Weekly Chillicothe crisis., 1884-11-27
WAS 1T HEREDlTY?

know llttle OF my mother latncr,
save he appeared at long intervals Il
suppose twice a year)at our door, in a
white-covered moving-wagon, and, af-
ter few days visit, returned with his
Young son to his distant home. His
wife, dying, left an infant child, whom
the father would never part from an
hour, notwithstanding the willingness
Of his married daughters to take care of
the boy. The father lived, after the
wifc's death, the life of a rccluse at the
old house, and one of his eccentricities
| remember, although | never heard it
mentioned but once, or discussed by
any one. He was at heart wanderer,
and loitered in the wilds and along
the lanes in vagabOndish way that
afforded him high enjoyment. Instead
Of stage or train, the great wagon
with its camping outfit was his chosen
vehicle. In this manner he visited his
three married girls. each distant over
A hundred miles. 1t was this quaint
turnout that excited our aristocratic
village ncighborhood when, without
ltllcI VI NNlHlHSi tiO cbSCHtilC BNi-
tleman appeared. There was vacant
lot block away from our home,
where there was shade and ripple of
water. In this place grandfather
always went into camp, not in a house
while he could sleep in wagon. Early
morning enabled us to see Qor we were
dawn risers) the smoke from the
campfire, by which the father and son
cooked and ate their breakfast. Af-
terwards a strong rope, tied between
trees, made a line on which regularly,
unless the rain poured, the feather bed
and bedding from the wagon where
they slept were hung to air during the
day. After breakfast grandfather and
wee Uncle Jimmie came up to the
house and were like other folks. At
nightfall the horses were fed and cor
rallied, and the bedding, that had flap
ped all day beside the main street of
the small city, was prepared for the
bed in the wagon. | remember my
mother-who had ayoung wife's pride
in being gcnteel-rc demonstrating with
him against this public airing of the
bedding. Grandfather, slow ofspeech,
of great dignity and neatness, replied:
amanda, every bed ought to be hung
on line and aired every day and all
day. l don't believe in your madeu-p
beds. Hung on clothes.line-thats s
ma way. No coaXing could induce
him to stay over night in our spare
room or allow Jimmie that privilege.
Grandfather died when was about
eight years old. Little Jimmie, although
shy as a child must be who is raised
alone, grew into Il noble man, fought
with conscientious enthusiasm through
the war, and is lost to me now-even
his abode-in these years of change
and rush and progress. But to the
point of my story. My only brother
born years after grandfather's death
and resembling strongly my father'i
side of the house, is now married anC
a father. He has had little knowledge
of my mothers family-chance separ
ated us. My mother is long gone, ant
| am certain that brother was toe
small ever to have remembered any
thing that might have been said OF
the subject, in fact, | never heard thi'
fancy of grandfather's mentioned il
our house by any one after the remon
STRANGE of my mother, that over
heard, and had forgotten 1t so lonl
that it might never have been. Ye
my brother, speaking to his wife ;
short time ago, when contemplating
moving into a larger house, said {
visiting them): 1--WE shall have plent.
of room. and i don't intend TO hav'
anything in the sleeping-room but
bed and a clothes-line. / want tn
bedding hung up in the room ever,
day to air. That is n,y way. | don
believe in your makeup beds" Hi
very manner of saying it was so lik
grandfather that, although could no
have been over five or six years oil
when our ancestor made the remark
: it came back to me, for the first tim
perhaps since then, so distinctly tha
the intervening years were bridged
and 1t was Grandpa Buckley, instea
Of my brother, who uttered the words
[ afterwards told the story to m
brother; he'had never heard OF it, ]
short, knew really nothing of the dea
ancestor or his ways, and ce.tainl
never saw in our house or any Other
the airing hobby carried to such es