The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1881-07-21
THE A. sTEELEs.


names began with the letter A.
Anthony Steele lived on the hill that
stretched away from Mad River, in q
long, bare, lonely lift of land, that
looked, when you were below, as though
it Yaight be the very topmost height in
the suniyerse. His home was a red,
,roomy farmhouse, and he was vener-
able A. Steele, who had stood face to
facs. with the Indians on the same spot
years before Under the hill, near the
river, was 3 story and -a-hah cottage,
while and snug, where Albert Steele,
the miller, lived.
Lastly, there was, close to the river,
the brown grist-mill, with its biggest-in-
the-region water-wheel, to which all the
folk came, from far. and from near,
fetching their rye, wheat, corn, oats, and
buckwheat to be ground.
March came, and the mill was full of
grain. The earth began to stir and
more uneasily beneath her snowy wraps,
as though weary of her attire, and anx-
; lou, for a change. First, she trimmed
: hef garments with icicle-fringe. But
THAI was stiff, and creaked and ratified
, to pieces when the wind blew, and made
one feel as though things in general
were about to break up.
Nature has spasms, and one was COM
ing on. aii5
- The water-wheel had been out of or
der, and the winter had been so cold
that very little had been ground in the
mill; but now the wheel was as good as
new, and so much grain was at hand
THAI the heart Of Albert Steele, miller,
bes, high with hope.
q The miller had four children. An
dreig Steele (sixteen) looked at the
length of wrist and arm below his coat
sledTe, and hoped that now a longer
sleeve in a new coat would soon cover
up his years growth. Ann Steele, pref
ty as the mayfower, made the spinning
wheel fiy, and had visions of a white
dress for the next Fourth of July. Au-
!. gustus Steele Just hoped that now father
would feel rich enough to let him have
on his sled the iron runners that he had
beei waiting for pretty much ever since
he could remember. Abby Steele, in
the cradle, wanted her dinner, and cried
for it, which cry drew Ann from her
visi,sn and the wheel to lift up her
moiherless little sister; for there was no
Mrs. Steele to hope or wish for anything
froro the old mill on Mad River.
) Natures spasm was very near now.
Sun, clouds, rain caused it.
"Itn be the biggest freshest that ever
was" said the sage of the red house,
when the rain began.
.sI don't feel quite easy about the
mill, - said the owner, when ten hours
rain had fallen. The snow could ac-
commodate ten hours rain very well, in
its lnany-crystalled chambers on thou
san,l hi1lsides, and it did hold it without
smoying.
The next morning everybody there
aboat thought of bridges and wash-outs
although there was not at that time
q railroad within ninety miles of Mad
Rivcr-and of taxes; for taxes began
whsn the ss Mayfower paid wharfage
to the Indians at Plymouth Rock and
have gone steadily on, beginning with
out ending, from that day to this.
Below the mill few hundred feet
theie was foot-bridge, the delight of
boys and of daring girls, but the terror
of persons with nerves, whether young
or old. 1t was like the half of an inn
mense barrel-hoop rising over the river
with its ends set into the banks. The
rise and the round of this bridge were
such that innumerable cleats were
nailed up and down its sides and a very
shaky hand-rail had been provided to
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ge' corn grounu III . nuII oelo,e ,,s 1ne
river ereaks up hust oe done! an
sWsreo Dreezy voice; .r g..
i,ut, a. We Know, NJ 3ipers oOseis
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1e.P you, aoi ;dsS s S'iI's eho-,ia = soarae -
asas' wIaia' en,.e a. :, sa;d tbs 1onng msn
-xn,irew had never ry,n the mill in his
l;fs bnt he had belned often enouoh to to
i-,ss,- i-,~s hot sho,,ld bs done The 1onar
% .,asa nd at ths s lover w cate were raised And