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

CHANGES IN THE OLD HOME 209
I pictured a lovely country dotted with fine homes among the
trees; I saw fine horses and a large family carriage such as
Brother Reader of Cincinnati drove. Sister Reader dressed
elegantly in silk and satin. She used to sweep down the aisle
of our church at Carthage, while a handsome changeable silk
rippled its full folds about her daintily shod feet; on her head
was a beautiful bonnet and long lace veil; she carried a wonderful
cloth cloak, and as she sweetly smiled on us plain country
folk we thought her altogether lovely. Her gracious ways
were to me a sweet memory'. She had invited me to their
home in the suburbs of Cincinnati, and I had gone to the
flower show in the city with her; and the thought of these
wealthy friends symbolized refinement and beauty. I fancied
the rich land-owners of Highland County would be something
like Mr. and Mrs. Reader.
I made my first visit there with great expectations. I
bought my ticket to Hillsboro and was met bv father in the
rockaway carriage. One of his students came in on another
train at about the same time — R. L. Howe; and so we all
started for the Easter farm together. It was the famous
"court day" of the olden times; many people were in town and
I watched the crowd with interest. The courthouse was
surrounded by a board fence, and man\- teams and wagons of
sorts were hitched about that fence. Among the boys and
men assembled there I saw what to me was a strange sight —
a man with a wild-looking fur coat on, my first view of a 'coonskin
coat. I asked Robert Howe what it all meant, and he
told me the man in the fur coat was John Easter's son-in-law
from Indiana. By the time I had met the family of my father's
friend, I had another vision of the country rich man.
The fine macadam road out to Rocky Fork was full of
interest, for it was all new. Clearings on every hand were
interspersed with cabins and in many places good, comfortable
homes, but no show of elegance or wealth. However, we were
a happy band of young people who drove out that dav, and were
prepared to have a good time and adjust ourselves to whatever
awaited us.
Our parents and Sister Ida were living in a part of Allen