Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1895-01-31
Old Times.

/ y0E-lCdO mines. l.. b.
| Old Times.
Ed. Register-How natural it is fol
us, after we haves climbed up some
steep high mountain, after we have
reached the top and seated ourselves
on a big rock or log, to look way down
the rough mountain side and think o1
the toll aud worry we had in getting
to the top. We forget for time
what's before US, and only think ol
the road we have just travelled oyer.
Just so it is with our lives. In our
younger days we, while at the foot oi
the mountain, look forward to what's
before. AS we get higher and higher
on life's journey, we begin to look
back down the road we have travelled
over. just so it comes to me: the
past is always present. My thoughts
are on the past. whether asleep or
awake.
Last night my thoughts went tack
to one very cold Saturday and Sunday,
while kept batch at the old mill. As
we had no minister that winter and
father was back east, and there was to
be preaching in the settlement. l just
thought would not go home as it was
very cold and would have to come
all the way back again on Monday,
and Old Pard wanted me to go home
with him Saturday night, and then go
to meeting Sunday. Sunday was one
ofthe darkest, coolest days-a real old
blood-freezer. I we'll remember when
we got to the old log church you could
look out between the logs, through the
cracks, and how cold the wind did
come in! l remember they had a
great log fire in the fireplace, and the
folks were crowded two or three deep
all around the fire, with teeth chatter
ing. Most of the men had on big ca
potes, coats made out of thick, heavy
blankets. Some were red with a wide
black border all around the edges;
some we're black; some blue. had a
capote made of a shaggy, black blank
ct. These coats were very warm on a
hot day, but it wanted about two a
cold day as this was.
When it came time for services to
commence, the preacher went back to
the back side of the room to the table
and took up hymn book and tried to
sing, while his teeth chartered. l sat
back In one corner of the room, with
my head all drawn down in my coat
collar, and hands stuffed in my coat
sleeves, and tried to think was warm.
At last the preacher said, Brethren
aud sisteren, we shan't feel hurt If you
go to the fire to warm when you get
cold, for it's very cold day; and
while you are warming we shall try in
our feeble way to preach to you. Now
shall take for my text, The Prodigal
Son. You have all heard about the
man who had two boys. One of them
was good boy, staid to home and
helped his father; the other boy was a
lazy scamp; wouldn't work lick.
just spent his time fooling around
hoss-racing, fishing, hunting, and all
sorts of meanness-wouldn't help the
old man bit. One day this son ask
ed the old man to give him his part of
the property. He did not want to
stay where the old man could see him.
So his father gave him what belonged
to him; and that boy lit out to some 9TH
er country, and pretty soon he had fool
ed all of his money away. He hadn't a
cent to save his soul, and when all his
money was gone, them other fellows
wouldn't give him a cent to help him
self with, and nobody would trust him
cent, and tell you the young feller
got pretty hard up. And his clothes
got all rags, and ell them fellers that
had cheated him oat of his money
wouldn't pity him bit. now they had
got his money. So, this son come
across feller that had lot of hogs
to feed, and as he was too lazy to feed
them himself. he hired him to feed his
hogs. reckon he had to board him
self. for at last he got SO awful hungry
he fain-whatever fain means-would
have filed his belly with the shucks
the hogs did; and. my brethren and
sisteren, you all know corn shucks is
mighty dry fodder" :"
At this point some one said, 1.-The
brother over in the corner had seen
some of the shucks that that feller
wanted to eat;" and don't you think
the preacher turned to me and said,
s.While go and warm little, you
tell US all about them shucks.
So got up and went to the table
where he had been standing and
said, Those shucks or husks are
kind of a pod that grow on tree
something like our honey-locust trees.
and this pod Is very nutritious; you
just mix up some -four with molasses
so it is very stiff dough, and roll it out
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