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the use and need of the life of carrie a. nation-第2部分

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TENTH YEAR。

I was born in Garrard County; Kentucky。 My father's farm was
on Dick's River; where the cliffs rose to hundreds of feet; with great
ledges of rocks; where under which I used to sit。 There were many large
rocks scattered around; some as much as fifteen feet across; with holes
that held water; where my father salted his stock; and I; a little toddler;
used to follow him。 On the side of the house next to the cliffs was
what we called the 〃Long House;〃 where the negro women would spin
and weave。 There were wheels; little and big; and a loom or two; and
swifts and reels; and winders; and everything for making linen for the
summer; and woolen cloth for the winter; both linsey and jeans。
The flax was raised on the place; and so were the sheep。 When a child
5 years old; I used to bother the other spinners。 I was so anxious to
learn to spin。 My father had a small wheel made for me by a wright in
the neighborhood。 I was very jealous of my wheel; and would spin on it
for hours。 The colored women were always indulgent to me; and made
the proper sized rolls; so I could spin them。 I would double the yarn; and
then twist it; and knit it into suspenders; which was a great source of
pride to my father; who would display my work to visitors on every occasion。

The dwelling house had ten rooms; all on the ground floor; except
one。 I have heard my father say that it was a hewed…log house;
weather…boarded and plastered as I remember it。 The room that possessed
the most attraction for me was the parlor; because I was very
seldom allowed to go in it。 I remember the large gold…leaf paper on the
walls; its bright brass dogirons; as tall as myself; and the furniture of red
plush; some of which is in a good state of preservation; and the property
of my half…brother; Tom Moore; who lives on 〃Camp Dick Robinson〃
in Garrard County; this Dick Robinson was a cousin of my father's。
There were two sets of negro cabins; one in which Betsey and Henry
lived; who were man and wife; Betsey being the nurse of all the children。
Then there was aunt Mary and her large family; aunt Judy and her family
and aunt Eliza and her's。 There was a water mill behind and almost
a quarter of a mile from the house; where the corn was ground; and
near that was the overseer's house。

Standing on the front porch; we looked through a row of althea
bushes; white and purple; and there were on each side cedar trees that
were quite large in my day。 There was an old…fashioned stile; instead of
a gate; and a long avenue; as wide as Kansas Avenue; in Topeka; with
forest trees on either side; that led down to the big road; across which
uncle Isaac Dunn lived; who was a widower with two children; Dave
and Sallie; and I remember that Sallie had all kinds of dolls; it was a
great delight of mine to play with these。

To the left of our house was the garden。 I have read of the old…
fashioned garden; the gardens written about and the gardens sung about;
but I have never seen a garden that could surpass the garden of my old
home。 Just inside the pickets were bunches of bear grass。 Then; there
was the purple flag; that bordered the walks; the thyme; coriander;
calamus and sweet Mary; the jasmine climbing over the picket
fence; the syringa and bridal wreath; roses black; red; yellow and pink;
and many other kinds of roses and shrubs。 There; too; were strawberries;
raspberries; gooseberries and currants; damson and greengages; and apricots;
that grew on vines。 I could take some time in describing this beautiful
spot。

At the side of the garden was the family burying ground; where the
gravestones were laid flat on masonry; bringing them about three feet
from the ground。 These stones were large; flat slabs of marble; and I
used to climb up on top and sit or lie down; and trace the letters or figures
with my fingers。 I visited this graveyard in 1903。 The eight graves
were there in a good state of preservation; with not a slab broken;
although my grandfather was buried there; ninety years ago。 My father
had a stone wall built around these graves for protection; when he left
Kentucky。 I am glad that family graveyards have given place to public
cemeteries; for this place has changed hands many times and this graveyard
is not pleasant for the strangers who live there。 We who are
interested in these sacred mounds; feel like we intrude; to have the homes
of our dead with strangers。

{illust。 caption =
MY OLD HOME WHERE I WAS BORN IN GARRARD COUNTY; KENTUCKY。
THE OLD GRAVE YARD NEAR BY; AND MY GRANDFATHER's GRAVE。}


The memories of this Kentucky home date from the time I was
three years old。 This seems remarkable; but my mother said this
incident occurred when I was three years old; and I remember it distinctly。
I was standing in the back yard; near the porch。 Mr。 Brown;
the overseer; was in the door of my half…brother Richard's room;
with my brother's gun in his hands。 At the end of the porch was a
small room; called the 〃saddle room。〃 A pane of glass was out of the
window and a hen flew out; cackling。 Aunt Judy; the colored woman;
went in to get the egg; and walked in front of Mr。 Brown; who raised
the gun and said: 〃Judy; I am going to shoot you;〃 not thinking the
gun was loaded。 It went off; and aunt Judy fell。 Mr。 Brown began to
wring his hands and cry in great agony。 I screamed and kept running
around a small tree near by。 This was Sunday morning。 Runners were sent for
the doctor; and for my parents; who were at church。
Aunt Judy got well; but had one eye out; we could always feel the shot
in her forehead。 She was one of the best servants; and a dear good
friend to me。 She used to bring two of her children and come up to my
room on Sundays and sit with me; saying; she did not want to be in the
cabin when 〃strange niggers were there。〃 This misfortune had disfigured
her face and she always avoided meeting people。 I can see her
now; with one child at the breast; and another at her knee; with her
hand on its head; feeling for 〃buggars。〃 I was very much attached to
this woman and wanted to take care of her in her old age。 I went to
Southern Texas to get her in 1873。 I found some of her children in
Sherman; Texas; but aunt Judy had been dead six months。 She always
said she wanted to live with me。

My mother always left her small children in the care of the servants。
I was quite a little girl before I was allowed to eat at 〃white
folk's table。〃 Once my mother had been away several days and came
home bringing a lot of company with her。 I ran out when I saw the
carriages driving up; and cried: 〃Oh; ma; I am so glad to see you。
I don't mind sleeping with aunt Eliza; but I do hate to sleep with uncle
Josh;〃 think I was quite dirty; and some of the colored servants snatched
me out of sight。 Aunt Eliza was aunt Judy's half…sister; her father
was a white man。 She was given to my father by my grandmother;
was very bright and handsome; and the mother of seventeen children。
My grandmother remembered aunt Eliza in her will; giving her some
linen sheets; furniture; and other things。

One of aunt Eliza's sons was named Newton。 My father had a mill
and store up in Lincoln County; near Hustonville。 Newton used to do
the hauling for my father with a large wagon and six…mule team。 He
would often do the buying for the store and take measurements of
grain; and my father trusted him implicitly。 Once a friend of my father
said to him; as Newton was passing along the street with his team:
〃George; I'll give you seventeen hundred dollars for that negro。〃 My
father said: 〃If you would fill that wagon…bed full of gold; you could
not get him。〃 A few weeks after that Newton died。 I remember seeing
my father in the room weeping; and remember the chorus of the song
the negroes sang on that occasion: 〃Let us sit down and chat with the
angels。〃

The husband of aunt Eliza was 〃uncle Josh;〃 a small Guinea negro; as
black as coal and very peculiar。 I always stood in awe of him; as all
the children did。 I remember one expression of his was: 〃Get out of
the way; or I'll knock you into a cocked hat。〃 The reason I had to
sleep with aunt Eliza; Betsy; my nurse; was only ten years older than
I was。 Betsy was a girl given by my grandfather Campbell to my
mother when my father and mother were married。 My mother was
a widow when she married my father。 She had married Will Caldwell;
a son of Capt。 Caldwell; who died in Sangamon County; Ill。;
he had freed his negroes and moved there from Kentucky。 Will Caldwell
died after three years; leaving my mother with two children。 Both of
them died at my grandfather Campbell's in Mercer county; Kentucky; before
she married my father。

I was about four years old when my grandmother Moore died。 She
lived on a farm in Garrard County; about two miles from my father。 She
used to ride a mare called 〃Kit。〃 Whenever we would see grandma
coming up the avenue; the whole lot of children; white and black; ran
to meet her。 She always carried on the horn of her saddle a handbag;
then called a 〃reticule;〃 and in that she always brought us some
little treat; most generally a cut off of a loaf of sugar; that used to be
sold in the shape of a long loaf of bread。 We would follow her down
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