Plymouth advertiser. [volume] (Plymouth, Ohio) 1853-1988, 1854-04-08
Old Time Country Life.

~~AS SSuhbAJ 1hoi
The following graphic picture of farm
life in the good old days that have gone
forever, is from the Albany State Regis
ter. 1t will be read with pleasure by ma
ny New Englander in far of lands, and
he will go to bed and cream of the pew er
mug filled with cider, and the doughnu!s.
and the Pippin apples, and the great old
re-place-we have stoves, now, fangh-
and the apPle-parings and quiIings, and
-ah, memory will go back. But read
There are memories that come cluster
ing about these "boys," those "pippins."
and "the orchard" Do you remember
the old Cider Jiill friend Margins, and
the old horse as he travelled round and
round, moving with slow and dignified
tread, hitched to the long lever that
turned the wooden mill tha, crushed the
apples into pummice DO you remem.
ber the great cheese in its bandage Of
straw beneath the press, and how, when
the great screws were turned in the mas
sive gallows-shaped frame, the rich juice
of the apple came gushing out and iun>
ming into the great tub placed to receive
it? Do you remember how with straw,
the urchins, as they came along on t cir
way home from school, filled themselves
with sweet cider from the bung Of the
barrel ! Do you remember how, in the
long winter nights you sat around the
fire. place wherein logs were blazing, and
how the pitcher Of cider, and the platter
of doughnuts wete placed upon The old
cherry table that set on in the middle of
The kitchen, and how you helped yourself
to the cider and doughnuts, and how hap.
py each one was as he sat with his pew
ter mug Of cider in one hand, and
doughnut in the other before that old
fashioned kitchen Fireplace =!
Those We're pleasant times. But they
are memories now. And tnen the apple
parings Or bees, as they were called, when
the young men and maidens came togeth.
er to pare apples, and talk and laugh and
plays. and euy ooh Things TO one another
and eat pumpkin pies, and be happy af-
ter the fashion of the country people
when you and | we're young. Primitive
times those were, friend Margins and
our proud daughters and city danes would
turn up their noses hughly were they 10
be present al an old fashioned apple bee,
such as they used 10 have out in old Steu-
ben, when he country was new, and the
fashions were primitive.
We remember when we were Young,
there was favorite tree in our faith er's
orchard which bore choice winter apples.
1t was called the big tree, because i, was
the largest in the orchard The fruit of
this tree was always left until the last,
md was gathered with great care. There
was a worthless fellow living in the
neig ghborhood, who one year coveted a
portion Of the fruit on the big tree, and
was not deferred from its acquisition by
the divine commandment, 81 hou shalt
not steal y A quantity of The apples dis
appeared one night, and the tracks of
whoever st lie them had a strange resem.
blanee to those made by the heelless
boots of our dishonest neighbor. There
were two inseparable frienjs on the old
homestead in those early days the one
a colored gentleman by the name OF Sha.
drach, who came TO our fathers posses.
sion in payment for a debt, and who ran
away regularly two or three times year,
and then as regularly ran back again, Just
as his master began to indulge the hope
that he had got rid of him for good. The
other was great dog, half mastiff and
half bull, of noble presence and fearless
courage. Drive and shadrach were in
separable. They worked and played
ogether, and slept together in the loft,
and Shadrach never ate meal while the
dog lived, at least at home, without shar-
ing it with his canine friend. He would
tslk with Drive for hours, when they
were alone, although the dog didn't say
much himself, yet Shodrach said good
many things, and argued out great ma
ny queer propositions. against which
Drive uttered not word of dissent.
One chilly night in October, Shadrach
an Driver had been out along the corn
fields on an unsuccessful coon-hunt. On
.heir return the dog dashed off through
the orchard, and Shadrach of course sup.
posed he had treed coon on one of The
front trees. Now Shadrach had an abid.
ing faith in spiritual manifestations, and
stood in moral fear oil "the gentleman in
black and all manner of spooks in gem
eral. Upon arrival at the "big tree,' by
the foot Of which Driver sat and looking
up among the branches, he saw there in
the darkness great black object, with
something that seemed like winding
sheet in its hand. Shadrach's hair be.
gan to curl as he looked, and following
.sSeek! him :" to Drive, broke like a
quarter nag to The house. He broke breath
iessly into the kitchen, exclaiming "Mas-
sa. Massa Drive get the debbie in the
big apple tree" "Wha, is that. you
woolly pated rhinoceros 2" replied the
Master. "Drive go. the debble treed on
1.-The big aPpte tree" repeated ths negro