The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1871-09-01
CHAPTER XVIII.


Office ofthe Librarian Of Congress at Washing
ton City.l
CHAPTER XVIII
Passing over such events as usually
occur in the lives of travellers by the
ocean route to the Atlantic States
events which, while they were of great
interest to myself and children, would
fail to arrest the attention of the gen
eral reader-I desire now to bring my
friends who have pursued me thus far
in my history once more to the village
of Iangdon, the home of DR.. Arm
strong and the place where my modi-
cum of education had been received
under his fostering care.
My last visit to that place had been
made on that awful night when Will
liam Snyder had become, as in sober
truth believed, my own dear husband
before God and man. My feelings as I
neared the village may be imagined /;
1t is useless to attempt to describe them.
Village, did 1 say? Fifty thousand in
habitants had built flourishing city,
in which could not recall a single YES
tige Of its former rural scenes. Even
the name of Langdon had vanished be-
fore the progress Of improvement ilss
Great arteries Of railroad lines con-
verged at a huge and massive pile OF
buildings, and wound their curving
lengths across the blooming plain, while
painting iron horses came cavorting
over the grades, some heading for the
massive depot buildings, and Others
waking wild, wierd echoes i'm the
dreamy distance, bounded by blue lines
of clear-limned groves.
From the stately steamer where we
rode at ease upon the busy river 1 could
see all this, and with my anxious chill
dren gathered around me ! related tales
of auld lang syne.
Nearing the wharf we saw bowed and
shrunken, blear-eyed man, whose
trembling limbs and blooming nose be-
trayed the fell work of the demon i'll
temperance, and whose salIow face and
hollow eyes told well the story that
tobacco was his unrelenting master.
Why noticed him in the din and bus
tie could not imagine; but look as 1
would for other objects of interest,
nothing could l see but the shrunken
form Of the abjeet and ragged inebriate.
Gracefully the steamer slid into her
proper inches in the dock; crowds OF
hotel runners performed their usual
ridiculous believing farce ; locomotives
sent forth their warning shrieks from
brazen-throated lungs; signal whistles
from other steamers answered to om
own, and amid the strange confusion we
were ushered out into a waiting cab
and orders being given by the doctor
we were soon whirling away toward his
elegant home, upon a gentle eminence
where taste and beauty reigned sole
master of the pleasant situation.
Again l saw the bent and trembling
form of the ragged inebriate who few
moments before had so deeply inter.
ested me-
doctor, seer l exclaimed. ''Car
you tell me anything of that man.
history ?"
81 should rather say sou was the
quick reply. ''That is your sistel
Sarah's husband;' and signalling tn,
driver to stop we reined up alongsid,
the poor, miserable wreck of his early
manhood, the man who had promised
to love, cherish and protect the sister o.
my saddened childhood, the beautiful
and blooming girl whom my deal
mother had always contemplated with
such peace and satisfaction, while /, the
hery sister, had been the source of hel
constant solicitude.
"Halloa, Harry ~ was the doctors
hearty greeting.
general introduction was next in
order and my brother-in-law. in an
swer to DIR. Armstrong's hearty invi-
tatlon, took a seat with rs in tI,o ,,o-
hicle, and we all drove up tooo,I,or -
the doctors luxurious home ''''' -
Mrs. Armstrong was absent ON ,.;,.
to the South, but the house was nj, -,
presided over by a matronly and -
ant woman, the doctors dau',,to.
whom 1 vividly remembered as H.
cross and heavy baby whom / ba[
nursed in my old-time three years resi-
dence at the DOCTORS once frugaHy am
pointed house.
Ny brother-in-law came totterin.
feebly up the marble steps. Garrulou
he grew and troublesome. My childrei
shrank back aghast from his advances
but for my poor sisters sake 1 trieC
hard to be agreeable. Seeing our dis