The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1898-12-02
j&iSCciianrnuS
THE MIRACULOUS BASKET.
Ry uEzEKIAH BvTTERwoRTH.

Among the early tales of the Mount
Hope Lands is one that the old fam
lilies of Swansea. Massachusetts,, and
of Warren and Bristol. Rhode Island,
like to recall by their winter evening
fires. The region which goes
to make these towns was once known
AS Pokauoket. IT was the hunting
and fishing ground of MassasCit, and
of those unknown tribes that persisted
bv the plague few wear before the
coming of the Maytlower.
Winter in the early Colonial period
is reported 30 have had three 'pinches'
or Spells Of merciless weather, when
rivers turned to crystal aud land
scapes TO snow: when birds fled to the
neart of the forests, and only the
white owl came out of the woods o
nights ITO see what he could see"
The first OF these northern seventies
with its truIupeting winds and drjft-
ing SHOWS and steel-gray desoli tions,
usually tell about Thanks giving, the
Pilgrims holiday.
Fifty wears after the settlement OF
p vmouth, apple orchards began 10
fill the dooryards with creamy bios
SONS and subtle CGors III spring, and
with frnitage, red, yellow, russell and
green, in the fail. The early apple
| trees grew to giants, and the Balti-
more orioles adopted their high
branches for their pouch nests, to
| which they came year after year.
The Iudiau families that were left
after Philips war liked to visit the
| farm cider-presses, anG see the old
horse going around at the end of a
| beam, turning the cOgged wooden
| wheels that ground the apples. They
delighted to see the apple cheese
made, bound i'll straw, and placed un-
der great wooden screws. Better
| than all, they liked to drink the sweet
cider when the presses began to How.
One might have seen them in such
| places in their blankets on the blaz-
| ing DAYS of the Indian summer, when
the ''locusts' were singing their last
melancholy notes and the crlckets
were piping in the shade.
In those days apples were free to
all. The new cider was equally free
and Indians and idlers loved to sun
| themselves amid the social surround.
ings of the bountifuI cider-presS.
Old Quaker john Pettiiohn. OF
Friend Pettijohn," of the Mount
| Hone Lands. had great estate over
looking Mount Hope and Narragan.
| sett Bays. Animuense orchard stood
| back from the farmhouse, and in the
| orchard the good gray man, with stout
legs and round, rosy face, hal a cider
press.
Friend Pettijohn's house flowed
| with hospitalitiej. His great heart
went ont to the remnant of the In
dams, and he never denied the wan
dering families of the shattered tribes
ANYTHING that they asked.
Treat 'em well, Rubh,n he said t.
his wife. Thee treat 'em all well
They once owned the whole, and of /;
right the land belongs TO them now
Give to him that asketh of thee, anC
from him that would borrow of thee
turn not thou away Thee treat ZEN
well, and remember thy own bless
ings."
Ruth Pettijohn needed not the in
struction, but she needed it well
Her heart was as bountiful as his. s.
the Indians never went away from he
door without shelter, food, or som
gift. The lay down in their blanket
by the Quaker's fires in winter, o
slept in his great barns, land they wer
helped in summer from the best dishe
on his long oak tables.
But Friend Pettijohn's eyes begaI
after period of years to see the nee
of a moral reform, of which Ruth wa
the leader.
1t happened on this wise: The Ii
diaus began to love hard cider, as oil
cider was called, and they made
great drain upon his stored barrels i
winter. The men and women woul
call at the back door on the frost
mornings, and say, Mug, mug" The
! Mistress Ruth would send the hire
men to draw pitcher of cider for eac
one to drink to his fill.
But it came to be seen that har
cider made the Indians cross, quarre
some and dangerous, and that the
desire for if grew. Sometimes tn
honest Quaker would find two or thrt
. Indians waiting at the door for eide
in the very early morning, betol
!, milking. And the Indians had cease
to say, Mug, mug Their cry a
ways became, odd mug! Old mug
meaning hard cider and cider thu
= would intOXicate.
d Mistress Pettiiohn became convince
: that it was her duty to form Il ten
e perance society among her India
visitors, and she began by preachiI
TO them, with solemn "thees" al