The commonwealth., 1897-09-02

ing performed feat which no one had |
ever performed Under similar circum-
stances. In TACT, he eyed me with
look of astonlshment when I had given |,
him an account of my days experience.
Still, 1 thought he had failed to give
full credit to the umbrella in the good
speed l had made. He felt sure,
though, he said, that on rising next
morning my arms would be so sore that
1 could scarcely lift them above my
head. But this wat not the case.
Meanwhile the good woman inquired
if had taken supper, and learning that
I had not, she cheertully set about pre-
pairing something for me. Nor shall
forget what the simple repast was, or
how grateful it was to my palate. The
continued exercise of the day had given
me an appetite which no king can ever
buy. And so I sat down to coffee made
of parched corn meal, sweetened with
molasses, and thick pieces OF corn pone
fried in bacon gravy. This was the
meal, all told, for which no apology was
offered and none was needed, tor
thoroughly enjoyed the meal and my
appetite craved nothing more. Much
of my earlier reading was in books
whose authors lived hundreds of years
ago, and even now / prefer them to
more modern productions because OF
their faithfulness to nature, and be-
cause they furnish views OF life and
manners as they were when economy
and frugality prevailed, and before lux
urious living had imposed its heavy tax
upon the toll of the husbandman and
the strength of the patient matron
whose hands prepared the food. So
much OF the simplicity OF those primi-
tive times as contented itself with a
less ostentatious display of sundry
dishes ut meal time would be no bad
thing to have in these closing years of
the nineteenth century. I am firmly
of the opinion that it is from the
primitive people, who lived frugally
and abstemiously, that we have the
soundest and truest views of nature, the
rarest painting and sculpture and the
highest order of poetry. Still, I would
not be so rash as to risk my fingers
! against the hghtning-sped buzz saw
of modern progress in the attempt to
"evolute' present affairs back to where
they began their upward course.
1 was never more Hospitality enter
tanned in my life than I was by The
family of this poor toiling swamper
and although the bed on which l lay
was far from elegant or sumptuous, m.
sleep was 50 sound and peaceful that
knew nothing OF how the hours passet
away, and when I I.awoke next morning
the stream of clear sunlight that stol'
!, in through the many crevices OF tn
cabin wall was the first object tina
greeted me, and I felt that it my tril
= had no other object than that cabin ex
.perlence, with its profound slumbe
and its peaceful awakening under tn
bright beams of an ideal morning, the
> I had been sufficiently rewarded a
J. ready.
When the breakfast had been di
patched, and the story of the exper
ence of the day before had been cart
fully repeated to the family, my ho'
informed me that it was four mile
back to the "canal," at which shoul
have landed, and where beaten wa
along the bank of the canal would lea
me to Fairfield, five miles distant, 9
the shore of Mattamuskeet Lake. S
: I still had tour miles of padding, the
:. five miles of walking, before l cou
see the famous Mattamuskeet LAX
:. But the adventure bv canoe was NO
- y nearly done, for Mr.. Cahoon and we
ready at the same moment, each Wi
his own little cypress craft, he to 60
~ mile or more on his way to grlst m
nt somewhere in one of the swamps, al
10 / to find the canal. Safely enough
ne found my way, but never after was
ng privileged to see the face of Mr.. Caho
ng or any Of his family, and my last sig
of him was when he pushed his can
Iie up near to mine at certain point
al the river, and he and shook han
- and parted.
ch
nd
an After day or two spent with frier
IN at Fairfield, was fortunate enough
90 find a small company of persons "
,ev were going down the river to q
Tor Neck In canoe OF capacity sut1lcl'
) T to bear us ali, and having force
he propel the boat with some speed,
ba gllded along pleasantly through
nv "Thoroughfare," past the shaded fr'
an of Kilkenny and plainly saw y
Rortiet Pine" and were entertal