The spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1840-1844, 1842-10-07
Mtsrel4a, to.
THE SQUATTER.
ATALE ILLINOIS.
CHAPTER II.

And on, IN sullcn mood, for many day,
From all communion he would start away
And then his rdcly-cacd attendants said,
Through nshtscn: hours would sound his hurried tread"
Lara,
While our hero is cndcavorng TO forget, in the
temporary oblivion Of slumher the cares and anx-
ious iorrboingS ocCusuned by The circumstances
related in the previous chapter, perhaps the read
81 viii be willing TO accompany me to the little
village winch have already mentioned as the res
idence Of Mr. Faras,
The delightful afternoon which we have partial
~ described, was succeeded, us is often the case
with the first warm days of spring, III the changca
bic climate o. the Western States, BY cool and
cloudy evening, As the sun went down, the wind,
which Ind been pleasantly felt before in bamy
brealhlngs from the South, now blew in fresh and
frequent gusts from northern quarter 0( the hcay-
ems causing such travellers and passengers as were
exposed to It's influence, to wrap themselves more
closely in their c!Oaks, ms they shitcred in the
suddenncs' of The transition, The moon had lis
en-; hui large and dense masses of clouds, driven
along the SKY with the broken, confused, and rap-
id l,hl OF rclrcatlng army, for greater part of
the time completely ohscurcd her brightness
The village, to which have given the arpeI'a-
ton Of EAsnriGu, was situated on the summit Of
long ridge Of ground, which, commencing in ,hc
skirts Of prairie, gradually became narrower, rs
the valleys or ravines, on cihcr siIc grew deeper
and wider, I'LL at last terminated in steep hiIl
IL,
to one, emp,ird the little riyuIcs tia, mcandcred
Though them into a broad and placid stream,
which giled slowly through the level land Of the
bottom. rude road by winch cmigrdns passed
on 10 the more northern sections of the TERRITORY,
wound down the steep accIiyity, at the bottom Of
winch rustic looking bridge, that exhibited in is
structure n mnch greater abundance Of nalerill.
than Of mechanical skill, enabled them 10 cross
into the forest whose stately trees reached to the
edge and overhuns the water, on the opposite
side.
The village consisted Of abou, fifty houses for
the most part built Of logs, and fronting on the
broad level road that ran lenghwise Of the ridge
and on its very summit. Two or three more o.
ttntnuuS dwellings, constructed Of bricks, and
furnished with glazed windows, interpreted Among
them, lndcat ID the residence of the more opulcn,
part Of the simple inhablnnls Before one Of
these, huge sign swinging in the blast, informed
the weary traveller that he might there find enter
tainment for man beast; while the old hats and
ragged apparel, thrust into the apertues Of the
Al, e a.,
and the gonerI filthy and uncomfortable appeal
ance or the place. seemed to contradict the inlDr-
nation.
The appearance Of the interior Of this house did
not belle its outside. The floor was sced with
dirt, the walls dlSco,orcd by smoke, aud the lurni-
tue was mean nnd squalid IN the extreme. A
large fire hid been burning in the chimney place;
but. as the evening advanced, it had graduay
smou!drred away, aud the diving emhcrs now shed
sort oiduiHy twilight through the apartment A
saddle and saddle bags, horse whip, an old har-
ness, and two Or three brides and hurse.blankcis
occupied one corner either thrown on the floor. or
hung mp on pegs driven in the wall; N the oppn
size one hnr WIS plriiIoncd of, forming the
segment of ii circle, behind The prings Of which,
when the brands occasionally kindcd into n brish
ter blaze, an odd asSemLlaga of kegs, bottles. tam.
blers aud tin measures, WAS 10 be seen A few
ru.Il-bn,iomed chairs. and some without nnv Int.
toms, or only piece of clapboard nailed across
instead, were placed in the intervals between the
windows; long rough oakcn bench stood along
the wall on the opposite side; and in the midst Of
the apartment was table of the same material, nj
which sat two men engaged in conversation, "a bottle
Of whiskcy, tin ltgnn, and several tunblers be-
ing on the table between them. On one end o
the bench which we have mentioned, and almost,
concealed by the shade which The projection of the
chimney place cas-. upon him, 81, third guest,
who Ivy his stiffness and silence might have been
judged to be asleep, had no, the quick gantins of
his eyes, when now and then something was said
by the two who were conversins a, The table cvin.
ced him TO be awake.