A MELTING STORY.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 70, 21 March 1873, Page 4

A MELTING STORY.

,Ooe winter evening, a country store--1 keeper in the Green Mountain State was about closing np for the night, and while standing in the snow outside, putting up the window shutters, he saw througl*7the glass a lounging, worthless fellow within grab" a pound of f fresh butter from theshelf and conceal it in his hat. 7 The act was no sooner detected than the revenge was hit upon, -and a very* %wx minutes found the Gree^ Mountain Jtp^e7 keeper at once indulging his appetite for fim to the fullest extent, and., paying off the thief with a facetious sort, .of torture, for whichr hemould have gained a|!bremiumj : from the old Inquisition. 7|i "I % say, ;Setbi ,: ' said the. storekeeper, coming in and closing the/door after him,., y stamping tra^ }^y s|?Setfclk^

.on his bead, and the roll of butter in his hat, anxious to make his exit as soon as possible.' ' -X' 7 .7 ',-.. " I say, Setb, sit down; I reckon, now,; on such a cold night as tbis, a little some-' thing warm would not hurt a fellow." Seth felt very uncertain; he had the butter, and was exceedingly anxious: to\be; off, but the item ptation of something' warm \ sadly interfered-wuh his resolution to__gb.; This resolution, however, was soon settled' by the right owner of the butter taking: Seth by the shoulders and planting him in t a seat close to the stove, where he'was in such a manner cornered in^byxthe bo-j-es and barrels that, while "the r grpc^r '.stood before him, there was Tho possibility of get- ; tiog out, and right in this very place sure enough the storekeeper sat down. "Seth, we'll hove a little warm Santa Cruz," said the Green Mountain grocer; Iso he opened the sto.ye door, and- stuffed in as'many!; i stieks...BS the place would admit; \ " without it you'd freeze going home such , a night as this." Seth already felt the butter settling down closer to his hair, and he jumped up declaring he must go. "Not until : you have something warm, Setb. 'Seth. come, I've got a story '-to** tell you," and Seth was again, rushed into his seat by his cunning tormentor. " Oh ! it's so hot here," said the petty thief, attempting to rise. " Sit~ddwh-—d6n't be in such a hurry," retorted the grocer, pushing him back into the chair. ,_ x ,7 . X'' 7 ,V, '':.-.. "But I've got the cows to fodder, and the wood; to split, and I must be going," said the (persecuted chap. "But you mustn't tear yourself away, Seth, in- this manner. Sit down^ ,ipt the cows take-care of themselves,' and Keep yourself cool; you appear to-be ft- little, fidgetty," said the xroguish grocer with a malicious leer. The next .thing was the production of two smoking glasses of hot toddy,' the very sight of which, in Seth's present situation, would have made the hair stand erect upon his head, had it not been well oiled and kept down by the butter. "Setb, I will give you a toast now, and you can butter it yourself," said tbe grocer, with an air of such consummate simplicity, that poor Seth .believed himsef unsuspected. " Setb, here's-T-herie's a Christinas goose, well roasted, eh ? I tell you it's the greatest eating in creation. And Seth, don't you never use hog's fat or common cooking butter, to baste it with. Come take your butter— l mean, Seth, take your toddy." Poor Seth now began to smoke as well , as melt, and his mouth was hermetically sealed up as though he had been born dumb. Streak after streak of the butter came pouring from under bis hat, and his handkerchief was already soaked with wiping away the greasy overflow. Talking away "as if nothing X was the "matter, the fun-loving grocer stuffed' wood 1, into (tiie stove while poor Seth sat upright, with his back against the counter, and his knees touching the red-hot furnace in front. 46 Cold night, this," said the mischievous grocer, ''Why,, Setb^you seem to perspire as if, you wereX wiarm ! Why don't you take your hat off ? Here, let me put your hat away ? " "No," exclaimed poor Setb, at last, "no, .1 must go, let me out,l ain't woll; let me go." 7 • ': -,;■ .', X i; A: } 7 __,_ ' A greasy " cataract was now pouring down the poor man's face and neck, and soaking into his clothes, and trickling down his body into hia boots,^so that ihe was literally iv a perfect bath of oil." * : ; " Well, good-night, Seth," said the humorous Vermonter, "if you will go;" and adding, as Seth darted out of the door, "I say, Seth, I reckon the fun I have had is fully worth ninepence, so I shan't charge, you anything-' fpr that pound of butter in your hat/, •