Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1895-11-29
OLD "REMINISCENCES.
A GLANCE AT THE DAYS OF
AULD LANG SYNG."

AUlD LANG STNG."
Times Changcs-a Picture OF 0IVu,.
pia az Painted Upon Fond Mem.
Ory'> Tablet Easy Life OF the Old
>ctii"r->ome of the Typical PIC
nccrs.
Col. Edward Jay Alien. an uld-time
resident OF Olympia, who is now "A
prominent citizen OF Pittsburgh, Pa,
has lost none OF his love Tor Olympia
and her pioneers, and his letters, per
sonal and on business, never fail to
contain some reference to the DAYS of
"auld lang syne." The warm heart
OF the Colonel keeps in a constant
glow the memories that year by year
are growing less by harvest gatherings
of the grim reaper.
Col. Allen i'll a letter renewing his
subscription to the STANDARD, dated
the 23d inst, has this to say OF old
times:
"The paper is an old friend that
do not wish To lose. It's columns of
short items brings me always some
thing Of interest from the land of my
early associations. IT it sometimes
brings me sorrOwiul news, and learn
that OH my next visit shall miss
kindly faces and cordial greetings from
old friends of the early tifties, it comes
with less of shock than it would
have done when was younger. Then,
Death seemed aiar Off; now it seems
in the due course of things, and the
friendly circle OF old friends becomes
necessarily smaller. But we cling
closer to those who are left, and revive
old memories and keep up atlectionate
remembrance.
Olympia gave me many pleasant
years in my youthful days, and | have
never lost my kindly interest in all
that belongs to her. | often recall it
as first knew it, with the storeroom
of Geo. A. Barnes and the Columbian
i'll the foreground, and one Main street
ending in the tangle of deep woods
towards Tumwater, thanked by the ST.
wash settlements on the west and
mounds OF oyster and clam shells, the
debris OF what had given the main ali
ment of the guests at Sylvester's old
hostelry; its principal excitement,
the entertainments given by "Jack
Rag" and the ebb and flow of the
tide, its only movement save when
Jack Scranton wakened up the town
to n transient interest in free cock
tails and a friendly belief that the
Major Tonipkins" was an ocean
liner. This was when the irrepressible
energy Of John q. Parker created a
pony express, running semi-occasion-
ally to Cowlitz; when every man who
held a donation claim was worth at
least Il thousand dollars, and every
claim upon the Sound was a much
better TOWNSHIP than any other, and
the future was luminous with coming
prosperity. "Alki" was every ones
watchward, and but few were disposed
to ripple the tide of certain fortune
with the effort of personal endeavor.
They were halcyon days, when the
rising and setting sun only illnmined
the near approach to the golden days
and how patient We were in our wait
ing.
Life elsewhere has seemed to me
mainly n place where waiting"
brought but slight reward, and the
successes of each day were to he fought
for, with much harass and tribulation
but the earlier days at Olympia were
serene and without care; CLANS and
oyster shells multiplied about other
houses than those inhabited by ST.
wash; wild fowl were to be had with
the expenditure of but little polally,"
and the hunter with string of NAL
lards had no need to lie about his
method OF getting them.
To the settler to whom came the
good fortune to have calf take refuge
in the immense herd of cattle owned
by the Puget Sound Agricultural Co,
was provided never-ceasing supply
of beef in his honest endeavor to
secure all its possible posterity. If it
WAS uull vail, ~ DtCdIuc, Nv tue Mere
fact of it's estray. of a finer breed than
had hitherto been suspected, and its
services in improving the general herd,
not to be measured by any return in
beef supply during settlers natural
life! If there was no fortunate estrav,
a patriotic remembrance that no tax
was paid upon this uncountable herd,
made it an honest necessity that the
virtuous settler should somewhat re-
store the relations between tax payers
by keeping his beef barrel we'll filled
from the unmarked herd. We were
all conscientious in those days. and
felt it our duty to aid the Puget
Sound Agricultural Co. in doing the
right thing.
When Weed & Hurd, who supplied
the Olympia market with beef. made
some arrangements with DIR. Tolmie
to pay as high as S. per animal to
supply their butcher market, it was
considered concession to John that
somewhat strained American indie.
pendence. 1t was profitable in those
days to be inimical to the Hudson
Bay Co, as and English institution.
1t is not improbable that at later
date in the vicinity of Olympia, as
elsewhere, self-interest has formed a
healthy nucleus for much patriotism.
The woods south OF Olympia are not
: to-day supposed to be the roosting
J place of those wonderful birds that fly
into bags at night, attracted thereto
by faring torchlight. l do not sup.
pose any federal official could, at this
date, be persuaded to go out on a
, moonless night and hold the bag to
, capture them. The Olympia circle Of
federal officers has not only grown
smaller, but they have lost that child.