in New England, and which those accustomed to the "hudgey smudgey"
cooking at the great hotels of cities cannot appreciate.

The good woman regretted that she could not add a mug of cider, for
since the temperance folks had shut up the tavern kept by General
Aldrich, at the village, travelers with a taste for that article had
to thirst and keep on to Barnstable. "May heaven vouchsafe you
plenty of such good fare," said the major, taking his seat at the
head of the table, as we drew up and engaged the bacon and eggs with
appetites that were sharpened to the keenest edge. And so fiercely
did the major gorge himself, showing no respect for the last piece
upon any plate, that the little urchins, who had occupied seats at
the table, began to gaze upon him with wonder and astonishment, and
to slink away, one after another, to relieve their pent up mirth.
Indeed, so formidable was the onset he made upon the bacon and eggs,
that I found it necessary to withdraw after the first fire, lest the
good hostess be compelled to call her frying pan into use a second
time. Having finished the humble but grateful meal, we proceeded, at
the desire of the major, to examine the pig and poultry yard. Her
two cows, she said, twitching her head in satisfaction, had had fine
thriving calves, and the old sow had a nice increase of fifteen
little spotted rascals, as round and plump as foot-balls. As for
poultry, the only kind that had not done well was her turkeys. And
of this there was visible testimony in four dyspeptic young ones
that walked sleepily around two old ones, kept up a very ill-natured
whimpering, and in addition to being featherless were quite as much
bedowned as the face of a freshman. The major, who had a remedy for
everything, set at once to prescribing for their distempers, which
he swore by his military reputation they could be purged of by
taking homopathic pills dissolved in the smallest quantity of