Smyrna times., 1931-03-11

1ney DOught the Dark IN the
rough and shaved it, sold the ross
for fuel and ground the inside for
foreign market. Mr.. Cook, after
wards removed to Philadelphia and
I believe went West and again re-
turned to Philadelphia Barney"
was a standing beaux, but did not
marry until after he had removed
to Baltimore.
On the South side of Peterson's s
mill pond, stood the old hip-roofed
Presbyterian Church and cemetery
The building was fast dilapidating.
They had no pastor and but few
members.
The mill pond was the Natator-
ium Of Smyrna. In it boys and
men bathed and swan in summer
and in winter skated and siedded
to their hearts content. 1t was
famous for perch, pike, eels, cat
and sun fish, and afforded rare
sport for the disciple Of Izaack
Walton. About its head waters we
used, in the early morning to lie
in ambush for wild ducks. On one
occasion while thus empolyed I
aimed at flock of ducks and my
gun snapped. Instantly and with
out reflection, took out my knife
and picked the flint a spark fell
into the open pan Of the lock, there
was a report, a kick by the gun,
and boy fell, when / rose / saw
at a short distance what looked
like a torn rabbit skin, on exam
ination found it to be my new
fur cap shot to pieces. Fortunate
ly my head was not in the cap; but
have never gone a cunning since
that morning. That was a boys
scare. A much more serious scare
was that of Miss Mary Cook, on
the Cook farm. She had gone into
the summer house in the garden
and there saw a large snake coiled
up that raised its venomous head
and commenced kissing at her. It
frightened her tout of her wit"
and / think she never entirely re
covered her right mind. She was
Of gay and jolly disposition and
Temperament and fond Of music ana
dancing. When in her most mel
ancholly moods, Mrs. Wilmer would
send her man Noah, who was the
fiddler for the parties in those
days, out to the Cook farm and
most generally when Miss Cook
caught the sound of the violin she
would at once take the floor and
trip the light fantastic toe. Noah
IAN away and music and dancing
ceased. I remember some big
scares that permeated the whole
town. One was the reported negro
insurrection in Northampton and
Accomac counties, va. Another
was when the Asiatic Cholera first
made its appearance ia New York
in 1880, and another was when the
falling stars threatened to burn up
the earth and all that therein is
And now Mr.. Editor I have
spun my yarn" to much greater
length than / contemplated when
commenced writing these Reminis-
cences of Smyrna and her people
as j remember them when / was q
boy. AS stated in my first letters
1 may not have been entirely cor
rect in some of my recollections
but l think those of your readers
who were living there then and
who have followed me in my walks
through the only three streets that
then existed, viz Main, Commerce
and Methodist streets, will gener-
4 ally confirm what I have written
As to the people whom | have in
i troduced, I have to say that in Civ
ing my impressions Of them, I have
/ had no desire to eulogize or dis
H parage any one
1 have written in charity for al
and malice toward none, and if
have unfortunately written any
thing to hurt or offend the feeling:
of the most sensitive and if inform
ed Of it 1 will take great pleasure
in making the amend honorable
and it shall not be such an apology
as / once heard Rev. r. M. Green
bank make at a camp meeting
when he was on Smyrna circuit. A
collection was being taken up anc
Mr.. Greenbank told the collector:
to go out among the stragglers
I The collectors afterwards told Mr.
Greenbank that many gentlemen
who were standing at the head o.
the grounds. took offence at his re-
mark and declined to contribute
In the afternoon Mr.. Greenbanl
from the stand. apologized for us
ing the word straggler and ex
planned its denotation and said. K
an educated person, the word hac
no offensive meaning.
If your readers have derived a.
much pleasure in reading as 1 hav,
enjoyed in recollecting the scene!
and incidents Of my childhood
spent in Smyrna, and if it shall in
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