immediately snuffed the
candle with his fingers and put it in the snuffers and said, "Law sakes,
how handy!" Grandmother really laughed when she read this in the paper.

_September_.--Mrs. Martin, of Albany, is visiting Aunt Ann, and she
brought Grandmother a fine fish that was caught in the Atlantic Ocean.
We went over and asked her to come to dinner to-morrow and help eat it
and she said if it did not rain pitchforks she would come, so I think we
may expect her. Her granddaughter, Hattie Blanchard, has come here to go
to the seminary and will live with Aunt Ann. She is a very pretty girl.
Mary Field came over this morning and we went down street together.
Grandfather went with us to Mr. Nat Gorham's store, as he is selling off
at cost, and got Grandmother and me each a new pair of kid gloves. Hers
are black and mine are green. Hers cost six shillings and mine cost five
shillings and six pence; very cheap for such nice ones. Grandmother let
Anna have six little girls here to supper to-night: Louisa Field, Hattie
Paddock, Helen Coy, Martha Densmore, Emma Wheeler and Alice Jewett. We
had a splendid supper and then we played cards. I do not mean regular
cards, mercy no! Grandfather thinks those kind are contagious or
outrageous or something dreadful and never keeps them in the house.
Grandmother said they found a pack once, when the hired man's room was
cleaned, and they went into the fire pretty quick. The kind we played
was just "Dr. Busby," and another "The Old Soldier and His Dog." There
are counters with them, and if you don't have the card called for you
have to pay one into the pool. It is real fun. They all said they had a
very nice time, indeed, when they bade Grandmother good-night, and said:
"Mrs. Beals, you must let Carrie and Anna come and see us some time,"
and she said she would. I think it is nice to have company.

_Christmas_.--Grandfather and Grandmother do not care much about making
Christmas presents. They say, when they were young no one observed
Christmas or New Years, but they always kept Thanksgiving day. Our
cousins, the Fields and Carrs, gave us several presents and Uncle Edward
sent us a basket full from New York by express. Aunt Ann gave me one of
the Lucy books and a Franconia story book and to Anna, "The Child's Book
on Repentance." When Anna saw the title, she whispered to me and said if
she had done anything she was sorry for she was willing to be forgiven.
I am afraid she will never read h