Page:The Granite Monthly Volume 7.djvu/92

 74

��THE GRANITE MONTHLY.

��cus and his train. The Rocl<y hills and Frost's hills ended the chain, and the blue mists told me where the Atlan- tic washed the limited sea-board of New Hampshire.

This hill and acres numbering three hundred, once belonged toCapt. Icha- bod and Andrew Rollins, sons of Judge Ichabod Rollins. Their heirs now own a good share of it. Between two roads stands the house occupied by the Rollins family a century ago ; but it has been remodeled by stranger hands.

Capt. Ichabod and Andrew lived here many years, and the town's peo- ple tell from hearsay and remem- brance of their kind deeds and noble ways. An old man whose hair is white with the snow of three-score win- ters, told me much of them. He said : " I went there to live when I was four years old, and staid till I was nigh twenty-two." " Andrew Rollins," he said, ■' was a great worker; he used to team with six oxen to the Bay (Lake Winnipiseogee) ; he freighted groceries from r)over up, and brought back shooks, staves, shingles and boards : he went that old road, right out by 'Zekiel Ricker's, cross Tate's brook, over Rocky hills, and so on to Nor- way Plains. I tell ye, it was a long drive, three days and three nights to make a trip. Capt. Ichabod had been to sea forty-five years ; he had brought home a monkey ; they called him "Jack." I was awful 'fraid of him when I fust went there, but he did n't live a great while. Just before town meeting all the carpets in the lower part of the house was taken up, and three barrels of crackers and two or three quintals of fish would be brought and a barrel of rum set up. Town- meeting night all the neighbors would come and have a good time, and the Cap'n would fiddle for them. I never heard an ugly word at these limes while I staid there."

The old man told me this without a question, scarcely, and he seemed to grow young again, living over those old times. He said " Cap'n Ichabod had brought home chaney and all kind of

��knives and forks, and the cases to put them in, there I The house was full of stuff brought from furrin parts."

At my right, Garrison hill loomed up and seemed very near. In the In- dian times, two men were killed in the valley between these hills. A flock of crows flew over me, and we regarded each other with curious stare.

This hill is a famous resort for foxes, and the mother fox often rears her bright-eyed, sharp-muzzled brood, only to have them chased away by the keen- scented hound and shot by the waiting

��gunners.

Plainly I heard the *' Whoa : hish buck " of tl->e farmer turning the stiff green sward in the field below. Re- luctantly I left the hill.

In my way down I passed under old apple trees known as the " Nocks Orchard." and again was lost in the swamp.

When I cleared the thick birches, I was near two men plowing with a yoke of dark cherry-colored oxen, with a steady-going horse on the lead ; a plump, gray dog came to the fence to greet me aslstopped to admire a last year's scare-crow.

The owner of the team told me that he was a descendant of Ezekiel Ricker, and that he had, after many years, drifted back, and now owned a farm near the old place.

As I walked along in the road home- ward, I found a grave-yard, up from the road, fenced in with a neat iron fence, and ever-green trees were grow- ing among the grave-stones. I won- dered who were buried there. The gate was locked, but I read through the fence,

Cavt. IcH.\Don Rollins.

Died Nov. xS, 1848,

Aged 61 years.

.\ndrew^ Roi lins, Esq.

Born Oct. 29, 1770. Died March i ^.

1832, Aged 61 years.

A patron, and example of diligence and benevolence. In him the man of

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