When the stage was ready, I walked through the crowd, got in, and we drove off. It was very evident from all appearances, that these people actually thought that the coat I had on, was the one stolen, as it exactly answered the description, even to the velvet collar. We left Lowell and passed through the southern edge of New Hampshire, over the turnpike, and a more dismal looking region I have never seen in the wildest part of Russia; and in passing through one of the towns, I saw a sign on an old dilapidated shanty, Elizabeth Saltmarsh, dressmaker. And in one of the small villages in the northern edge of Massachusetts, was a Mr. E. D. Greenfield, attorneyat-law.
I thought if the parties were not married, what a union this would make. A Greenfield with a Saltmarsh; and when the Saltmarsh would be merged in the Greenfield, the cutting and trimming would be done by the Greenfield mowers. We arrived at Brattleboro late at night. T was nearly torpid with cold, and as there was a good fire burning in the kitchen, we, half frozen passengers, took possession of the fire place, and when sufficiently thawed, ordered a supper, which, in the course of an hour, they gave us. Early next morning, I procured a private conveyance to Newfane, and when we had arrived at the edge of the town, I began to enquire for Squire Bobbins' place.
" O, Squire Bobbins, the forehanded man. Ain't he — " " Well, I don't know how many hands or how many feet he has, but I want to find Mr. Asa Bobbins of Newfane." " Well, yes; you see yonder hill with the red building on the side? " " Yes." " Well, that's Squire Bobbins' farm." I stopped at a tavern about half a mile from the place, to adjust my dress, and in the operation thought that I should have frozen. And of all the places, in any of the Northern regions, that I have ever visited, I think Vermont is the coldest. As I had but half a mile to go, I started off through the snow, went up to the house, and enquired for Mr.
Bobbins. He came to the door, I told him who I was. He shook my hand and invited me in, and received me with much cordiality, calling all the family to see their new cousin. He had a rousing fire in the kitchen, over which I had another good thawing, and it being Saturdav evening, the unmarried boys and girls were at home. We had a good tuck out of nuts, apples, cider and doughnuts, and such a fire! The great fire in London, of 166G, was somewhat larger, but certainly not much hotter. The fireplace was ten feet long, four feet deep, and from the hearth to the flue was six feet, and this was filled with ignited hickorv logs, in full blast, from end to end.
As it was very seldom that these peojrie met with any one from the Atlantic States, my visit was rather interesting. We conversed on many subjects, till nearly twelve o'clock, when I began to feel rather sleepy. My cousin Melissa, conducted me to my room, and bade me good night. After closing the door, I felt a dreadful chill, and on examining the bed clothes, was fearful that I should lie cold. Then there was a shower-bath in one corner of the room, the sight of which made me shudder; and after getting into bed and tucking myself up nicely, began to shake in good style. Sleep was out of the question, and after shivering away two or three hours, I got into a doze and dreamed that I was lvingon an iceberg.
Although suffering from cold, I could not refrain from laughing at the sudden transition and contrast of life. Last evening I was nearly roasted, and from the time I went to bed till I arose, was nearly frozen. As soon as daylight appeared, I heard a stir down stairs, and was very soon along-side the crater of Vesuvius. I told Melissa that I had been very cold all night. " There, now, cousin Sam, I don't believe you shot your winder down." No, I shut no window; and lo! right at my head was an open window, with just a curtain before it, which, in some measure, accounted for the temperature of my bedroom, which seemed to be many degrees below zero.
But we had a substantial breakfast: for my uncle had his larder well stocked with good things. Instead of an icehouse he had a snow-shed, filled solid and packed with snow, in which he kept his variety of meats and fish. As it was the Sabbath, and there being but one meeting-house in the village, and twTo sects, and each had their minister on alternate Sundays, it not being our turn to-day, we spent the time in talking over miscellaneous matters. Towards noon, I began to look around for some signs of dinner, when my uncle, rather suspecting that 1 was not acquainted with their Sunday arrangements, observed to me that the dinner hour on that day was six o'clock P.