CHAPTER XI.
THE CHRISTENING.
“Halloa, Uncle Isaac!” shouted Joe from the house-top, “this ridge-polewon’t fit; you didn’t make it right.”
“Yes, I did. I never made a bad joint in my life.”
“Well, it won’t fit, anyhow. Master Hunt says ’twont.”
“O, if I could only get a little spirit to rub on it,” said UncleIsaac, in great perplexity, “I’ll bet ’twould fit; but I’m sure I don’tknow how I can get it on this island.”
“There’s some aboard the schooner,” said John Strout; and, as it waspassed up the frame, Joe announced that the ridge-pole fitted firstrate.
“Now, boys, the frame is up, and must be named. Who shall name it?”
“Seth Warren,” was the cry; “he got up the scrape.” Seth, all atonce, became extremely diffident, and required as much urging as adistinguished man at Commencement dinner, but finally was prevailedupon, at a great sacrifice of his own feelings, to gratify his friends.With a bottle of rum in his right hand, and astride the ridge-pole, hegave vent to the following effusion:--
Here, in the woods, yet out at sea, Where robins sing amid the surf, Where ivy clasps the moss-grown tree, And flowers are breaking from the turf,--
We’ve reared, where house ne’er stood before, Nor reaper bound the swelling grain, A dwelling-place, amid the roar Of waves, that break to break again.
Good luck to those who here shall live, Prosperity their path attend, With every blessing Heaven can give-- Health, competence, till life shall end.
To them its wealth may ocean yield, The herds their milky tribute pour; Rich harvests crown the fertile field, A bouncing baby grace the floor.
So strong a man ne’er held a plough, A seaman tried, a shipmate true; So sweet a girl ne’er milked a cow, Or bleached her linen in the dew.
This goodly house yet lacks a name; Good people all, I pray you tell, How I most worthily the same, This afternoon, may christen well.
We’ll not forget, where’er we roam, When thirty-five young stalwart men, And Uncle Isaac, reared the home Of old Elm Island’s Lion Ben.
I name it, then, the “Lion’s Den;” When we are dead these walls shall last, To tell of times when men were men, And keep the record of the past;--
When worth, not wealth, won woman’s heart, While she her lighter burden bore; At wheel and loom performed her part, And added to the common store.
As he concluded, he dashed the bottle on the ridge-pole, and flung theneck high in the air. Seth was frequently interrupted with applause;but, when he finished, there was a complete storm of cheers.
“I call that the cap-sheaf,” said Uncle Isaac; “there’s some chaw tothat; it’s raal sentimental; none of your low blackguard stuff, such asthey generally have to raisin’s. I think we ought all join together,and get Squire Linscott, the town clark, to copy them are varses, andbuy a gilded frame, and have ’em hung over Ben’s fireplace; then ourgrandchildren will know about it, for we haven’t done anything on thisisland we’re ashamed of, and don’t mean to.”
It was universally agreed that after such an effort a man must bethirsty; and a large pail of milk punch appeared from the schooner.Seth, as the poet of the day, received the first draught; then UncleIsaac and Master Hunt, and so it went round.
“It is not near night yet,” said Seth, who was greatly pleased with hissuccessful effort; “what do you say for boarding the roof and ends?there is such a swarm of us that we can do it in less than an hour.”
“I think we have done enough,” said Uncle Isaac; “but I’m in for it ifyou are.”
They accordingly boarded the roof and the ends.
“Now,” said Seth, “for some fun.”
The chips were all cleared out of the house, and the floor swept withspruce boughs; it made a noble hall; not a thing in it, and almostsquare. Uncle Isaac, rolling a log in front of the house, sat down tosmoke, contemplating his workmanship with the greatest complacency.His thoughts were also occupied in preparing for the morrow. He wasdesirous of making the most of this godsend, but did not want theboys to feel that he and Ben were trying to get all they could out ofthem. They had come to work, but for a good time as well. This was thesecret of his influence over the boys. He had not outlived his youthfulfeelings; knew theirs, and liked to frolic as well as they did. Knowingthat Seth and Joe were leaders of the rest, and would do anythingin reason for Ben, the wise old man determined to create a publicsentiment, and then follow the leadings of it; so he took them aside,and told them this plan, of which they highly approved, and which Sethwas to propose at the proper time, and Joe to advocate. Seats were nowmade along the walls; a great quantity of pitch knots were piled up onthe foundation of the chimney, and set on fire. This made such a light,that the very heads of the nails in the floor were visible, while thesmoke went out of the hole left in the roof for the chimney.
Lion Ben of Elm Island Page 12
