Writings by Susan Dickinson


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  20

morning. In relating the escapade to me, "He said they looked about for a
candle for a long time, and finally found one in the large candelabra in
the parlor, which they lighted and bore about in their fingers, in a man's
dull fashion, quite overlooking the filled candlesticks in every corner of
the house. Bearing the dripping thing in their fingers, they shyly ventured
into the kitchen, peering into an empty pantry, with a trembling sense of of
shame at their audacity, as he told me, but growing bolder with defeat, they
peered into every cupboard and dish they could find, with no effect, the
thwarted purpose driving them to the ice chest, which they were sure must yield
the longed for bits, - they found it, and were rewarded, all, saving the claret.
Mr. Gillette bore the chicken and bread to the dinning room, Gov. B., being the
candlestick, could do little else. As they were siting down to their well
earned lunch, but deeply disappointed as to the claret, the candlebearer,
spied a door partly opened into your Father's dressing-room, . Silencing his
one last polite qualm with candle in hand, resisting a feeble remonstrance
of his comrade, he gently pushed the door a little further open, and lo
two broken bottles of life, saving St. Julian" were theirs, which they quickly
bore to the dinning room with fingers hopelessly stiff with sperm, although
their hearts were light. I shall never forget dear Gov. Bullocks' honest
fear, lest he had overstepped the delicate boundary of our hospitality, asser-
erating that he had never done such a thing in his life before, and never
would again, while Mr. Gillette insisted that he was an innocent man, who never
would have thought of making such a midnight assault upon a friend's
larder unless urged on by the Governor, The latter's work of supererogation
in the shape of
[?] of a box of choice claret, coming to us soon after, possessed an (exceptionally



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