Mind Amongst the Spindles. A Miscellany, Wholly Composed by the Factory Girls — John Shaqi
Mind Amongst the Spindles. A Miscellany, Wholly Composed by the Factory Girls
General
Mind Amongst the Spindles. A Miscellany, Wholly Composed by the Factory Girls
American literature -- Massachusetts -- Lowell; American literature -- Women authors; Working class women -- Literary collections
South-westerly might be seen Cropple-crown Mountain; and beyond it,
Merry-meeting Pond, where, I have been told, Elder Randall, the father
of the Free-will Baptist denomination, first administered the ordinance
of Baptism. West, might be seen Tumble-down-dick Mountain; and north,
the Ossipee Mountains; and far north, might be seen the White Mountains
of New Hampshire, whose snow-crowned summits seemed to reach the very
skies.
The prospect in the other directions was not so grand, although it was
beautiful--so I will leave it, and take the shortest route, with my
companions, with the baskets and pails of berries, to the house of
friend H. On our way, we stopped to view the lot of rock maples, which,
with some little labor, afforded a sufficient supply of sugar for the
family of friend H., and we promised that in the season of sugar-making
the next spring, we would make it convenient to visit the place, and
witness the process of making maple-sugar.
Our descent from the mountain was by a different path--our friends
having assured us, that although our route would be farther, we should
find it more pleasant; and truly we did--for the pathway was not so
rough as the one in which we travelled in the morning. And besides, we
had the pleasure of walking over the farm of the good Quaker, and of
hearing from his own lips many interesting circumstances of his life.
The country, he told us, was quite a wilderness when he first took up
his abode on the mountain; and bears, he said, were as plenty as
woodchucks, and destroyed much of his corn. He was a bachelor, and lived
alone for a number of years after he first engaged in clearing his land.
His habitation was between two huge rocks, at about seventy rods from
the place where he afterwards built his house.--He showed us this
ancient abode of his; it was in the midst of an old orchard. It appeared
as if the rocks had been originally one; but by some convulsion of
nature it had been sundered, midway, from top to bottom. The back part
of this dwelling was a rock wall, in which there was a fire-place and an
oven. The front was built of logs, with an aperture for a door-way; and
the roof was made of saplings and bark. In this rude dwelling, friend H.
dressed his food, and ate it; and here, on a bed of straw, he spent his
lonely nights. A small window in the rock wall admitted the light by
day; and by night, his solitary dwelling was illuminated with a
pitch-pine torch.
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