Page:Autobiography of Rear Admiral Charles Wilkes.djvu/29

Rh and were often the terror of the neighbours household and servants in particular.

Old Polly Drury, our housekeeper, was kept in continual alarm as our Saturday holiday came around and it took little to intimidate her to procure for us our bread and molasses for lunch in order to save her from the apprehension of some trick or mischief. She was a kind old soul and was always ready to make excuses for our behaviour to others when charges were brought against us. She always thought it was better to have a crowd of boys than one or two, for the lot would amuse each other and keep us out of mischief toward herself, but one or two boys had much deviltry in them and caused her many a fright.

Poor old soul, I can see her now in her nice dress of Calico, clean white apron and becoming white maid's cap so appropriate and withal so absent from all fuss and finery or pretensions to copy her superiors. She was as one of the family, and had her say in most things, particularly in all that appertained to the dairy and the making of spruce beer at which she was not to be equalled, and of which my father was exceedingly fond during the summer months. The stone Jugs were all methodically arranged on the clay floor of the underground cellar in rows of which she kept the account, at least I suppose so, in her head for she could not write. It was difficult for us to get at this store of beverages. The cellar was carefully locked and the key usually secreted, known only to herself where. And as she was seldom abroad it was difficult for any one at any time to get into it, and a chance at the inviting beer jugs. But not withstanding all her precautions, we were enabled to evade her watchfulness and in order to prevent discovery an [illegible] precaution became necessary.

It was Polly['s] custom to take a short nap after dinner and it was then our choice time. The key was detected in the hanging place which though frequently shifted was [illegible]. The cellar was opened and the Beer jugs seized and carried out & concealed for future use for a frolic and their places carefully filled by the empty ones which were deposited with the corks by the side and served to deceive the good old soul that they had burst from being too ripe and their contents consequently escaped. Poor Polly was dreadfully put to it to account for the ripening of her beer so fast, but it was most excellent and was enjoyed by us boys accompanied as it was by a huge piece of Cake of her own making. She often had misgivings of how those jugs emptied themselves. She knew it was not the servants and if in her mind it was us boys, she had the wisdom not to let it be known to us. She thought there was no harm in boys tricks & would laugh very heartily at all she saw & heard of except the putting of snakes in the Kitchen and Laundry for she had a most intolerable fear of reptiles either alive or dead.

Polly was as fond of us as we were of her, though she did not hesitate to say that she was very glad when Monday came & we went to school for the week. Polly was of the medium height, spare and muscular, a clear laughing eye, some little colour in her cheeks and of Irish Scotch extraction. She came to this country with her parents who both died