y China, and had fallen into a witty, merry uttering of each
other's thoughts, we were interrupted by screams the most--but never
mind what kind, seeing I have said you shall not be fatigued with a
description of what was nothing but an immense kettle of boiling lard
flowing quietly and river-like over the long length of the before so
spotless kitchen floor, with many a cluster of dough-nut islands
interspersed, by way of relieving the said river of monotony. Our dear
mother was famed for miles around for the profusion and superiority of
her dough-nuts, hence our soubriquet--"Dough-nut Hall." And, seeing
that Mercy was only scalded half to death, the guilty culprit, who
insisted that the kettle was "too heavy for a woman to lift," escaping
unhurt, that is bodily--his remorse of conscience being truly
pitiable. No; none of all this, with long, ugly sentences, shall you
have; no, nor a detail of his many daily, hourly, and almost momently,
misadventures; how once, when we were sitting in Miss Elliott's room,
in he bolted with, "Bless my soul! what a lot of industrious
women-folk! 'How doth the busy bee;'" that new and elegant little poem
was, word for word, recited. Little Fanny he found making a bead purse
for Brother Dick, and examining her box with every conceivable shade
of bead duly assorted, and separated from each other by innumerable
partitions. No matter what he said about them, only the beads were
spilled, and the purse could not be finished; and then were Miss
Jane's delicate brushes passed through his wondering red hair before a
saving hand could arrest them; then was Miss Jane's beautiful inlaid
dressing-box broken irreparably; and then--but I will tell you what I
will relate you--all about our sleigh-ride and country ball. Yes! that
you must know; not because it is worth telling, but because I should
like you to hear it--all about how I nearly lost my darling. But to
commence.

Rumors were afloat of this said ball, the countriest kind of a country
ball, to take place in Squire Brown's barn, the largest, best built
barn for miles around. Our city friends entered into the spirit
exactly, and determined on going. "Cousin Jehoiakim? Oh, he need know
nothing about it," said Sister Anna; "or we can easily deceive him as
to the day, without telling him very much of a lie." Ah! Sister Anna.
The important day arrived. In one great bandbox reposed various
satins, laces, and ribbons too numerous to mention; the owners