Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1917-01-25

Cul1uI0u, AHHd anu willie. Anna Went
to school that summer for the first
time, and remember well, her grand
father bring her, a wee girl, that first
morning that she came
Of the four homes most prominent
in my recOllections of this time, Gen.
Stark's large farmstead, then owned
by his daughter and her husband, Mr..
and Mrs Greeney, had the finest and
most imposing house and surrounding
grounds. 1t was large square house
with a long and wide fight of steps
leading to a large porch in front, built
part way up the slope of the northern
ridge shortly before the northern and
southern ridges draw in to form the
Narrows Creek narrows. The farm
lay on the side hill and the meadows
on the east and south to the narrows.
1t was, and is, divided through the
center from west to east by the road
from Narrows Prairie through Able
man and Baraboo. This road, the
length of the farm, was bordered on
either side by row of beautiful maple
trees at regular intervals, and
the slope to the house was we'll filed
with very beautiful trees and shrubs.
In the course of the years many Of
the trees have died and had to be re-
moved, but the farm is still beauti-
full. have spent many very pleasant
days with my dear friends there, one
of whom still lives in the old home.
My memories of the Curry home
are Of a large house and yard COM
pletely filled and covered with flow
ers. Mrs. Peck loved flowers and had
them everywhere, out of doors and
in. I particularly remember some
very large cacti, which we're often
covered with great pink or red flow
ers which were magnificent.
Col. AbIeman's Home
On the east bank of the river di-
rectly across from the Charter House,
and from the Baraboo road to I do
not know how far south or how far
east, was Col Ablemans home The
house, wide for it's height, with a
large porch across it's whole. front,
stood far back from the road. The
ground in front was enclosed by a
fence and we'll filled with very large
and beautiful trees. There was a
gate in the fence near the house, open
ing between the front yard and a
long lane between the house and the
barn some distance southeast.
East of the lane, fenced in to keep
out the hens, was Mrs. Ableman's
great vegetable garden, which had
everything in it in that line that any
one would like to eat. At the road
end of the lane was great gate which
was generally open; also a small gate
for pedestrians use if the large one
happened to be shut In the great
yard between the house and barn
and south of the house was much va
cant space, and many things for use
each in their place. In the summer
time many motherly hens scratched
and foraged for their little families,
and the long clotheslines flung their
banners to the breeze.
The old house roof sloped to the
front, with the gables in the east
and west ends; little windows up
stairs in the gables, and two or three
windows, like transoms, over doors
in the front over the porch roof. The
great living room was much more
than half of the front part Of the house
with great fireplace between the
two east windows. That was not
used when I knew them. A door
opened from this room into the par
lor in the west end Of the house, and
in this parlor stood the Washington
stove, with it's full length statue Of
Washington on top, which is now, l
believe, in the Sank county historical
rooms. A queer old woman who
lived near Ableman, said, when she
saw it for the first time, why! l
didn't know before that George Wash
ington was niger.
Col. Ableman and his wife made
this old house a home to everybody
who came there. 1t certainly was to
me, both when boarded there, and
afterwards, and Mrs. Ableman was a
second mother to me. She had a bevy
Of young nephews and nieces who
liked nothing SO well as to spend their
summer vacations with Aunt Mary.
Then, the old place and the whole Of
Ableman was full of life; and pranks
were many and various; though [
never knew such a lot of youngsters
who could do so many funny things
and never make themselves obnox-
iOuS.
Hid the Gun
The two boys were crazy one year
to take Ed Gilmore's gun into the
woods hunting, much to their Aunt
Mary's dismay, as she thought them
too young to be trusted with it. FL
nally in self-defense she asked me
to hide it as she said they would not
suspect me. Finally l did and said
nothing about it. Before long heard