Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1878-02-13

These cold, bright winter evenings are
suggestive of singiug-schools, and parties.
and other country frolics. These hills are
beloved of the youth of both sexes, for they
ifford coasting and sliding for troops Of
boys and girls, and it is sight to stir ones
blood to see fifty or more go whrling and
shouting down long incline. This moon
light reminds me of the days of good old.
fashioned visits, when people thought nothing
of riding ten miles to spend an evening.
| can Just remember how | was tucked up
in a big sleigh, with my feet in huge old muff
made from the skins of six black cats.
remember going thus to visit my uncle, who
lived six miles away. We had hot bricks
wrapped in flannel to keep US warm, and
started just as the sun sank out of sight.
The snow crunched beneath the sleigh, and
the horse seemed almost to fly over the
ground. At last the crunching and the
jinglng of bells were too much for me, and
slept till we arrived at our destination, when
! was pulled out and stood on my feet but
sleep was so delicious couldn't help it, and
sat down on the snow fast asleep. The
laughter and bright faces so close to mine
awoke me at last. Alas where are those
bright faces now
The children, who were all cousins, had a
gay time-popping corn in the ashes, crack
ing nuts and eating apples, more for the
sake of naming the seeds than because they
wanted them. The old folks talked of the
crops and politics, and told most astonish.
ing stories, and at ten o'clock sat down to a
supper of roast spare-rib, or chicken pie.
with vegetables, four kinds of pie, dough
nuts, and cake of different kinds. Most OF
the present generation could hardly stand
such a supper at night; but they did not g.
home to sleep in air-tight rooms, made hot
with modern stoves, as we do. | believe il
fresh air, and plenty of it, to prevent indi-
gestion.
While mother and aunts washed up the
dishes, the men gathered about the fireplace.
and the mugs of cider on the hearth, and
told stories of the hunt, or of Indians, and
repeated the funniest anecdotes and Jokes.
My uncle was a famous story teller, and
while listening to him. crept closer and
closer, until at last he had me in his lap, and
sat with eyes fixed upon his lips. watching
ior every word a, 1t fell. He was telling OF
bears, and what big, fierce ones he had slain
when single msstep, or moment lost,
would have been his certain death. | lis.
tened spell-bound till | dared not look
towards a window, lest should see bears oI
Indians looking in. Suddenly he stopped
aud began singing song, and telling how
the bears were all killed off; but knew it
was all on account OF the scared eager eyes
he saw before him. All, ye wise ones; chill
lren understand your motives when you
least suspect it.
At midnight we started for home, and
remember nothing more of that visit, eX-
cept the dreamless sleep that follows such a
ride. What would not give now for such
nights of sleep as crowned my childhood
lays. Visions of bears looking in at win
dows could not disturb it, and how warm
and soft the bed.
Sometimes the wind sifted little piles of
snow into my room, and roared in the wide
chimney, but we knew nothing of catarrh
or bronchitis, and many other afilictions.
Oh, if people would only have such houses,
and such ventilation now, and throw away
their choral and chloroform, their pills and
uostrums, the men would not be white-haired
at forty, and the women like mummies al
thirty-fve. We are generation of suicides,
and know it not. The habits of our grand
fathers produced a robust, energetic race
aud anything relating to them has fas
cination.
| Will not some reader give us his or her
recollections of the good old times