The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1873-10-18
CHtLDREN'S CORNER,
The Old Cidt r-NiIJ.


NAoN-iiOI4 OuS SET III the stable.
Odd enough Ii will seem to go pas
the Lynch farm now, and miss the oil,
mil, for 1T was very conspicuou
OBJECT where it stood, three or fou
rods back from the house, with it
great hopper and mash wheel encircle,
by the deep trodden path where oil,
Slb used to plod endle5sly through tn,
DISK October days, grinding all tn,
eide apples of the neighborhood. AnC
there were the great posts and cross
oeam OF the press, massive pine tim
bers, eighteen inches square, that haC
a certain Cyclopean look, fit to make ,
BOY stare, and put large ideas into hi.
head. There, too, were the big
SteamIng heaps of tan-colored "pum
my tpomace), and the great sour
smelling trough into which the ground
apple fell and was thence conveyed tc
the hoops
For several seasons, however. the
huge wooden jack-screws have been out
OF the lofty cross-beam, and the mash,
wheel has grown toothless. Indeed.
the Old mill has never been quite itself
since the Maine Uiquor) Law made a
revolution In the neighborhood. But
the great pine posts stood fast, and
pade falr to do so for another half.
century, to the wonder of strangers.
Day, old fellow is that the gal
lows passing runner " demanded
OF uncle Billy Gives, who, one day,
sat nodding under the balm O. gilead. a
little beyond.
Now, Uncle Billy has always been a
stead consumer of the beverage of
which the old mill may be considered
shrine, and was even at that moment
little under the potency of its infiu-
ence
: Gallus ~ quoth the old fellow.
Wal, fust an larst it's sarved me a
sight wuss than gallus cud "a done. y
1t may be remarked that Uncle Billy
stoutly denies this confession In his
sober moments. 1t is only when half
seas over that he frankly owns how
sadly drink has ruined him.
But at present my story relates to the
last years of the old mills active ca
reer, during which it was at certain
seasons put to special, but less Iegit-
innate use, the precise natdre of which
long remained a mystery This was
when the Lynch girls, then verging to-
ward young womanhood were all at
home, -Lucreesh, Cad, Jess, and Lor-
cite, merry lot, rosy, and = full of
the old cat.
We had custom IN that neighbor-
hood-a custom not confined to that
nelghbOrhood, | may add-of hanging
May baskets; sort of paper valentine,
made basket-fofm to hold more sub
stantlal tokens than mere poetry but
nothing need be said concerning II.
further than that the hanging part was
generally followed by hot pursuit of
the hanging parties, who. If caught. were
subject TO no end of laughable igno-
mlny. The Lynch girls, swift of foot
as Diana herself, sometimes captured
the laos who venture,lto append favors
to their door ard then came the droll
part, the part which has to do with the
old cIder-min Whenever they caught
any OF the boys, there would be plenty
Of exultant pOcsC0t0 while they took
him back TO where the old mill stood.
then extravaganza. CALCULATIONS, often
yells OF genuine distress, and no end of
humble begging. The girls did some
thing 10 him there at the old cider
mill. What 1t was, whether they
stuffed hls mouth with pummy. or
pIncned ms toes In the mash-wheel,
was not very clear to the other lads.
And of the three or four boys they had
thus mlsused, not one could be got to
tell what the girls mad done to him.
It was something he didn't like to talk
about
Now, | will wager that some one OF
nay readers is saying that he should
Just like TO see the four girls that could
hustle him back there to that mill and
stuff ms mouth with ground apple
Well, SIR, | should just like to see how
YOU would go to work TO help Yourself,
with four girls all laughing and pulling
at YOU What would YOU do Double
up your fist All, but you know that
its morally impossible to hit one OF
the soft, calico-e y things, after you've
doubled it Its about the best way Il
let EN- work, and bear it all with youl
best grin.
Tins sort of thing had been going or
for two springs, when, late in Nav. 3
cousin (soEe degrees removed) of the
writer's came on from New York where
his father resides, to make us all visit
and stay through the summer. His
name as he wrote 1t, was Horace q
Melcher, the q standing for the great
late editor; but we knew him as
: Hod simply. | wonder whether
Mr.. Greeley early playfellows used
TO call him Hod
Well, Hold was a pretty good sort oil
fellow. OF course, he had on few
airs but then We expect that in city
boys-at first. They do have a good
many Advantages over country lads
and | don't know as it is anything more
than fair that they should snuo us q
little. Hold, by the way, was ther
thirteen past. He rldiculed the STYLE
OF the young ladies of the neighbor.
hood; and, no doubt, they seemed tc
him different from the girls he had
been Used TO seeing. But he took g
very lively interest in May-baskets
and, although May had soon giver
place to June, We still kept up the fur
on odd evenings. only now thew were
no longer May baskets but June boxes
every fruit IN its season.
Thanks to the good counsels which
our mutual playfellow. Tom Edwards
aud gave him, Hold had thus far KEEP
out OF the clutches of the fair Lynches
But, like many another, he soon go
impatient of adyise. He didn't see tn,
good of skGlking behind fences anC
into bush clumps He was very Ger
tam they couldn't catch HIM indeed
he would like to see the girl that coulC
catch him in a fair race He grew
bolder and one night (the third June
box, 1 think, the door opening clos