The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1876-09-15
Fifty Years Ago; or, the Cabins of the
West,

times" l said, leaning out OF the car
riage; "now, if I had been living in
those early days, that is where l would
have pitched my tent"
"Where ?" said my companion, look
ing about.
"Just there" replied, pointing my
finger in the direction of the prettiest
knoll, below which the road wound with
a graceful curve.
"Oh, well, you would have found the
place occupied, unless you had come
That is where old Uncle Franks first
settled; did 1 never tell you ?" and my
companion laughed heartily.
I laughed, too, but it was joyous,
glad laugh. Twas pleased to know that
the pioneers selected beautiful building
sites.
Uncle Franks! and I never knew
where the dear old man built before /
knew all about him, and Auntie Franks,
and Jett, and Ruth, and Jack, and
Nancy, and Simon, and Clark, their
children; all men and women when /
first knew them.
They had three children when they
came here. They were very poor. In
Gle worked for farmer 10y days works
and carried his wages home at night in
a bag OH his shoulder. He nearly al
ways worked for corn, and at night he
pounded it, and it was made into bread
or musb. Aunt kept hulled corn on
hand the year round. If she had not
done sO they would have had nothing
to eat except mush and corn bread but
this gave them little variety.
We, with our good wells and springs
and the unfailing cistern under the roof,
can make hulled corn easily; but for
five years the feeble mother of this poor
family brought all their spring water
the distance of half mile. am aston
ished at this when I take into consid
Grafton the fact of a growing, healthy
family eating hulled corn nearly every
day for years, the one mOderate-sized
iron pot in which it was cooked, and
that she made her excellent hominy the
old precise way that our great grand
mothers did, without varying one atom;
that it be thoroughly washed in clean
water nine times.
When 1 said, "Why didn't Uncle
Franks dig a we'll and spare his wife ?"
the reply was, HE was very poor; they
had nothing to work with but their
hands; the family was growing all the
time, and it was just as much as he
could do to clothe and feed them"
She had one feather bed that they
brought with them from the East. She
had long wanted a COW, and at last
she made up her mind to part with the
bed in exchange for a COW. Any wOm-
an can conceive how 10th she would be
to give up the only bed; but she said,
drying her eyes on her apron, ave can't
eat the bed, and we can soon learn to do
without it. We are all tired enough at
night to sleep on the ground, and the
COW will bring US good milk and but
ter, and she will be such good vest
ment."
Poor Auutie Franks the bed that her
mother gave her was given up and
taken away and the COW brought home,
and the little ones feasted on the good
milk and butter. But one morning,
when thay got up, the COW stood under
the maple all drawn up, and her mouth
was foamy, and her cold tongue hung
out, and her breath came as though she
were panied.
"PThaps she's been out among the
buckeyes; if she has, she's done for"
said uncle, with his hands thrust down
into his pockets.
The family stood round her greving.
At last the mother said: "What say to
sendin' for Gran'ther Jones; it may be
Ludb sue 3 d llIIlE LllLG OcWlICilGu.
"Who'd do ?" was his answer; "you
know nobody has nothin' agin US. We
never harmed nobody" and be looked
in her eyes with a questioning stare.
81 don't like the looks of that old
creetur as lives on the Watkins place.
said auntie, sticking her arms up
against her sides. "Now, Granthel
Jones would know whether she's g
witch or not. He could tell without
gittin' up off his cheer. Lord have
mercy on US if she isl You see, Daniel
Tll tell you what makes me mistrust
was out on the hill beyont the Wat.
kins place with Jett an Ruth diggin
some sassafras root the other day, anC
we come upon the old creetur all of 8
suddent settin' on the ground with 6
little brown paper in her lap, and sht
was whisperin' like and doin' this an
that an t'Other, like a body sortin' ou
seeds for a truck patch or garden
and as soon as she seed us sh,
squawked out and hustled the little pa
per out o. sight in her bosom, and sh
was gone down the hill like a streak
Now, if that isn't jubus conduct, l dom
know what is," and the wife looked VI
into her husbands face as though thi
last argument was conclusive.
The COW wouldn't eat anything, an
so Jett was dispatched for Gran'the
Jones.
Now, this old man was very supersti
tious. He knew everything by the al
of his cards and his mineral ball" an
the queer-lOoking articles that he KEEP
in sacred little receptacle in the safes
corner of the "old chest"
His grown children and grown grand
children looked with holy awe upo
"gran'ther's box" They were almos
breathless when it was opened and the
caught a glimpse of its contents, 6u
this latter rarely happened.
In less than an hour the old magicia
hove in sight. He came in a creskin
little wooden wagon drawn by an oil
sorrel horse whose name and tail wer
snarled and matted almost into felt wit
burdock burrs. Indeed, the tail hun
as chubby and substantial as the tail
a musk-rat. Gran'ther was very oil
and exceedingly corpulent. He coul
hardly bear to feel the weight of hi
clothes about him, and that require
him to dress in manner somewhat pt
liar. His back and shoulders were coy
cred by brief garment, made like ou
grandmothers nsed to make sailors G
roundabouts for their boys, only that
was very large and fit him like a loos,
light husk. His trousers were some
thing gathered on to a band to butto
round his portly dimensions; when h
walked the band Was buttOned, when L