Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1885-01-09
PARs0N DUNDYs OPPORTUNITY

PARSON DUNDI'S OPPOhI ONIII.
Hello the house ~
The stentoriau tones leaped across the lit
tie clearing and awoke the woodland echoes,
but they brought no visible presence to the
door OF the little cabin, nor answering salu-
tation from its interior.
In the early morning Rev. Caleb Dundy,
an itinerant Methodist preacher, bad started
on his first trip around his new circuit His
path had led over corduroy roads, through
sluggish streams, dragging along through the
heavy sand Of the oak openings, until for the
last hour the Six Mile woods had engulfed
him in it's gloom. In its leafy shadows the
daylight WAS so quenched that be feared
night would come before he should reach the
end OF his journey. He had very little idea
how far away that might be, and for the last
few miles he had seen no signs OF any hu.
man being OF whom he could inquire.
Therefore, when the forest about him
widened out into cleared space. and he saw
before him an inhabited dwelling, and per-
ceved the sun still high in the heavens, his
courage arose, although he Elackened the
pace of his -j-cted beast until he drew rein
before the cabin door. II was very primi-
tive structure, built of unhewn logs, and
rooted with elm bark
1t was probable that not bit OF iron en-
tered INTO lls CODhUuCllOu lue luteIotlSeb
between the logs were filled with split logs
the door, after the usual fashion, was Of
thick, rough boards, nailed together with
wooden Plus, hung on wooden hinges, and
fastened with Il wooden latch, which was
raised from the outside by means OF leather
string passed through a hole an inch or so
above the latch. The door was locked by
pulling the string inside, and no more cordial
invitation could be given TO a friend, than to
assure him that the "latch string always
hangs out"
The chimney was an eXcrescence attached
to one end of the house, and built of sticks,
| after the manner of children's cob, b,houses,
the crossed ends projecting through the mass
| OF clay In which they were imbedded. The
| small openings cut In the logs for windows,
were glazed with oil paper.
The door, which stood invtingly open,
was hsnked on one side by that peculiarly
Yankee implement Of industry, a mop,
standing on the end of the handle, and on
the other by a broom In reverse position.
cat summed herself ON the doorstep, and a
few hens picked and scratched in the path.
A group of sunfowers near one corner OF
the cabin turned their afternoon faces to-
ward the West, and at their feet lay pile of
mammoth pumpkins awaiting, oubtless, the
sharp knife aud skilful hand that should
transform each one into long golden spiral
| which should enwreRth horizontal pole near
the ceiling to slowly exhale its vapor under
the seductive influence of the cheerful hicko-
ry fire, and in its dark and shrunken coils to
remain yet prophecy Of Thanksgiving or
Christmas cheer or yielding less genislly
to the Establishments OF the heat, to slowly
rot, aud fall at unexpected moments upon
some unlucky pate and thence to the floor,
TO the great annoyance OF the pioneer house
wife.
Rev. Caleb Dundy in personal appearance
! was a typical back woodsman. Large, angu-
lar, and awkward of body, with face brown
ed by exposure and marked by many lines
indicative OF anxiety and the varied expert
ences of pioneer life, surely not less than
half q century had been busy in tracing the
strange character writing of that counte-
| nance.
Shrewd lines of calculation we're drawn
about the small, black eyes broad marks of
humor lay about the heavy mouth, inter-
twiued with strange, lugubrious lines and
| curves that comported better with tears than
smiles. As he lifted his broad-brimmed
white-furred hat, a low, narrow forehead was
revealed, creased by time and surmounted by
q shock Of straight, iron gray hair, that stood
up on the top of his head as stiff and un-
bending as the tall stumps of the clearing
but at the sides and back hung in wiry
brush, cut square OF in the nape OF the
neck.
II, as Carlyle says, the cut of garment
betokens intellect, the pioneer taiors we're
not the most intellectual of men-but per-
haps they were women; yet the bulging
seams and curves of the preachers satinet
"shad- belied" coat were not without certain
dignity, born, perhaps, from the wearer's
consciousness of his sacred office. As he
looked about him with that strange minglng
of dolorousness in his face, a subtle aroma
stealing from tho open doorway reached his
nostrils.
"Pig-fry!" exclaimed he, ecstatioally, for
the reverend gentleman was very hungry,
and Immediately the stentorian tones lesped
again across the clearing, and startled the
echoes
''Hello, the house,"
'Hsllo, yourself come and see how you
like iti" came in gruh tones from the interi
OF of the cabin.
Pioneer like, the preacher awaited no more
genial response or invitation but, throwing
the reins over the horns of the saddle, know
ing well that the poor, patient horse would
, | need no urging to stand, he walked up the
! path and paused with one foot on the door
step, and hand on either jamb.
Standing thus. he could see the open fire.
j. place glowing with q generous fire, oVel
b which was suspended the skillet, containing
: the spluttering, browning, fragrant pig
b fry" Squatting before the fire, her back
r toward him, was a woman from her figure
+ evidently young, who, dipping one hand int
t q crock beside her ON the hearth, drew forth
s boiled potato, and, sopping it in the skillet
: took therefrom generous bite.
And prompted by his physical inner con
Z sciousness, hs was about to enter and CLAIM
a right to the next grab into the crock, ant
. !, sop in the pan, when a gruf voice from
:, the deeper interior arrested him with tn
a query;
o "Wsll, what do you want2"
: Not in the least Abashed, Mr.. Dundy ad
n vanced into the room and approached tn
a speaker. As he did 80, he noticed with quicl
y eyes the peculiar features of the apartment
s. 1t was long, low, dimly lighted room. Th
d end next the fireplace was hocred with slabs
but the further half was Uttered or carpete'
with clean straw. This was the sleeping
room, and pioneer bed occupied one corner
> - The bedstead was of poles, supported at tn
! corners by being thrust between the logs
i and crossing at the outer corner were sup
a ported by post The preacher found moth
ing strange in that piece Of furniture. II
had often made such an one himself, an
g corded it up with strips of slippery elm bark
y but the straw carpet was novelty.
], But not more of a novelty TO him than
us would be the appearance Of the man VIII