Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1878-09-10

Letter to the Cincinnati Commercial.l
"OLD MAN BARRETT.S


Mountain lives an eccentric character
called "Oid Man Barrett" His life and
habits and surroundings are all counter to
the customs of New England His house
/ is built on the edge of the road, and bis
back yard slopes steeply to bare, per-
pendicular wall of rock, which tower,
| hundreds OF feet above, and is crowned
| on the summit with dark evergreen trees.
| This back yard he has set full of prapA
vines, and they nourlsh and bear marvel.
ously, so that "Old Man Barrett's Crane
| Ranch" has become famous throughout
| the surrounding country. The rocks above
draw the heat of the sun. and the southern
| slope. protected on ali sides from chilling
| winds, torn an excellent situation for =
grapery. or front yard he has but Il tile.
for his house is only II few feet from the
road, but that little strip Is also full of
grape vines, trained on lrellsses over the
door, and hanging full of large bunches.
The side yard Outrages New England
ideas OF neatness. Old Man Barrett apol.
ogized for it as he led US through 1t to his
grspery back OF The house, saying, II
hain'i got picked up yet this summer = but
| it evidently represented The slow accumu-
lations OF Years. There were three hen
coops and pig stye, which could DO
| scented a1af "A hay-Iack with q big dog
| chained under It, a cart-brd, an old Sled.
la pile of lime, an old barrel full Of ashes.
II grind-stone, a broken wheetbarruw,
some fragments of homemade carpet,
rotting IN the sun and rain, u wood-pile,
several piles OF boards and poles and
heaps OF stones. Beside the hens 10 The
coops. several chickens and ducks walked
| IN and out Of the house past a dirty baby
N a uoll.
uaired, ragged and dry boy. reminding
one of Southern poor white trash" came
| near US and stared up into our faces; q
| woman came with painful of dish-w ater
| To the front door and threw 1t upon The
ground, although we were made aware
by sight and smell that there were several
| sink-holes near, and to complete the fam.
| lily picture, an old woman in calico bon.
net. with pipe in her mouth, came down
The road bringing bucket of water from
| d spring several rods distant. had seen
lust such homes in Arkansas, excepting
| the grapes, and it was y strange cOfIfu.
| sion OF locality to see such place 10 clean.
neat. orthodox New England. Old man
Barrett was fiji centerplece for such sur.
| roundings. He looked like an arkansas
| backw woodsman or u California pioneer
who had fought grizzlies and pros pscted
Tor gold without success. He wore q
slouch hat, cow-hide boots and wooden
shirt. turned back from his hairy breast
HIS pants were fastened around his BODY
by u leather strap. His tangled gray hair
| hung 10 his shoulders. his matted gray
| beard was iestooned with tobacco Juice.
one eye had been knocked out. & Il
He talked loud he talked down every
one else. His two hobbies were his ROCKS
| and his sgrapes-specmens from his lodges
in the mountain ABOVE. These specimens
| lay spread out on some boards on top Of
a ben coop. These" said he, taking
! some up and turning his one eye full on
US, "cOulain gold aud silver aud lead and
copper. Win retolt and proper drugs
all these could be extracted from them.
I've got mine OF wealth in my lodges
up thar in The mountain, and I've got
grapes that challenge any body to beat."
Then laying down his stones he said,
Come up here and see mp grapes, you
never see such sight before" Past the
lpig-slyes and hen-coops and sipk-spouts
| we went, and up the green slopes where
the grape vines lolled along Inc ground
or hung on trelises, tuli OF lunches.
"Don I step on that board,' he said but
We saw no board. He afterwards told
US the hedgehogs troubled nun, and he set
traps tor them, and put boaI DIS over Them,
| To keep his visitors from sucking their
Ieel Into the traps. "Look THERE" said
he, lilling up the vines. ''Look at them
GRAPES We asked the names ot the dill
ieieut varieties, but he said They're good
grapes 10 eat" with great deal Of en-
phasIs, and gared at US with his one eye.
as II We had questioned their excellence.
he had u name tor oulv QUE vine that
one had attaiLed the Thickness OF a mans
arm. This Is a Coucotd grape" said he.
Il planted the seed when vas live wears
old, ami II grew III the woods on falusr's
place. and when l caIne to this ranchs l
| took 1t up aud moved 1t, ' aud went on to
tell with uiany says he's" aud "says rs"
oi a ta he had with his father about 1t.
We asked hun II he sold ali his grapes TO
The picnickers and otner Visitors " hv came
| Is his rancne III The tall. Il sell great
many OF them," he SAID. "and 1 keep
some to make wine" Ole vi our pnty
| being bred To goat respect Tor the MAius
| liquor law, venlured some remaiks ABOUT
VINE drinking, but the old man tixinx his
one eye On hIm roared out, "Wnat does
the good Book say Il says take u little
wine Tor Your sloIDachs sake,'" and brow
beat him into silence.
Other visitors came along just then, for
| this is II fashionable DIVE, aud every one
stops 10 see old man Barrett and bis
grapes. and lew minute. later, Is we
were seated at lunch round u,ossy bowl
der in the clean, grassy orchard which
stretches to the lake shore Ot 10 the ouly
clean place ON the premises). We heard his
voice among the vines on the hilisids say.
ing. This Is Coucord vine; sci 1t out
Wh-n l was five years DID," etc. Later
still. he passed through the orchard with
his scythe ON his shoulder. and one OF our
party, wishing to say something compli-
mentary, glanced up al the 5ouXns laden
with green apples aud SAID, You have y
good crop of apples, Mr.. Barrett" Not
at all, growled Tie old man. "a very poor
crop" Grapes and collaborating rvcks
were all that he was Interested IN, and il
one did not praise them, one had better
keep still. When We left the rancho the
beams OF sunset rested ON Megunticook
.f..a. II