Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1895-01-17
NUMBER 90,

NUMBER ~.
scalding, while the little white and
black children, with long sticks, would
| roast the long strips of liver or melts
stuck on the point of the stick, and
would hold the meat in the fire to roast
and how they would stuff themselvesr
.'Oh, Lordy. massa, do that" and
you ought to have seen the old man as
he Strengthened out his old rheumatic
legs and got up by my horse and held
on to his neck. 90, bless your soul. ]
do that! never forget those good old
glorious times.'
land do you remember when the
first big snow would come, every man
and boy that could ride horse and
shoot a gun would go out in the noun
tains, perhaps five or six miles from
home, and find lot of wild hogs. and
as the dogs would rally the gang. each
fellow would kill hog; and how you
would cut a hole in his upper lip and
tie your horses tail to the lip? Then
you would mount your horse and strike
out for home, the horse pulling the
hog over the snow by his tail. Do you
remember how, as each hog was
brought home, those old men and
women would dress the hogs while you
went back to the mountains for more
hogs, until they were all killed, or un-
til night put stop to the work?''
And as / talked to old John how he
would swing his arms and try to dance,
and-s'O want those old times just
glorious! o, we meyer see any more
such good old days. o, my old mas
ter, want we just happy!" ..And
then the cutting up of the hogs! What
great piles of sides like cords of wood,
on one side of the meat house;on anoth-
er side, cords of hams and shoulders s.
And such sights of ribs to roast! Oh,
such days of feasting, and trying out
the lard; and after hard days work
curing the meat, at night, as you sat
down to supper. what great piles of
fresh bones, and the fried liver and
sweet bread! and, o. the corn pone
with fat poured over it! And hot
rolls, coffee and milk to drink-Oh, it
makes me hungry just to think of it!
And do you forget what times they had
after the hogs are all made way with?
How some morning. all on horseback.
with good pack of hounds, or we'll
trained bear dogs, they would 60 over
the mountains after bearP"
80, old mass, don't talk! it just makes
me sick to think of all those good days
l feel just like l had lost all my fami-
ly."
'And do you remember what splen-
did bacon the ribs of good fat bear
made? tell you, John, a good slice
of bear bacon, with a good veuison
stake, of cold morning, amt bad to
take, washed down with a cup of hot
coffee!'
"Oh, don't talk! Bless your soul,
master, you hit me all overr'
"And do you forget the good times
at the campfire, after the days hunt,
with the burning logs sending out
the heat, as we lay on pile of leaves
the venlson ribs, and we
talked the hunt all over?" '.Bless
you, 1 never tergits them days! But
they are all gone, and we will soon
follow
And as old John holds to my horses
neck I can see the dew on his face and
the tears in his eyes, as he wipes them
with the back of his hand, and with a
far-off look as though he were looking
for far-off hunting-ground.
"And is it possible that we shall
meet over on some unknown hunting
ground, where we may lie with our
feet to the fire, while the bear ribs
roast, and the streams of pure water
runp" And as old John gathers him
self together, he says, "Yes, hope we
will all meet over on the good hunt
where we will all have
enough and to spare.' L. P. r.