The Port Gibson reveille. (Port Gibson, Miss.) 185?-1857, 1854-03-29
MISCELLANEOUS.
Old Time Country Life.


The following graphic picture Of farm life
IN the good old days that are gone forever IS
from the AlJaBg STATE Register. IL Will
o. read with pleasure by many New Eng,
ander IN far OF lands, and lie will 80 to bed
and dream Of the pewter mug filed with cider,
snl the donghnuts. and the pippin apples,
and the great old fre-pace-we have stoves
now. faugh and the tpple.parings and quilt
iags. and-ah memory will 60 back but
read -
There are memories that come clustering
about these " boys" these "pipplns, ana
the orchard" DO you remember the old
cder.mill, friend Margins, and the old horse
as he travelled round aud round, moving with
a slow and dignifed tread, hitched " TO the
long lever that turned the wooden mill, that
crushed the apples into 'pumice! DO you
remember the great - cheese " in its bandage
of straw beneath the press and how, when
the great screws were turned IN the massive
elllows-shaped frame, the rich juice OF the
annie came gushing out aud running into the
rreat tub placed to receive il DO you re-
member how, with straw. the urchins' as
they came along on their way from school,
filed themselves with sweet cider from the
hung Of barrel2 Do you remember how,
in the I, winter night you sat around the
fre.plac, wherein logs were blazing, and how
the pitcher Of cider, and the platter Of dough-
nuts. were placed upon the old cherry table,
that sat out in the middle Of the kitchen, and
bow YOU helped yourself 10 the cider and the
loughnuts, and how happy each one was as
be sat, with his pewter mug OF cider IN one
hand and doughnut in the other, before that
od.fashiorcd kitchen fireplace Those were
pleasant times. But they arc memories now.
And then the apple-parings. or bees, az
they we're called, when the young men and
nsiiens came together TO pare apples and
ak. and laugh. aud play old-fashioned plays
,al say soft things to one another, and cat
lumpkin pies and be happy after tho-iashion
I the country people, when you and were
young. Primitive times those were, friend
Margins: and our proud daughters and city
ismes would turn up their noses hugely were
aey % Be- present at an old-fashiOned apple
e such As ;;,,ey used 20 have out ia old Sieu-
"a. whoa the country was new, aud the fash
Ing were primitive.
i We remember, wien We NcIe 1vuli5' thS's
"a, fayorite tree in our flther's orchard
Fhch bore choice winter-apples. Il was call
d the BIZ tree, because il was the largest IN
Ne orchard. The fruit Of this tree was al
way, left 70 the last, aud was gathered with
great care. There was a worthless fellow
living ia tho neighborhood who one year GOV.
'iee portion OF the fruit on the big tree.
'ai was not deferred from its acquisition by
ae divine COMMANDMENT" Thou shalt not
sell. A quantity Of the apples disappeared
lae night, aud the tracks Of whoever stolo
aem had strange resemblance to those made
4 Y tue hcelless boots Of dishonest ncighbor.
aere we're two inseparable friends on the
" homestead. IN those carly days the one
eolored gentleman by the name Of Shad'
''sh who came into our fathers possession III
ayynent for a debt. aud who ran away regu-
-'y two or three times n year. and then as
gaarly ran back again. just as his master
4 san v indulge in the hope that he had got
40 him for good, The other was a great