Semi-weekly herald., 1911-01-16
THE GOOD OLD DAYS.

the good old days" last night and
viewed the scene just as our forefath,
ers did. by candielight. While the
Backward, Turn Backward, Oh Time
in Thy Flight period was not of suffi'
cient length to become serious yet
OF the more elderly people scenes oil
their youth and memories Of the loved
ones OF those days who have long
since passed out of this life.
The writer. being Just past the hall
century mark, believes himself entitled
to the honorable title OF "Old Man,
and believing that short STORY" OF
the good old days." as he saw them
will interest the young and bring pleas
ant thoughts to the aged, will now
indulge In q few "reminiscences.
When a boy. just old enough to re
member, we lived in the little town
OF Camp Point, ILL.,, village near
Quincy. Our father was the station
agent of the c., b. & Q. and the T.,
w. & w. two railroads which ran into
Quincy, from that point, over single
track These were the days before
the telegraph and in those days when
a train was late and you asked the
agent when the train would arrive he
could truthfully tell you that he did
not know. The engines were little
woodburners and the coaches were also
built on the kindergarten plan.
Our grandparents at that time lived
in the then new country OF Mime
sofa, at Mantorville, in the county OF
Dodge, and every summer we were
taken by our mother to see them. In
those days there were no north and
south roads, the Mississippi river be-
ing the great highway to the north
and we always made the trip on a
steamboat, and 1t was a pleasant trip
we assure you, for the passenger pack
cts, as the finer and faster boats were
called, were quite palatial in their
equipment The trip from Quincy TO
Red Wing, Mimi. occupied from three
to seven days. according to the stage
of water at the time. At Red Wing
a big old-fashioned stage drawn by
four or six horses was the means OF
conveyance to the interior points and
this trip, which was Just heavenly In
our mind, took about eight hours, the
distance from Red Wing to Mantorville
being something like sixty miles, the
horses were changed about every
twelve or fifteen miles and were driven
at a high speed whenever a town
was in sight
Our grandparents lived in a log
house near a pretty little springfield
creek which emptied, not far away,
Into the Zumbrota river. The little
creek was full OF fish and we enjoyed
that part of the scenery. In grand
mothers kitchen stood no beautiful
range for she cooked on a fireplace,
q great iron crane swung to and fro
and carried with 1t kettles in which
food was cooked. all baking was done
in covered pan, built on the plan
of the up-to-date roaster, placed in
the fireplace and covered with Goals,
and some mighty fine gingerbread used
to come out OF that homely contriv-
ance.
A yoke of big white oxen furnished
the motor power for the farming i'm
plements and we used to ride one OF
them from the field whenever we
could arrange to meet the lowing
herd" as 1t came slowly DER the lea
Several fine horses were kept on the
place but the oxen did most OF the
heavy work on the farm.
In the fall of the year came butch.
ering day and on this day several OF
the neighbors were called in and a
number of hogs and at least one beef"
lost their lives. Hogs were killed In
those days by simply cutting their
throats and then letting them stagger
around and squeal pitifully until death
came, beeves were killed by shooting
them in the head with n rifle
There was no market for live hogs
but the dressed hogs were sold at
Rochester where a packing house was
in operation and we can remember one
year. when we spent part of the win.
ter with our grandparents. of riding
In great state to Rochester on a big
bobsled of frozen porcine cadavers
each holding in its frozen jaws an
ear of corn as this was supposed 10
be the artistic thing in that line.
From the beef the tallow was care
fully saved and candles made for the
years lighting. Candle making time
WIS a time of great interest to us,
grandfather. being progressive sort
OF a fellow, had bought for grand
mother tin candle mould, the only
one In all that part OF the county at
the time. which would mould sixteen
OF eighteen candles at time. We re-
member also hearing them tell Of
time when grandfather paid travel
ing peddler several dollars for recipe
for making candles last longer and
give better light, but as every time the