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MR. EDITOR. MY DEAR SlR.-â€"In my Native Country in the long. long ago. there lived an old minister. In those early days old Scotchnien, as a rule, were all fond of a drap Scotch whiskey. The aged minister I refer to was no excep- tion to the rule, and when he got a Wee drap too much he had sense enough to keep off the street, and when going home. would take a bee- line though the graveyard. He was a favorite anumgst his floek and they wanted to break him off his had habit. There was (me of them appointed to play ghost. He hid in the graveyard, ime up til esst d in his white sheet, and in :: guttuml \‘UlCt‘ wained him of his i l::11l habits. Are )‘1.’ :1 :1l:1ne, says the minister in him. 1r is it :1 general res- urrection. it appears there has been! :1 1e: m 1-rtiun ii: town that has cream-(ll a little excitement and :1 little writing! as well. In your last lsrtu- you havel given :15 :1 \‘ezy Z1zt1~111sti11g letter on! Durham and its early days, for which, l no dotzht. we may thank the resurrec- tion. You my the «reflux was unearth-i ed in 1li<‘*gi11g :1 t'< =11r.d:1tion and the! contents were scattered around. :md' you ran away with the lower jaw. In i that respect, Mr. Editor. you were not 1 alone for I saw your brother editor of . the Review with one of the thigh bones sticking out of his coat pocket, Then you tell us that your part wasi taken from you and all the rest gath_1 ered up and taken to the Potters’ field. I hope that was the case, although I am doubtful. He told me he was go- ing to keep it for a relic, and I think from that. it is still in the 'coat pocket, and if it don’t turn out ornamental it Will, no doubt. be very useful, for every time he looks upon it it will have a tendency to remind him of the place that we are all travelling to. The subject of your letter referring to early days is one that the most of people. young and old, like to read. Your sketch is very interesting, al- though there are a few mistakes, and to correct them is my principal object in addressing or writing you. You tell us we had to carry flour upon our backs from Guelph and dodge logs and brush on parts of the road. If that ever was .the case it must havd been long, long before any of the dates given in your letter. I travelled it in ’48, For Spraying Requisites and other insecticides, come to us. Seeds . Dwari Esse x Rape Field . . MacEarlaue 6100. 8‘1?an CHRONICLE Druggists and Seedsmen. W. IRWIN. Editor and Proprietor. Stm lvs 1103' a] Giant. liennies Giant Sugar Munguhi. hm}: red. Giant lelow Ova]. Evans valog. Bruws Gate Post. Rmmivs. Yellow Inter- mediate, Giant Half Long. bulk, including the fol- lowing well known and Tested varieties. Sh w 495 Prize M ammoth At reduced prices two packets for 50, also by the oz. or lbs. Thu (in-oxx'ing Kind. DURHAM MAY 0, 1907 YE OT “DEN TIMES THE Durham, May 6, 1907. Again you say the Edge mill was our first relief. Again you are astray. The Dunsmore mill at the Rocky was an old affair before the Edge mill was built. We used it in the summer. It was a matter of necessity. It had no smut machine and the bread very often was as black as old Nick ever was painted. In the winter we went to the Fergus millâ€"quite an undertaking with old Buck and Bright. I don’t know when the Durham Foundry started, butI do know from experience that Buck and Bright and myself drew the stone for it in the summer of ’53. I say from experience, as I have always looked upon that summer’s work as one of the hardest of my life, f(,)llowing the‘ox bell every morning and walking over two miles to my work. The cart was always left at the stone pile, Buck, Bright and myself having always to foot it home. The first frame house you say erected in upper town is the one now occupied t by Mrs. Scott. That was house and“ office com'bined of Mr. Jackson. the (‘rown Land Agent. 'l‘hisl also know from experience. as l was in it along with my uncle trying to get some land. He said to me you are not ofage. have. you any brothers? So he took my brother‘s name. and we became posses- sors of the farm in Allan Park that the \Vhiteford tavern used to be on. \Ve chopped two or three weeks upon it on pea co‘li’ee, bread and maple sugar . Three months after Jackson either sold it or gave it away. and we didn’t rea- lize enough out of it to pay for the pea coffee. I certainly was young. but that was not my worst fault. I must liave been simple as well. or Mr. Jack- son would not have tricked me like that. The next frame house of any importance and one you have taken no notice of was built by \Villiam llunter. In it I first met our ex-M’ayor Archie. He was then a wee squalling devil about a week old. Time rolled on and there were two arrivals to keep him company. In those early days there was no manger in the house to hide them, but there is one now. His- tory tells us that Burns. the great Scotch poet, was born in the year 1759 ina wee clay bigging. Ninedaysafter it came up a storm and blew the gable. end out of it. and the mother and babe. had to run for shelter. That little house still stands and could scarcely be bought for money. VVe have here the three brothers, and from the looks of things they will soon be classed amongst the millionaires of the world This house is now in the back yard hid under a bushel and could be bought. fora song. If moved out of the fire limits could be rigged up for another song. If placed within the limits it would cost more. It would need a stone foundation and would require to be plastered all over with cement, tin pans or sheet iron. It would then be good for 100 years, and Hunter gener- ations still unborn could point to it with pride as being among the first houses in town and the one in which I their forefathers were born. and there was no such thing upon the road. I have encountered that sort of thing upon the Durham road but never upon the Garafraxa. I have heard one of our old neighbors. an old lady, say that the Opening out of the 33111an road was a good job for them, for they had made a little at pulling ground hemlock ofl’ it. Never thought of ask- ing for dates. Can’t tell when the road was opened out. The first house built in town laying claim to style and grandeur, and head and shoulders above all others, is the rougheast owned by Mrs. Noble, along- side Thomas Lauder’s. It Was built for Bonnie Jean, daughter of the Baldy Hunter you speak of. Some time previous to this she was supposed to be the intended of one of our towns- men. a man still anu‘mgst us hirpling along the street with his staff in his hand. McNab, the young storekeeper, appeared upon the scene with his cuffs: and collar buttons. The. attraction was too great. The young fellow with the home made smock and cow hide boots was thrown overboard, and Jean became mistress of the big house. McNab had the first store, or rather Stewart BIC-Nab. It stood a little north of the‘Catholic chm-oh. Scott’s stood. I think. where the church now is. It was a good sized building, and in the upper flat was held our first concert. McNab \\'as the leaderz and the best of the talent came from Var- ney. your humble servant to begin | with, at that time a curly headed hey. I did some singing and had three fid-fi (11ers, Collett, Burgess and a stranger, to help me through with it. My Varney neighbor. Henry Brown, was 2‘ professional reciter, just out from Scotland. The Hunters all. took a hand in it, and the old gentleman gave us Rule Britannia. I knew nearly all who were there, and I think I am aboutZall who is left of them. McNab, as you say, went down town and built the Knapp House, kept there a while and removed to the little cottage be- hin’d Siegner’s, and there kept the post omce, and from there to the wilds of Kansas where he died a poor man. His partner, Mr. Stewart, remained in upper town and opened out in the little frame house at the corner of the Gen- tral. He wanted a boy, came down to theold farm to get my young brOther, who had just left us. He then fell back on me. Had I gone with him it might have been the turning point in my life- Had I learned the business the world, and instead of hanging around McLauchJan’s back shop day after day playing checkers with the Mayor of the town, I might have been behind the counter instead of Peter, dealing out salt herring to the folks of the town and surrounding country. R. COCHRANE. Last week was more like the first week in March than May. but it is none of our business to be fault, finding. To hear us in general grumbling and com- plaining of this, that and the other things we lack, it looks as if people were mistrusting the Supreme Being, but there is no harm in letting people who are not so highly favored as we are know that there are drawbacks in every country. Even at Top Cliff the cry of Scarcity of feed is something unusual. But we hope to forget all these difficulties in a few weeks, when nature shall put forth her beautiful mantel and cattle shall then feed on pastures green, and the milkmaid’s beautiful voice will he heard at early morn taking home the kye from the Backward spring. Not much done yet. in general by way of seeding. pasture fields. Then all the difficulties and hardships endured during the cold months of winter and spring will be only 1 eine inheied as a thing oi the past. The birds are now singing their cheerful notes. and the little lamhs may he seen skipping from one hillock to another. All these events are eindi- cations that summer is fast approach- ing. The sick people in some uses are getting better, but; some are yet; com- platinin". The aged and feeble are fast tottering on the grave’s brink. Although the. bitter cold of fall and winter deadened the grass and all herbs, the beautiful rays of summer revives them again, but man when overtaken by old age. and death no spring or summer will bringthem to life again, and the resting place of the dead tells the many tales of sorrow that have been experienced in many a home during the bitter cold months of winter. \Vhen weyiew our cemeteries we find many a newly made grave opened and closed since last No- vember. This is evidence that many a home has been bereft of some dear one during the past months. But we must pass on. for while in life we must struggle on with the many difficulties to be contended with. This beautiful May morning, May 6th, gives. us a cheering hope of the promise to be once more fulfilled, and opportunity shall be given to the sower to sow the seed, for according as We sow we shall reap. ’ Railroading is busy in Priceville and east and west, and the work is my gressing fine. As Priceville has be- come a Police village it has good pro- spects of becoming progressive in the near future. With railway, factories and all combined we don’t see anything to hinder a rushing business being done. All that’s needed in Priceville is a grist mill and there is a good water privilege, and if some one would invest in purchasing the site it would be a good investment for him, but we are, not writing by way of an advertise- ment. Mrs. James McDonald moved to Pro- ton with her nephew, Alex. McDonald. She is getting very feeble and not fit to be left alone. However, she may live for some time yet although 90 years old. \Ve noticed our lady teacher, Miss McCosh, on Friday last; going to school with n scrubbing brush under her arm. \Ve forgot that it was Arbor Day. and that’s why our good tcachcr was giving the. schoolhouse an extra brushing. N(*>rm;m McIntyre sold a horse to John McLean one day last week. Robert Fisher is plowing for his brutherTom in Priceville thusc days. David McIntyre is going to Port Arthur this week. We understand he is getting a good situation there. O-‘O 0-0 'ma Lamb’s Grocery on Ashmun Street Hill a model establishment. The grocery business on South Ash- mun street bill 501‘ the past three years conducted by George Lamb and Sons recently changed management, Her- bert Lamb, one of the sons formerly interested, having taken over the entire business with a View to conducting it alone and along the same lines as it has been conducted in the past. Mr. Lamb is an energetic young business man and gives every promise of making a success of his new venture. He has the advantages not only of being thoroughly acquainted with the grocery business, but but also of being thoroughly acquainted with the’ estab lishment and trade of which he has come in charge. The father, George Lamb, who was the head of the old firm, will retire from active business. Evening Ne'ws-Sau1t St. Marie, Mich. CHANGE IN FIRM. Top Cliff, ". ~-o 0-- THE DURHA M- CHRONICLE We had a pleasant call on Monday] last from Mr. James Bolger, of Syd- ney, Australia. Mr. Bolger is a native born Australian, but fifteen or sixteen: years ago he came to Toronto where he lived for a couple of years. During his residence there he met Miss WilJ liams, daughter of Mrs. Christopher Williams, of Grey. The sequel to their meeting was a period of court- ship and then the tying of the matri- monial knot. Next came the honey- moon trip, which was made to Australia by the eastern route through the Straits of Gibraltar, the Mediterra- nean Sea, the Suez Canal, Red Sea, Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean. This was fourteen years ago, and since that time Mrs. Bolger Was separated from the rest of her family by half the cir- cumference of the world. But the ties j of affection had not‘ been severed, and some time ago Mrs. Williams told us with gladness sparkling from her eyes that her daughter and her husband were coming to visit them this sum- mer, and sure enough they are here now with their little six-year-old daughter. They came here, by way of Honolulh and San Francisco, and on arrival at the parental home, the home of her childhood, Mrs. Bolger has com- pleted her trip round the world. Mr. Bolger himself is once and a half round and the little girl has finished half the trip. \Vhen they return, which will not be for two or three months, they will again take the eastern route. The voyage from Sydney to San Francfism) took twenty-nine days. about six or seven days more than the regular schedule time of the fast ocean vessels. \Ve were quite pleased with the short call of Mr. Bolger, who says he will take greater interest in reading the Chronicle than he has for the past fourteen years. He enquired for J as. . (inn, the Druggist, and left our shop with a promise. to call again shortly, when he would have time to tell us a 5 thing or two about Australia. hereby give notice that we will not be l'esnnnsible tor the payment uf a mute of S30 00 made by us about three weeks ago in favor of J‘hunms Wilson, of Durham. and payable in .Julv lth. as we have returned the property for which the said mute was given. DONAL!) MCAM‘HUR. ARAHH-s MCAK’I‘HUR. Picture Framing 0n shortest notice. SHOW Roomsâ€"Next to Swallows’ Barber Shop. musicw Runesszm, Mav SUL 1907â€": 1x). 3‘?“ {.34 16v... 53.x 13.33.... :33. Songs, (Balms New music rccpivm! mch w. \\T E Funeral Directorw A. = ELL U N BERT/”(ER Peru} fl. H; Webster Full line of Catholic Robes, and black and white (laps for aged people. AN AUSTRALIAN VISITOR. For YOU!“ crap P-E-A-S ! Queer idea, you think? Field peas for a MAIN crop? Do you know field peas brought 77 cents a bushel last year? This year’s export demand will be bigger. Peas crop, per acre, 38 bushels and 1% tons of straw (fine fodder). Guelph College recommends pea-planting. Easy crop to grow; 8 U RE market,â€"-crop that feeds the soil instead of tiring 1t. Good money for YOU in peas,â€"-but get them .11 early, â€"April is best. plant Embalming a Specialty SOLD AT HALF PRICE 25 gems ‘59:? (My l have placed in stock a fine line of late THE UNDERSIGNED. Warning. and €wo=$tcps and Om New Spling Footwear is the best that has Yet come before the eves of the people, and thele’ s not much danger of anything“ bettel CI opping up because thele IS possitix e13, Nothing better on the Canadian Market. Our Men’s Patents $4 and 5$ CASH ONLY. \0ur women’s ”fine Kid Oxfords, are the cream of the canadian market. SPRING FOOTWEAR Repairing and ()I'dOI‘S neatly and promptly nunedcd tn. PEEL, the Sfioenian Are scllinglikc mt cakes and wearing '-'--‘ --‘ t‘g- are just, the exact thing lucked fur, and are commanding: gum] snlv Are th-lmut :1 doubt the most relul‘ble offered at any puma Our- Boy’s Patents at $4 Our Women’s Patent Strap Slippers, and Oxfords at $2.25 $2.50 and $3.00 DURHAM AND OWEN SOUND LI K E IR 03'. M3579, 1907