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""Indeed," responded the man, who was disappointed in not finding the object of his search, "" as it happens, I do not wish to trouble you; at the same moment closing the door upon us, and turning to one of his companions, who had just descended the stairs, he asked if he had found the wine. He answered, "No.""

""Is there not some spirit in that closet?" ' inquired the other, pointing, as we supposed, to the door of our retreat. "“Yes,” replied the person who had so unceremoniously looked in upon us, "I found spirit enough there, I assure you, but not the kind I like there is nothing there but girls, one of whom threatened me most unmercifully, you may depend!"" They then withdrew to the room above, laughing heartily at the expense of my companion.

'Several hours elapsed before we dared to leave this place of concealment. We knew by what we had heard that there was much excitement throughout the dwelling, yet suspected not what had occurred. Having at length succeeded in reaching our chamber without being molested, we finished dressing, and hastened to that part of the house where we hoped to find our uncle and aunt. We found them in the front entry. Uncle was in custody of an officer, and aunt was pleading that he might be released.

'It appeared that uncle had resisted the assaults of these midnight visitors, and also refused to inform them whether he had lodged any of the rebellious party at any time, and was silent when asked to designate those who were under his roof at that time, feeling that his interrogators had no authority to enter his house and disturb its inmates in that manner.

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'The assailants, provoked at this insolence, as they termed it, went and reported him to the officers whose duty it was to ferret out all disturbers of the public peace, as a conspirator among the followers of Shays. Thus accused, he vainly protested his innocence, and was not believed, though he affirmed to the last that there was not an individual they sought under his roof. He was forced into a sleigh, and carried to the county jail, where he was imprisoned upon these false pretences.

The house of my uncle was greatly damaged, and several of the inmates wounded, by the ruthless assault that had been made. The family were too much confused, on the following morning, to attend to their customary avocations; and the state of the building was such as to oblige aunt to close the hotel, until it could be repaired. She had been instructed to allow things to remain as they were, until uncle should recover damages for what he had suffered.

'The news of what had transpired on that night, spread rapidly through the adjacent country. As soon as it reached Brookfield, which was an adjoining town to that in which uncle dwelt, my mother was informed of it, and hastened to console my aunt in her affliction. She found the state of things such that she thought it best to take me home with her; and in consequence of her doing So, I was soon after removed to a distant part of the country.'

'I wish,' said Salina, that unpleasant affair had never occurred, for then you and mother would not have been separated so many years.'

"We ought,' said her aunt, to regret the sin that was

committed in that act of violence; but we are bound to be satisfied with the providential occurrences of our lives. We are not creatures of mere accident; and I believe it was best for me to be parted as I was from my dear sisters in childhood, else I should have been spared the trial of leaving them.'

'Well, aunt Coleman, I hope I shall some day view things as you do,' replied her niece; but I want now to know how things turned out in regard to uncle Hamlin, for I suppose he was my great uncle, was he not?'

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'Yes,' answered her aunt, and I am glad to be able to inform you that in the end uncle suffered neither the loss of property nor reputation, as he was proved innocent of the charges alleged against him, and also recovered heavy damages for the injury his property had sustained.

'Aunt was a person who knew not how she might be cheerful amid trial; and during the absence of her husband was very gloomy. He perceived the state of her feelings, from her letters; and being naturally humorous in his disposition, allowed himself to indulge this propensity, when answering her mournful epistles.

'In the first letter he wrote, after his absence, he stated that it was not a very great trouble to him to be confined in jail, for he did not feel like a culprit; and where there was not a sense of guilt to harrass the mind, it was not hard to be contented in almost any situation.

"It grieves me," he continued, "to discover from your letters that your spirits are depressed; now let me persuade you, my dear wife, to cast your care upon one who careth for all who trust in Him, and wear a smile of cheerfulness which best becomes a Christian. For my own

part, I feel that it is altogether best for me to be, for a short season, where I am.

"In the first place it has improved me physically. I do not mean by this, that I have gained in point of flesh, for I have experienced the reverse of this, exactly—I have become so thin that I can cross my feet very easily now, which you know, on account of my corpulency, I have not been able to do for some time. This consideration is not to be forgotten; but there are others to be regarded also. One is, that I enjoy time for important reflection, which I hope to improve; and, last of all, the new doors and windows we shall be obliged to have are worth thinking of, especially as I need not expect to pay for them myself. Now, my dear, you must look upon the brightest side of the picture, and expect to see me at home soon."'

'I suppose aunt was cheered by the reception of this letter from her husband, was she not?' said Salina.

'Somewhat; but still she was inclined to be melancholy. Several years previous to this event, these friends were called to part with three dear children, in the short space of one week. They were all carried off by a malignant fever, and were all she ever had. After this event, aunt was never again like herself, but was cast down whenever afflicted.

'Uncle cared more on her account than for himself, in view of the inconvenience he had lately experienced, and rallied all his spirits to help sustain her. He wrote often, and each letter breathed an air of pleasantry and good humor.

In a short time he returned home, had his house repaired, and all things comfortably arranged again. The

insurgents were all scattered abroad, and the circumstance of the nocturnal invasion they had experienced, was well nigh forgotten.

'Did you go away into the "far West," as it was then called, during that winter?' asked one of the youthful listeners.

'I did, at the very time uncle was confined in prison,' answered Mrs. Coleman.

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'What a pity,' said Salina, that you could not always have remained with uncle and aunt, as they were childless.'

'In your opinion, my dear, I suppose it is; but I feel as if my lot had been disposed of very well. I could not have ordered things for myself as well as they have been ordered for me,' replied her aunt with a smile. 'It was well I did go; and with gratitude do I recall to mind the providential dealings of my Heavenly Father with those members of our family who went to the western wilderness in company with my mother.'

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