The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1910-04-15
When My Grandmother Was Little
Girl,


nv Ruth 4. Prentiss, 10. West Brattle-
boro.l
AWAY up in the wilds of Maine, in
the town of Lincoln, on the PenobScot
River. my grandmother was born, Janu-
ary 2. 1888 She was the seventh III a
family of 10 children and consequently
was kent busy tending her brothers and
sisters. Her father was employed by the
government to survey new towns ana so
lived far away from anyone save Tor a
few wandering tribes of Indians that
sometimes visited the cabin. These In
dams came from the north and the fam
lilies had a great terror of them, cspe-
cially my grandmas mother. as she was
left alone a large part of the time when
her husband was away surveying.
The house in which they lived was a
common two-roomed log cabin with loft
overhead where the children slept The
larger room was the living room, with
its large fireplace and huge brick oven,
the her room being the sleeping room
of the parents and youngest children.
One day the mother was obliged to
leave home, and Asa, the oldest boy, was
told to put the children to bed and stay
to rock the baby. When bedtime came
he put his younger brothers-Samuel,
Erastus. Henry and Nathan, and his
sister Keziah TO bed and succeeded in
getting baby Hannah, my grandmother,
asleep. lie put her in the cradle and
rocked her for while, but it was lone
home down there alone He struck upon
a fine idea and put ii into execution be-
fore his mother came home. When she
arrived the cradle was quietly rocking,
but no boy was to be seen. On invesh-
eating the matter she found that Asa
had tied string to the rocker, had
drawn it up through the loose logs OF
the floor and was leisurely pulling the
string as he lay in bed. The mother and
father were very religious and no mat
ter how far church was from home,
babies and all went whenever possible.
At this time it was nine miles away, and
in the summer the father would row them
to church down the river, while in the
winter he would skate. drawing the fam
ilv on a large hand-sled. After the
father had worked hard all the week
and then taken the family to church he
was tired and apt to be sleepy, and
rather than go to sleep he would some
times stand during most of the service
1t was not always an easy matter to
provide food for the family, and es-
pecially one year when a hard frost
came in August, killing all the crops, SC
all the provisions they had were few
small potatoes about the size of hens
egg. Before winter set in their scanty
store was almost exhausted and what to
do they did not know. They prayed
earnestly about the matter, and not
long after team was seen coming
through the opening. 1t was the first
wagon that had ever come to the house
The team drove up to the cabin and
inquired where Mr.. Cyrus johnson lived
to- which the father replied, "He lives
here" Then the man told them thai
the load was for them, and the father
said that there must be some mistake
as he had sent for no goods. 1t finally
proved that his brother, who had heard
of their condition, had sent these pro.
visions-four, whole cheeses, meat, etc.
from his store in Bangor. After the
things had been unloaded and the team
driven away the father said, Before We
eat, let us have prayer of thanksgiving
While the family were kneeling, Erastus
small boy of four or five. proved to bt
too near one of the cheeses, for it wa:
found, after the prayer. that a cheese
had been nibbled, and when the mother
inquired about it, Erastus doubtingly re
piled, 81 guess mouse did it"
The next summer the father gave ny
working for the government and bought
farm nearer the settlement, moving Their,
as soon as he could make plans. AS they
were moving to their new home they dis
covered that the baby was missing ani
on looking about found that it had rolled
off of the load little way back and wa.
unhurt.
Their new home was near a school
house, and part of the time the teacher
boarded with them. One of the earlies
recollections of my grandmother wa
when she went to school for the first time
! at the age of two and half years. Aftel