Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1854-01-19
THE OLD CIDER MILL AND THE EHIEF


THE OLD CIDER MILL AND THE EHIEF.
The following is an extract from Country
Margins" a series Of articles which appear
from time to time in the Albany State Reg
ister."
"However, let us pause over it, and take
it down slowly, as the boys do the pippins in
our orchard"
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 slow
and dignifed tread, "hitched' to the long lev
er that turned the wooden mill that crushed
the apples into pummice! Do you remember
the great ''cheese" in its bandagc Of straw
beneath the press, and how, when the great
screws were turned in the massive, gallows-
shaped frame, the rich juice Of the apples came
gushing out and running into the great tub
placed to receive it2 Do you remember how,
with straw, the urchins, as they came along
on their way home from school, filed them
selves with the sweet cider from the bung of
the barrel! Do you remember how, in the
long winter nights you sat around the fire.
place wherein the logs We're blazing and how
the pitcher of cider, and the platter of dough-
nuts were placed on the cherry table that sat
out in the middle Of the kitchen, and how you
helped yourself to the cider and the dough-
nuts, and how happy each other was, as he
sat with his pewter mug Of cider in one hand
81 i n+l,n, kor,,a Az, III
fashioned kitchen fre-pacos Those were
pleasant times. But they are memories now,
and then the apple-parings, or "bees," as they
were called, when the young men and maid
ems came together to pare apples,and talk and
laugh and play old fashioned plays, and say
soft things to one another, and eat pumpkin
pies, and be happy after the fashion of the
country people when you and | were young.
Primitive times those WERE friend Margins,
and our proud daughters and city danes
would turn mp their noses hugely, were they
to be present at an old-fishioned apple-bee,
such as they used to have out in old Steuben,
when the country Was new, and the fashions
were primitive.
We remember, when we were quite young,
a iayorite tree in our fathers orchard, which
bore choice winter apples. 1t was called the
big tree, because it was the the largest in the
orchard. The fruit of this tree was always
left until the last, and was gathered with great
care There was worthless fellow living in
the mel ghborhood, who one year coveted por-
ton 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 a
strong resemblance to those made by the heed
less boots of our dishonest neighbor. There
were two inseparable friends ON the old home
stead in those early days; the one colored
gentleman by the name Of Shadrach, who
came to our fathers possession in payment
for 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, hall
mastitf and half BULL of noble presence and
fearless courage. Drive and "Shadrach'
were inseparable. They worked and played
together, slept together in the same loft, and
Shadrach never ate meal while the dog liv-
ed, at least at home, without sharing it with
his canine friend He would talk with Drive
for hours, when they were alone, and although
he didn't say much himself, yet Shadrach
said good many things. and laid down and
argued great many queer propositions
against which Drive uttered not a word Of
dissent
One chilly night in October, Shadrach and
Drive had been out along the cornfelds on an
unsuccessful coon hunt. On their return, the
dog dashed off through the orchard, and in a
minute or two commenced barking, and Shad.
rach, of course, supposed he had freed a coon
on one of the fruit trees Now Shadrach had
an abiding faith in spiritual manifestations,
and stood in mortal fear of the gentleman
in black, and all manner of spooks in gener-
al. Upon arriving at the "big tree" by the
foot Of which Drive sat, and on looking up
among the branches, he saw there in the dark
ness great black object, with something
which seemed like winding sheet in his
hand Shadrach's hair began to uncurl as he
looked, and hallooing "seek him" to Drive,
oioAo linz u quarter nag lor the mousse. lie
bolted breathlessly into the kitchen, exclaim-
ing,
Massa, massa! Drive got de debble in de
big apple treep
What is that woolly-pated rhinoceros9'
replied his master.
Drive got de debble freed on de big apple
tree repeated the negro.
A torch was lighted, and upon going into
the orchard, there sat our thievish neighbor
among the branches, with bag half filed
with the coveted fruit. Our father said not
q word to him, but after giving certain d.
rections to Shadrach, returned quietly to the
house. Old Shadrach laid his Jacket down
at the roots of the tree,and ordering Drive to