Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1858-09-24

wooded shores to interest any one.
We landed at length at st. Louis, where
through jam of passengers, trunks, hack
men, DC, We managed to take an omnibus
for the "Planter's House, / was amused,
while waiting for our vehicle to start, watch
ing a poor green looking fellow who was
evidently ain town" for the first time
About dozen of those sharks, the hackmen,
had him "in tow" while others were shout
ing to him, "Don't 90 with that fellow r.
"Hould on to your money walletp "Stick
to your satchell" all these things bowilder-
ing tho poor fellow so that he knew not
which way to turn. At length ono of the
coachmen drew him of, amid the isers and
laughter of the other drivers, the Jehu Of
our omnibuss exclaimng-"Och there he
goes, and meant to have had him myself,
dom himl and ax him five dollars for the
short ride I'd give himp'
We rested a few hours, and dined within
the cool precincts of the "Plsnter's House" 4"
which is one Of the finest hotels know Of,
and about three o'clock we took tho cars for
Jefferson City. The track is laid through
a highly cultivated and beautiful portion Of
Missouri, and although the heat was very
great, and l was almost everpowered with
fatigue, the beauty of tho scenery impressed
me wildly. Bold bluffs aud shadowy ra-
vines, slopiDg plain, and dense forests, the
doep green Of which was relieved by wild
flowers that reared their scarlet heads, and
BY gay plumagcd birds that hoped about
among the bushes; beautiful country places
with rich orchards of ripe fruit, and the
whitewashed cabins of slaves, clear streams
of water winding their silvery path into the
shadows of the woods, all had charm for
Inc, and l thought in the midst Of such pro-
fusion and beauty, one might bo happy,
whether bond or free. A gentleman was
moving his "small family with large appe-
tites," from Mississippi to Lexington, Mo.
The family party consisted of himself and
wife, six children, and forr slaves; the two
younger children were mere babies, and two
slave girls had them in charge The moth
er was mild, sweet looking person, dressed
in cool light muslins; she seemed to be
fond of her children, and kept loving,
watchful eye on them, but she was relieved
from the burden of taking caro- of them, of
lifting and holding them. Indeed, fan
ced what different sort of looking person
she would be if she had lived at the north
and been obliged to rear family of six
children. The sharp, pale, careworn faces
of northern mothers tell of sleopless nights,
days of fatigue, of maternal anxieties, of
scarcity of help, Of weary confinement in
the nursery and kitchen. This lady told
me she had never slept with one of her chill
dren in her life she nursed and watched
over them, but the physical burden Of tend
ing them, she said, devolyed upon the black
nurses. When VIC arrived ut Jefferson City,
about ten o'clock in the evening, we found
the "Morning STAR" waiting to steam us up
the Missouri. There was great rush for
state-rooms, but my companion being for
tunately acquainted with theclerk of the
boat, secured his attention for me at once,
so that l was the first lady shown to n
state-room. What comfort to exchange
tho dusty, close, rattling, disagreeble cars for
the brilliantly lighted, richly furnished sa-
loon Of one Of these Missouri boats, than
which there are no handsomer upon any
river.
l found my roommate 10 be a scrawny,
pale, weak-eyed young lady of thirty-fve
or thcreabouts, who sang Methodist hymn
while preparing for her maiden slumbers,
two lines of which she rendered very effec-
lively: as-.a
"Friends, ksnnsctiOn', happy kentry'
KenI. ken bid you all tarewelli" i
asked her if she was not afraid she'd
disturb hor fellow passengers, whereupon
she wanted to know who was, where going,
&c. Upon learning that l was going to
meet my husband, she said she expected it
was mighty nice thing to have husband !;
that she came pretty near having one, for
she'd been engaged three times, and then l
was obliged to listen to an account of her
three engagements, and while she was rat
ling on about the last lover that she had,
dropped off into comfortable sleep. /
remember that he went away, and "ne'er
was heard of more;" and "twas just as we'll"
she added "for me and him couldn't agree
in religion; then was blind two years, and
I've been very sick, too, since that time, and
I have spells of being tired around my
waistp
q The next morning we touched at Boone
vile, forlorn looking town from the river.
This is the end Of the telegraph line,-I
was disappointed in the scenery on the
Missouri. Instead Of being varied and
picturesque as had supposed, it was tame
and uniform, one shore or the other gener-
ally forming bluff, and both shores thickly
wooded. Tho boat keeps tho bluff side in