Mexico weekly ledger., 1905-06-15
THE OLD KENTUCKY HOME.
A Pleasant Reunion, and Some Good
Stories.
NJ DIR. II. K. HrNDK


BY DIR. Il. X. HuNDE.
Correspondence Of the Ledger
A recent visit OF my brother, John
D. Hinde, Of So. Louis, who is eight
years older than myself, revived many
precious childhood memories, and
brought out some stories, that are too
good to be lost.
There were brought together at ml
house, a circle OF Eve ''boys and girls
whose several ages aggregated three
hundred and seventy-two t372l years
an average OF seventy-fye [75l years
They were residents OF Nicholas coun.
~, Kentucky, in childhood, and grew
up In the country, on adjoining farms.
A few old citizens Of Mexiro will re.
member David b. Williams, the father
Of three Of our group, Nm NJ. J.Wha.
ley, Mrs. Sproul tDoanl, and j. T.
Williams. He and my father we're in.
innate friends In SharpsbuR, Ken
lucky, and later on adjoining farms
and still later in MoOrefield, Nicholas
county.
THE OLD CHURCH AND scHooLHoUsE,
These were the center around which
our talks and stories gathered. The
old schoolhouse long since disappeared
but the old frame church still stands
in the desecrated capacity Of a tobacco
barn. IL was 10 this schoolhouse that
! first went to school, and we'll do
remember the first day in school; and
the second dag better than the FIRST
for ! ran away from school and went
home the first day, aud the second
morning was found in my hiding
place, received a good threshing and
was taken back 10 school In this
same Schoolhouse was also a singing
school In which we all learned ''do, "a,
me, , except this brother Of mine, who
had no more idea Of tune than .
chicken. After spendinga month. IN
vain, trying to teach him the rudi,
ments Of music the teacher gave him
back his tuition fee. Instead OF
studying the harmony OF sweet
sounds, this is the way this red-headed
brother spent his time. The floor OF
the schoolhoase was elevated several
feet above the ground and had open
ings all around. My brother procured
an old COW bell, and with the help OF
a miSchievous companion rugged il up
under the schoolhouse with a string
attached that ran up through the
floor ending at his seat In the room
above. When the singing got under
full head way, and we were doing our
level best on the ''do, "a, me-" he
pulled his string, and the bell was
heard from under the house. The
master didn't pay any attention to it
for awhile, but the old COW bell kept
such an everlasting elatter, that it
broke up the singing, and the teacher
sent some OF the boys ito drive the
sheep from under the house, The
old church stood a few yards from tine
schoolhouse, aud was subseq uently
used for school purposes The ''Sece-
ders," as well as the Presbyterians,
and Methodists, worshipped in 1t. The
first preaching | remember ' hear
Ing vas here by Robert Caldwell, a
Presbyterian preacher | well remem-
Der the great pulpit bible which had
In 1t a large picture OF the old devil
with long and sharp tail and claws, ]
remember my first temperance speech
here when a boy, and the thespean ex-
hibition, in which l figured as David,
and cut of the head OF Goliath
A PERILoUs PREDIcAMEET.
In this same old church was the
school, Judge Trlmble was a teacher,
and Joe Williams was one OF the schol-
ars and the hero Of my story. The
Judge was a scholarly mao Of the old
type, and was accustomed to use the
rod freely on bad boys like Joe, aud
VIII Owen, the "Kentucky devil, -
during the war. On the occasion Of
which ! am now speaking, Joe had on
a blue jeans roundabout with a belt TO
it. Roundabouts came only to the
hips. AS usual, Joe and his chum had
been In some mischief that day, and
the Judge discovered them. They
were sitting near the window, and the
window was up, and some eight or ten
feet from the ground on the outside.
Some one had driven a large stout nail
in the sill OF the window for fastening
the shutter on the outside. AS the
Judge approached with birch in hand,
Of good length and nicely tapering,
Joe made up his mind that he would
not come in contact with the afore-
said birch, but would make his exit
out of that open window; and 50 he
did, but more slowly than he had cal
culated. AS he jumped the belt Of
bis roundabout caught on that fatal
nail and held him fast, swinging on
the outside ten feet from the ground,
He could not detach the belt with his
hand, and couldn't get bis hand ia his
pocket for his barlow knife with
which to cut himself %loose-his pants
were drawn tight, you sect So that is
the attitude In which the Judge found
him, just to bis notion, and proceeded
TO apply the birch. i leave the i'm
agiuation Of my readers TO work out
the picture, except to tell the sequel,
which Joe says was the meanest part
Of the whole performance. After sat
himself with laying on many
stripes just below the lower boundery
OF the blue jeans roundabout, the
deliberately took out his hawk
billed knife and cut the strap that
held his unwilling and struggling vic
in mid air. Joe says the fall liked
TO have killed him.
SOME VIOLATIONS or THE SABBATH.
My grandfather was a unique char
lcter, a fine yiolInist, and very fond Of
,hildren. He played the old time
tunes, such as Leather Brooches,
Nancy Dawson" gSallle Cooper, .