Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-05-04
liALLECK AND GREEN
An Entertaining Chapter of Lota
History.

There ATE few Of the present generation
resident on Lake Champlain who know, or
perhaps have ever heard the names Of Anna
llalleck and her only dau ghIer, Anna Reese.
To the writer afar, however, the death record
of Richard Reese called up a quaint and
antiqua'cd picture. A rambling old farm.
hous', with low ceilings. low square win.
dows, glszed in llliputian panes, front door,
opening horizontally in centre, 50 that one
could lean over its lower half, as from a
balcony the whole studded generously with
immense nail-heads, and Of solid weight as
If belonging to fortress, Rooms CHEEKY
with Their huge chimncys, When alight with
ponderous backlog, over which, 10 the large
kitchen, hung the swinging crane, the
crooked p1'-hooks, aud close at hand the
great brick oven
Rafters overhead strong aud unceiled, and
in the sleeping apartments high.post bed
steads, reaching nearly to the low ceilings,
white dimity curtains fcstopned closely
around the tester above, valance below, md
that now almost obsolete luxury, downy
feather bed. The writer's moth,r went on
dcvout, annual pilgrimag,s from Plattsburg
TO The homestead of her broadbrm, plain
kerchief rela ivee, Anna llal,eck's nee Green,
the sister of her father, aud from whom
came her own baptsmal name, taking in also
that of Annals only daughter Anna Keese,
Of Peru. Here was pracicod grand, feu-
dal hospitality, such AS these primitive
times aud seasons" only can show, where
our noble hostess and Con>in stood always
ready with cordial welcome to frields,
and helping hand for the poor and suffer
ing.
Here she received and entertained for
weeks the travelling prcache's and their
numerous escorts, while lnr nature beamed
forth wherever the turmoil of want and care
and ignorance were 10 be relieved. Within
the homestead the writer first made acquaiu-
lance with the mysterious buzz IT spinning
wh.c l ind cracking reel as il arked oif
the knpls, or watched intcutiy the fast
diminishing iieecy rOlis, ms the spinner, In
ler slow march backward and forward,
twisted each daintily ia fingers to most
dec tie size. Seen today through vista
Of nearly fifty years, this handling and
transformation Of wool into yarn seems
u most dexterus exhibit of feminine
skill.
The mother Of Richard Reese would have
been notable woman, wherever found. Of
| superb physique, tall, stately, altogether
symmetrical in face aud form, there was
that in her naturally imperial air 10 inspire
awe, except for her benign and gracious
WAYS, aided by her modest, cicsc-ttling
or, pe.lisse cap, the white cambfic shawl
folded primly ecros the breast, and drab-
cOore1 gown made severely plain, yet with
hint Of worldly i4untiness in the Iight
elbow 81 ewes and the long linen mits, which
| converted her At once into lovely quaker
matron.
Having scarcely reached the Irime when
widowed aud left with H brood Of young
sons and daughters TO rear AMI educate, so
well did Anna look 10 the ways OF her house.
hold, in addition to the comp icatcd super
intendCnCc OF expensive farming interests.
that Of her seven sons ard dau! hters, who
inherited much of her pers confines,
not one but was an ai,pt in thrifty foresight
as to business engagements and capable OF
sustaining with dignity The demands of a
prominent social life, tue best part of which
knowledge they termed Of and owed TO their
mother, Anna he, Sc. | remember that they
inIet-marred with tie Arn1lds, lIurbut
Thorns, Of Duichcss county, and in tue
family of Judge JOSIAH Fish, Of koescvi.le.
Some Of the husbands, rather gay Qu,kvia,
perhaps. but keeping fast hold o. til. gcute
thee and thou" yea and nay, Of George
Fox and his disciples.
The last visit OF the mother and daughter,
the latter just turned o! thirteen, the the VEN
cradle Anna lIallcck, obcurred in 1881, just
after our aunt had entered upon her ninety
ninth year. Sitting in her easy chair, still
erect, tranquil as a saint no Disagreement OF
extreme age, even comedy in her pretty
Quaker costume aud sweet Quaker speech
Eye and ears dull from multiplied decades.
but with nina undmmcd, which still TIRE.
served memory fur wlslt was past and
gone. yet retaining also an inter- ST in the
present.
The early life of Anna lIa lecIl touched
~ tod uyN Of la upNt ,.st,.
every artistic taste was deemed by it
temptation from the devil, aud whea 70
nance aud poetry and music were ignored
under penalty OF of losing ones bilthrght.
And yet the plain Quakeress from her girl.
hood seemed imbiled with VERY spirit II
all three added to keen Intelligence, also,
of the stirring political events lowering over
her country. Hers were the hard lines Of q
pioneer, whose hands were oftlmcs Cailous
with toll yet her sturdy will accommodated
itself to the rough county around her. We
of to-day can hardly measure, even in mag
nation the immense labor pressed up the
cary settlers on farms in Clinton AID ada
cent counties The spinning and weaving,
The knitting and mending, tic baking aud
brewing. wolves literally prDWling about the
door, and oil evil things ii the dense forests
about them, men delving in rocky soil to
make corn, and wheat and oats grow out Of
it. And vet this noble woman whose name
was rcvorenced from her youth 10 her cd
age, despite all this weary toll, garnertd up
store OF mental cath from the sparse dry
volumes that fell In her way The prosy
histories of her times, he.half-devout, half
supcrstitous sermons, bio-raph,s and re-
lislou' exper nee OF her people, and dipping.
by stealth, Into some OF the old poets, or
studying with discordsut scruplts, the PLAYS
OF Shakespeare; occasionally, for tie enter.
tainment of thi!dron, inprovisiug quaint
verses after the old ballad style. There
seemed but one cousin among her knsfolk
who rendered cordial sympathy to this de-
generate Quaker ss, So faithful in love to
God and man, and he lived afaT of On the
stormy coast Of Rhode lslani. Youngsters
Of that day called him Naty, yet BY the
t.uasera, wh9 deemed "uicknames" prufane
'tbels, he wss known as Nathaniel. Tut not
without guile, as, despite his broa l-brmmed
hat, his hair would persist in curling under
it, aud despite the collarless, spike-la led drab
coat, Nathaniel was a sad dandy Ut heart and
wording Quaker,
A rock Of otrensc also to devout Richard,
his father, the stiictest and hardest among
his onfreres in reviling that world, that
flesh end that devil which h. fame ed were
coiled about his son. 1t might be merry
husking or dance al country inn or
stroling theatre, that drew Nathaniel stealth
lily down from his low window when night
fastened up the orderly h1me.ttaI but TOO
often, alas . the wee sma hours found him
among the jovial company-sura to BE- ta-
trayed IN the morning, and rs sure 10 he
soundly dashed by whip and tousue from his
irate sire. So family tradition has it hat the
lad improvlsed a coat Of mail constructed Of
exceedingly narrow and thin wooden Stats,
woven together with small cords and fas-
tcnt ed tightly about his BODY so that there.
after the blowl EEL strong bat harmless an
incipient strategIst, worthy the after regard OF
Washington.
Who ono died In hnr surnut snrnnitv nj Tia