Woodville Republican. (Woodville, Miss.) 185?-current, 1889-06-29
TWO BRASS KETTLES.
A New England Legend of King
Phillips War.

had gone to the old Minot House. in
Dorchester, Massachusetts, to take din
ner with my aunt. We two. my aunt
and /, had wandered over the old house,
up the huge stairway, and down into
the cellar Suddenly aunt opened the
door Of an old pantry, on the floor of
the porch, and said: Child, look
herer'
What, auntP"
''The Two Brass Kettles"
Two enormous brass kettles met my
eyes They we're turned over on the floor,
and each would have held the contents
OF half barrel.
"Those are the ones. my dear"
"What ones. aunt?"
THE ones that saved the two chill
dren from the old Indian straggler."
what Indian stragglerP" asked,
with intense interest.
"Oh, the one in King Phillips War
Didn't you ever hear the story?"
"No, aunt
well, I'll get Uncle Zebedee to tell
1t to you after dinner. Come.
"But what could any one do with
such kettles as these? Where did they
hang them?" l continued.
Come here, and will show you"
She swept away, and shut the door
OF the dark room, which was lighted
only by opening the door, and followed
her We went into the kitchen. She
pointed to an enormous Fireplace, and
said: There, child"
"But, aunt, how did the Two Brass
Kettles save the children" l asked
again.
ooh, they crawled about all over
the floor here, there and yonder, point
ing.
(which crawled about, the kettles or
the children, aunt?"
A din here fell upon the air and ech-
oed through the great, fortress-like
rooms 1t was the huge bell for
meals.
Come child, let's go. Uncle Zebedee
will tell you all about it. "
in moment we were in the dining
hall. How grand it all seemed The
sideboard was full of baked meats and
steaming pies. Over it hung flint
lock gun or a blunderbuss. The room
had been decorated for the occasion
with creeping-ienny, and boughs load
ed with peaches that had been broken
off by September gale. There was a
whitewashed beam across the room, on
which were great hooks and staples.
The table was oak, and the chairs were
OF curious old pattern. At the head
OF the table was great chair, and in it
sat Uncle Zebedee, good old man, now
nearly ninety years of age
After the family we're seated, Uncle
Zebedee was asked to say grace. He
had habit OF saying 'and" after end
ing a sentence, and this made another
sentence necessary, often when he had
nothing more to say. 1t was so even
In his prayers, and was very noticeable
in his storytelling. There usually fol-
lowed the and" when the story was
done.
IL was a queer structure-the old
Minot House in Dorchester It was
really brick house eucased in wood
tort house it was called. It was built
In this way to protect the dwellers
against rude Indian assaults There is
but one house standing that resembles
1.-THE Cradock Mansion in Medford,
There we're many such houses in the
Old colonies, but one by one they grew
gray with moss, and vanished. The
Minot House itself was burned about
twenty years ago, after standing abouI
two,hundred and thirty years
The old people Of Dorchester snf
Neponset must remen Der il. II ros,
solemn and stately at the foot of the
high hills overlooking the sea meadows
The high tides came into the tbatct
margins near It. and went out again
leaving the abundant shell-fsh snont,
ing In the sun. The frineed qeutian.
grew amid the aftermath of the ha,
fields around l. The orioles swung n
the tall trees ia summer time. and
ospreys clrcled and screamed in tho
clear sky over an.
5us the orchards -here we're tho fnI-