The Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, Ohio) 1853-1861, 1854-02-27
Old Tine Country Life.

Is from the Albany State Register. 1t will
be read with pleasure by many New Eng
lander in far off lands, and he will go to bed
and dream of the pewter mug filled with
cider, and the doughnuts, and the pippin
apples, and the great old fire-place-we have
stoves now, faugh-and the apple parings
and quiltings, and-ah, memory will 60 back.
But read:
There are memories that come clustering
about these boys" these "pippins,' and
* the orchard" Do you remember the old
cider mill, friend Margins, and the old horse
as he travelled round and round, moving with
u slow and dignified tread. "hitched F" to
the long lever that turned the wooden mill,
that crushed the apples into pummlce DO
you remember the great . cheese IN It's
blndagc of straw beneath the press, and how,
when the great screws were turned in the
massive gallows-shaped frame, the rich juice
of the apple came gushing out and running
into the great tub placed to receive it? Do
YOU remember how, with straw, the urCh
ins, as they came along on their 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 were placed upon
the old cherry table that sat out in the mid
die of the kitchen, and how you helped
yourself to the cider and the doughnuts,
and how happy each one was as he sat
with his pewter mug of cider in one hand
and doughnut in the other before that
oldfashioned kitchen fire place? Those
were pleasant times. But they are memo
res now. And then the apple parings or
.Gb hoo tho, oil al tbo
men and maidens came together to pare APP
ioned plays, and say soft things to one an
after the fashion of the country people when
you and | were young. Primitive times
those We're, friend Margins, and our proud
daughters and city danes would turn up
their noses hugely were they to be present at
an old-fashioned apple-bee, such as they used
TO have out in old Stuben, when the country
was new, and the fashions were primitive.
We remember, when we were young,
there was favorite tree in our fathers
orchard which bore choice whinter apples.
1t was called the big tree, because it was the
largest in the orchard. The fruit of this
tree was always left till the last and was
gathered with great care. There was a
worthless fellow living in the neighborhood
who one year coveted portion of the fruit
on the big tree and was not deferred from
its acquisition by the divine commandment
-" Thou shalt not steal' A quantity Of
the apples disappeared one night, and the
tracks of whoever stole them had strange
resemblance to those made by the heelless
boots of dishonest neighbor. There were
two inseparable friends on the old home
stead in those early days; the one " color
ed gentlemen by the name of Shadrach,
who came to our fathers possession in pay
ment for debt, and who ran away regularly
two or three times year, and then as regu.
larly 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 Shad-
rach were inseparable. They worked and
played together slept together in the same
loft, and Shadrach never ate meal while
the dog lived, at least at home, without
sharing it with his canine friend He would
talk with Drive for hours, when they were
alone, although the dog didn't say much him
self, yet Shadrach said good many things,
and laid down and argued out great many
queer propositions, against which Drive
uttered not word of dissent.