night, some nice walnut wood embers were carefully
put into me; I had the pleasure and honor of being passed up and down
my mistress's bed till it was well warmed, and this service I performed
for her constantly till the warm weather returned.

When any one in the family was ill, I was employed on the same service
for him or her; or when guests came to pass the night, I performed this
office for them, and this was all apparently which my existence was
for. A very monotonous life I led, to be sure, but I am of a quiet
nature and care not for much variety.

I remember only one or two things which occurred beyond this dull
routine; these I will relate and then give place to some more
interesting speaker.

One day, I was suddenly seized upon by one of the maids, and carried
out into the orchard, when she began beating me with an iron spoon, and
making as much noise as she possibly could; presently others of the
family joined with tin pans and kettles, and such a babel of sound you
never heard; this, I found afterwards, was to stupefy a swarm of bees
and make them alight which, at last, they did. Then one of the men with
a handkerchief over his face, and with gloves on, swept the bees into a
new hive, and put it by the side of the old ones.

After this bruising, I was hung up upon my accustomed peg, but my
brazen face still shows the marks which Dolly's iron spoon left on me
that morning.

One feat, however, I performed, which I should think might put our
friend the sword to the blush. I did do something in defence of our
native land in the hour of her danger; he it seems did nothing in his
whole life but play gentleman.

Our cook Dolly was a brave woman, and, during the Revolution, once or
twice she was left quite alone in the house, and every thing was put
under her care.

Upon one of these occasions, she was up stairs, and thought she heard
some one in the house; she came down very softly, and saw a man in the
pantry helping himself to the silver; he was so much occupied, and she
moved so softly, that he did not see or hear her. I was hanging in the
entry close by where she passed; she took me down very softly, came up
behind the soldier,--for such he was,--and gave him a good box on the
ear with me, instead of her hand. This scared him so effectually that
he threw down the silver, and scampered off after his companions who
were in the stable looking for horses which they meant to take for
themselves. Dolly, in