Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1886-07-31

old days can testify. After all these
years the memory of that great garnet
is distinct in all its details. 1 can see
the big chimney in the center, with its
clumsy open door, serving for smoke
house as we'll as fireplace. I can see
the dried Goldfish hanging from the
rafters, the old boxes and bar
rels, the bars of soap in high
brown piles, and the yellow pump
kins looking up at us with jolly fat
faces, and i can even now catch the
homely odor of the fennel and catnip
IS distinctly as l sometimes catch
away here in this most un-Yankee of
foreign capitals the taste of the pep
permint which brings to my memory
the high backed seat in the old church
and the surreptit Gus lozenge which
dear old grandmother would slip into
my hands at intervals during sermon
time.
One rainy afternoon we boys had
been having glorious time in the old
garnet. We had snapped the old mus
ket till there were no more sparks left
in the flint; we had fed the fat spider
in the corner of the window seat until
he was so gorged with dainties that he
refused splendid blue bottle" we had
captured for his desert, and finally we
found regular Captain Kidd treasure
of old coins in the dilapidated bureau
drawer, which brought to our minds
visions of the privateering times when
Grandpa Trefey sailed away for posi-
BILE English prizes in the old 1872 war
days. Suddenly one of the coins rolled
away to the caves of the slanting roof,
and we had to call George to help US
find it -though we hated to, for we de-
spised girls, and George was girl.
George squeezed her slender little
form into places where our stout boy
bodies could not go, but she could not
find the coin.
"But, oh here's something SO funny"
she said, as she emerged, somewhat
crumpled and dusty, from the caves.
With much wonder and questionings
We examined her prize.
"What can it be?" we queried.
1t was round, thin affair, about six
inches high and three in diameter, with
copper tube that turned upward, and
tin spout under the tube. A wide
rim at the bottom made o firm base, and
there was wire to hang it by. 1t had
conical cover, and it was divided into
two parts-the upper part with the
copper tube fitting into the lower to
which the spout was soldered.
One of the Trefey boys said it was
an oil-can, while George declared it
was cotfeepot.
Lets ask your grandmother" 1
suggest d, and to grandmother we
went.
81 he old Dumb Betty lamp" she ex-
claimed. as we entered her pleasant
room, where she sat in her high backed
yellow rocking chair, looking out on
the mist harbor; where under
the sun did you find that, children?"
A lamp! We had never thought of
such a thing.
The copper tube. grandmother said,
was for the wick. The upper part held
the oil, and the spout was to catch the
drippings that ran into the lower
reservoir.
1T wac nice lamp" grandmother
continued; "long ago it was the only
lamp we burned, for candles were very
dear and this hung in the chimney
corner while we worked by its flicker
ing, smoky light. But even while l
was yet girl we began to have better
lamps, and l don't remember this
Dumb Betty being lighted for many
years-no, not since the night of Floyd
Ireson's ride"
Floyd Ireson! We all knew Floyd
1reson-a harmless old man who pushed
q hand-cart about town selling fish. l
know the rhyme that the poet Whittier
has since used as the theme of his
famous poem and that the town boys
exaggerating the Marblehead dialect -
often called after the poor old fellow
from safe stance:
"Old FLUID Oirson, fur his hord hort,
Torfd and fothered and corred in a cort
BY the wimmn of Mobbloed"
The rhyme came to me at once when
Grandma Trefey said "since Floyd Ire
sons ride, and questioned curiously:
g. ,eslly, Grandma Trefey-was Floyd
Ireson really ever carried in cart?"
Certain, she replied. "When 1 was
about seventeen-would you like to
hear about it?"
Wouldn't we? We were never known
to refuse to listen to one of Grandma
Iretey stories.
ut was one winter afternoon" she
said, "when l was about seventeen
years old, that there came up sudden
blow. Several of our boats were out
fishing and all the townsfolks were on
the rocks by the lighthouse watching
for them. just about dusk we saw q
sail which some of the tishermen's
wives sad was Floyd Ireson's boat.
He came in alone before the wind and
landed safely in the harbor. He could
not or would not give tidings of the
others, and ut shutdown none of them
had yet appeared.
"Now you know, children, my folks
folks were not fishermen; bat certain
dear friend of mine, n midshipman who
was home on furlough, had gone out
in one of the boats for sniff of salt
water, and SO was naturally interest
I'd. Well. after supper we heard that
t. lloyd Ireson had passed some of the
'ther boats in distress. but he wouldn't
stop to help them, though they called
to him for aid.
II don't know how folks found this
out, but they did, and pretty soon the
wives of the missing fishermen gather
ed around Floyd Ireson's door and
called him all sorts of dreadful names.
Mother wouldn't let me join this
crowd, which was only a little way
from our house, but 1 could hear the
shouting, and presently some one rum