The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1857-12-12


We have some queer neighbors. here at
the West. DI possess the graphic pen
with winch Alice Carey sketches so grace
fully, ! might, perhaps, interest our rra icrs
hy a new series of "Our Neighborhood at
tie Wcsi;" but. a. have only my own
gray goose quill" they must be content
( with plain story, told in plain way.
{ We lad not been here three wrrb>, when
} | had heard the story Of Mrs. Hollis aid
, the Convict" told at least three times, nv six
d. iIr,cnt people ard all cnhc, the narrative
/ by advising to go and see Mrs. Hollis and
hear the story from her o~n lips.
I But ] did not t,-l sufficient interest in the
NATTER TO do so, aud had never seen the
Heroine of the Nci.hborho"i." until one
day Inst week, wt,,n III one OF my rxinhles
turned ny II - towards the cabin where
Judith Hollis aud her husband, William, are
spinning out the thread OF their peaceful
Ives
B The little foot path winds around through
4 the forest, and on the u Tx Of Branch"
which juts into the Missouri just above - Fo.
rest llomr." Had AIKEN up my pen for a
d hrrert purpose, should bc tempted TO
! tel! You something of the beauty "f some Of
these woodland waks of Ihe magnificent
e. tiun-w God trees, from winch the glossy
hangs like - many plr> of SNOW flakes from
out the gray green leaves. OF the Mexican
crrcpcr winch winds s,Ound the oaks aud
waluut-, aud decks their stately heads with
lis rich cuIousi of crimson aud Orange; of
the gay pa,uquvi, and the bright rc,i-bird,
with .i> slr II not, II tting IN and out
through the >ycsnbrc>; api thousand
. othc b aut ~. which every day causes me
To lift my heart ia grateful s'iorati"n towards
Iii who hath made even the wilderness
To blossom ke the rose
Oar ueighh.r, Eul l., was a perfect para
d,>r of h"mr. | wa~ quite sorry that | had
neglected long to treat nay elf with a
sight of II, f,r c,I Itainly "A lovriier scene has
II, met nay eye for many day. The little
raiin. with IL rustic por, h-y"n may smis,
r. ,aurr. but I've scvn many would be Co
thic and br,ciaU iIrisiun. that were not
hat pretty a. that Ittlr log ca,in--iaif
covered las d tuxUIiiut Wild rose vine, row
jn full Llponi, ioukrd out from a gr We oi >il-
vti pol.lar and >l->ait;.> ;rct> : and 81 altered
here at,! there. over the green lawn, which
; >lupcd ,iuxn tn ti,r river, we're some uIagni-
ii-,m, e'uI>, and Spanish oaks, from which
in. " ri grape VINE dFonped lis graceful
branches even 10 the vyry top. Just at the
ca>i uf the h"u~', aud down III a little ra-
vim. >I,iug OF clear water yu>hei OUT, ard
uouud H. way IN "a silver lIne over the
c,u~>, until 4 lost itself in the turbId waters
# the broad Missouri.
.lrS Unlli, met the "new neiEhbor' at
'hr door, with h">ptah!e smile upon tier
hiud face, aui Invjtin- me into thc house,
F went -,-aici,t-.ay 10 the >piiug FOR bucket
. "f fresh va cr. aud gave me a most refresh
Ia. Gtau-ht it"u g"urd polished 10
bIi.bi,y tia, | could almost see my fac.
. IN It.
Mr-. Hollis was very loqnaciouS, and quite
' ciar.,trf" III her WAY. listened with
,n;,r.>r To- her account "i her cir krnS, how
,,.c .ur,d III. m uf the "g.pr-." &c; in
qGI..d bont her rahhacrs ami beans; told
. ',r III a cure for pip" winch her young
tuIk V were tar n. mighty hard, and We
>Upr IA raIue very good friends.
"S,u Las, a love p'arr hero, Mrs. llo'-
H." remark, q. a,l,J the above oIcs lad
hvru fully DISCUSSED.
~. w,re mighty well fixed; we've
worked har.I to ~ 1t cIared np, and t" pay
ipr it, ard come mic chty n'eii brin' che at
,.. ous ont at 'a>i.
Knew ti,at tic tory was coIn'ng nos, ~
l,y .ay 81 hiJrgi"g 1t gu; remarked, sure
Il, Nj Iiplli-, un one wou Il be 81 wicke'i
- to- sr>n L. cii,at you out os your hard
,arn'u->:"
"WhV. un. not cheat exactly, though
chra;in' and robhin' are rrety much the
>ame doug afi,r ali; and We come mighty
u,.h b-in' robbed Of four hundred dohars
which Il ly-tn.t'> my mHn and had
srr.j ed together and pat IN a little TN box
AID cn.d up III tnat biz chI>t you see
thar"
IMPRESSED a wish to hear the account o.
ii,.. roi,le,y. aud Mr. II ,ili>, after ho-pita
:, i,..,
.ir-r cakes sui drink \ glass OF home
n.s,ie wine, atvi herself i'll large ru>t'
I inned ~. king char. and while she Piled he'
n.r.i.s, tod me tie following story, w'Ic''
MI repeat ia ,er own words a. f,r a. can
r,rn.mh.r them. (Mv rca irr> mns, xcn>s
i.c peculiar language winch MIS- IL" i''
7 u-,> Si,.. >sw the INSIDE OF n lie
m,ic SEMINARY" in h. ifc, and doubt rrr'
wE. tli-r she eve >rv t.,, INSIDE of The spell
ing book; bat -h- l. kind nri.hhor and q
v,,y cn"i N"ruan, n"twIth>ia' d'ng)
Its g"in on rs" years row, said Mrs
liui -, ''>'r"r Iiiiy-thai> my nrn, you
know Took III. >htF and went doHn t,
l;"cii-r"rt. ~ sc about some money 'ha
was wir. him thar You see the last pay
mint "n our lsui was co,nin' due IN fr"
DAYS. al: We know Il pretty wei, II We
iiain'i The unnrv ready, Sgu,r Reed that
the man ~ bought on-wou'dut Civ US the
. d cd, Tor we'd worked hard clarin' up th'
, tnm, a',i land has riZ g,"d deal since ~
'ougiIi aui W. k"nwed pretty well Squ'I
Z Reed Wniil Int rn,nd chratin' Us out ont y
lac could. any morn III IN nj pu,iin' fca
thor out "f that Old gandcrs tail out thar
: We', we'd got about four hundred and lily
dollars scrap, d together, and put IN that bi-
/ ch>t thar, ani y"u may he sure 1t had tns
4 ,.t,. ~ ~
work To airn AL that, for butter didn't bring
no more than ftp pound in them days
: and we sold all our ai:S for five cents do
A; IN, aud nice Fat turkeys for tw" hits
/, We'll, a. sid, Bily-that's my man-ha'
!, went down to Rprhci,or, in the skiif to gi
the if'y dollars from Mister Jakcs. M'Ste
! Jake> is a butcher, you know, and we'd sole
i,m three cows and ralf, and he was to pa
the money the first day of September; s.
Bny hc vent down in the Skiff to fetch II
was mighty Uneasy all day, somehow, y"'
know a lady will feel 80 sometimes. ana
reckon went down to that sycamore dow
thar as much as fifty times to see it Bill.
wasn't comm; tnou.h knOwed in all rea
son he wou dn't git home till after dark. 10
lisa matter Of ten miles do n to Roche
port; and thou-h Billy is as good an oars
I man-if do say it-as thar is on the Mis-
soury; it's right smart of a job to pull M
the river ten miles, and the wind BLOWN
= down stream at that.
well, I'd got the chores all done, mike
n the cows, shot up the chickens, and turne
i the Old mar into the parstcr, and was jus
!. enin' to the spring to git bucket Of waite
10 fiji the tra-keitle-"r thought I'd hav
:. have supper all ready asin Billy got home
when heard somebody step onta the pore
e and thought sure it mus, be Billy. and fe
y uo,ri,si b,.c.use | ha.in'i got supper ready