Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1858-12-02

| In winter up IN tnlS cOlQ country Is SoWe
thing dreadful; its like gunpowder-a flash
and all is gone" -. .,i..,..-
"Oh, never fear" said Leake; 1 have
had my portion of i'll fortune in this world
my luck has turned" (Mr. Curtic otter
impressed on the children that what thrift.
less people call i'll fortune and bad luck j:
but the inevitable consequence oftheir OWL
imprudence. and carelessness." y t,.
It was during the third winter of Lakes
residence in their new home that Just at the
close of short winters day, the merry
tinkling of sleig bells was heard and the
creaking of the runners on the hard frozen
snow, and little cutter IA single sleigh
stopped at Leake's. 1t was expected, the
door opened, and shouts of joy followed
and glad greetings of "uncle, !" 'saunt," and
acousin." "Uncle Ben" and his family had
come from Connecticut to make long
promised visit. When supper was ended
the card bearing the domestic axiom
caught Uncle Ben's eye. 1t was nailed
to the wall over the mantel piece. q
declarem be exclaimed, 'swell, / never ex-
pected to see that bit of pastboard again
1 give you acredit-mark for preserving that
John" "You must give that credit marx
to Lyman, brother: he preserved the card
but you may give me one for teaching him
care" Uncle Ben smiled. aYes," be said
"you have taught him, John, but wrong
end foremost-wrong end foremost"
The evening passed off delightfully."-. The
unstinted fire of new country burned
brightly. A basket of fine apples from
the old "home-orchard in Connecticut
was unpacked, and eaten. The elders talk.
ed about old times. Leake gave the his
tory of his tolls on his new farm, and his
successes. He told (he had some right to
boast, for he had worked diligently how
much land he had cleared, what crops he
had raised, and conclued with, Ny barn is
full; have plenty of wheat, and corn, and
oats in the loft over my wood-house; and
pork in my cellar; and nv wife has taken
care of the trinkets-butter, and apple
sauce, and pickles, and the like" and be
ended his boast of rural riches with saying,
II guess, Ben, my old neighbors could not
twit me now."
"Your old neighbors, John, always knew
you for an honest, hard working man; it
was only your careless ways, your want
of order, that troubled us. You know
used TO tell you that if you put ever SO
much meal into bag with a hole in it, il
would run away" l
'1Yes, yes, l know; and just so Lyman
talks now. Among you, you, put an old
head on his young shoulders" And thus
the elders talked, and the youngsters had
their pleasure; the visitors telling the won
ders of jugglars, and wax work shows, and
delights incident to their down country ad-
vanced civilization; and the new Estate
children relating adventures with bears and
wildcats, and their own personal concerns
with tanning squirrels and catching rabbits
and, finally, the evening closed with game
of "foneits," in which Lyman, having been
sentenced to the common penalty of ''bow.
ing to the prettiest, kneeling to the witt
est and kissing the one he loved BEST" de-
clared that all these dues were to bis cous-
in Sally. His cousin Sally protested and
resisted; the girls all Joined her, and, after
laughing scramble together, Lyman's old
est sister caught up a candle, called "Cous-
in Sally" to follow her, and they made good
their escape to the bedroom, and bolted
Lyman out. Lyman retreated; the even.
ing was far advanced, a the Leakes and
their guests separated for the night, but
not till after Lyman performed a duty
that had been postponed by his uncle's ar
| rival. '4-i--'
While his mother on "hospitable thoughts
intent" was preparing her little affairs for
the morning breakfast, Lyman went to the
wood house to split kindlings for the next
mornings fires; and, having finished, he
could not resist the temptation of showing
his well preserved ak to his uncle Ben
'sThe boy is fool about that ax," said his
father; 'sif it was made of wedge Of
gold he conld not be- more choice of it;
he even hides it away from me that gave
it to him. "Come, come, Lyman" said
| his father, 'there's reason in the roast
ing of eggs; throw your ak in here tonight.
He opened the door of little closet next
to the fireplace. "Don't go clear back to
the wood house this cold night" "A
place for everything, and everything in its
place." replied Lyman, and the ak was re-
turned to the wood house. "Now that's
what 1 call superstitious," said the father,
while he took from the open closet a splin-
ter broom to sweep up the wide spread
Goals Of the fire he had just raked. Just
as he was finishing his wife called him
from the Kitchen, and hastily Mrowins
the broom into the closet, he went to her,
"John," she said, 'sthere is no water in the
house."
"Well, what of that?"
"Why, you know, 1 never like to go to
bed without pail of water at hand"
II know that is one of your supersti-
tions." John Leake in spite of all bis ex-
perience, persisted in looking upon the pro-
visions of foresight as "superstitions."
"Let it 60 just for this one night, wife; its
dark and biting cold, and the way up to
the well all shod with glare ice."
"'Tis bad" said his wife, meekly, and
urged no more; but as she looked wistful-
ly at the empty pail, she thought if they
should chance 10 want water in the night
it would not be any better getting il, and
an anxious sigh escaped her. "Coming
events" do sometimes 'cast their shadows
before" @
The family were soon all in bed, and in
their first sleep, the profoundest Of the
night; but there is no sleep from which
mother cannot be awakened by a restless
/ child and about nm o,clock Mrs IAake