Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1904-11-23
CHAPTER x.
GREENVALE.


brooks, that gave birth to Greenvale.
(originally Misery stream), came from,
no one knew where, up between two
ranges of mountains and out Of a five
mile-long morass, rightly called
Misery swamp. For many miles the
Mizzy twisted and turned between
high wooded banks, diving under
overhanging and moss-covered rock
walls, down through deep intervales
canopied with thick hemleck and fir.
keeping always in shadow, as if
ashamed of its origin, till at last it
leaped into freedom and sunlight over
low ledge at the head of an oval val
ley. Here it was joined by two smaller
streams, one called Fall Brook, laugh
ing down narrow gorge in the noun
tain, active, pure, and fearless, as be-
comes a well-Ordered brook; the other
known as the Ok Bow, and of a SINH
lar tenor, coming from the opposite
range of low mountains, between which
lies the valley now partially occupied
by Greenvale.
At the head of this, ever so many
years ago, an enterprising pioneer
named Asa Curtis, built a sawmill,
taking his power through a flume out
OF the ready-at-hand falls Of the Mizzy,
and floating his logs down that stream
at spring-freshet time. Gradually
others joined him, until half-dozen
houses were grouped near the junction.
of the three streams, and the spot be-
hn E01rl-c Th0r.
others came, clearing up the fertile
valley below and erecting houses. A
grist-mill and dam were built just
above the mouth of Fall Brook, and
following these natural adjuncts of
civilization came small log school
house, and later little church in the
valley below. A semi-weekly stage
line was established to- larger vii
Iage 20 miles further down the Mizzy,
and where it joined a river, which
service was finally increased to daily
one. A tavern with capacious open
fireplace in it's office and bar-room
combined, was built; one, two. and
finally three stores were started, and
in place of THE Forks the village
name was changed to- Greenvale
In the meantime the Revolution had
been fought, the village cemetery had
grown to ample proportions, Asa CurG
tbs had passed on, his son lothian, in
heriting the saw and grist mill, had
become old, and as gray as the flour
that daily settled upon him, until he,
too, was laid away in the quiet part of
the village, willing the two mills, his
lands, and ever so many acres of for
est, together with the capacious house
he had built at the head of the valley,
to his two sons, David and AMI, with
the queerest kind of a provision
There was to be no division, but the
property must be shared in common:
neither could sell foot Of land while
the other lived, and the survivor
should inherit all. Both were to- &C.
cupy the dwelling, taking care of their
mother while she lived David, the
elder, was to manage the saw and
AMI the grist mill AS might be ex-
pected, tying two men together in such
a manner was sure to produce discord,
and it did. Then, to make. an unhappy
situation worse, the two brothers were
Numerically opposite in temper and
disposition. David was close-fisted to
the verge of meanness, narrow
minded, conceited, self-willed, and
bigoted in his religious opinions:
while Amzi-free-hear kindly ma
tured, easy-going, knew not the value
OF money, nor cared-a dreamer who
loved nature, and was totally indiffer-
ent to the rigid Calvinism that constf-
tuted Greenyales religion. He would
rather raise flowers than corn. go fish
ing than work, and liked to spend his
Sundays in the woods better than in
church. In due course he married.
though his brother never did. and
after a year built small house near
the sawmiil, and, with his young wife,
left the paternal abode. BY this time
feud had started between the two
brothers, so bitter that they were not
on speaking terms. Then q child-a
glri-was born to Amzi A freshet
DESTROYED the dam above his mill. and
David refused to rebuild it. though
begged to do so by the neighbors. who
knew the situation. AMI got into
debt and discouraged, and then TO
crown troubles, his wife sickened ana
died He grew more morose and
respondent, was often absent in the
woods all day, until one June morning
the little girl, Angelina, woke m Is
md herself alone In the house.