Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1858-04-10
Mtsteliantous
ErOm willis Correspondence to the HON. Journal.
UNCLE 'NIJE.
TEE PALMER or tue HUDSON ulontAsp,,
March. 1858.

TO one Of the most popular of our ~IIighlrnd in.
habiianta-a man l had often met upon the road
without knowing his name TOR condition. as
he is the only legitimate palmer ] haze ever seen;
/ must give YOU an account Of him. | believe
fret copying, however, from good authority. a deb
milton Of the class ~ which | conceive HIM ~ es'
pecislly to belong. Scott says, iu bis Notes to
Marmi ion -
"A palmer, lin contradistinciion to a pilgrim, J
IL one who makes II his sole business to visit dit
fereDt shrines, travelling inces @ant!y and eubsist'
ing by charity whereas the pilgrim retires tn his
usual home and occupations when he has paid his
devotions at the particular spot which Is the object
OF his pilgrimage"
On a circuit of about twenty miles, smorg the
Highlands back Of Illevild, the beat known man.
for the last fifty years, has been Adonjah Barton
-"Uncle 'Nije," u. he is familiarity called by the
women and children. For all that length OF time
land he il now seventy-seven years odd Uncle
'Nlje has lived the life of "a patmer travelling al
ways on foot. and with nothing save his staff aud
his blessing: never, for II single dag having "a hume
of his own never eating or sleeping under a roof
except in the way of charity while the placed
where good eating is to be found. (Which are the
different shrines" it is his sole business to visit. y
are we'll known to him as we're the cry pts and
sanctuaries Ut the Holy Land to the palmers Of the
East.
But Uncle 'Nje please understand y is by no
means q beggsr. His welcome is invariably that
of 8 friend or an expected guest. lie has the
happy art Of making himselGeverywherel~o agreea-
bic, as to need no money-the best that ID TO be
had, on this long travelled and familiar circuit,
being freely. and, by the established usage of half
q century, habitually at his service. IL is some
thing, perhaps, that the region of country which
forms hs circuit is very secluded and primitive,
and that he is a kind'of walking newspaper, bring
with him all the personal and family news Of the
hard. working neigbbOrhOod though il will read.
iy be ,een, that, to have done this for half a CEN
tnrv uithnuf beinv onpa thnuuht af M , fule hear
er, required both unusual vigilance and tact and no
little knowledge of human nature. But the main
secret doubtless, is his selection of the chord on
which to play. The children oil 1--we him BY
the exercise of a wonderful knack of pleasing the
little folks. he has established for himself IL child
welcome q: every cottage door. His manner with
them is very playful, and he finds something pecu-
liar and apt TO say to every variety of urchin, hold
ing out mis- hand with such q ge iial smile on his
old withered face that the chiid's heart is invaria
bly, won. At the first appearance OF his long white
hair. in the village street the general reclamation
of little voices tells the whole neighbmrhuud who
is there and in fact the coming along of Uncle
'N,je. once every five or six weeks, is like the
coming round Of u holiday. And-thus welcomed
BY the children-whO can doubt uf the welcome
of the mothers?
The must remarkable feature of Uncle Mics
palmer.sgc is still t. be told. He ID a confessed
epicure and takes great paius 20 dine only where
there is a good dinner. With the parlor he has
nOthlhg 10 90. Ills neaft IL IN me Kitchen. And
the ingenuity with which he finds nut. immediate
iy on arriving, no, only what the principsl dish
for thar dlv il TO he, but what are the weeks pros
poets Of the larder, is generally looked upon as
something mysterious. Torrev's account OF Uncle
Mics last visit at his house. y few days ago, will
illustrate the method Of the old mans clairvby-
ance IN this particular. though. for this once, lit
will be seen he was n little shurt.sighted.
g Torrev's anvil is not far from his house and
he had Known. by the unusual activity of his
l.ll--.t. ...1. H. If..ln tN... -. -. A.
kitchen. So he laid down hs hammer a half hou,
sooner than he would otherwise have done, anu
went in 10 have a chat with the old man. 1t WA,
a cold day, and they were all gathered coziiy
round the cooking stove, when the clock pointed
TO twelve. The table was set, and the huspitahl,
blacksmith expected, of course. that the chatty ole
%wayfarer was going to stay and dine with them
But no! he found his ragged hat and his lonj
staff aud made for the door-all their kind VI
ging and pleading of no avail-and he went oI
his way up the village street IL was only ate
he was out of hearing, that II occurred to then
what was the reason they had not happened I
mention the pig baking in the oven By the looI
of the cooking.stove there was no sign OF a warn
dinner and II was probably evident, to his prac
tised eye, that it was a pickup day"-cold mea
aud vegetables. which he did not particularly
fancy.
IL so happened that the pig was slow. that day
in crisping to the desirable brown and Turrey'
leather apron was later than usual in being com
forted on the inner side. They we're still ut IL,
table, somewhere about two o'clock, when Uncle
'Nje walked in again. lie had got his warm din
ner farther 'up street." and had C me back Il
have an afternoon chat and a cup Of tea. Bus T.
bis utter amazement, on getting a Look at the
princi2 pal dish around which they were now gath
cred. as they welcomed him back again, was some
thing TO remember. lie rubbed his eyes IN pur
picked silence for a moment.
'Con'sarn it ~ he exclaimed at last, "whar wa
that pig u roastin -
But, of all con ,eivable elicioasnesses roas
pig was the thing Of which Uncle IN js was fond
est. lie sighed IA he pu. his stick into the corne
for appetite or no appetite, he must dine again
And taking bis seat at the table. and. well helped
to the parts he liked best, he made a supplement
tary meal. to which the recently furegone conclus
ion seemed no manner of obstacle-pig.smy lik
bigamy, adding but the rose'leaf to the brimmin
CUP!
Uncle 'Nje ignores money, and has scarce ha
such a superduity as "A dollar, in fifty years bu
in bis early life. he was apprenticed to a 'ailor
and il ia known. now, that he can, il he please,
make a suit of clothes, He abhors all manner q
work, however, and the common way of gettin
rid Ut him, flor he sometimes stays fonr Or fv
days at y house. il, by any rural periodieity, sucI
as pig.killlng, the feed Is better than usual is t
bring out a piece Of cloth and begin TO talk of
pair Of trousers lie finds his stick immediatel
and is Of without a good bye. Not but what h,
can edo chores" In fact he likes TO fall to- will
the women folks in the kitchen, and fetch a pail o
water or chop a little kindling stuff, or rock I'll,
baby-anything that will establish a sympath
aud snake il easy to be otherwise pleasant.
Curiously enough in connection with so much tao
and discretion as his mode Ut life necessarily re
qairss the old palme requires but one peg Of eiev
ii IN TO become a poet A glass Of anything comful
table sets him to rbyming Immediately. His cou;
lets are very humorous and une expected and SON
of them so witty as to have passed into saying,
in the neighborho I'd. Torrcy says his man Sam
will repeat any quantity Of them TO amuse YOU Will
you are waiting to have ~you,horse shod At his las
visit. they had given him adrop of homemade or
dial TO help take care Of his double dinner. and a
he was thus up to the poetic pitch, they hac
thought Of bringing him over 10 Idlewild to cal
on his brother poet but The fact was" TO give
Torrey's excuse in his own worisl Ibis ragged
trousers were turn a little too had"
With my friend the blacksmith's kind aid.
have thus made a passing record VI a man whu
has found several things unnecessary which are
commonly thought essential uo hun, IN happiness