Annals of our ancestors; one hundred and fifty years of history in the ...

88 ANNALS OF OUR ANCESTORS
At daylight after the night they spent on our farm they moved
on toward Cincinnati, eight miles away, with Mill Creek to
be forded, and so Anson and some of the neighbors offered to
see them over. As I remember, Anson took his horses and
wagon. Mill Creek was well up and there was some difficulty
in fording with the drove, as in that place the stream was
quite swift. A large four-hundred-pounder, got out and was
floated downstream, but Anson rescued him to despatch him
on the spot and claim him as a trophy — he thought this a
great prize. How different the times, how changed the life!
No longer do the Hoosiers wear homespun and drive herds of
swine through mud and mire for a hundred miles and more.
Often the drovers slept in wet clothes on a hard floor; at home
they lived in the one-room cabin of sixty years ago. Their
children have good houses and know all modern comforts.
True, they raise corn and hogs, but great trains bear their
products to Chicago, and the rich farmers who supply pork for
that great market nowadays ride in their automobiles over
beautiful roads; even the name "Porkopolis" for Cincinnati,
I suppose, is forgotten, and Chicago holds the princes of pork.
After grandmother died and grandfather came to live with
us he used his old home for a workshop. There he had his
draw shave, his planes and brace and bits, and he would spend
days under the old roof constructing snares and traps for
rabbits and quails. I do not remember that the traps which
he constructed were a very great success, though I do recall
that once father and Will brought home a couple of fine
rabbits caught by these same traps. Their eyes were so bright
that father, in the goodness of his heart, hated to kill them;
but a hunger for fresh meat caused a vote in favor of dressing
them for a roast, which was done.
Sam Rogers was our hired man then, and he was found of
playing tricks on grandfather. The old man had a yellow
Thomas cat of advanced age who used to sit in front of the fire
and purr. After the home was broken up and our grandsire
came to live with us he brought the old yellow cat along with
him. The addition of "Tom" to our household was looked
upon as an innovation and regarded with disfavor until we