Smyrna times., 1874-02-25
MGSceILUW 10 e as.
Bret Harte's Discovery.
SOME REVOLUTIONARY "REMINISCENCES

Bret Harte bas written for the New York
Tribune q very amusing letter in regard to his
revolutionary researches among old people at
Basking Ridge, New Jersey, which we copy in
full, as follows:
Sir! l have seen her at last. She is lO7
years cid, and rsmsmOers George Washington
quite dlstictly. 1t is somewhat confusing,
however, that she also remembers contem-
poraneous Josiah w. Perkins, of Basking
Ridge, N. j., and, think, has the impress
sion that Perkins was the better man. Per-
kins, at the close of the last century, paid her
some little attention. There are few things
that reilly noble woman of lO7 never forgets
1t was Perkins who said to her in 1895, in
the streets of Philadelphia, "Shall show
thee General Washington" Then she said,
carelesslike, for you know, child, at that time
it wasn't what it is now to see Gen. Washing
ton, she said, So do, Josiah, SO do Then
he pointed to tall man who got out of car
rlage and went into large house. He was
larger than you be. He wore his own hair
not powdered, had fowsre1 chintz vest, with
yellow bresches and blue stockings, aud
broad brinmed hat. 10 summer he wore a
white straw hat, and at his farm at Basking
Ridge he"always wore it. At this point it be-
came too evident that she was describing the
clothes of the all-fascinating Perkins, SO |
gently but firmly led her back 20 Washington.
Then it appeared that she did not remember
exactly what he wore. TO assist her sketched
the general historic dress Of that period. She
said she thought he was dressed like that.
Embodensd by my success, | added a hat of
Charles H., and pointed shoes of the eleventh
century. She indorled these with such cheer
ful alacrity that dropped the subject.
The house upon which | had stumbled. or
rather to which my horse-a Jersey hack ac-
oUstomed to historic research-had brought me
was low and quaint. Like most old houses it
had the appearance of being encroached upon
BY the surround globs-as if it were already
th,lf in the grave, with sod or two in the
shape of moss thrown on it, like ashes on ashes
and dust on dust. A wooden house instead of
acquiring dignity with age is apt to loose its
youth and respectability together. A porch
with scant sloping seats, from which even the
winters snow must have slid uncomfortably,
projected from a doorway that opened most
unjustlfaby into q small sitting.rOOm There
was no vestibule or locus pRRitenti6 for the
embarrassed or bashful visitor; he passed at
once from the security Of the public road into
shameful privacy. And here in the mellow
autumnal sunlight that streaming through the
naples and sumach on the opposite, Aicksred
and danced upon the floor, she sat and dis.
coursed OF George Washington and thought of
!. Perkins. She was quite in keeping with house
and the season, albeit little 10 advance OF
, both-her skin being of faded russell aud her
{ hands so like dead November leaves that
fancied they even rustled when she moved
them.
For all that she was quite bright and cherry.
Her faculties still quite vigorous, although
! performing irregularly and spasmodicaly. Ii
was somewhat discomposing, l confess, to OBJ
serve that at times her lower jaw would drop,
leaving her speechless, until one of ths family
would notice it and raise It smartly into place
: with n slight snap, an operation always per
formed in such an habitua, perfunctory man
2 ner-generally in passing to and fro 10 theiI
. household duties-that it was very trying tC
the spectator. 1t was still more embarrassing
to observe that the dear old lady had evidently
/, no knowledge of this, but believed she wai
. still talking, and that ON resuming her actua
!. vocal utteranee she was often abrupt and in
;, coherent, beginning always in the middle of +;
y sentence, and often in the middle OF word
Sometimes" said her daughter, a giddy
thoug ghtless young thing of sighty-6ve, some
. times just moving her her head sort of un
bitches her jaw, aud if we don't happen t
d ever making a sound" Although | was con
!. vinced after this that during my interview
q had lost several important revelations regard
:; ing George Washington through these psculis
!. "a Iapsss, could not help rsfscting how bsnsfi
d cent were these provisions of the Creator
how, if properly studied and applied, the.
d might be fraught with happiness to mankind
How slight jostle or jar at dinner part
might make the post::prandial elOquence o
garrulous senility satisfactory to itself, ye
harmless to others. How q more intimat
. knowledge Of anatomy introduced into the do
mestic circle might make home tosrsble, q
least, If not happy. How q long ng-sUfferin
=. husband, mnder the pretense OF a conjugal ca
!: ress, may 80 unhook his wife condyloid pro
a. a. cess as to allow the flow Of cxpostulation, crit
a. cism or dsnunciation TO 20 on with gratl6catio
at to her and perfect immunity to himself
n9 But this was not getting back to GeorR
q Washington and the early struggles of the n
as public. So retunsd to the commander il
e e chief. but found, after one or two leading que
tions, that she was rather inclined to ressr
his reappearance on the stage. Her reminii
i. csncss here were chiefly social and local an
more or less favored With Perkins. We g
a. back as far as the revolutionary epoch
~ rather her impressions OF that epoch when
We was still fresh in the public mind. And heI
;s ',s | came upon an incident, purely personal an
ed local, Lut w:thal SO novel, weird, and uncann!
,sy that for q while, fear, it quite displace
ne g. w. in my mind and tinRed tho sutumn
#: fields beyond with g red that was not OF tf
1s Is sumach. dc not remember to have read I
on on it in the books. ] do not know that 1t Is ei
10. tirely authentic. 1t was attested to me
IN. mother and daughter as an uncontradicted Ut
mol diiion.
be- q. In the little field beyond, where the po
q still turns up musket balls and cartridge boxe
Cd 20. took place 10 one Of those irregular skirmis
I'd. ed. between the militiamon and Knyphausen
d stragQlers that made the retreat historical,
q" Hessian soldier, wounded in both legs and
terly helpless, dragged himself to the cover
a hazel copss and lay there hidden for t'
o. days, On the third day, maddened by thir'
managed to creep to tas uDat
! :: !: 70 mount il or pass through. There was
+, one in the house but little girl of six
,sG ss. seven wears. He called to her and in tai
shs xo;cs asked for water She returned to q
bonss az If to comply with his request b
- mounting o chair took from the chimney
heavily loaded "Queen Acne mu'kst' al