
in one corner, and the stand with the great
Bible and almanac on it in the other
! There was Aunt BetSey, who never looked
any older, becauSe she always looked as old
as she could who always dried her cntnip
aud wormwood the last of September, and
began to clean house the first of MAY. In
short, this was the land of continuance.


Old Time never seemed to take it into
| his head to practice either addition. sub
traction, or multiplication on the sum total.
This Aunt Betsey, aforenamed, was the
neatest and most efficient piece of human
machinery that ever operated in forty pla-
ces at once. She was always everywhere.
predominaling over, aud seeing to every
thing aud though my uncle had been
| twice married, Aunt BetSey's rule and au.
thorty had never been broken. She reign.
ed over bis wives when living, and reigned
after them when dead and So seemed like.
ly to reign to the end of the chapter But
my uncle's last wife left Aunt Betsey
much less tractable subject to manage than
had ever fallen to her lot before Little
Edward was the child of my uncle's old
age, and brighter, merrier little blossom
never grew on the edge of an avalanche.-
He had been committed to the nnrsng of
his grandmamma until he arrived at the
age of indsGretion, and then my old uncle's





sent for home. His introduction into the
family excited terrible sensation. Never
was there such coutemner of diguities.
such viOlator Of such high places and
sanctities, as this very Master Edward
1t was all in vain to try TO teach him de-
corum. He was the most entragsously
merry little elf that ever shook a head of
curls, and it was all the same to him wheth.
er it was Sabbath day or any other day.
He laughed aud frolicked with everybody
and Everything that came in his way, not
even excepting his solemn old father and
when you saw him with his arms round the
old mans neck, aud his bright blue eyes
aud blooming cheek pressing out by the
black face of uncle Abel, You almost fan
cied that you saw Spring caressing Winter.
Uncle AbePS metaphysics were sorely puz-
zled how to bring this sparkling, dancing
compound of spirit and matter into any
reasonable shape, for he did mischief with
an energy and perseverance that were truly
astonishing. Once he secured the floor
with Aunt Betsey'S Scotch snuff, and once
he washed the hearth with uncle Ahe'S i'm
maculate clothes brush, and once he spent
H"i' "a" H'ui III w luS w LudhG DOSG hcdI
his Spectacles. In short, there was no use
but the right one, to which he did not put
everything that came in his way. But
uncle Abel was most Of all puzzled to know
what to do with him on the Sabbath, for
on that day Master Edward seemed to ex-
ert himself particularly to be entertaining.
Edward, Edward must not play on Sun
day his father would say, and then Edward
would shake his curlS over his eyes and
walk out of the room as grave as the cate
chiSm; the next moment you might see pus-
sy scampering in dismay through the "best
room" with Edward at her heels, to the
manifest discontinue of Aunt Betsey aud
all Others in authority,


At last my uncle came to the conclusion
that "it wasn't in mater TO teach him better
and that che could no more keep Sunday
than the brook down in the lot" Ny poor
uncle he did not know what was the matter
with his heart hut certain it was he had
lost oil faculty of scoldng when little Ed
ward was in the case, though he would
stand rubbing his spectacles quarter of
an hour longer than common, when aunt