The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1909-01-01

I "And viii tell You Of time
when was youthful and helped to
run this world which has now. crowd
ed me to corner in the background.
The event of which / am going to
speak took place when | was twenty
years old. With my parents / lived
on the western frontier, and the red
men were all about us to the north
and west, and sometimes they made
things pretty lively for the settlers,
as the frontiersmen were called.
well, it was the fall of the year,
about this time, If recall 1t right
", and we had gathered in all our
corn and had it ready for the husk-
ing. So my mother and sisters made
great preparations for a huslzing bee
to be held in our immense log barn"
"a what, Grandpa?' asked May,
deeply interested.
"a husking bee,' said Grandpapa.
"A party of young folks to come in
and husk the corn, and after the
huslSing to have barn dance and
supper. Oh, that sort of entertain
ment was about the only kind of social
! function the settlers had when / was
a boy OF course, we had our Christ
mas and New Year dinners, and we
sometimes had a taffy pulling But
| the husl1ing bee was the years event
| in the home. And every farmer of
any standing in the community had
a husking bee. Sometimes there would
be two or three week, and then the
young folks had grand social time
of it.
Well, we, had our husking bee, that
am telling about There was a great
crowd, about thirty young people and
dozen of their elders. And most of
the men were armed The red men
had been committing some depreda-
lions in the country west of us, and
we didn't know but they might come
in upon US at any day--or night, rath-
er. So the men went about
their work and their play arm
ed and ready to fight If call
ed upon to do So Oh, those
were brave days, my lads and lasses. /"
And Grandpapa nodded his gray. head
emphatically. There may be much Of
interest in life now, the accumulation
Of property, and gaining Of power. but
can such compare with the spirit of
those days speak of, when every
man was helping to build up a new
world, develop her resources. make
her bosom to blossom with rich fields,
to drive the savage out and to invite
civilization in? All. those days were
worth while. my children!
"Well, after about twenty or thirty
bushels OF corn had been husked-
corn chosen for grinding into meal for
our bread-the real fun of the evening
began The barn floor was cleared of
huskings, a fiddler-the only musician
in that part OF the country, therefore
much in demand-sta stationed on a
broad, fiat box in one end OF the barn,
and prompter to call the figures of
the old Virginia reel and the square
! quadrille, and the dance began. 1t
was INDUCED in by the young folks,
their elders seated about at the sides
of the barn looking on at the fun.
"About 10 o'clock my mother gave
the signal to my sisters to join her
at the house, as 1t was time to serve
the lap supper As the three opened
the barn door to pass out, my mother
gave sudden. Tow cry. Indians, she
gasped. Then she and my sisters
leaped back into the barn and closed
the door. All was confusion in mo-
ment The men. felt for their guns.
and the women huddled together.
whispering in fear. Some of them
were determined to depart for their
homes. saying that their houses would
be rified and destroyed during their
absence If the terrific redskins were
about.
| "sNow, friends, all be quiet and ]
shall go out and see just what It all
means. There may be Indians about,
but they may not be In any great num-
Der, and, hope, not on the war path.
So spoke my father. a man Of calm
and practical mind. I shall go un-
armed and hold up my hands. The
Indians will then allow me to advance
and speak with them
Much to my mothers anxiety, my
| father would not allow any one to
accompany him. and. blowing out all
the candles for a moment. so that the
Indians might not see into the barn
while he was passing through the
open door. my father passed into the
night. AS soon as the door closed be-
hind him my mother lighted a few Of
the candles. and there. in the dimly
lighted big barn, where so much gay
ETY. had been enjoyed few minutes
before, all was anxiety, suspense.
Farmers were there who feared to go
home. for they might ind their build
ings destroyed and their cattle and
| horses driven away. Several Ronng