The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1891-05-21
THE OLD MILL.

'1Do know anything about the ruins
zof this old mill? Well, yes, stranger,
sshould say did. if any one does. 1t be-
longs to me, or rather to my wife, what
khere is of it. | tell you owe much to
this old MILL"
The speaker was dressed in homespun,
and appeared to be thrifty farmer of
forty-five. 1 had taken a walk before
breakfast one morning as an appetizer
out from Jonesboro, where was attend
ing court, and was standing by the ruins
of the old mill when he came up. The
roof had fallen in, windows and doors
disappeared. The old water wheel had
1crumbled to decay and green ivy covered
the ruins The dam was now leveled to
n road, and a cabbage patch had taken
the place of the mill pond.
We took seat ON a moss grown log
by the side of the ruin. and he contin-
0ed:
al was with Stonewall during the
war, and had some pretty tough times,
eome narrow escapes and some hard
tramps, but the close call and hard
tramp that this old mill once caused me
made all of my war experience seem, at
beast for time, like pleasure trip.
This was the first mill built on Cedar
creek, and was built many years ago by
old man Ben White, who lies up yonder
ON the hill.
AFTER the surrender our army was
disbanded, and the most on us was pref
ty close run. We had nothing, and no
way to get anything. | was only about
Fwenty-one then. i was strolling round
hooking for something to do, and hap
pened along this road one morning
Well, that morning the wheel was in
action. The gate was histed and the
water was skurrying through. Old Ben
White was standing in the door. says:
"sMorning, sir. Can l get job hereY
He took off his spectacles, wiped 'em.
put 'em back ON and looked at me.
"'SoldierT says he.
"'I was,' says L. till the surrender.
"sLuckier than my boys says he.
-One of them staid behind down at Stone
river. The others lying up there on the
Aill-shot in front of Richmond and
come home to die, and the old man took
out his handkerchief and wiped his eyes
Did you ever work in a millY
-t-No.' ~
-<Well, that don't make much differ
ence,' said he; business is picking up
and you can stay. I'm getting old. I'll
pay you what can afford to. We can
tell better in a week or two Have you
been to breakfast?
81 have not said.
"'Well, go to the house, said he.
Tell Kitty chats my daughter, the only
one the Yanks didn't. kilD to give you
breakfast, and come back; you can work
-on the dam to-day. There's some leaks
That need stopping.
$50 / went over the hill to the house.
still had my Confederate uniform on.
and Mrs. White met me on the piazza
1 saw tears on her cheeks, and l suppose
the uniform reminded her of her own
boys. | told her was going to work for
= Mr.. White, and that he sent me over for
breakfast. So we went in, and she called
Kitty, who soon had my breakfast on
the table. Kitty was about four years
younger than [, the picture of health
cheeks as red-as roses. Her sparkling
eyes kindled a spark in my heart that
has never gone out. After breakfast |
went back, and Kitty went with me to
tend the mill while her father went to
breakfast. He showed me the leaks in
the dam before he went.
''In fact, worked a week patching up
the old dam, and after that worked in
the mill and on the farm and in the gar
den; drove the produce to town, and
became more and more attached to the
place and to Ben and Martha White and
to Kitty. How did love that grill |
was never so happy as when listening to
the music of her voice. | shall never
forget the evenings spent in the big front
room before the open fireplace when
was Ben Whites hired man-Ben and
crack hickory nuts and butternuts ON an
old fat iron, and Kitty popped corn,
while the winter wind was whistling
outside.
''In summer Kitty and l used to GO
fishing. Sometimes we would go up the
pond in the boat, and sometimes when
the mill was not running we'd go down
there and get inside the big wheel and
fish in the deep hole. There's where we
generally got the finest fish. One day
we had just got our fishing tackle out of
4he mill, and was hesitating whether to
go up the pond or down in the wheel.
when a neighbor came over and asked Us
20 lend him the boat He took it, and
we went down in the wheel. Wed been
4shing probably an hour, and caught
some fine ones, when all of a sudden
sdown poured the water from the flood
gate rbove, and the wheel commenced
turning. The sudden start threw us both
down. Lgot on smy feet in an instant
and helped Kitty up, and we commenced
20 tramp in the direction opposite to the
way the wheel was moving. : We had to
in order to keep our feet. was-callina
- loud as could, hut it was of no use.
.sThe-noise madeiby the falling .wzter,