Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1882-05-08


OF che track. Twenty-Five miles out
the ears drop us at the sugar house
of John and William Kelly, two
brothers who are successfully work
ing a plantation of 800 acres. We
were on a business trip, pure and
simple, with no expectation of meet
ing, with anything like hospitality
butt seems that is not the way they
do things down here-at least not at
the Kelly plantation. They are
strong in the faith that the pleasant
stpath to the hill of knowledge lies
Though the valley where abide gen
erous hospitality, cordial fellowship
and kindly interchange of thought.
Sowe drove to the house instead of
the, mill, where we spent delightful
moining, all the family receiving us
as if we were their lifelong friends
ana entertaining us luxuriantly. Such
dinner as they gave us, it was fit
for any American citizen under the
grand old flag, and so much of it was
home production l must tell you
about it.
First there were oysters in stew,
fried, roast and raw this course re-
moved, there followed baked fish-a
great, handsome red snapper, who
had left his good company back in
the river to make his appearance for
our benefit; served with this dainty
dish was a salad prepared of crisp
lettuce shrimps Ga very small shell
fish, not more than two inches long,
redish-salmon in color) and ripe to-
matoes, and sweet potatoes GRO
quettes. Then came the solid course
consisting of roast turkey, fricassee
chicken, roast pig, broiled Guinea
fowl, salads, vegetables of all sorts,
pickles, ETC.; the dessert w3s ice
cream, Roman punch, cakes of vari-
Gus kinds, mince and cream pies,
oranges, bananas, pecan and walnuts,
and black coffee. Of course there were
wines with each course, for the south
ern people still believe it indispensi-
BILE to a proper dispensation of hos
pitality.
The fish and oysters, the vegeta
bles and meats. as well as the fruits
and nuts were all raised close by !;
so one need not wonder at the un-
necessary profusion of the table.
The residence faces the broad Mis-
sissippi, and from the porch there is a
view which would captivate an artist.
The grounds are large and are shaded
with grand old oaks and pecan trees,
from the branches of which the long,
gray moss droops. Up and down
the great pathway to the sea steam
eiS arn alwavs onin0. On the oppo-
site bank of the river there stands a
little wooden church, painted red.
1t is a pretty bit of color, in striking
contrast to the vivid green of the
trees in which it is framed. 1t is the
first church erected in the state-old-
er than the famous old French Ca
thedral, in New Orleans, and, better
still, it has remained intact, never
having fallen a victim to the rejuven-
ator. 1t has been painted red for so
many generations that far and near
| it is known as the ''Red church of
the St. Charles Parish" Children
dip their tiny fingers in the same
font from which their great-great-
grandmothers took the holy water ;
pretty brides kneel for the benedic-
ton where generations of brides have
knelt before them; hidden away in
the old timbers are the songs of glad
ness and the sobbings of breaking
hearts. Priest and penitent alike
have been carried out through its
door to their last resting-place
| Beneath that low, green tent
Whose curtain never outward swings
All about the church clusters the
| graves of those who once worshippeC
within it's walls, and the history o.
generations may be read on theil
tombstones.
A visit to a maple sugar camp
without ride in the big sleigh woul(
be like eating mince pie with the
spice left out SO, too, would be al
excursion to a sugar plantation with
out frolic in the big, jolting cane
cart. The cane-cart is very mucl
like the dumping carts used in tn
construction of railroads, only YER
much larger and stronger, with wheel
very broad and heavily ironed. II
this are hitched three mules abreast
the middle one between the thills
and the others secured by traces.
The cart was filled with clean ric
straw and the straw was soon aliv
with humanity-as merry a load a
ever went to a corn-shucking or to
wake.
A big ''ward of the Nation wa
perched on one corner of the car
| where he could get look over til
2 big, waving ears of the mules, an
t select all the deepest holes throug
/ which to drive, SO as to give us
/ fair amount of shaking down.
a his pay was in accordance with th
C jolts he gave us, he can clay off, tt
0 balance of the winter.
: We will begin our investigation {
e the process of sugar making at tt
: cane fields. The planting commenc,
e in the fall as much being put dow
!, as time and weather will permi