The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1856-12-27

|
Though may never it more,
| Nor stand upon native shore
| Where er on earth I'm doomed so roam,
My heart will be with those q; home.
:" "frestO Change" A Railroad Village
The following very pleasantly and wei
written article we find in one of our ex
changes without credit, but unless we ar
much mistaken, it is from the pen of Mr
Taylor of the Chicago Joxrnai.
railroad is splendid thing-there's nc
denying it-a good deal like the battle o
Blenhelin, to be sure, "a glorious victory,
| but at some small cost
We never welcomed it though, to an Ole
| Village, and are always glad, the wood.
stand their ground as woods should; thai
! that the swamp lnterpose its treacherous
/ breadth oil stagnant green that the hills
have stony hsarts Of their own, but then, il
dosen't matter: for telling, heaping, digging
cutting, blasting. piercing, on it comes, and
plunges with shrek into the bosom of re.
pose, and swoops down into the Valley eve
ry day, and snatchcS somebody up, and
whIrls him away, to bring him back to-mor.
/ row-next week-nsyer
Dissecting the orchard, cutting up the
garden, running the Village green, narrow IS
escaping the grave yard, it shrieks in ser
mon-tmc, starties the choir in the midst OF
Windhaln, crush,s good oye" under its
iron wheels, and pIiis sob into profound
silence. People dream it thunders, when
the train IS coming; fancy the wind is rush
In- when the train is going: the clocks are
al. set, not by immgmoIial oou-Inarks. but
by trains, and every body obcys the sign at
the crossing" and looks cut for the caIs
when the bell rings"
1t pIunges into the quiet field behind
row of houses, and you 20 there next week
or the week afte-, and the houses have
wheeled right about" every one Ike
militia at drill; your cornfield bears a
crop Of machine shops, and you may thank
your stars, if they don't want turn table"
on the site Of the old Summer House.
Your lSabe'las and Cataw bas grow grim
as coal-heaverS, and the linen YOU have
spread out in tie door yard to bleach, i
Spriak!ed with cinaers. Bat then. your
lots have gone up SO every body says
and f you love repoSe, and the old Village
Is r-pcse, you feel Ike following suit and
going up" y0usse,f
Bat whi'e = Railroad has no business 10
broak in upon the messy s!umber of an
old Village, when it filings an iron artery in
to the bosom of the wilderness, and the
tmid quai.s whirl wai,:lng away before
the on-coming train, and the Prairie feels
tIe great thrOb of the great worlds heart
then, L seems 10 US, Benheim, or ho Blen-
helm, a very splendid victory indeed We
eo,ch the enthusiasm Of the farmer whom
wrought, a. he says the plough in the fur
row, and shouts n welcome to the coming
wonder. We fee! Ike shedding small ram
Of silver upon the group Of girls and boys,
that just I" let looSe from school, stand be-
side the track, make "oAyisancc 20 The
EsGine, and cheer the passing train.
Right into tn midst Of the summer pra E
rie; right into the heart Of the woods a;
ri. .ht among the wild flowers and the birds,
and before we have time Il think OF IT, a
+ Vi'aze-a haiiroGd Village begins to crys-
+ talize around the iron bars. rst small
} platform makes its appearance besides the
+ track, and occasionally little red flag flick
/ Crs in the wind to signal the coming train.
/ The engine gives a short angry whistle, as
/ il Of surprise at such aulacity; the
I speed i barely slackencd it does not come
/ to full Stop it is not worth while; some
/ body Chambers on. and away 1t thunierS
/ round the curve til everything jars again.
There are symptoms OF a store, signs oi
a Depot, traces Of road across the green
sweep of the prairie; couple of carpen-
B tiers are busy; farmers wagon is drawn
( up beside the Platform laden with grain ;
side track is constructed the store Is
completed, the sign is up; the Station
I is christened; the village is begun.
| The train honors it wit a shrieG as it
comes; it pauSes oftcncr: there is somebo-
! dy to get on somebody to get off; some
thing to leave; something to take. great
wooden building goes up across the street,
/ for they hare street, and hoists its coiors
Railroad Hotel" and three times 4 week,
a mud bespatterel, two-horse stage from
/ somewhere back in the country bach
! in the country !-as if the Station itse'i
were rot in the very J2som Of it's drawn
up before the door.
! The old farmer who owned the broad
acres around, puts on a standing collar, and
/ comes down to the Depot almost every day,
| He lives over there in that log cabin in the
skirting of trees; he has lived there tins
many year, a week from market, three
days from mill: the prairie chickens wer
round his farm yard; the Fawns were hid
den in the woods behind the house; tn,
little wolves barked and snarled Just beyond
the corn.
But the old farmer is getting to be some
| body; the "Station" is named after him
he'll be president of the village If he lives
he'll be Mayor of the city if IL lives.
Some day, the train stops and lets of
young Doctor, with brand new diploma II
a tin case under his arm, and pretty soon,
brave little sign at the foot of flight o
stairs that rms up like vine on the oute'
wall Of the store, proclaims $50 and SO
NJ. D." a school house goes up this sid
l.
ringing on that; row of narrow -waiste'
cxquisites in impossible coats and impracti
cable pantaloons makes its appearance in
window. 1t is a " Fashion plate" and be
| tokens a tailor within.
By and by, a young Lawyer gets out Q
the stage; he wears long hair and 4 hiero
glypbir pin, significant of some Society
! ! other to which he belongs; he too. procure
an office. and in summer evenings he sits o
the tavern steps, smokes cigars talks politics
makes admirers and gets clients. lie !
talked of for the Legislature; perhaps they
send him TO Congress; he writes sharp Al
ticles for the County paper; he will CIV
the Fourth Of July Grafton next year.
, The School Master too nobody like klr
{ in " figures" and he and the Minister hav
many tough argument on grammar, an
I let Pope say as often as he will, Sc one trut
is clear" this thing is never clearto them
d the construction of whatever is, is right.
Before lOng-the phenomenon is newt;
b'e-one loafer makes his APPEARANCE
Where he came from nobody cares how b
ives, nobody knows, but there he is, sittin
t on the sunny side Of the depot loungln
: about the blacksmith's shop. kicking h
t heels against dry goods box at the stor
door, asleep on the bunk in the BARRON
Sometimes he holds a travellers horse; SOM
q times he brings in an armful Of wood Tor 'n
tavern keeper The Doctor gave him a
, old satin yest-he wear, that aud the Law
yer a hat: he wears that. he makes h
.l - =. - tho thin