Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1878-04-02

old Miss Humphries again.
/ She had returned to her former dwell
ing place, leaving many anathemas be
hand for me.
They never hurt me.
| I found the other half of the dear oil
cane and rejoined it to its mate.
loved it before; naturally loved Il
more than ever then. and still keep it a
talisman.
For the SPECTATOR.
April End, 1926.
Mr.. SPECTATOR 1T is old Horace
I believe, that has something to say
about "sesquioid0li0 verbn," or words 9
foot and half long. C0ncatenation is
one of this character. Have you not
found it very often the case that when
an incident in the past is mentioned, il
will bring up another, and that another
and SO on. Well, that may be called
a concentration of events, I suppose
Encountering, in one of the towns OF
the Valley some days since, an intelli-
gent gentleman, well known to you,
who has passed three-score and more OF
the milestene's on life's journey and
gifted with an acute memory, he re-
marked that he had seen, in late num-
Der of the SPECTATOR, reference to Capt.
Henry B. Roland, the founder of Mt.
Sidney. The description given of him
brought him up vividly to his minds
eye, as he had seen him in his fine uni
form on noble charger, at the head of
his splendid troop at old Peter Hangers.
When quite young man, and after he
had been indoctrinated some years, in
the village of Brownsburg, into the
mysteries of bookkeeping, in double
and single entry, in properly folding
calicoes and placing 'em back on the
shelves, and dusting and keeping in
trim the store-room, under so accom-
plished merchant as the late Preston
Trotter, his father sent him to Adam
Links, near Mt. Sidney, to supply for a
few months his want of clerk. Shortly
after he reached there, on the morning
of April End, 1925. when he awoke be
found the earth covered with snow
Mr.. Link and himself took the yard
stick, and went into the meadow where
it was not drifted, and measured and
found its depth two feet.
The honey-suckle, peach, &C., were
in full bloom, and the impression
was widespread that all fruit would be
had never been more abundant crop
than that season. But what impressed
on his memory this date as vividly,
perhaps, as the big snow, was seeing
a portion of Capt. Roland's troopers,
trailing in Indian file towards the point
of rendezvous, old Peter Hangers, that
morning to muster. Of course a drill
was cut of the question. Twitting him
On his astonishing memory, touching
incidents Of the past, with which I had
been before impressed, as will presently
appear, he remarked that at the last
meeting of the Synod of Virginia, at
the town of Charleston, w. Va, a
few years ago, when he had interested
the family of his very intelligent and
Hospitality entertainer, name not re-
called, with anecdotes of the past, he
remarked to him: "Sir, if we had you
and Col. Ben. Smith of this town to-
gether for spell, to recall incidents of
the past, it would be treat indeed" To
illustrate this gentleman's gift in an
anecdote, in which the writer figured
as chief actor and yet had forgotten, he
asked, do you remember being one of a
wedding party, where you officiated as
groomsman, think-well, won't say
how many years ago-and were all, a
goodly number. travelling in the direc-
tion I was going? You, with three or
four others, being in advance, quickeaed
your pace, soon disappeared beyond a
hill we were approaching, and presently
the company came up, when you were
found lying by the roadside, to all ap-
pearance thrown from your horse, and
in comatose state. There was great
excitement and sympathy shown and
expressed, and and the company COM
pletely deceived. Of course, it was all a
well-conducted rMse I had lost all re
membrance of it. To recur again to the
End April, 1925. A year or more ago, I met
in your town an old gentleman, who re-
ferred to this same big snow under these
circumstances. Said he, II was a
grOomsnlan, and either on the way to
Or from, am not sure which, the resi-
dence Of a prominent citizen, many
years since passed away, who owned
the farm, at what is now called Arbor
Hill. The groom was now living near
Staunton, and, so far as the writer re-
members, is the only survivor of four
sons-in-law of the worthy old gentle
men he remembers as one of the old
time justices, and it is compliment to
any one to say he was a magistrate in
Augusta forty years ago. The grooms-
man spoke of getting out of his buggy,
and measuring the snow ON the handle
of his whip, and think said it was two
feet deep.
There is an impression on my mind
the gro0msman was either the worthy
Clerk Of the Hastings Court, or my ecto-
generian friend not far from Eethel
church.
Pardon Me for relating an incident,
which Col. Ben. Smiths name, when
mentioned, caused me to relate. About
a year ago, the writer was passing down
the street, east of the courthouse, in
Harrisonburg, when he noticed ven
erable-looking gentleman passing down
on the opposite side and in the same di-
rection that he was going. He recog-
nized him, and, quickening his pace,
came up and reach ed out his hand, called
him by name, and expressed his graft
fication at meeting him, aad seeing him
so well preserved. i Iwished to see if he
would recognize me. He asked when
and where we had last met. I replied
in Richmond, before the war, when he
named me. Said he, "Sir, do you know
that having for years had an anxious
desire to visit the plaza where I was
born, / went Up to the 'old stone house
you remember it, do you not, two
miles south of this on the Valley pike
sometimes called the Cline ehouse-intra.
duced myself, and requested to be per
nitted to sleep there7 and in the sam,
reons In which I had been born, I think
q years before" All this you will ad.
init, Mr.. SPECTATOR, is very fair il
lustration Of the meaning of
| CONCATENATION,
| AUGUSTA COUNTY HUMoR.-A cor.
respondent of the Charlottesville C1Yoa.
icZe furnishes fha fn11Ouinr.