Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-10-24

stars nov, an my father was the Youngest
o fourteen children that fust saw the light
Inside its walls Sometimes the chihkin
would glt worked out an the cold wind
would find its way inter the house ter send the
frosty chills up an down the family back
bones while the roarin open fire in front was
blistern' their faces. Meny time Eve
hcerd ms father tell how he'd wake up winter
mornius when he was "A boy an find the snow
in drifts around the old trunkle bed, in the
loft whar the boys snuggled down ter sleep
under regular hay stack o home spun blank
cts. Wal the snow didn't seem ter hurt em
much for they all growed up ter be strong
men an wimmln' an to have rugged families
of their own.
wisht he'd the gift O CAB some folks
hes. IL make Burton Corner stan out ter
the readers o the journal like painted pic
tur But natur hes gin me no SIGH power
50 must draw my sketch in my own rough
way-an' without colorin. As the name
shows the Corner is bilt at the crossin o two
roads. Only one o these amounts ter much
the main road along which is bilt most O.
the houses in the village. The other road is
called the cross-road. If follered in one di
rcction 1t leads thru es swampy track o
land eS ever was seen an soon becomes cord
in tothcr direction it leads thru Beechfeld
Plantation piece O land so rocky that the
sayin is the sheep air oh eeged ter have long
iron pinchers hitChed onter their Jaws so IS ter
pull the grass out from betwixt the powders
Around the Corners itself the sile is fair ter
middlin though a leetle more rocky than most
On us would like ter see it. The fust house
one sees es he drives inter the village after
clmin lla2lenut hill is the Neyens place, on
the right han side o the road. The little
story an half house with its red trimmins
an shed ajinin with open arch door ways is
gttin somewhat crumbhn now. Most o. the
large family tibet was raised thar is scattered
now an only Uncle Bill an Aunt Ruth New
ems with two growed up children. Rubc an
Nance air liyin thar. Uncle Bill Nevens was
always "a hard-workin man an aunt Ruth is O.
the salt O the earth. Both air pliers O the
church Time was when the Nevens farm
was the best worked one in town, but Rube
is a shiftiess good-natured Teller an uncle
Bill is troubled with rheumatic al amt able
ter work much. But he draws a good penshun
for sarvices in the Mexican war an so they
manage ter make both ends meet The Old
man is a great reader. well posted an likes
ter sit in my store an argy on politics, re-
iigiOu or most ennything with ennyone who
will tackle him
jest across the road from the Nevens
farm is the Robbins place. These bid
ms too. air oll-fashioned. They air oe-
ypied by Jabez Robbins, his wife an three
grow ed-up children. Cora and Della air old
maids with no great show o ever ben emmy
thin else. Nate Robbins is an old bach an
drives the stage twixt the Corner an Croft
en- the highest pint whar the railroad teches,
The next place on the same side o the road
is the parsonage. The Corner only hes one
meetiu house an tibet is a Union one. Par
sen Wilbur lives thar with a good sized fam
" an divides his labors tWixt the Corner
an two other places. The parsonage is a
small. white, story -an-a-haf house with ten
acres o rocky land jined onter it for a garden,
orchard an COW pastur.
Then comes the tavern KEEP by Sam Sim
mons. Sam is good natnred easy goin
man. an when he married Molle Sykes
everyone lowed he'd sartiny got his better
half Moli's a hustler an its thru her tibet
the tavern with the farm tibet jiues il fetches
a toler'ble income. The tavern STAINS on one
O. the four corners. On 'tOther corner is
Burton's Hail. a good sized bildin, painted
WELLER. an owned by myself. ltcoutains one
Otis at present occupied by Squire Burpee
he Corner lawyer. The rest y the sec
ond floor is taken up by the
hall. This is headquarters for
the Graz &c an most o the entertainments in
this section. Town meetins also come here.
Under Burton Hail Cobe ilersum~hes his
shop. Cobe never larned emmy particular
trade but was born inter full possession of
all on EN-. He's natural genius He ken
10 ennythin' tibet ken be done with tools.
He ken make fust-rate farm wagins, mend
guns. bid houses, cement broken china, fix
clocks, do all kinds o iron work, is a fust-
rate painter--in fact Cobe's regular king-o-
all-trades. | don't rally know what the Cor
uer would do without him.
Cross the way from Burton Hall is my
store. This is story-an'-s-half bildin'
with good sized piazza in front. Me an
Betsy-my wife-live over the store an hey
raised up quite a family thar. They're all
scattered now, however. The store COM
prises little o. most everythin an bein
tie Post Offs hes allus bin great loafin
place for folks in this section, specially them
IS he'd ruther talk then eat. Many good