Connecticut western news., 1877-01-26
Friday Morning, Jan. 26, 1877
THOSE DAYS OF, YORE.

extracts from . private letter receiVeo I by citizen of East Canaan, from an old resident sf this town. It will De found l Interesting to the older people of this re- gon;
 "Whst changes have seen since my | boyhood days. Stopping in imagination al every house inquiring for those I once knew, and at every door I met the chilling answer, "GonS!" began almost at Nor folk. Gip Smith who lived under the bank gone of with the Mormons Col. Peast lived up the lane in the big house with moro windows than pepper box has holes; Geo. Ives next house up another lane end I ing by the big poplars none knew them Isaac Holt (here learned my first lesson Tn the arts and manufactures for he had ci- | der mill and saw mill, and here learned how happy boy can be with rye straw and sweet cider ;)Hanchett, the forge and deaf and dumb girl Huntington's tavern. . famous place for here the stage stopped. old Doctor Huntington ready to ride any way and with anybody till he should meet some one coming back Owen Huntington who went for gold, and died in California; Kingsbury; Happy French with the can cer on his lip. ss ready to ride as Dr. Hunt ington Pruden Pease in the long low hollow Uncle Beebe by the guide board Mott who never whispered to his oxen, but always spoke up loud and strong Horatiu Beardsley, then the ''eld house" in the same field where once lived Mir. Peet, where Mr. Peltins body came when brought dead from Litchfield the old shop opposite where the boys and girls used L. sllde Rowlson who bought little yello" snuff, eodish, tea, and tbe Hartford Cour- 0nt once 6 week be was a good trumpetei and always gave us taste of his good qua ity when he struck the upper end of ih' street Hewitt. No. 5 school house witt Selinda Bradley as ''school maam ;" DAnie' Jacques with house full of children; lht old oak with the big hole in it; the long, low house where l was born, barn close b, t and the willow tree out of which you fell once (you learned then that ito fall did not hurt but 1t was the stopping 50 quick ) Grandfather's house the great flat stone !; the double wagon chair in the shade of thu Tamarsck and balm of Gilead many "A tune have l been there Grandfather Hap py French, Dr. Huntington, Dr. Welch Wadsworth. all octogenarians settling grave questions and washing down their conclu- sions with Santa Croix and sugar; the brook clear as crystal that slipped out from under the fence opposite and gave a chance for every one to drive in and water his horses Putnam Lawrence Uncle Joe. who spit through his front teeth Medad filling, who lived and died In the low house under the elm where the grapes hung far too high for the school boys to hit by throwing either sticks or stones Isham who owned the mill, Brooks and Bailey worked in 1t Williams who wove carpets, kerseys and towsling the old maids ;Wads worth the tavern in front of which hung the hon with the great yellow eyes and a chain oyer his back; Hswes Austin and his sOn. Orson the stage driver; Beckley, whose wife ran away Daddy Post, Mat thew White. Tiptoe Munson. the two Ste vens families Mr. Andrews store in iron, of which the warriors of the surrounding country used to train and sample his New England rum !; Captain White ; the factory boarding house Squire Franklin who al ways kept cold water and a clean dipper for any one to drink Deacon Dunning where once went to wedding Cthe con- tracing parties were Leonard Lawrence and Mary Dunning,) sweet times those were to you and aunt Mary Dunning in the next house Then Woodbridge, Irenus El- ton who cut coats as they do in Paris; Eze kiel DaboH, who could invent an Ything from camp meeting down to Q patent foot stove Harvey Lawrence who never ran for anything. but always walked 1; Briggs and Richardson, the bell ringers then Q house or two, and next the square roof school house where Carter taught you that If B be flat, mi is in E Rose Hill. Howell Wetherell, the Quaker, Carl Fem, and last, Priest Cowles well remember his funeral. The pulpit was drsped with black and Mir Lashrop preached the ser mon 1 remember aunt Charity Rood. the Quaksress whom every one loved, and the hush In the very air as each neighbor told the other "Aunt Charity" was dead re- member others whose names come tbrong- ing back to one, but will not weary you l remember the meeting house, when il was full every Sunday and it was almost a sin to stay away this was before the time when you could worship God inslde, and trade oxen on the steps after meeting was out how fragrant the pews smelltd Ot nut cakes and caraway when intermission
 .k. l., 1n.~ bod Nk At every boy who saw his sweetness sitting
 in shilling calico httle way off. If he caught him stealing wink or two.
 You may tell ot the sweet bys-and bye,
 And the joys that the future shall know;
 But never can turn back and not sigh
 For the joys of the sweet long ago.
 can see and hear even now. the sing CTS ss they rose to give old Denmark "A shaking, or come in on time to the figures ot old Russia Then to sing meant to use words that were understood. NOw one can not tell whether singers are using Italian, Hotentot or Choctaw. Music then Was not piped of by melodeOn, or wbined into the esr by that high priced musical asylum, the cabinet organ. How like the rush of many waters was the rising of that hundred voiced choir. There is yet Yibrat- ing In my ear the rustic of leaves when the page was lowly spoken, the hum of the chorister ss he ran up and down from ''Fa" 2o somewhere else, to be sure he was just right, then gave 1t to Deacon Gillette. Eras- tus Allyn and Mr. Elton. all good men and true at the bottom of the chcir; then rang out the second treble on the low "Sol" fol- lowed by those who sang first just in time" matched by Phelps Day, whose flute like tenor filled alike, the scale, the church and the ear :; Glsrious old times were those for such as revellsd in song. how the audi ence rose and fell on the music like boat on the tide. Your uncle Leonard can re- member when you could call around you
 men whom 1t was dangerous to encounter over note book, whose perceptions of