Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1862-04-25

ter, and keep dry. 1t is the good womans
stock of fluid and kerosene by whose light
she plies the wool cards, or the spinning
wheel, or the knitting needles during the
long winter evenings When the hour of
rest arrives, the evening labors closed, see
with what care she rakes back the dying
embers and places dry stick Of hard wood
among them, covering it with as much care
as she would her baby in the cradle. Her
face betrays perplexity and anxious fear, lest
there should not be heat sufficient to convert
it into coal What If they should become
destitute of fire In the night the little
Edith by her mothers side awakes like Mil
tons nightingale darkling but that
nocturnal note is something different from
:. harmonious numbers, the mother is
soon on her feet-the fire slice Is sought in
the dark where she had placed it for such an
emergency. She scrapes back the ashes,
alas no glow OF fire meets her anxious gaze.
They are without fire Then the friendly
finder box is sought out. Click-cliek-
click ; not spark tells upon the sullen dark
ness-cick k-click-click- rapidly does
the lnt ply the sympathizing steel. The
ro IN is bright with the radiant shower
But the child familiar enough with the ap-
partition. is impatient at its tediousness, and
shouts till the mother is almost frantic. At
l'ngth one lucky spark has done its Office
the tinder is alight, now for the match, 1t
won burn, a gentle breath is waited into
the mu-ty box. the face that leans over the
finder is IN n glow-another match-anothcr
and another-they are all damp. The toll
worn father grOans in sprit-the baby IS IN
e1 ,rahle; the good man leaps from his bed
and zss his gun--no-not to shoot little
l..I -. /. -, ,.,f
us--an infant again of Q6 years. But he
eannet accomplish his purpose for his gun is
+ loaItl and he can't loose the charge, as the
last resort he hastens on a single garment
rus e. over to his nsish5or Roundy :. and in
a few nom 'nts returns with a living coal
i from his family altar. Oh if at that mo-
mcnt SOM prophetic vision could have dis
closed to her the wonderful inventions that
human perpexlty, and the Advancement OF
I human happncss-withn the life time of
that yerv baby-h9w would she have fsllcn
i ,wn aud givsn thanks to GoI-morc than
all others combined Tor thy coming advent,
thou little insignificant offensive :. luciter
match" The ntarchange Of fire and yeast
in those days was matter of neshborly
comity, that no one dared withstand. but
, w.
sure>t tests Of good housewiiery. and was
carefully inquired into by cautious young
men in search Of a companion with whom
u clear up u homestead.
In addition II the every day avocations OF
cooking, cleaning up, and taking care Of the
children, az now prtcticcI with the assist
ance Of hired lclp, Mrs. Wood was the
manufacturer Of most Of the family cloth
ius The fix she hetcheIed, spun, woye,
and ble4cacl, the wool and tow she clried,
spun, w1ye, and c5lorcd, and md, into gar
inents by her ninble fingers
Ih,ic wera.no tall factories then with
thrir thousands Of spndles, and hundreds Of
Inoms, moved by one impulse. and doing the
work Of million hands, from morn to
: niyht-frJm one years end to another,-no
drcss5n kcr 10 iit the fine fabrics - the slight
and dciIcatc forms of both mother and
dAushtcf-nJ siarlns sisns giving notice OF
= ready made clothing for husbands and
sons.
In th se days OF rampant philanthrophy,
let every thoughtful woman bless the day
when cotton becime klug-iOr he abolished
more slavery within the fifty years OF his
reign, than the most lavish expenditure OF
/ blood and treasure Will ever accomplish
| He Las lifted from her toll and hardship
such ~ the black race has nowhere been
called upon to endure. lncessant bodily
t1Il-drpryati1n of the accustomed luxu-
ries and necessities Of civilization, and the
mtlldirs incii .ut u a new country We're not
tue least 6f her tritls. Ii was not without
many tears that she left friends and com
pauions for home in the new East She
parted with them Is if forever, and her wo-
mans heart WAS almost broken as the word
farewell fingered on her tongue. That she
mi,ht no more sec her fathers face, nor hear
I her mothers Voice was ii sad thought but
this was not tie sum of her grief. When
after weeks of yoynsng along the rugged
coast, she passed what seemed tine bounds OF
] lyiljAttou-aud entered up the Bay-she
rem NIB red tie fri shtiul tIles ot savage HE
which lad teen poured into her childish
ear-and her heart sunk within her as she
, pcerld into the gloom around her way, as 1t
( expecting iriShtiul forms to arise from every
side How soon the savage might assert his
rights to his isanceui fishing seats by massacre
and conlligration, IN a moment unexpected
and unprcplrcd, Us he had SO often before
done op the other confines OF CIVILIZATION
was only fearful conjecture.
Still she l4intal not-nor faltered-nor
complained. Her course was taken, her
dcsting was fixed. She trusted much to the
strong arm OF her companion, bat more to
the stronger arm Of Hun who protects alike
the dwslier OF the forest and Of the crowded
city, The week day cares passed 80 heavily
upon her, she had NJ time tor thought or
memory but when the Sabbath came bring
/ ing its comparative cessation from labor
f came also a sense Of loneliness most burden
( some and she felt then how flr-how very
fer off they were from that busy world OF
whica they once formed part. She spoke
+ OF home-snd iriends-and by-gonc days,
and old remembered scenes whith they should
seo no more-untl even her husbands rug
/ ged nature was movcl-and he felt it not
unmanly to weep.
/ Dwellers in towns and villages who re-
| ioice in the security OF streets, think occas-
lonaly of him who tolls many and weary
years, and makes one spot of this great earth
greener by his exertions.
Tradition has it that two or three years
after they came, Mr.. Wood said to Mr.. Roun-
dy, i" hops may live to see ploushiag in
tins town vet, t. which Roundy replied,
- shall not wish to live longer than till
that time" This illustrates the gloomy and
unnyiting prospect that for long tine at.
tended their enterprise.
1t may be expected that should particu-
hrize some of the notable sayings and do
inss of these first settlers. They were SO
I - III ,yithOnt