Putnam patriot., 1930-06-12
THE SETTLEMENT NEAR
 THE FALLS IN 17S6

the river of time brings us to short CT one in ISIS when sufficient travel passed through the village Co sup port "a respectable tavern under the old yew tree" at the west end of Car gilrs block. Malachi Green is men toned among it's land lords. The gen. eral store was enlarged in 1900, per haps a new location was chosen to the east but locate where you choose there were no plate-glass windows-most likely the present generation would consider it a most unlovely "emporia" to which nothing can be likened in our day-eertainly not like the neigh borhood stores of today. Yesterdays stores you can not mind the time" of when it was not necessary to go to the city to get an imported calico gown tunmade of coursel. Nothing save the most ordinary supplies could be found in the factory stores; if any one had told our fore-fathers that q time was coming when 1t would be possible to order and take away these costly furnishings of today, that ancient individual would have thought he had been told fairy tales or that the story teller was witch or wiz zard.
 The Echo. a quaint. unpretending roadside tavern with a high pitched roof beyond the block of houses. pos sessed good stables for 1t was situated in early coaching days at the centre of the village and beginning the stage way out of Pomfret Factory for Prov idence. IL may well be imagined that the stable yard was a scene of constant excitement to the children and loaf CTS at the general store; good horse flesh which had brought coaches to pomfret Factory stopped or changed for animals that could do more rough work of the countryroads in bad win try weather The Echo was a favor ite pull-up for the waggoners from the surrounding towns going to the grist mill at Cargilfs, here managed by Smith Wilkinson, farmers in the neighboring towns driving by their home mills because of the superior quality of the grinding.
 They liked to get up in the morn
 ing
 When the sun began" to shine
 At four. or five or six o'clock
 in the good old summer time"
 This they did to get the first grind ing before the stones would become hot so to have superior meal. Should they wait turn they paid a visit to the Echo or teountryl factory store for news of the day and a refresher of crackers. cheese and beer or gin. Then too. the hay-earts used to halt here, and the sight of them with horses and oxen drinking from the old wooden water-trough beside the kerbstone is like a picture which still fingers in our memory.
 The Strong Man
 We all too well know the objection able passenger on the railroad who makes our temperature mount to fever heat. Fortunately the incident of the strong man in the stage for Provi- dence was not repeated tperhaps it may be1-it remains to the future l; there is no present. l cerpulent per- son of the masculine gender tried to secure a place in the coach, but all the seats were taken. He was told he must wait until the next day. Relying up- on his strength he got in while the conveyance was still standing in the stable yard, and waited. Having din ed so we'll and imbibed so freely, he soon fell asleep. and the driver ind ing him, snoring put his team into another vehicle, leaving the fat man monarch of the chariot. He awoke in the night. still of course in the stable yard of the Echo, while the road 4l .f ha. aAvsfHs CT and his passengers all the way to Providence. Wasn't it providence that the beasts left him? The inside passengers were sometimes less for tunate than the outside or on tops. It is of this Echo n story is told that the coach was full up, inside and out, a frequent customer evidently not on reducing diet came hurrying up f; but although they did not want to leave him behind, it seemed neces- sary. He solved the difficulty by squeezing in as the stage started; and so packed. as tightly as sardines in a box they rumbled and grumbled away. The misery of that journey can be imagined, and when the Dam Tavern was reached 1t might be supposed that the occupants would have been only too pleased to get out for a momentary relief when the driver announced: ''Time to get little tod dy here. gentlemen" Did they get out? Oh noi They were so tightly wedged that they dared not move, afraid that they should not be able to get in again. So they endured to the bitter end and "sped the parting guest" with heartiness if not eourte- sy.
 Later along the river of time we meet an early traveller, who begins his journey to Providence in the company of "Mr. Dried-beef-in- Cream" along with "Mr. Sliced-in- Sausage" accompanied by a "Mr. Pickle" While the wagon is con veying them to the Echo Mir. Dried beef and Mir. Sausage begin to get rather uncomfortable.
 4 tier they leave the Echo. Mir. Dried beef with Mir. Sausage said to Mir. Pickle. "Get out" Mir. Pickle said. q won't" Then they begin to have a tussle about it, and are present ly eiected bodily. Now our friend was passenger on top--an outsider while below inside was meddlesome wearing a very large bon- net At the very moment they were being thrown from the stage this much bevailed lady with corkscrew curls put her head out of the window and said. You stop O thatp Brothers of the traveller repeating the story many years afterward--