I well remember that awful night in the
tavern in the remote region of North Andover. We occupied a chamber in
which were two beds. In the unsuspecting innocence of youth I
undressed myself and got into bed as usual; but my brave and
thoughtful uncle, merely divesting himself of his coat, put it under
his pillow, and then threw himself on to the bed with his boots on his
feet, and his two hands resting on the rim of his hat, which he had
prudently placed on the apex of his stomach as he lay on his back. He
wouldn't allow me to blow out the candle, but he lay there with his
great white eyes fixed on the ceiling, in the cool, determined manner
of a bold man who had made up his mind to face danger and meet
whatever might befall him. We escaped, however, without injury, the
doughty landlord and his relentless sons merely demanding pay for
supper, lodging, horse-feed, and breakfast, which my valiant uncle,
betraying no signs of fear, resolutely paid.
Mrs. Stowe has woven this incident into chapter thirty-two of "Oldtown
Folks," where Uncle Ike figures as Uncle Jacob.
Mrs. Stowe had misgivings as to the reception which "Oldtown Folks"
would meet in England, owing to its distinctively New England
character. Shortly after the publication of the book she received the
following words of encouragement from Mrs. Lewes (George Eliot), July
11, 1869 :--
"I have received and read 'Oldtown Folks.
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