Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1857-07-02
OBJ &ittg6tlo Guquuet
fitehfsld, Conn, Thursday, July 2, 1857

1iteh6eld, Conn, Thursday. July 2, 1857.
Editorial Correspondence. Mo. III.
THE sIDE CONTINUED.
The road before us, we turned from the lodge
gate, lay smooth and quiet stretching northerly
toward the town.. The immediate centre of Barring
ton has undergone but little alteration during the
last half century 1t is beyond the limits Of the vii
lage that increase Of dwellings is perc ived A
stone hotel capable of containing a goodly number
Of boarder 10 closed as it has been for the last year
and yet it is said that there is great demand for
residences, and apartments for summer visitors.
Indeed, beyond the snowy and somewhat fashy at
tempt at eotoging in the suburbs. Darlington pre-
sents particular evidence of thrift business.
In observing the singular attempts to manufacture
something rural, out of what peculiarly provin-
cial and romantic before lin fact the most pleasant
feature of our old New England villages, the stepped
rooted farm houses,) forgot the length of the
journey before us, our horse scarcely moving the
wheels Of the light sulky had borrowed to expe-
dite matters on the road and had not the chain of
reflection been broken by arrival within the lin
its Of manufacturing town, might have gone
on sentimentalizng over the scene till noon day
The roar of mill-dam and the junction of four
reads, one leading off toward the mountain, revived
the fact of an engagement, and leaving the main
thoroughfare we turned toward the hills and com
meneed slowly ascending. 1t was not long before
settlement ofscabins presented ITSELF beyond which
were the steep baaksand deepcut causeways ofan iron
ore bed Tottling on the tops of the crumkng
hills often supported by braces of timber, the low
rooted shantes of the aborers seemed getting ready
for slide and if prepared for the event the eau
tious Irishman had placed the pig-sty in the rear
himself and the seven little ones occupying Elegant
beds near the front door SILL The general ignorance
Of these laborers in relation to points of compass
roads and distances was truly amazing. What
Yankee would have ascertained in less than six
hours after coming upon the ground they, many of
whom had worked in the vicinity for years, had not
as yet received the slightest light regarding The
truth of this point may be learned from the fact Of
our enquring the dis to the next village of a
respectable son of Erin, who sat smoking his pipe in
the front end Of his cart his legs on the head board
and eyes heavenward. 9" How far to the next town,
Patg' Sure, your honor, could mt tell but
there's Mike Murphy over by his old womans he 8
older here than !, he'd be after knowing, reckon "
% How far to the next town, Mike? "Some thirty
miles thereabout I'm thinking; niver was
there in my life though Having been assured at
the cross roads below that it only five miles dis
tant from this point concluded Mike was out of
the way only twenty-five miles, which for an Irish
blundel, was but slight one, and so pushed on,
following our nose to the best advantage we could
We passed the village some five miles beyond, and
then entered upon hills, whose cod half-cultivate
sides presented 10 pleasant features. The roads
were rough, and appeared to have been made with
out the assistance OF patent scapers, and repaired
somewhat back in the past century the cattle on
the pastures looked if they had been turned out
to recover from the effects of a hard winter, and
with melancholy countenances stood contemplating
the struggle between die and live which was going
among their neighbors The orchards gave
slight promise OF crop Of crab fruit the trunks of
most of the trees in a recumbent position appearing
TO have been visited by succession of hurricanes,
which after having blown them over had ornament
ed their tops with head gear of old hats, worms
nests and dry sticks. The farm houses, if such
name might be applied to few scattered, crazy,
half tumbled down combinations OF wrought nails
and shaky lumber stood bectling the tops of the
hills, and placed in comparison with the shantics in
the iron valleys below cast in the superlativc
degree.
Judging from peculiar feeling in the gastronon,ic
region 1t might be about noon, stopped before the
cato Of one Of these delectable dwellings, from the
rear of which there shortly appeared specimen of
the Low Dutch race, whose mental faculties origin
ally obtuse from long residence in these high at-
tudes had become entirely o5,usticated He fol-
lowed by three carroty headed sons, 1--WE were posi-
tive of their origin,) and their dogs the latter at
the sight of as setting up a loud roar which was
shortly increased by the accession Of litter Of pups
of the same breed, which ran around the conner,
swelling the chorus as they advanced. Not particu.
larly anxious to make further enquiries into the
character and habits of this peculiar population We
addressed the old man, desiring to know the distance
TO the tavern, or if he could supply with slice
from his wifes bread basket. The provincial char
acter of our dialect was too much for him, and he
shook his head with solemn motion from right tt
Left closing his eyes he finished if overcome BY
this astounding and incomprehensiblc interruption
in the tenor of his daily life. One of the boys, how
ever, received some inkiing of cur nearing and rar
back to the house, moment after again heaving il
sight to inform us that if wanted anything, w
must go after IT, With some hesitation we dis
mounted, passing by the head of the family, wh'
again opened and closed his eyes and solemny movst
his h1Ad, as il it was too much for him yet. Th'
dog bowed their white teeth, and the puppies re
. tseHling beneath the kitchen yeped and snarlet
nom inAumerable chinks in the underpinning. w
were met by fat old woman of about fifty wht
after peering inquisitively through ON excessvel,
heavy pair Of steelhowed spectacles assured us ir
quite fair English 6 that she thought we were 8
pretty piece of baggage to be tramping over The
country. begging other folks sour krout VIII,
don't 70 60 to work and earn your victuals. ell p
Hes no tramper, grandmother, said the oldes
hoY who now came mn and splinthers he has tn,