"Put on plenty o' ham gravy an' molasses.

This ain't no Jackman tavern.

I got hold o' somethin' down there that tasted so I had to swaller twice on it." About eleven o'clock Uncle Hiram and Aunt Eliza and their five children arrived with loud and merry greetings.

Then came other aunts and uncles and cousins.

With what noisy good cheer the men entered the house after they had put up their horses! I remember how they laid their hard, heavy hands on my head and shook it a little as they spoke of my "stretchin' up" or gave me a playful slap on the shoulder--an ancient token of good will--the first form of the accolade, I fancy.