Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1889-04-25
NUMBER ~.
Old Times.

| time has come, when the small boy
and the big boy, and man-grown boy
are almost wild to be at the creek wit
their grabs or wire. How their heart
swell within them as they start out
their heads go much farther than thei
feet. How they hurry to get their lit
| tie chores done, so they may be of
Haven't I been there? Only once il
my life did fishing lose all its charms
always thought nothing could TAX
the charms of hunting and fishin!
away from me. In my New Englant
home country every spring and fal
all able-bodied men, over the age o
eighteen and under hundred, wer,
required to do military duty" "training,
they called it, as many days in th'
year as the captain of each company
saw fit to call his men out for drill
Every man was required to dress
in the prescribed uniform. How nice
those soldiers looked in their military
clothes! The officers were dressed very
wore a three cornored, or flat fur hat
with q silver eagle in front, with long,
waving plumes, colored according to
grade of office. A captain one long red
plume in his hat; major long black
plume; a colonel red one and black;
general one long yellow plume; with
blue coats, with short skirts, with silver
epaulets on the shoulders. Coats fac
ed with red aud red wristbands or cuffs,
large gilt eagle buttons, drab vests and
short breeches, high topped boots with
white tops and tassels at the outsides,
a handsome red silk sash over the
shoulder and around the waist, with
heavy ends hanging gracefully down
the left side, and sword harness and
belt with a beautiful sword. The rank
and file clothed in blue coats with short
skirts. The skirts faced with red and
also in front; cuffs red, pants blue,
with red cord down each outside seam;
hats with large metal shield, with a
gilt eagle and letters in gilt, "U. S. A."
with a socket to hold straight feath-
er, black, with red tip. The musl-
clans wore red coats. My fathers
company, when captain, iad two fifers
and three drummers. Two small and
one large drum. Oh, couldn't they
fairly start the tears! In all my life of
almost three score years and ten, I
have never heard anything in the
shape of music to be compared to It.
To my boyish ears everything else lost
begun 1 was in ecstacy. My father
took great pride in his command. He
was thorough disciplinarian. When
my Older brother and myself were
small, weeks before muster, my father
would, after supper every night except
Saturday night, (Sunday in our coun-
try commenced at sundOwn Saturday,
and ended sundown Sunday, get us
little tots up in row with sticks for
guns and drill US by the hour, march
and counter marches, go through ali
the manual of exercises. Father could
play the fife pretty we'll, SO we march
ed to music. only we had no drum. We
got SO we could go through the drill as
we'll as old soldiers, except when he
wanted to make hollow square. 1t
was hard work 10 make a square out of
three. After being drilled for weeks,
we three boys began to feel we were
soldiers and look forward to training
day with anxiety, for we had no idea
but he would take US along. At last
the morning came clear and bright.
We boys could hardly eat our break
fast we were so excited. AT breakfast
my mother said she did not think it
was fit place for little boys to go.
She thought it was no place for boys
to go where men were drinking and
for the two always go to-
gether. (Smoking was almost un-
known at that time except among "the
low. down trash" Or the very wealthy.
Some of that class smoked cigars, but
not many. Smoking was not common
at that day.) Mr.. f litor, can you
guess how we boys felt when the edict
went out against our going? 1 am cer-
tain my father had teen in favor of our
going. "Other boys go; don't think it
will hurt them.n My mother said "evil
corrupt good morals,
and it is as wrong to let boys go where
their morals will be contaminated, as
much as to let them go where their
bodies will be IN danger" (and my
mother was rigbt.) but you boys
may 60 fishing up at the Fulton brook
and fish all day." AT any other time
we would have thought, how good
mother is!
After fixing us a basket of good
things to eat at lunch we started. and
of all the lovely fishing brooks in the
world, the Fulton brook took the lead.
Up among the mountains, among thick
groves of pine, hemlock, birches, and
rocks covered with moss, the brook
leaping over miniature precipices, max
ing deep pools of clear, cool water,
where an endless number of speckled
trout played in their boiling. foaming
depths. The brook, after reaching the
plains, ran winding through the mead
ows in the direction of the training
place and in full view, and but short
distance from the ground.
We bad reached the fishing and had
an N M 70 fa1, q