Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1855-08-18

about three miles Per hour. \ the com
pany seemed to be in high glee, the chill
dren were scampering over the prairie, col
Iectng wild flowers; in fact, ii was impOs-
slble for them TO keep still. After sun
down. we halted at an Indian log house;
the Indians had all gone to war dance,
and the house was left with a negro
slave, who gave us some corn bread and
BAN, and we added prairie hens, which |
shot on the way. After dinner or tea we
chatted, smoked. &C., and then concluded
10 find out how we were 10 sleep. There
being but one room in the house, there
could be no quarrelIing about that There
being two beds, my family had one, the
rest took the other bed and floor. BY
crossing my family sideways in bed, with
our feet or the dining table, we managed
all 10 get in. The slave minated that II
The Indians came home in the night, they
might be drunk, and in all probability ug-
", so we examined our pistols, placed
them under the pillow, and laid down.
All went on well through the night, eX-
rept that more travellers asked to be ac-
commodated with lodgings, permission
being granted them to sleep under the
shed. In the morning after we had
breakfast, we started again, and we pas
sed the same description of country as
have already noted.
We arrived at the city of Lawrence a.
bout dark. We were ushered INTO house
called hotel, the only one in the place.
1t had about one hundred guests at tea,
which consisted of tea, bread, no butter,
/ ham and molasses. Board one dollar per
| dav. After tea we were told that we
could not be lodged, as the house was full;
but if we chose, we could lay on the din
inc table, but that they could furnish us
with nothing except the table cloth, which
we were welcome to use as sheet. iiav-
ing no other alternative, we were left IN
possession Of the dining table, to shift as
best we could. After spreading our blan-
ket and then the shee: or table cloth, we
turned in on the dining table. On the
second floor above us they had no bed
steads, but there were hunks built up five
tier high, like an emgrant ship; IN these
hunks they put three persons, making the
hunks and floor contain in one room about
100 persons. The lumber contained in
the building was cut in the forenoon, and
the building put up in the afternoon of
same day, so You can Judge of the quail
ty of the house. After dreaming for
while of the good old times of Adam and
Eve, we were all startled bv a man sing
ing out there "was ID big snake in
his bed" You know that was enough
for me; Imade one jump out of bed, and
lit on something (which | believed was
a snake. | fancied that it was. as the
heel of my foot, thought, smashed his
head. | sung out, "Here he is; have
killed him ~ Those up stairs came
rushing down to see the snake, and after
getting lamp, and seeking for the snake,
we found nothing but short link Of sau-
sage, which had been left on the dining
table, and probably kicked off by some
one Of us in the night. After enjoying
the joke, much at my expense, more par.
ticuIary the gentleman who raised the
alarm up stairs, and who swore that there
was no mistake about his snake, | propo-
sed that we should examine for it.; and az
ter examining his bunk we found that his
fellow bunker had placed his cane in bed
between them, fearing some one might
take 1t in the morning before he was up
1t was one Of those canes you see every
day in New York, with dogs head,
with crooked neck, eyes, ears and teeth
This proved to be our friends snake
After this, we retired again, each one to
his bed. After getting in bed it commen-
ced laundering and Lightning, (Which is
done up brown in this country and al
each fash you could see distinctly through
all parts of the house. The boards being
green when put up, had warped so much
that you could almost run your head thro'
the cracks, the house not having Iaih or
plaster. No windows in the house, only
brown sheeling nailed over where The
sash belongs. The result was that the
bunkers up stairs were soaked out, apd
after that we all got it below. | obtained
an umbrella and held i, over my children
and wife until the shower was over. At.
daylight in the morning we were reques-
led to get up, as they wanted our sheet
for a table cloth, and our bed as the break
fast table. | objected 10 this, until the
boy upset cup of coffee on my foot,
when concluded the place was getting
100 hot, and got up. Alter breakfast.
which was out repetition Of our tea, |
and my fellow travellers took a suooI
about the city to examine the public bull
dlngs. The city of Lawrence Is situated
ON the Kansas river. about 100 miles up.
This river is navigable up here one month
in the year. The city contains about