The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1893-11-30
CHAPTER II.

AMONG THE GRANITE HILLS.
! AS has been said, the scenes de-
scribed in my first chapter were not
| witnessed by me. But had seen and
known one of the chief actors long be-
| fore that memorable morning. had
seen and known him under circum-
stances that make it necessary to due
| comprehension of the narrative to state
where, when and how.
| 1t was five years before. To be ex-
act, it was the spring of 1S4S. / was
planting corn with my father, on one of
the almost sterile hillsides of the New
! Hampshire farm. The humble roof
under which / was born was visible
down near the river The Merrimac
wound along two sides of our little
homestead, furnishing the only cheer
full feature of the scene. Hills-ster-
lie hills-encompassed us. Twenty
miles away could see the granite top
of Mount Kearsarge soaring to the
Clouds
Twas a boy of eleven, rather preco-
cious for my years. / attended the
public school four months in the year,
and labored with my father the bal
ance of the tinee among these rocks. l
went to meeting" on Sundays in the
old edifice on top of a high hill, on the
steeple of which a veering wooden
Goldfish denoted the direction of the
wind, and saved the people from the
proclamation which cross in that
place would have caused. / listened
to the choir, elevated to fearful
height in the rear gallery, as they
thundered forth resounding anthems
and fugues. heard the doleful-visaged
and drawling-voiced minister pray
forty minutes at a stretch, and preach
ninety, frequently devoting nine.
tenths of the whole race to exquisite
and eternal torment. l had thirst
for knowledge that the public school
could not supply. A stray copy of the
Boston Daily journal, coming like an
enchanter from the outside world,
sometimes stimulated this thirst.
was generally regarded as "a green
boy" ''an odd stick" ETC.. and once
heard of Deacon Halleck telling my
father that boy with such out
laudish notions as Dorr ought to be
whipped regularly twice week.
Doubtless should have been, had the
deacon been given the ordering of me
earlier than he was; but my father, al
though reared'i in all the vigor of Puri-
tanism, was by nature kind and ten
der-hearted, and religious fanaticism
could not change him. To my own
puzzled youthful mind, it often seemed
as though a grave mistake had been
made in my allotment. | seemed to
have been set down in the wrong cor
ner of the world, among people with
whom had no affinity.
Twas still a mere boy. l learned as
grew older, and long before bade
farewell to my northern home, to re-
spect the intelligence, the force, the
sturdy honesty of this people. whose
very ''failings leaned to virtues side"
Still, ] thought then, as think now,
that should always have been dwarfed
and cramped among them.
Returning to the bleak hillside
where my father and / were striving to
plant corn on that afternoon, record
how ! suddenly stopped work, leaned
on my hoe, and contemplated my
father. He was in his shirt-sleeves;
his CRAVING hair and refined but
wrinkled face were turned to me as he
bent over his toll A sudden inspira-
tion seized me,
Father! Do you suppose that when
] get to be as old as you are, ! shall be
planting corn in these rocks?"
He stopped and looked up in sur
prise
II hope not, Dorr-I hope you won't!
But what put such question into your
head just now?"
ITS in my head sll the time Ths
way things are going on here. there