Page:History of Delaware County (1856).djvu/67

DELAWARE COUNTY. 43 cumference of territory was situated on the east brancli of the Delaware, near Arkville. This mill had been built, and for some years owned and occupied, by a man by the name of , distinguished especially among the younger Ame- rica/' who frequently brought grists to his mill, for his gene- rosity and liberality. The apple trees spoken of above were owned by him, and usually, in the fall of the year, hung loaded with myriads of tiny apples, scarcely larger than a small sized hen's egg, but a greater rarity at that time to boys especially, than the delicious fruits of the tropics are now. And it was principally to the liberality with which he allowed his young customers to partake of this fruit, and load their pockets to carry to their mothers and sisters at home, that the miller had acquired his enviable reputation. Several years after, this place was purchased by one , who, in contradistinction with the former owner, soon came into notoriety, under the appellation of stingy ; but the boys, who had come to think themselves as by right entitled to some of the fruit, were not to be outdone, and after several unsuccessful attempts to persuade the proprietor to open his heart toward them, an expedient was put in execution, which proved successful, to the miraculous disappearance of the fruit. Two of the boys were sent to coax the old man, who by the way was short of sight, while their companions repaired at the same instant to the trees, which in mock charity to the owner they handled rather roughly, and procured a goodly quantity of his apples. The same informant states that, when a lad of a dozen years, his father packed him oif to this mill — the first he had ever visited — upon horseback, with a small grist to be con- verted into flour for the consumption of the family. The father, before he left, impressed upon the mind of the young lad the necessity of watching the miller pretty closely, remark- ing, ^Hhat millers sometimes steal." This caution placed the young tyro on his guard, and sure enough, shortly after the