Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1889-12-05
Old Times.

Old Times.
Ed. Register-A few days ago, I rode
over the mountains between home and
Brewers Greek, where I kept "batch.
hall" SO many winters, and as l went
winding along up the sides of the
mountains and past the places made
interesting at some OF my early hunts,
how fresh all the circumstances would
come to mind. At one place would be
here is where shot at that panther in
the night, while fire hunting; over
there 1 killed an old buck with such a
big head Of hor ms; and right over there
is where Henry and saw those eagles
trying to catch those old gobblers, and
where we each killed one; and, when I
had reached the top of one of the high
est mountains, where We used to stop
to look way east where we could see
farm, the only one for miles. And
here on clear day we could see the
smoke rising from the lead furnaces at
Mine La Motto and down there. at the
foot of the mountain, for O mile or two,
that valley lay spread out with not a
tree, but thickly covered with a tall
mass of sage grass and large weed
that grew eight or ten feet high. And
such bramble patches! How fresh one
instance came up to my mind. 1t was
in the early spring, as We were on our
way home with our guns on our should
ers, we came to this spot. The wind
was blowing very hard from the south.
1 said to Henry, eve read of the terri
bic fires on the prairies; don't you think
Wa could set fire to this grass and have
small prairie fire of our own?" He
said, ST should like to see one once.
Suppose we set fire to this grass, and
see how 1t would look" 1 took out
my punk and flint and steel and struck
fire. In about two minutes we had
such q fire as had never seen before.
o. it was frightful! The wind blew
and the fire roared, and swept every
thing before it. No horse could have
RIM fast enough to escape it-and such
clouds of smoke! Althogh We knew
there was but one house between the
fire and Pennington, sixteen miles
away, yet there was feeling of terror
in our hearts. After the fire had spent
its force, and burned to the heavy tim
Der, we resumed our march over the
blackened ground. What change a
few minutes made in the appearance
of the country!
And now, as looked from the top of
the same mountain, and saw all this
valley, and. as far as the eye could
reach, farms spread out with orchards
and all the accompan;ments of houses,
barns, cribs, and sheds, stacks, l could |
hardly realize where / was; and " hen |
reached old Brewers Creek, passed |
by the hole of water where got such |
q ducking on that cold Christmas dey |
so long ago. 1t almost made me shiver |
at the thought of it, and when, just
before dark, / rode up to my friends
house aud halloued to the house, my
friend came and opened the gate.
Come in" How good it seemed to
sit down before good log fire in one
Of those big fire-places once more, and
right there the mother had an old
fashioned Dutch-oven, with q bed of
Goals under the oven and bed of Goals
On the top. AS she, with an old
fashioned pair of hooks, raised the COW
er. how good and delicious those dodg-
ars did smell; and, when seated at the
table, how good they tasted well spread
with butter and both covered with
nice white honey comb. accompanied
with glass of good sweet milk. And
after supper is over, and the family are
all seated before and around the fire. /
am asked to read. How they seem to
drink in those interesting stories, and
seem to never get tired until way in
the night. Some one says, tive had
better adjourn until morning, for it is
half past eleven O'clock"
How sound we sleep, until we smell
the breakfast cooking. How short the
night has been! When we get I'D and
look at the clock, find it is two hours
to day yet, but some fox hunters are
out, and of course nobody can sleep
with the deep, low, prolonged bayipg
of pack of hounds on the chase. At
ter breakfast, what is lett of the family
are sitting before that log fire. Some
asked, fare you too tired to read some |
mo, am never too tired to |
read to good listeners" AS / read o |