The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1886-11-18
LITTLE BILLY
How He and the Boys" Treated
Widow st. Clair.

How He and the "Boys' Treated
Widow st. Clair.
Some twenty-five miles south of the
capital Of Ohio. in the rich valley of the
Scioto, is the quaint town of c..
II any part Of this cradle of Presidents,
Senators, Chief Justices and great Cen
erals deserves to be called .~'classic
ground this valley of the Scioto pre-
eminently has that claim. 1t bears
abundant testimony to prehistoric oc-
cupation by a people well advanced in
arts and sciences. On both sides of the
river were mounds, Notifications and
sacred Enclosures, concerning which the
Indians, who occupied these lands at
the coming of the white man, had no
traditions. Within q radius of seven
miles several severe battles were fought
between the Indians and whites in
the latter part of the eighteenth GEN.
tury-
Once this was dotted with Indian vii
lagos; here in olden times burned the
council fire of the red men; here the af-
fairs of the nation were discussed in
general council and the Important ues-
tons of peace and war decided. When
these restless tribes made incursions to
other States and captured prisoners,
they were brought here to pass through
the terrible ordeal of running the gaunt-
let or to be inundated upon the altar Of
the red mans vengeance, and made to
suffer every torture that savage inge-
nuity could invent. Here, too, Logan
made that famous speech which has
stirred the heart of every American
school boy ever since.
In the early part of the present en-
fury, when Pickaway County was
formed, the land which was afterward
covered with this town of c. was de-
signed and laid out as the county
town. On the very center of this site
was a circular fort or sacred Enclosure
s~ixty-nine feet in diameter. This con-
tanned at its center a remarkable
mound with semi-circular pavement at
the east 1t was decided by those who
had the matter in charge that this an
Gent fort, or whatever it might have
been, should be the center of the town,
contain the courthouse, and from it the
streets should diyerge. So q town with
all the streets radii of a circle was
started.
It was well enough to begin with, but
as the years went BY a thriving village
sprung up. Men Of stirring business
qualities became residents-men who
liked to have things like other people.
So it came about. gradually that there
was something wrong with the town.
The village magistrates began to talk
the matter over. The more they talked
the less it seemed desirable to have that
ostagon courthouse the center of every
thing. After mature elaboration it was
decided ito square the circle" which
they at once proceeded to do. That
town was squared, and you should have
seen it a few years after the squaring
process as I did. At this time l had no
idea of its mathematical struggle and ]
stood at the hotel window and gazed n
amazement. Most of the houses within
my range of vision seemed to me to
have been built somewhere in the ether
cal blue and then deliberately dropped
down to hit as they would and then be-
come stationary, the front yards had
such q hap-hazard, crazy-quilt look.
To my young eyes the town had the
strange appearance of being governed
by chance, such as Hafid saw in his
dreams, and I instantly turned to the
fruit trees half expecting that the apple
trees would bend under their weight Of
pumpkins and that the cherry trees
: would be loaded with ripe, golden GU
cumbers.
The fruit trees were evidently al
right, and so was every thing else ex'
cept the houses. These must certainly
have had a dance by moonlight, waltzed
all around and got SO mixed up tina
they never could get back into q re
spectacle position again.
Time softens and changes all things
1t sOon brought q very ~perceptible diff
ference in this squared town. The own
ers of these ..skew-wiff houses" as the
children were accustomed to call them
never felt quite at home cat-a-cornereC
to the street. So those dwellings wer'
torn down and others took their places
The town had been settled mostly b.
Virginians, blue blooded and aristo
cratic, fond of their money bags
thoroughbred stock and great farms OF
Darby or Pickaway plains. Money wa
plenty, and though the old houses dis
appeared. there was enough left of tn
circular town to give a quaint look t
the beautiful spot. Those whose home
had once been here regarded it as tn
garden spot of Ohio and loved it as tn
place of all places. There could be n
cosmopolites among its dwellers, tn
very spirit of the place precluded sue
persons.
Upon the outskirts of this more tina
half Southern town, lived the widow 81
Clair in q tiny cottage. This woman
so the people said, had been years bt
forc a belle and heiress and beloved b
every body. For twenty years she ha
lived in this cottage, seeking no societ
and stunning those who would hav
bought her.
! Nobody knew just how she lived a
no soul had been admitted beneath he
roof for three years at least, except a
ofdscolored servant who had been he
waiting maidin happier times.
This woman came at stated interval
and did what she could for her old mi!
tress. The remuneration for such Sc
vices had long since ceased, but til
faithful Mamie insisted that it was
blessed privilege '.to be lowed to wa
on Miss Nora"
Our story opens in November of 1861
the day before Thanksgiving. Th
little cottage, with Clustering, leaties
vines and little patch of flowers stuc
in front, whose glory had long since d.
parted, was particularly dreary. AM