in Boscawen.

Brother Jonathan, upon learning the conduct of his brother, rebuked him
for useing his name, instead of his own, thereby deceiving the good
woman. In justification of his conduct, the brother answered, "My hunger
was great. I contrived to satisfy it. The kind woman had my thanks; you
was not injured. At most, by strict morals, I committed only a _pious
fraud_ in getting two pies, instead of one." Mr. Webster remarked, that
he was once present when this case was stated, and argued by the two
brothers, and was much interested in the discussion of the celebrated
pie case.

* * * * *

THE DARK DAY.

BY ELBIDGE H. GOSS.

The Spragues of Melrose, formerly North Malden, were one of the old
families. They descended from Ralph Sprague, who settled in Charlestown
in 1629. The first one, who came to Melrose about the year 1700, was
named Phineas. His grandson, also named Phineas, served during the
Revolutionary War, and a number of interesting anecdotes are told about
him. He was a slaveholder, and Artemas Barrett, Esq., a native of
Melrose, owns an original bill of sale of "a negro woman named Pidge,
with one negro boy;" also other documents, among which is Mr. Sprague's
diary, wherein he gives the following account of the wonderfully dark
day in 1780, a good reminder of which we experienced September 6, 1881,
a century later:

FRIDA May the 19th 1780.

This day was the most Remarkable day that ever my eyes beheld the
air had bin full of smoak to an uncommon degree so that wee could
scairce see a mountain at two miles distance for 3 or 4 days Past
till this day after Noon the smoak all went off to the South at
sunset a very black bank of a cloud appeared in the south and west
the Nex morning cloudey and thundered in the west about ten oclock
it began to Rain and grew vere dark and at 12 it was almost as dark
as Nite so that wee was obliged to lite our candels and Eate our
dinner by candel lite at noon day but between 1 and 2 oclock it
grew lite again but in the evening the cloud came, over us again,
the moon was about the full it was the darkest Nite that ever was
seen, by us in the world.[A]

[Footnote A: This was printed in the sketch of Melrose in "History of
Middlesex County," vol. II.]

* * * * *

NAMES AND NICKNAMES.

BY GILBERT NASH.

To the antiquarian, the hist