The young ladies were found guilty and sentenced to pay as a fine a bowl of eggnog.
After getting his candle lighted, the boy takes dry kindling, which has been gathered the night before, and starts a fire.
The next thing is to get some water.

He is lucky if the water in the old cast-iron kettle which hangs on the crane in the fireplace be not frozen.

As soon as the fire is started he goes outdoors to thaw out the pump, if they have a wooden pump.

But that is all frozen up, and he has to get some hot water from this kettle to pour down over the piston till he can thaw it out.

Sometimes he would have an old-fashioned well, sunk too low in the ground for the frost to reach it, and could get water with the old oaken bucket.
He brings in from out-of-doors a pail or two of water.