Year: 1868




tial note urging me, as one Of his oil


time friends, to give him an article 70
his next number on thoroughbred cattle
The atmosphere of this old farm hous
from which write, bright now with tn
rich tints of Christmas just past, and


new year just introduced, is not congo
NAL to the consideration of such sub
ject. I have been SO thoroughly brer
in the traditionary laws of the farm
house holiday season, that 1 would a
soon think of carrying o rife into
/ Quaker meeting as of attempting tt
write about thoroughbred cattle at thi
time aud in this place. I submit, how
ever, a proposition that am sure will
be accepted. Let the editors of tn,
! Chronicle set aside for me a corner il
their paper, an unpretentious one, de
voted to nothing in particular, to every
thing in general a place where 1 car
hang up for the readers view, farm
house pictures, fre-sids scenes, ant
where 1 can produce the tales hear a
every country home I visit.


Years on years ago, the charm of life
to me was eentered in a young girl just
budding into womanhood. The girl be-
came my wife, and life had new charm
in the home existence she created
Children came, and I had no other am
bitiOn than to be at home, so great Wa'
the charm. The wife went from me t.
better world-children went from mt
to other homes, and life for time haG
not a single charm. The favorits COWS
my children's pets, the old dog that com
menced life with my marriage, the ole
horse that as a praneing piece of perfec
ton had been my Wifes wedding present
+stiH fingered at the old farm md I eoult
not desert it. The love that l had for
the human seemed to turn in part to the
brute friends, and hence 1 became q
stock faneier. 1 grew into an enthusi
asst and found that life had another
charm. This could not last. 1t was
but the reaction that was to save me
from gloom. An old man now only in
years, with heart as warm as when l first
loved, with a sacred presence always
seeming to hover about me, with the
memories Of q pleasant home ever pres.
en5, the charm Of life to me now is to find
q home circle that looks as mine did be-
fore the presiding genius left it. There
are dozens of such circles to which ]
find hearty welcome, and so great is
my happiness that l fain would have
others see it and partake of it. I al
ways 60 to such places with the deter
mination to remain but two days, but
always by a series Of resolves and re-re-
solves, manage to remain two weeks.
To one who has seen as l have seen, a
home fade away from him, the spirit of
this old farm house circle becomes pc
culiarly soothing. When a boy 1 built
air castles with an Intoxicating sort of
energy, I revel now in realities that are
pleasanter than my boyish dreams.


Without being personal, [ desire to
have the reader see our freside here. A
young fellow just home from Oxford
seems to me to be just now the autocrat
Of the hearthstone. His four sisters
think he is perfectly splendid" and lis
ten with open eyes to his slightly exag-
gerated stories of college life. The faith
er and mother, and the grandmother, the
best knitting machine 1 ever saw-ac-
knowledge his authority, under the
suspension of rules. His two younger
brothers, In the tcrse language of the
younger, acknowledge nothing," and
two old gentlemen, hale, hearty and
sixty, with Judge and Hon. prefxed to
their names, depose him whenever they
come in, and this they do very frequent
ly. The great old wood fire Is always
glorious, the cider pitcher always full,
the apple bowl always piled full and
high and the supply Of hickory nuts ap-
parently inezaustible. These are in
spircrs of almost anything good, and
when the evening is half done words
flow freely and pleasant tales are told.


Fancy now the jolly, ound-faeed,
grey-baired Judge sitting astride his
chair, back in front, with his cane held
in one hand, It's silver head under his
chin or nose, or tapping his forehead as
the case may be, and you are ready for
the following:


"a chance for warm tussle this year
in the Legislature" says our young
Oxford friend. You will see the inau-
guration 1 suppose, Judge"


"Of course, sir, have been present
at every Inauguration for the last TWEEN
ty years. 1t does one good, sir, to go.
1t is a grand sight, sir, to see Ohio hon
oring her Governor as she honors him
now. The time was, sir, when such was
not the case. We thought as much of
our Governor then, perhaps, as we do
now, but we didn't show it. You reeol-
lect old Governor Morrow, squire
splendid man. (Cane goes down on the
floor with a sudden emphasis that rouses
the little girl at the corner from nap).
He did not live at the Capital but on
his farm as farmer, and I have often
changed work with him aud always got
good return.


"On one occasion, an officer f. ON one
OF the Eastern States came to Columbus,
as the agent in an important criminal
case. The Governor was on his farm
in distant county, and as the case admit
ted of no delay, the agent went post
haste to find him. Arriving at the old
mansion, he asked for Governor Morrow.
A lady directed him to the barn. Feel
ing that he was being humbugged, the
man went under protest as directed. He
found two men busy with q load Of hay,