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densi aenatini
. [Entered according to Act
2 VoL. VIL JAMES ELVERSON, NW, corner NINTH
Publisher,
AUNT ESTHER’S SAMPLER.
(A Story Told on New Year’s Day.)
_ BY SARAH W. BUTLER.
It was New Year’s Day in the, year of
grace 1845—just forty two years ago, you
see—and a most inclement, disagreeable
day it was, too.
A grand sleigh-ride had been planned
_ for the afternoon, but, on account of the
weather, it had to be given up, and Iam
sorry to say that the time-worn question,
“What shall we do?” was more than
once discussed among ourselves, until,
finally, we went to mother to ask her ad-
vice and aid.
“Have you been to Aunt Esther’s room
yet, to wish her a ‘Happy New Year?’
Poor old lady! do not forget her. She
has been dressed, and ready for company,
some time.” -
“But, mamma,” said Lou, “she does
not believe in New Year calls, and we are
afraid she might be cross.”
“She is never cross to you, dear,”’ said
mother, laughing. ‘‘ You are her prime
favorite. We must have great patience
with aunty. She often suffers a great
deal, and she is a very old lady, you know;
but she is in a very amiable mood to-day,
and I do believe, if you are all very polite,
and ask her in just the right way, she may
tell you a story.”
So we ‘acted upon mother’s advice,
which in this, as other cases, proved very
good.
Aunt Esther was a maiden aunt of fa-
ther’s, who for several years had been an
inmate of our family. She had the mis-
fortune, some time’ before this, to break
her ankle; so she never left her room,
and we seldom saw her, as, to tell the
truth, she was not particularly fond of
children.
She was, in her way, quite a character,
and, although she has been dead many
years, I retain a vivid recollection of her
appearance, and the old-time stories,
which, very seldom, I heard her tell.
Let me introduce - her to you as she ap-
peared that afternoon to Lou, Charlie and
me, as we stood at the door, looking into
her large and pleasant room.
<No carpet was on the floor—she would
never have one—Dbiit it was painted, I re-
member, a kind of leather color, and here
. and there were spread strips of rag carpet,
— by way of rugs-
This looked odd in those days, long be-
fore hard-wood floors had come into use.
So did the blazing wood fire in the open
fireplace, with its shining brass and-irons.
Now, those very brasses adorn a tiled
hearth, and are among their owner’s most
cherished possessions ; so true is it that
“old things become new,” if we only wait
long enough. ~~ -
In summer-time a huge bunch of. aspa-
.Tagus filled the fireplace, further adorned
;by a’ number of egg-shells, carefully
“blown, and fastened here and there upon
~ the green—to look like some rare fruit, I
nd SPRUCE Sts.
suppose. We used to think the effect
lovely.
The bed was the most conspicuous ob-
ject in the room. As I now remember it,
the four posts were like tall monuments,
reaching fairly out of sight; but, to our
childish eyes, the chief attraction about
this bed was the hangings.
Ihave never seen anything like them.
They had belonged to her mother, and an-
tedated the Revolutionary War. They
were of chintz, a white ground, with pale
blue figures all over it.
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ACMAR We ARDEA 9)
t of Congress, in the year 1587, by Jawzs Et.venson, in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C.)
PHILADELPHIA, JANUARY 14, 1887.
I do not know where this chintz was
woven—certainly not in the Colonies, in
the imperfect state of manufacturing at
that early day.
Aunt Esther valued these curtains so
highly, that they must have been both
rare and costly in their time.
All this we saw while patiently stand-
ing by the open door, waiting to be invit-
ed in.
Our great-aunt was, as usual, in an
old-fashioned arm-chair, with her lame
foot on arest, an ivory-headed cane be-
|
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i
TERMs:{ 0 PER ANNUM,
No. 5.
IN ADVANCE,
side her. Drawn up before her was a lit-
tle table that had two drawers, with glass
knobs. I remember how they sparkled in
the bright fire-light.
From these drawers she had evidently
taken a quantity of old, faded articles
that looked curious and_ interesting.
They were in her Jap and on the table.
Aunt Esther had the very blackest eyes
Iever saw. In spite of her age, they
were so sharp they seemed to look you
through. Her hair was snow-white. Her
cap had a frilled border, and was fastened
woke
wae ye
