. Recollections of Auton House .. . yarn stockings to drawover the silk ones, and their satin-wadded pelisses, — which were piledup in elegant confusion on the middle chamber bed. There was only a voluntary fire department inthose days. Every boys father waseither a fire-ward or a captain inthe bucket-brigade ; so when thealarm was sounded the old leathernbuckets which hung in the glass-house were snatched from theirfastenings and brought into imme-diate requisition. Beautiful women, with jeweled fin-gers and dresses tucked back, stoodon the front stairs passing buckets,while a band of swells
. Recollections of Auton House .. . yarn stockings to drawover the silk ones, and their satin-wadded pelisses, — which were piledup in elegant confusion on the middle chamber bed. There was only a voluntary fire department inthose days. Every boys father waseither a fire-ward or a captain inthe bucket-brigade ; so when thealarm was sounded the old leathernbuckets which hung in the glass-house were snatched from theirfastenings and brought into imme-diate requisition. Beautiful women, with jeweled fin-gers and dresses tucked back, stoodon the front stairs passing buckets,while a band of swells in whitekids (white kids were then fashionable) worked the kitchen-pump,and slopped the water over the brussels carpets. It was a pictur-esque and lively scene for some time. Happily the conflagration was arrested, and everybody enjoyedthe hot supper which followed this excitement all the more. Therewas no need that year for the services of the little woolly-headedchimney-sweep, who so regularly shinned up the big-throated flues. THE MIDDLE CHAMBER. 57 to scrape down their sooty sides, and his melodious carol was pipedin the crisp morning air from the topmost stone of our neighborssmoke-stack. T. Anton owned a white Cade lamb. This animalwore a red morocco collar,and followed its master aboutthe streets. Everywhere T. Auton wentThe lamb was sure to go. It became, however, a greatnuisance. Its nose was every-where but in its proper place,no marble mantel-piece, normahogany bedstead, weretoo high for it to scale; in-deed, it seemed to choosethese delicate pieces of furniture for its especial landing-places. Itsidiotic baa was heard everywhere, and its hot, woolly presencewas quite too much on long summer days. Besides the lamb, T. Auton had a poodle. Carlo had no tail,but nature made up the deficiency to him by his unusual sagacity,and the pity he excited among men on account of this eyes were red, as if from weeping. He sat down before everynew-comer, placed hi
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, bookidrecollectionsofa00hopp2
