Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1883-06-30
Our Agents.

Charles E.
j. @. Love
b. W. Neal U.nari.
O.. PARENT. MaxellS
AN OLD HUNTERS HOME.
A North ar0liu Picture.
from Forest and Stream.l
Many years ago, when sulkeys and gigs ant
buggies and wagons and the horse were the
only means of transportation along the high
ways,roadsid ms were much more common
than they now are, and occasionally one was
to be found which afforded the weary traveller
genuine refreshment and repose after the
loilsome journey OF the day. Such a stopping
place as / have described was situated on the
east bank OF q stream called Qu-hidle, in the
county of Cumberland, and thirty miles west
of Fayetteville, which was, for a long while,
the market town Of a large portion of the
western part Of this state. Since that time,
by reason of the construction of railroads, q
very considerable part of the trade which
that place once controlled has been diverted
to other marts, though the town is still in q
somewhatthriving condition. The house to
which I refer was made OF pine logs, nicely
hewed, was of one story in height, had 9
small piazza on the south side, at one end of
WulCu was o 04C VIA " WA ASNe
square, and in the rear q large one, extend
ing the whole length of the house. Its only
chimney was made Of puncheons and dirt
and sticks. The windows were destitute OF
glass, and shielded from the weather by plank
shutters. just on the outside Of one Of them,
near the fireplace, was . platform upon which
the proprietor always kept q large supply Of
lightwood knots with which he found it easy
ut all times to keep a blazing fire, rendering
the use of other lights entirely unnecessary.
MT J-,aJI,,.. xu,o ,rr,inalosoI unA yuaa mt
more than ten feet from the north aside of the
highway. All the outhouses were of the
same unpretending character. Paint was UNI
known. The country all around was, and Is,
very unproductive, and no one u~nacqualnted
with the character of the hosiery would
have ever stopped there except as a last re-
sort to avoid sleeping in the woods. Daniel
Love, an old Scotchman, his wife, Polly, and
their only child, William, were the jewellers
In this humble home, except for the last ten
Daniel Mcmillan a brother of Mrs. L., resided
with them, The old man owned a few ne
Sroes, and with their labor such as it was,
and that of father and son, q scanty crop was
made. The mistress (she was really the SER
want, and this state of affairs was not un-
common in the south during the existence of
lslavery) and one or two negro women, spun
and wove cotton and wool, and out of this
the clothing of all was made. Mr.. Love was
possessor of about one thousand acres Ofland,
8UO uAu uullc q AxI4DC Va 1tt1O chSSP olo
hogs. Such is a general outline of the con-
The traveller, weary and dusty at the close
of the days journey, drew up to the door,and
got out of his vehicle. 1t often happened
that nobody would be seen for u few minutes,
when from behind some house, Tom, a negro
boy, would show himself, and approach with
Q gait which .evinced that "hurry" was q
word whose significance was unknown on
the premises. He would assist in looking
g. L. L@~eA and of hiS nnnvQnIanno
carry tine luggage into the piazza. About
that time, the old lady would walk in noise
lessly from the back part of the house greet
you with . pleasant smile and q lew words OF
unstudied welcome. Upon your lnqulring
for Mr.. Love and William, she would pro5a.
bly tell you that they were out in the woods
looking after the cattle and sheep, and would
be in after q while. Further questioning her.
you might get the that they took
their sinSie-bareled shotguns, thinking it
turkey during their search. She would hen
Leave you, and you might amuse yourself by
looking over some old copy ofthe Fayetteville
Observer, which atraveler had left with them
Of Congress had sent to him. Or, if SO in
clined, you might walk about the premises
and see nailed up ON posts, or the sides of
house, some trophies OF the venatOrial skill
Of the lord of the pine barrens-antlers Of
many q buck which he aud William had
brought down by the aid of Their guns. just
before dark, or between SHUTDOWN and that
time, you would hear the squall of one or
more chickens, and have your olfactories re-
called with the aroma of roasting coffee. Tom
would come in and throw a few pine knots
eight erd," as usually called-upon the fire,
and soon the blazing brands would fill the
room with light and neat. After q time, the
quiet voices of Uncle Daniel and William
would be heard outside of the house, and in
they would come, dressed in wooden hunting
ahirfo Of q hr0yVniah e0l0r- Ret their RnnS I'M
In the corner, hang their shotbags on the ram,
rods, give you q very gentle grasp Of the hand
and seat themselves in split-botomed chairs.
You would ask what luck they had had, and
the old man would tell you that they had sue
ceed.in getting a. deer and q gobbler. OF
course you would want to see the game. A
torch would be lighted, and you would wit
ness one of the means by which the larder Of
the house was often supplied to the delight of
the palate of many a guest. After being told
how far the deer or turkey was from the hun
ter, when killed, that they had ''toted" the
game on u pole several miles and would pro-
ceedt to dress it before going to bed ,youwould
re-enter the house. Til old man would take
tiers, take a knot, throw it on the tire and
make the room s'more cheerful and more
BRIGHT The old lady would come in, and
William would help his mother set out a fold
ing table in the middle Of the room, upon a
floor well sprinkled with white sand. She
would &c to q chest, take out q clean table
cover and nicely spread it. Then she would
go to the cupboard, take the plates, cups and
Saucers, knives and forks, and put them in
their appropriate places. Lastly she would
end, and into this her sugar
dish and cream bowl and teaspoons. Very
shortly thereafter one of the negro girls
would come in bearing a plate of biscuit and
dish as Of fried d; chicken : Ken 81 Retiring Szai,aa ,s she would snd
some turkey steak. Mrs.L. Would finish up
with the co1ee-pot and q plate OF fresh but
ter. You would then be very quietly told
that if you wanted anything to eat, the chance
had ds come sb for v you x to Est w 1t; 1t 1t is ssc pT9ps abe.
gestiOn, and proceed to business without
further ceremony. That coffee was not to be
surpassed anywhere, in any French cafe
those biscuit were light and nicely Drowned;
that chicken was past all praise.1or be it
Known that q young fowl cooked before the
life heat has left it Is unsurpassed in tender.
less and flavor; that venison is good enough
for poor mOrtals; that turkey steak Is abso'
lutely paradisean in eelicacy and richness
and that butter is fresh from the churn. ]
need not ask you if you ate any,'or with .
relish. A better meal you never enjoyed
The very memory o. that Laeuayra is ever
now blessed with me, though many year,
have passed since I enjoyed its delicious fra
GRANGE.
Amer supper you get around the fire again
the old man asks you question after question
in regard to your neighborhood: tells you o
news in your immediate vicinity of whlcl
you never heard, entertaining You with al
abundant supply Of anecdOte and a profusiol
ofQuiet humor. He will tell you of his hunt
ing experiences; and If you will ask him how
many deer he has killed in all his life he viii
inform you lhat,~ including the one got to-day
the number is exactly l,521. As to turkey
he Is not so positive, but en- ,ugh to give ever
family in Cumberland county u nice one TO
Christmas and New Years dinners. In tina
day we had no Thanksgiving dinners; for
had no thanksgiving day known 10 our law
mighty's benefactions as We are now thong
we did not make quite SO much public parad
Of the fact.
Inc u,u man was one of the salt Of tn
earth. He knew nothing of conventional
fashionable life. He never saw q railroad
nor a steamship. lie had read but few boob
besides his Bible. He knew how to be honei
and straightforward, kind, gentle and hospi
able. No avarice dried up the fountain
his soul-no malignity, nor envy, nor hatre
put gail and NORWOOD IN his heart. An
that old woman, who for forty wears -neithe
long nor weary ones with her had mad
herself happy, by doing her duty in the ''lov
ly train OF lite's sequestered ~scene;" as b
came a wife and a mother, was really one
the best OF her sex. To her, Mr.. Love an
William were the chief objects of her earth
idolatry. Her boy-for boy he always WI
and true. Though the old folks are '.de.
and gomez William lives there still, marie
but chi dless, and when he ''shuftles of b
mortal coil" the last of the race will ha'
departed.
While you and Uncle Daniel and Villa