M. We however partook of a good lunch, and at evening, of a sumptuous dinner, after which several of the cousins came in and we had quite an agreeable time. Next day I visited among their families, and was peculiarly struck with the patriarchal simplicity and happiness that existed among them. I think there were five in the group, and situated on the southern slope of a hill, and all within a few rods of the parental mansion. In each family there were two or three healthy, pretty children. The wives were employed in carding, spinning, or weaving, and one or two grandmothers were comfortably seated and knitting. Each family had two or more cows, a few sheep, pigs, and lots of poultry, and land enough to afford them, with hard work and strict economy, a good living, and some silver change to lay up in the stocking.
Another of the cousins, Mrs. Gaffield, lived a little farther off. Mr. G, when he married was a "forehanded man," a hatter by trade; and owned four acres of land, with a small house containing three rooms, and a hatter's shop ten feet by eight upon it. His whole estate he valued at six hundred dollars, and considered himself independent of the world. He invited me to come over and dine with him on the following day; also to spend the evening, on which occasion he invited his friends and relations. 1 soon found that in consequence of having come from Boston, and by amusing them with accounts of different parts of the world, that I had become quite a lion among them.
Accordingly, on Tuesday, I was on hand at friend Gaffield's, when he showed me round his place. First, I must see the sty where he raised his fat hog that weighed nearly four hundred pounds; then I must see the fine caoivs and lastly, his hat shop, which was a curiosity; and without any attempt at describing it, will only say, that, if a man could manufacture a hat in this pen, then there are no limits to his ingenuity; and yet this plain, noble hearted and honest man, made, on an average, three hats a month, and was now making one for the deacon for which he was to receive three dollars; and all in silver, because these pesky bills were so uncertain.
Dinner beino* now readv, we went in. Mrs. G had been flying round; and from the way in which the feathers flew in the morning, I knew that one or more bipeds must lose their lives on my account. And so it appeared, for on the table was a goose, the smell of which was enough to do one good; which alas! was all that I was to have of it. Besides the goose, there was an abundant supply of fine yellow potatoes, apple-sauce, and various kinds of pies, with leather tops and green hide bottoms, excellent sage cheese, the finest bread and sweetest butter I ever tasted. Friend Gaffield now began to sharpen his knife by rubbing two together preparatory to dissecting the goose; which I could see by the manner in which his keen eyes rested upon it, that he knew the nature of his job.
At first, with much effort he forced the fork into the breast, and commenced dissecting the leg, but it was of no use, the knife would not penetrate those veteran sinews. He next tried the wing, but might as well have attempted to cut the flukes from an anchor. At length, the kind lady innocently suggested, that she was afraid the goose was tough. The perspiration was now runnine* down poor Joe's face; and he next attempted to hack off a piece from the breast, winch he succeeded in doing, and placed it on my plate. I was busy however eating the nice potatoes and goose gravy. The poor fellow now gave it up in despair, freely acknowledging that it was the toughest goose he ever had seen.
Notwithstanding, I made an excellent dinner, and we had a good joke over this antiquated bird, that doubtless was the veritable, or a descendant of the cacklers in the temple of Juno at Rome, who awakened Marcus Manlius, in time to pitch the Gauls headlong down the Tarpeian rock, and thus saved Rome. As we expected company in the evening, and as it was very cold, I remained in the house during the afternoon and spent the time in agreeable conversation with my excellent and industrious cousin, Almost every article of furniture was of her own or her husband's make. Carpets, bed-quilts and every article of clothing in the family, excepting shoes, and her Sunday gown, were of her manufacture.