New-York tribune., 1889-10-20

|
l would that Now-York femen might have been there
to The department equipment consisted Of one
OF the good Odfashloned hand engines which appeaed
from behind the trees like hardly used ghost, re-
| luctant to face daylight The engine was drawn by
! two horses which had outgrown the impetuoSty OF
| youth and therefore advanced at slow walk. Half
dozen men chung TO the machine with as much
| composure as the rafting and shaking permitted.
! Thus slowly and solemny the fire department.
| passed by on fvemile journey TO coDhagraton
! which may may not have consented to await its
arrival
At the fair grounds the visitors received by
the driver Of the village hearse In view of the
mortuary associations Of this gentleman II sug-
gested that a cheerful and, 1t were, inviting
selection might have been made, but the answer was
that the village very healthy, and therefore the
thought OF mortality thus presented was not at all dis
turbng. Yet observed that some Of
the elderly visitors looked askance at the hearse-
driver whom they seemed 10 regard too realistic
counterpart Of the skeleton the feast. But
such idea disturbed the equanmity Of the old squire
who was presently found beaming with good humor
In the vicinity Of the little dancing booth, where
loose jOnted pumpkins struggled over the floor with
| cigars held in their mouths to prove their perfect
ease under trying social ordeal. The squire
| muslng over the number of Dutch or German names
represented at the fair. You see, SIR he said
smiling bengnantly upon the boys who literally
wailowing In wateunelOns at a stand near by "you
see, SIR tho Dutch migrated down here from Penn
sylvania in three four colonies which came by
different routes. They used to say that there
five different kinds of Dutch. There were the white
and the black, and the lop-eared Dutch
and the mulet-head Dutch, and one kind I've
forgotten" Just then two boys, dripping with
watermelon, paused beside "Ain't yer g0ln ter
have no Belsnicker this Chrstmas" gurged one nut
OF watery depths. Dunno was the answer.
went ter de Hotholler's last Christmas.
an he so burned mean he wouldn't
glv' us nuthin ter cat" There said the Squire
there is example of curious word which
have adopted from the Dutch. A Belsnlcker is
party Of people disguised who 60 from house to house
on Christmas eve, asking for gnger-cakes and some
times singing songs" The Squire paused in his
position Of the customs OF Dutch Christmas traits
and his broad face split into halfmoon smile as his
eyes fell upon an approaching figure To many OF us
| the figure would have recalled poor Raymond In the
character OF Mulberry Sellers, although the Virginia
| farmer stopped beneath his years and moved slowly
and stifly At the sight Of the Squire the quizzcal
expression the deeply wrnkled face deepened into
knowing smile. The old man pushed back his broad
slouched hat, disclosing few struggling sandy hairs.
and Strengthened himself that the tails Of his long
coat crept down still TO his ankles. "Wal.
wal" he said, and the thin tufts of hair beneath his
laughed the Squire, and is this you!" and The two
old friends both past the threcscore and ten, held
fgrtivey in his pocket The farmer brought forth
U eyeG the oRsr as s half for T s Instant
and the squire broke into Jolly laugh IN;
Rey exchanged yGSn s pug Keep and The e GO ennsd
Yes Pve used It since l sixteen. l abCminate
IT, but nf Eve o% re g' the esG
han't had no sickness nuther, since I'VE BIN usn IT,
do yer good side o. chewin' erbacher."
Doubtless the pens containing live stock offered
many examples II superatve excellence hut the farmers
connected with " the promotion OF agricultural" 1t
was disapPointmentt t ,, ,s, see dIIor the fam am
the laborng but slow paced "trotter," familiar AT
small Northern fairs for here a stranger might have
erous blood. There were running races, 10 be re-
but they would have been viewed by the redoubtable
comparatively fast and practically unframed carried
riders Of all weights In runnnt races of three heats
some Of the horses qitted7 after the first dash, or
that one testified It's disapproyal by boiling from the
lap of an elderly matron whose IN
sIIght hope Of Tournament but instead % Of knights
there were these riders some IN their shrtscevos
Which the anxiousiy awaited hot-ar balloon was slow
peao 30 stand Was @ pompoas called d. s9
only a portion Of the spectators Others especially
tho natrons fingered with watering mouths or crit
was sacred TO the household department. There
were glasses Of lucent jelies not tinct with cinna-
mons but otherwise inviting the word painting Of
a Keats Shenandoah fruit 1allles have little fame
and the display fairly bewildering 10 the mex
perenced. There was rhubarb wine, apple leather
apple butter and pumpkin butter but It was too early
lasses or persimmon beer. The entries ranged from
salt-risng bread and hand soap made from drp
lye7 to buttonholes made I'm cloth and lnen.7 The
edibleS
but the screens allowed the passage OF childish
fingers, which nbbled like mice at ali within reach;
smooth copies In crayon and the usual essays In oil
by that irrepresshle child Of twelve wao " has
rural visitors Interested for the time being In
sociab.e gossip than IN the task OF inspection. -
declar',' said one OF the elderly matrons, I've bin
singn shoestrings all the maunn and done forgot
'em after all" Perceivlng puzzled look upon her
compan1n's face, she explained. You SEQ wW
R0%sra 0Nyea "a snxog1 r 70 .rS M - mo 9n sot ana
began tn sing 'shoestrings' over TO myself ter 'ha
rune Of 'oe Hundred and I KEEP on singin' shoe
Of church and gettin dinner Sunday and KEEP on
humnln, 'shoestrngs' and ! clean forgot Why was
pathetic hearr. Nav drawicd one Of tho younger
women, speaking TO another, who was evidently her
mother-n-law. "Maw l think that a right nice
SesS Ses PgSS ySu Ra W nice e Of o& ao adg
make that puddin for me. May. It's such handy
way to use up old stale bread Was this random
arrow. SHAFT sped BY desire to pay back" some
by the that the balloon was really ready TO
ascend Al last there was no more occsS on i9r the
the slowly inflated balloon like 50 many LliputianS
seeking to restrain Gullver The balloon %, and
the aeronsut who had privately expressed himself
his with his long coat tails streaming behind and
presently descended maIesticay win his parachute
to the entire satisfaction Of Shenandoah r. II.