The Springdale news., 1888-12-21

last Wcirdale owed it's prosperity to the road. for an old writer has said that cer- tain Earl first laid the foundation of the greatness of this town, which from the very begigning eclipsed the town of Stagborough Ghe county towm; for he caused the iron chain which blocked up the passages over the bridge into this town to be broken and the roads for carts and horses to be laid open; whereas before all traffic was prohibited this way, and only such persons allowed to pass as paid toll to the bailiff of Stagborough, who kept the key to the chain. By this means Weirdale be- came a great thoroughfare, and inns and houses began to be erected for the recep. ton and entertainment of travellers, so that in short time it became q populous town.n To call Weirdale "great " or "populous' now would be absurd. and were it not for certain huge bed preserved for many cent Gries in the town, the fame of Wierlale would probably have been confined to the county of Stagshirc and the guards an0 drivers who travelled with the coaches over the London and Peterborough road. How ever, in the year of grace eighteen hundred and thlrtY-one Weirdale was to the inhabt ants of the eastern part of the county o Stagshlre a place of considerable impor tanee, and once week the streets pre- sented such lively appearance as Is sel dom seen in these times, when all England 50 to speak, is d market town and all the year round market day. The most at tractivc resort for a nonresident of Weir dale for the past threc hundred years ol more has been, and still is, tha% ancient and most respectable hostelrle, the "Saraccn'S Head.n
 It was one bright day in August, and market day at Weirdale, when punctually at one o'clock the dmner-bell rang at the ''Saracens HeadH and into the large dining room filed some twenty or thirty farmers oi the better class. These were the times when farmers received war and famine prices for wheat The times when Iald ruled England. When great ceuters of in- dustry like Manchester, Leeds and BW mingham had no voice in framing the laws. When landlords and farmers combined to keep up the price of broad and to keep down the wages of the operative. The time when, no matter how plentiful I harvest was garnered in Egypt, Russia or America, not a grain of golden Hfe-sus- taiuing wheat could be imported or sold until the price of home grown wheat cE- ceeded eighty shillings per quarter ftwo dollars and fifty cents per busheD.
 The times before Golden and q Bright had arisen 10 arouse thoughtful men by pleading the cause of starving women and children. The time when farmers could live in as good style as their landlords, while in the larger cities of the land skilled artisans worked twelve and fifteen hours d day for about halfa-croWn, nearly half of which it took to purchase d four pound loaf,
 The farmers at the "Saraccns $ Head'' werc a fair sample of the English yeoman of fifty years ago They all ate of the very best mine hosts larder could provide until they could eat no more with any degree of com fort, never uttcring one word Gntu their capacious appeutcs were fully appeased. Look at the health and wealth represented i'll that dinng-room. See the joFial host, Master Goodspccd, directing the walters himself welding with mighty dcxtclity huge curviug-lluif and, w,th his able flour ishcs and passes rapidly dcmohshiuS grand points of al kinds. See that army of red faced, corpulcnt farmers with we'll @ilCd stomachs and purses, and then listen to their aiter-dnEcr talk Mr. Smith, of Kirby, opens the conversation, as Ec hts done under similar circGmst2. c, for over a quarter Of | century
 TO EE CONTINUED.