Neville Trueman the Pioneer Preacher | Page 8

when newspapers or books
were few and scarce, and travel almost unknown, were in one respect
not unlike the wandering minstrels or trouveres, not to say the Homeric
singers of an earlier day. Their stock of news, their wider experience,
their intelligent conversation, and their sacred minstrelsy procured
them often a warm welcome and a night's lodging outside of Methodist
circles. They diffused much useful information, and their visits
dispelled the mental stagnation which is almost sure to settle upon an
isolated community. The whole household gathering around the
evening fire, hung with eager attention upon their lips as, from their
well-stored minds, they brought forth things new and old. Many an
inquisitive boy or girl experienced a mental awakening or quickening
by contact with their superior intelligence; and many a toil-worn man
and woman renewed the brighter memories of earlier years as the
preacher brought them glimpses of the outer world, or read from some
well-worn volume carried in his saddle-bags pages of some
much-prized English classic.

"Well, there has been news in plenty along the line here," said the
squire, "and likely soon to be more. The Americans have been massing
their forces at Forts Porter, Schlosser, and Niagara, and we expect will
be attempting a crossing somewhere along the river soon."
"They'll go back quicker than they came, I guess, as they did at
Sandwich," said Zenas, who took an enthusiastically patriotic view of
the prowess of his countrymen.
"I reckon the 'Mericans feel purty sore over that business," said Tom
Loker, who, with Sandy McKay, had come in, and, in the
unconventional style of the period, had drawn up their seats to the fire.
"They calkilated they'd gobble up the hull of Canada; but 'stead of that,
they lost the hull State of Michigan an' their great General Hull into the
bargain," and he chuckled over his play upon words, after the manner
of a man who has uttered a successful pun.
"You must tell us all about it," said Neville: "I have not heard the
particulars yet."
"After supper," said the squire. "We'll discuss the venison first and the
war afterwards," and there was a general move to the table.
When ample justice had been done to the savoury repast, Miss
Katherine intimated that a good fire had been kindled in the Franklin
stove in the parlour, and, in honour of the guest, proposed an
adjournment thither.
The squire, however, looked at the leaping flames of the kitchen fire as
if reluctant to leave it, and Neville asked as a favour to be allowed to
bask, "like a cat in the sun," he said, before it.
"I'm glad you like the old-fashioned fires," said the farmer. "They're
a-most like the camp-fire beside which we used to bivouac when I went
a-sogering. I can't get the hang o' those new-fangled Yankee notions,"
he continued, referring to the parlour stove, named after the great
philosopher whose name it bore.
A large semicircle of seats was drawn up around the hearth. The squire
took down from the mantel his long-stemmed "churchwarden" pipe.
"I learned to smoke in Old Virginny," he said apologetically. "Had the
real virgin leaf. It had often to be both meat and drink when I was
campaigning there. I wish I could quit it; but, young man," addressing
himself to Neville, "I'd advise you never to learn. It's bad enough for an
old sojer like me; but a smoking preacher I don't admire."

Zenas, crouched by the chimney-jamb, roasting chestnuts and
"popping" corn; Sandy, with the characteristic thrift of his countrymen,
set about repairing a broken whip-stock and fitting it with a new lash;
Tom Loker idly whittled a stick, and Miss Katharine drew up her low
rocking-chair beside her father, and proceeded to nimbly knit a
stout-ribbed stocking, intended for his comfort--for girls in those days
knew how to knit, ay, and card the wool and spin the yarn too.
"Now, Tom, tell us all about Hull's surrender," said Zenas, to whom the
stirring story was already an oft-told tale.
"Wall, after I seed you, three months agone," said Tom, nodding to
Neville, and taking a fresh stick to whittle, "we trudged on all that day
and the next to Long P'int, an' a mighty long p'int it wuz to reach, too.
Never wuz so tired in my life. Follering the plough all day wuz nothing
to it. But when we got to the P'int, we found the Gineral there. An' he
made us a rousin' speech that put new life into every man of us, an' we
felt that we could foller him anywheres. As ther wuz no roads to speak
of, and the Gineral had considerable stores, he seized all the boats he
could find."
"Requiseetioned, they ca' it," interjected Sandy.
"Wall, it's purty