Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-10-25
NUMBER II.
Old Times.

Editor Register-In the spring and
summer of 1843, my father hired
James George and Duncan Arnett OF
Fredericktown to make the brick and
put up the walls of two houses. They
had those brick in the walls before
cold weather of that fall.
One day, Uncle Dunk" as we all
called Mr.. Duncan Arnett. said to
me: s.Next week is camp-meeting at
Fredericktown, and / want you to go
home with me next Saturday, and we
will go to meeting on Sunday. and
come back Monday" said, '.all
right. I'll CO." One day of that week
l went over to see my old hunting
tutor, and l told the old man l was GO
ing home with '.Uncle Dunk" and go
ing to camp-meeting. He said. "If
you are going down to Fredericktown,
to go with those girls, you come and
get my mare Muse, and my saddle, and
there will be no young man in that
country that rides.a finer mare than
Muse; and 1 have never let any body
ride Muse but me and the old woman.
But want you to ride her, for there
amt finer mare in old Madison coun-
ty." l tell you Muse was hand
some a mare as I ever saw-a blood
sorrel about sixteen hands high with
as fine head, and clear eye, limbs
clean cut, and arched neck, with a
beautiful name and tail. As he said,
there wasn't finer piece of horseaesh
in the county, although there were
some very fine horses about the towns
in those days: horses bred and trained
especially for the saddle. They had
a breed of half-pony horses. of cream
color, about twelve or thirteen hands
high, and bred especially for the la
dies. Every girl of the wealthy class
would, when old enough to enter So
ciety, have one of those horses, with
a good saddle and bride, given her.
So, early Saturday morning l went
after Muse. My old tutor had her all
ready for me. and said, "Now, don't
you let any of those Fredericktown
fellows get away from Muse, and don't
you ride in anybody's dust" And
don't you think l felt pretty good on
that mare, all dressed up in new
clothes that father had brought home
with him from the east that spring?
The camp-ground was about four or
FIVE miles west of Fredericktown, way
out in the hills, up a steep canyon,
where big spring came pouring from
under huge of rock. The people
had built a lot of log cabins to stay in.
and up one side of the canyon they
had made a speakers stand, and up the
steep side made seats, with shed ov-
er head of brush, 20 as to keep the sun
off.
Sunday morning .Uncle Dunk" and
his young wife-for he had been mar
ried but short time-and myself
mounted our horses and rode to meet
ing. 1t was lovely Sabbath, and as
we rode he told me who lived at places
that we passed. When we reached
the camp-ground the morning service
was over, and the people were getting
dinner. After hitching our horses. as
was stranger, l was introduced to
everybody and all of his family. In
one house were seats all around the
sides of the room. We found all of
the beauty of the country; all of the
seats were occupied with young ladies.
was taken in charge by young man
who had just married one of those nice
girls. This young man led me in, and
commenced at the door and made the
circuit of this room. and introduced
me to every young lady in the room,
The last young lady was the youngest
one in the crowd, and sister to the
Young mans wife. AS there was just
room on the end of the bench by the
side of this girl, asked him if l might
sit by hear, and she said, ''certainly." !"
And as l looked all around l saw-she
was the fairest. sweetest, plumpest,
rosiest-cheeked girl in the crowd, and
she nothing loath to talking with me.
Soon we noticed all of the other girls
had gone and left US by ourselves.
just then the horn blew for afternoon
service. So we started to go to the
preaching place. AS we got to the
door, we saw no one near the place.
She said, 1--WE need not be in any hur-
ry; we will go back" And as we
talked, saw she was very friendly,
and SO asked her if could have the
pleasure of seeing her home after the
service, and she said. ..yes you can. y
Well, felt as though l was getting
along drst-rate.
Pretty soon the crowd began to get
together. So we went out to take our
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