National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1873-10-10
THE OLD CIDER MILL,

1HE OLD CIDER MILL.
Yesterday they tore down the old
4 cidermlll at the Lynches. Its place.
or rather its Office, is to be taken by a
little cast-iron one set in the stable.
|, Odd enough 1t will seem to go pas,
tie Lynch farm now, and miss the old
A mill, Tor 1t was very conspicuous OBJ
jec, where It stood, three or four rods
back from the house, with its great
hopper and mash-wheel encircled by
the deep-trOdden path where old Sib
used to plod endiessly through the
brisk October days, grinding all the
apples Of the neighborhood. And
t5ere were the great posts and cross
beam Of the press, massive pine tim
befs, eighteen inches square, that had
certain Cyclopean look, fit to make a
boy stare, and put large ideas into his
head. There, too, were the big, steam
ING heaps of tan-colored "pummy >,
lpomacel, and the great sour smelling
trough into which the ground apple
teI! and WAS thence conveyed to the
hoops.
For several seasons. however. the
huge wooden jack screws have been ont
OF the lofty cross beam, aud the mash
wheel has grown toothless Indeed.
the old mill has never been quite itself
since the Maine Liquor) Law made
revolution IN the neighborhood. But
tine great pine posts stood fast. and
0ade ialr to do SO for another half CEN
turv, to the wonder of strangers.
" Say, old fellow is that the gal
lows 2 passing runner demanded OF
Uncle Billy Gives, who, one day, sat
noddiug under the balm-o'- -Gilead.
little beyond.
Now, Uncle Billy has always been a
steady consumer of the beverage of
which the old mill may be considered
SHRINE, and was even at that moment a
little under the potency of its influence.
Gallus " quoth the old fellow.
Wal, fust an larst it's sarved me
Slgnt wuss than a gallus cud "a done.
It may be remarked that Uncle Billy
s'outly denies this confession in his
sober moments. 1t is only when "half
seas over that he frankly owns how
sadly drink has ruined him.
Bat at present my story relates to the
last years of the,old mills active career,
dnrng which it was at certain seasons
lat to special, but less Legitimate use.
'le precise nature of which long re-
named mystery. This was when the
Lynch girls, then verging toward young
"omanhood, were all at home, ,-Lu-
Cieesh, Cad, Jess, and Lorette, a merry
o,, rosy, and 'full of the old cat"
we had custom in that neighbor-
Aood-a custom not con6ned to that
,,tt'ghoorhood, [ may add-of hanging
u'Y 'Daskets. a sort of paper valentine,
a.i'e oaSket-form to hold more sub
s'"htlal tokens than mere poetry; but,
- 'Ie writer has already described this
custom IN a former number. nothing
tI,, 'ego mere De said concerningit, further
,1au ,I mat nat the hanging part was gener-
%%aE %.E followed by a hot pursuit of the
e.i .p"3'hg parties, who, if caught, were
aoleat to no end of laughable igno-
any Ky I4e Lynch girls, swift of foot
~ D'"Ia herself, sometimes captured
to ,V ,t'. '"9S who ventured to append favors
n,.. .e'r door; and then came the droll
III ule part which has to do with the
c,,, 'lder-mlll. Whenever they had |
niaa. i'snV any of the boys, there would be
teln'y OF exnltant poWWoW while they |
.,, .toA nm back to where the old mill |
oft,, t9en extravagant CALCULATIONS,
tTd YeilS Of genuine distress, and no
sonoo., sro vi humble begging. The girls did |
nG 'Hrug u,a to him there at the old cider
ed Ii "hat 1t was, whether they stuff
ed Ii, mouth with 'pummy," or pinch |
rq,ro r-'s 'ocs IN the mash-wheel, was not
hen 0iear TO the other lads. And of !
njsnaa5 ,alge or four boys they had thus
vlot ~ not one could be got to tell |
somonH o lne girls had done to hint was
Von u'lg he didn't like to talk about.
NV, VIII wager that some one Of |
Ike t"uers is saying that he should Just
bns,I.o yo see the four girls that could |
HI. ,'Ie R him back to that mill and stuff |
Sir 7 IDs%lh sH, with ground applet Well,
woniJ should just like to see how You
four ~, 20 TO work to help yourself, with
yon wis VT, all laughing and pulling at
yonr 6 =" nat would you do? Double up
mor,liS' All, but You know that it's
soft impossible to hit one of the
donbl' callco' ey things,-after you've
LET 'eu 'o,. II! It's about the best way to
best [n ~. work, and bear it all with your
~ SFln.
for IS tTo sort @ of thing had been going on
oossin springs, when, late in May, a
writer's lsome degrees removed) of the
his fotSane q came on from New York, where
visi, iulher resides to make ms all a
His and and stay through the summer.
G. MeloL, as he wrote it, was Horace
great ', ed;,5, the q standing for the late
Greelev,s Imply. wonder whether Mr..
him Hod early playfellows used to call
fellow n1d oe was pretty good sort Of
vi course he had on a few airs