The Republican journal., 1869-10-21
ECCENTRIC CONNECTICUT YANKEES.
BY GRACE GREENWOOD.

ed Jonas, | believe. Living in an adjoining
town, he was yet well-known in Lebanon,
where he frequently visited. Indeed he was
one whom the war had so unsettled that he
was never at rest except when tramping
around and ''stirring about" He was a
harmless good-natured, cider-drnking, story
telling old fellow, whom everybody was glad
20 see, bore with, chattcd with laughed at
and ptied, for he was alone in the world;
sud condition, which he however took very
phlosophically, consoling himself by sagcly
commenting on I'LL the i'll which married men
and heads Of families are heir to.
Though usually idle and vagabondish in
his habits, he was Il man of wonderful energy
and perseverance when once his spirit was
up On one OCCASION when he had extended
his ramble to the vicinity of Hartford, he
found himself at the ferry. opposite the city,
without a shilling in his pocket. He propos-
ed to the terryman to allow him = free pas
sage, promising to pay on his next visit
But the Yankee Charon refused, with a chur-
lsh mo, mister, l don't take you nor no
other old tramp for nothin'! So down with
your rhino, OF clear eout y ''W aal, then
exclaimed the old soldier, 'tyou 60 to thunder
with your old skeow! | won't be beholdcn
to you, OF anybody of your sort; for I'll Jest
go round yer darned old river--see if |
don't!"
The fegryman laughed at what he took for
IN idle threat; but some weeks later he was
accostcd at the city-landing by the same rcd
checked, roughly clad old soldier, who tri-
umphantlv exclaimed :-ssWaal, | have been
reound yer old river; and here | am in spite
of you, old skinint." 1t proved that he had
actually performed the exploit Of following
the Connecticut river to its head-ot going
round it, in fact-with no other incentive than
the desire to show himself independent of the
ferryman.
On another occasion, he applied for the
loan of 4 scythe, at the house of 4 neighbor,
who was a bridge builder ''l'm rally sorry,
Mr.. Lincoln" said the wife of the mechanic,
':that | can't accommodate yc; but my hus-
band amt to hum, yc see, and he says to me,
don't you lend nothin of mine, to nobody,
not on no account, while | am gone So,
Mr.. Lincoln, We see can't let that scythe go,
even to yeou.'
Why, whereabouts is your husband marm?'
con, he's way deown in Pennsylvany,
buildn' u bridge''
sWaal, | guess, il L go deown to where
he's to work, and git his consent, yell lend
me that scythe."
'.Sartin, Mr. Lincoln. But, man alive,
what on arth du ye mean? [ tell ye he's
way down in Pennsylvania
The old soldier laughed in his droll, know
ing way; then questioned her as to the exact
locality Of her husbands bridge-building
operations, and took his leave.
That very afternoon he departed on one of
his ''grand towers" with only a change of
linen, tied in a blue checked handkerchief
swinging from stick over his shoulder. and
whistlng cheerily rs he left the dull Old town
behind him.
About ten days OF Il fortnight later he ap
pearcd before the astonished mechanic, eN-
claiming: sIIullo! BiIlins, will you lend
me yer scythc for spell? That are wife of
yourn wont let it 90 without ycou say so.
Got her pretty well under your thumb, haint
We ? Or, mcbbc she's ateaId to cut friend
ship tween her and me by lendin' an edged
tool"
Ten days later Mistress Billings was aston
ishel to see her eccentric neighbor appear,
all dusty and travel-worn, ut her door, and
man SAYS may take that are scythc; and it's
high time that lectle medder Of mine was
moved"
A somewhat similar story is told of another
Yankee worthy, who was afflicted with the
peculiar trial which Socrates bore with such
marvellous sweetness aud equanimity-a trial
which made Imprisonment tolerable and hem
lock palatable-to wit, q scolding wife.
If our Yankee philosopher had known just
how to commit the grave crimes against re-
ligion and the state charged against the
Athcnian, so to get arrested and quietly put
out of the way, there ,were times of dark des
peration when he would have done it; dread
ful house-cleaning and ''killing times" black
days in his calendar, such rs Monday and
Saturday, set apart for washing and baking
At last things came to q crisis he could no
more 1t was on = baking day, in early
june when all Nature without his doors was
in an eNasperating state of mildness and pleas
Antncss. After u sound rating for some short
coming, real or imaginary, morc likely the
latter, for your Xantippc hath more lively
imagination than your Sappho) patient John
was ordered to the wood-pile to split some
oven-wood. lie went without a word; but
his lips were set and his brows brought down
in au ugly, ominous way. He chopped few
strokes with sullen fury; then he paused for
few moments in profound thought, leaning
upon his axe. Then he dropped that nipple
mcnt OF industry; and, without looking to
the RIGHT or left, walked out Of his back gate,
md took u Decline over the hills to the near
est town. From there he went to 4 neigh
boring seaport, took ship and fled away as
fast IS u good breeze could carry him. He
went to the Indies, to China, to Africa, per
haps but he never wrote home as to his
whereabouts OF adventures. Many years at-
ter, he was heard to say that of all the strange
peoples he had seen he most respected the
Turks, for their stringent domestic regula-
tions. He thought we'll, also, Of Spanish con-
vents; and was of the opinion that the In
dian Suffice was q custom favorable to the
health and long life Of married men.
At length, however, there came over the
wanderer a strange longing to see home and
home folks-cven his scoldng wite-once
more. SO, some twelve or fifteen years from
the time of his flight, he appeared before the
old farmhouse, gray, bronzed, stalWart
voyager, who had seen the world, and no
mistake As he was about to rap at the old
brown door, he suddenly remembered that
it was bakng-day; and, glanced toward the
wood pile, he saw there some oyen-wood
ready split to his hand. Taking an armtul
as Il propiiiatory offering, he walked bravely
into the kitchen, where stood his wife, grown
a little gray, and with the dear familiar lea
lures q trhc sharper than of old, but much
the same, he thought. He would have known
her in Asia, OF Africa where, in fact he had
often half expected to encounter her.
Throwing down his load on the hearth, the
truant said, quietly: There, Polly, Eve
brought you your ovenwood." And she,
with scarcely perceptible start, replied in
stantly with n GOODNESS SllrpaSsinp his