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Note: From "Reminiscences of Olden Times at Great Hill Church" recalled by Rev. Edward Dally Bassett, 1934 and published by Rev. Clifford Vessey. When I was very little, Uncle Walker Lake and Aunt Hepsibah, she was my grandmother's sister, lived in the house on top of the hill just south of the flat rock. When Uncle Walker was young he was happily converted. Ke knew he was a sinner and needed forgivieness and the experience came in the good old-fashioned way, filling his heart with joy. He was just shouting happy, and never got over it. It was permanent happiness. Aunt Hepsibah said she, "was the least favored" of all her father's daughters. But I think she must have been quite an efficient girl. I have heard her tell of getting on the back of a horse, taking a spinning wheel in her arm and riding to the home of a neighbor a couple of miles away where a bevy of girls would spin all afternoon. What a chatter there must have been with all those wheels a buzzing and all those girls talking! Well Uncle Walker fell in love with Hepsibah and thought her the most wonderful girl in the world, and again was wonderfully happy. Between the two, this new love and the happy conversion, he could hardly contain hemself. He was old-fashioned. Did not like to hear people chew up their words, say nature, potato, hollow and so forth. He said 'nater', 'tater and holler. So when he took Hepsibah to his farm hom in the dip between the Rock House Hill and the Five Mill Hill he named it "Happy Holler'. There he lived and worked, sowed and reaped, prayed and shouted until he was too old to do anything but shout. The he sold the farm and moved to a house and very small garden near where Hepsibah had been born. Everything was satisfactory, only he could not go to church. He did not have a horse and was too feeble to walk. So they brought the church to him. That is they appointed the mid-week prayer meeting at his house. Judson had three seats in his wagon. He and Sally sat on the front seat and they filled the others with pios womenpicked up on the way. Neighbors come in and they had a fine prayermeeting. People went to prayermeeting in those days to get rested. I do not know how long this went on but Old Brown (the horse) took over his load every Thursday night. At last Uncle Walker got so old and feeble that Aunt Hepsibah said they would have to give up the prayermeetings. She said Uncle Walker got so excited he would not sleep a bit that night and did not get rested from one until the next prayermeeting arrived. So they voted not to have any prayermeetings the next week, waiting to make other arrangements. On Thursday Judson went to Seymour (Conn.) to sell his butter and eggs and buy his sugar and tea. Every farmer had to go to town once a week. He got home late and Sally had supper ready. Judson said, "I'll let Brown wait for his supper and I'll have mine". Sally was a good cook and Judson had a farmer's appetite and there were many things to tell Sally so that when Judson cam out there was nothing to be seen of Old Brown and the wagon. Judson looked in the pasture but Brown was not there. He went down to the Hell Lane Road and looked but still no sign of Brown. Where could he have gone? Judson came back. There were the hens, they must be fed. Then he heard the pigs squeal. They had a saying that tvery time a pig squealed there was a streak of lean. No one wanted any lean pork, so he fed them. Then the cows were at the bars, they they must be milked. By this time the stars were shining. Where was Brown? He did not know where to look. He guessed Brown would come home when he got rady so he went in, took the paper in one and and the candle in the other and began reading. Now at the regular time for prayermeeting Aunt Hepsibah saw Old Brown walk up to the hitching post. "Oh", she said, "Judson has forgotten and I have put Walker to bed. What shall I do?" But no one came in. Brown stod there but none appeared. Every little bit she looked out but saw no one. Brown stamped his feet and whisked his tail to keep the flies away but did not attempt to leave the post for an hour and a half. That gave time for the prayermeeting to close. Then they heard a sound. Brown was backing around. This he did as perfectly as if driven. Then they heard his feet on the old flat rock and he trotted down past the Holbrook and Davis farm, past the Church, over Hell Lane, turned in to his house, crossed the little bridge, when through the gate without touching either side, stopped in front of the house and winnied. Judson when rushing out, "Well Brown you have got home. Where have you been?" But Brown did not tell him. Next day though the neighbors did. they said, "Judson, you are pretty good about going to prayermeeting. Brown went last night and you didn't." How everybody joked him about old Brown but I think they called it pretty good evidence of faithfulness when a horse knew prayermeeting night, where to go and how long to stay. Roger Howland/ 06/19/2006
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