The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-01-14

center of the village where we resided. Half
Of the way is across the 'hats-the broad in
terval which skirts the Orskeny-the other
half up hill so steep that portion of the
road makes zigzag; but even with this re-
lief the hill is very steep for either pedes-
TRANS or carriages. 1t is fearfully hot in
July in Clinton. The oldest inhabitant'
says that the hottest day of the year may
always be expected during commencement
week, and few instances are on record
where 1t failed to appear as advertised. We
started out afoot. We scorned the APP
parent effeminacy of hiring a carriage to
climb the hill. Before we had toiled up that
hill our stand-up collars were limp as dish
rags, and our handkerchiefs, from frequent
use, We're little better. BY the time we got
into the house our faces were red as beetS
from heat and the violent exercise. l tried
to compose myself | don't know what he
tried to do, but do know that as | wildly
sailed out from the room where we had de-
posted our hats, across the wide hail, to
make my presence felt in the great reception
room, and take my initiation in society be-
havior | cast my eye back, and there went
Grover hat in hand, out of thss front door
into the darkness, at a rate which, II kept
up until he reached the village, would
have made record. He couldn't stand the
nonsense. 1t was thirty-five years ago, and
| recolect it as well as though it was to day.
! stood near the door of the reception room,
talking with his sister Anna, who was hang
ing Or The arm of Rev Mr.. Hastings, whom
she soon after married and accompanied to
Ceylon. had managed to keep up my
courage till then, but every bit of it oozed
out of the fingers end when | saw Growers
exit, and | soon followed suit, but if ! had
gone down the hill on the wings Of the wind
| could not have overtaken him. That re-
ception cured us of desire to enter into
society.
CLINTON'S CENTENNIAL.
Last summer the little village held the
celebration of the close of the first century
of history. | could not be present. fought
to have been. My grandparents we're
among the first settlers who came into Gin
ton from New England. There my father
was born; it was the plac, of my birth and
near by was the birthplace Of my older
children. Mir. Cleveland, on invitation,
waived his strong natural Discrimination to
become the centre of gaping crowd, and
accepted the invitation to be present at the
| centennial exercises. / doubt whether at
any time in his life he ever enjoyed public
occasion as much as he did that at Clinton.
His short speech was a model, and every
word showed that he felt the memories
of his boyhood days pressing fast and press
ing faster He was pleasantly enter
tanned by the widow of O S. Williams,
the man who, Of all others, who ever
lived there would have been by force and
inclination at the head of the procession
when Democratic President was coming
to town, if he had been alive. | believe ] am
the only Clinton boy now in Washington
who was a Clinton boy with Grover Cleve-
land There's Walter Stocking, up at the
Patent Office, who was there then, but he
was in college at that time, and was, of
course, little ahead of us. Dan Sheperd
may have been there also. | don't know
whether his visit to the Presidents house
had any weight in turning Growers head
from undertaking a college course or not,
but he soon left Clinton and after a few
years spent in some educational labOrs went
to Buffalo, where he fell in with his uncle,
Lewis F. Allen, of Black Rock, and the
world knows the rest pretty thoroughly.
"There is one other thing you may put in
if you're mind: Rev. DIR. Burchard, whom
some of us have cause to remember, was
frequently at Clinton during commence
ment week. | do not know that he was
there that year, but have frequently seen
him there. He was related to. or was one
of the Burchard family of that county. a
member of which was the director of the
mint hero when Mr.. Cleveland becam
President DR.. Burchard was man of fine
personal figure and elegant tastes, though
| doubt whether he was ever much of a
politician.
1.-THE President may have improved by
age and experience his tastes for the gor.
geous surroundings Of reception day, but |
doubt whether at bottom he takes much
more stock in them than he did thir ty-fve
years ago.n