Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1878-11-16

GrasAnsehsr's story.
III Huss .. wALxn.
A bright little Hiss. Of Boston. Who
signs herself Ida, writes me aud asks il
eaat seIl . ssosy about girls. aud sst.
~ thipkin9 thats nice old Lady, whose
nane 10 Huldah, told med day . story
about her girlhood that might prove in.
terssling 70 this 0iss Ida, and perhaps
10 many other girls and boys.
It wss long ago. in the spring Of 1910
think of it. sixty -eight years ago
when Huldah's father and mvther, with
two children, moved into Fryeburg,
Maine. Il was then almost q wilder.
ness aud thinly settled, but the lands
along the river were rich. the fish plen.
u, snL the farms easily titled. HUI.
dah's mother, when she came to see
the log house they were to live in, set
herself down and cried. OF course
Hul.lxh and her little sister Joined in,
and they had . good family snival, ard
after that they felt more cheerful, for
You must know that anybody feels
better after weeping. Then they
brushed away their tears and began
looking around them. and found things
we're quite comfortable.
The house had two rooms on the
ground floor and two chambers over
head, and it was snug and nice. The
barn was built of logs too, but warm
and good for the COWS and oxen; and it
had room, stall for old Fan, the fam
lily horse. Plenty of room for the crops
they could raise, and taking it alte-
Rether it was very nice place for those
days.
1here were great pine trees near their
house, and the winds made music in
their tops. A brawling brook ran near
the barn, and danced and dimpled in
the sunshine, and in its deep holes
bright spotted trout lived and thrived.
The nearest neighbors were two miles
away, but they came to see the new
corners y day or two after their arrival,
and welcomed them to the section in q
cordial and kindly way. So it came
about that they began to feel quits at
home and settled.
The soil laughed, when "tickled"
with the hoe, and the grass grew lux
urisntly. The health OF the family was
perfect, and in the fall the barn was
full, the pig was fat, the hens and tur-
keys were plump, and all went we'll
with them.
At about this time "rumors Of war"
filled the air. Great Britain had tram
pied upon our rights, and it needed on:
~ half cause with our old arch. euemy
to bring every able-bodied man to the
butt of . musket. Huldah's father
caught the war fever and enlisted, in
spite Uf all mother and children could
say; and they. seeing he was deter.
mined on going, made the best of it,
and helped him of, with heavy hearts
and fearful eyes.
In those days newspapers were scarce
in Name, and news travelled slowly.
The telegraph had never been dreamed
Of, and railroads were an unheard of
thing. Still they heard from father
now and then, and to know that he wes
alive and we'll cheered up the lonely
family ~ they toiled on the farm:
The mill where they had their corn
and wheat ground was six miles away,
and the road . bride. path with blszsd
trees tu guide the traveller.
What are blaxed trees?
Trees with bits Of bark hewed of.
leaving the white wood underneath to
show, looking in the sunshine some
Whist like blAse in contrast with the
dark bark. Yes, and Huldah. now
shout ten years old-s bright, resolute,
stout girl was the one that took ali