Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-11-14
THE TWO BRASS KETTLES.

house incased in wood fort house it was
called. 1t was built in this way to protect
the jewellers against rude Indian assaults
There is but one house standing that re-
sembles 1.-THE Cradock mansion In Med
ford There very 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 TWEEN
ty years ago after standing go years.
The people of Dorchester and Neponset
must remember it. 1t rose solemn and
stately at the foot Of the hills overlooking
the sea meadows. The high tides came in
to the thatch margins near it and went out
again, leaving the abundant shell fish
sprouting In the sun. The fringed gen
tians grew amid the aftermath Of the
hay fields around it. The orioles swung
In the tall trees In summer time. and Os-
preys circled and screamed in the clear sky
over ALL
But the orchards-here were the fullness
and perfection Of the old New England
orchards. The south winds of May scat
tered the apple blossoms like snow over the
emerald turf and filed the air with fra
GRANGE. The earliest bluebirds came to
them, and there the first robins built their
nests. How charming and airy it was all
In May, when the days were melting into
summer, and how really beautiful and full
of life were all of these venerable New
England homes!
After the old house was burned | visited
the place, and brought away a few bricks
as a souvenir of a home of heroic memOr-
ies-of happy memories, too, if we except
a single tragedy of the Indian war The
great orchards are gone, the old barns and
their swallows only the well remained
and heap of burned bricks and the black
ened outline Of the cellar wall
1t was house full of legends and stories
wonder tales that once led the stranger
to look upon it with a kind of superstitiOus
awe 1t had It's historic lore, but the
most thrilling legend associated with the
old walls was known as The Two Brass
Kettles. The legend may have grown
with time, but it was well based on histor-
ic facts, and was often told at the ample
fresides of three generations of Dorchester
people.
Uncle Zebedee, " piped.
We'll, dearie y
Aunt said that you would tell us the
story of The Two Brass Kettles after dim
ner.
why, dearie, yes, yes. I've beer tel
ling that story these eighty years, come
October. Didn't you never hear it? II
thought all little shavers knew about that
The Two Brass Kettles, yes
They re IN that old cupboard now
Bring them out and will tell you all about
EN-. ] shan t live to tell that story many
more years. Maybe | shall never tell it
again.
The servants brought out the two ket-
ties into the kitchen, where we could see
them through the wide dining room door.
Put 'em IN the middle of the floor before
the window, = said Uncle Zebedee There.
that will do. That is just where they were
when the Indian came
You see the window he added
1t aad a great deep easement Grape
vines half curtained it now on the outside,
and the slanting sun shone through them.
It's beams glimmering on the old silver of
the table. 1t was past the middle of
the afternoon of the shortening days of
autumn.
You have all heard of Philips war,"
began Uncle Zebedee, leaning forward
from his chair ON his crutch. Everybody
has it destroyed thirteen towns in the Old
Colony, and for two years filed every heart
with terror. Philip struck here, there and
everywhere. No one could tell where he
would strike next The sight of an Indian
ttIhlttS dDOub LII JIlG WOOOS VI lOOhlIS OuU
of the pines and bushes usually meant a
mascree (massacre)
lone Sunday in July, in 1875, the fami-
ly went to meeting, leaving two small chill
dren, boy and girl, at home, in charge
of a maid named Experience. The kitch-
EN- then was as you see it now The
window was open, the two brass kettles
had been secured on Saturday, and placed
bottom upwards on the floor. just you
see them.
1t was a blazing July day. The hay
fields were silent. There was an odor of
hayricks in the air. and the bobolinks, |
suppose toppled about in the grass, and
red winged blackbirds piped among the
wild wayside roses. just as they do now. |
wish that you could have seen the old hay
fields in the long July afternoons, all scent
and sunshine; it makes me long for my
boyhood again, just to think of them. But
sha never NOV again.
Let me see. The two children were
sitting on the floor near the two kettles
Experience was preparing dinner and had
made fire in the great brick oven, which
heated the bricks but did not heat the
ROOM.
''Well on passing between the oven and
the window she CHANGED to look towards the
road, when she saw sight that fixed her
eyes and caused her to throw up her hands
with horror. just like that :
Uncle Zebedee threw up both hands,
like exclamation points, and let his crutch
drop into his lap.
''Wel, the maid only lost her wits for
a few moments She flew to the window
and closed it, and bolted the door Then
she put one of the children under one of
the brass kettles. and the other child under
the other kettle, and took the iron shovel
and lifted it so. andwaite to see what would
happen and -
Uncle Zebedee lifted his crutch like an
terrogation point, and we could easily i'm
agine the attitude of the excited maid.
'And-where was |?
The children were under The Two Brass
Kettles, and the maid was standing with
the fire shovel in her hand, so said aunt.
La, We heard that story ever since l was
a girl.
''Yes, yes: I have it all now, said Uncle
Zebedee. ''She was standing with the fire
shovel so, when she discovered the Indian
had a gun-a gun.
You see that old flint lock there, over
the sideboard? | usid to fire it off every
Fourth of july but the last time | fired it
kicked me over once-Don t you never fire
it children. It always kicked but never
knocked me over before. | don't think
that am quite vigorous as used to be
and -
What did the maid do with the gun?''
asked aunt.
The gun-yes, that was the gun, the