The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1874-06-05
AN INCIDENT OF COLORADO
TRAVEL.

u
: carried in her arms bundle closely an
carefully wrapped. at one end of which
tiny face appeared. diminutive COPY O
her own. Carefully placing this bundI
upon a seat. she next dragged in a bo
and basket, and the strong oder of big
water, such as ever pervades the steer
: age or between decks of the emigran
vessel, announced to the indifferently
interested passengers that my fellow
passenger was an emigrant.
She was not more than thirty, she wa.
fair and appeared as strange and timiC
as the antelope we saw from the cal
windows gliding over the plains But
no one spoke TO her. no one presumed
TO claim an acquaintance with this travel
stained, weary looking young woman, and
as she sat upon the next seat to my own,
gazing wearily out upon the wide blesk
monotony of the plains, | observed sew
eral times during the day that her large
Diue eyes hlled with tears, and that the
httle boy IN Scotch cap, knee-breeehes
ana oiack hose, busted himself in a vain
attempt TO comfort his mother" All
TINS l observed from behind my book.
which book proved a medium of com
municatiOn between my fellow passen-
ger and myself.
She had been looking at the back of
my book attentively for some time, when
she broke the silence by saying:
Il beg pardon, sir, but can you tell me
when we shall arrive Cooking at an en-
velope) at Bijou StationF'
Tomorrow evening sometime, if all
goes well, l replied.
rs the country out there as wild and
sparSely settled as this, sirl'
''les, madam, or more so. 1t depends
very much upon the portion of the
Bijou you go to-"
| The ice being broken between myself
and my fellow-passen niger, she soon fell
victim to a professional American news
paper interviewer, to whom she told her
story.
But this story would have but little
interest for the general reader, were it
not for the sequel, which is here
with given. Twill give her story as near
as possible in her own words:
Yes, sir, | am from England Ileft
there three weeks ago. / observed YOU
reading Dickens, and took the liberty
of speaking to you. Do ! admire Dick
ens2 Yes, sir, loved him. am a rel
ative of his, and have Ofttimes visited
him at his place at Gad's Hill. / am
from GlOster Doyou know Gloster2 1t
is n dear old town. We live Just within
the shadow of that great cathedral, IA
sigh.) Oh, the dear old town. i expect
We will never meet again. 1t is a great
old structure, sir. You can read all
about it in Unce Charities last book,
1.-The mystery of Edwin DrOod.n He de-
scribes our town just as it is. We all
loved Mr.. Dickens. / walked with him
many times in the grand old structure,
for he made our home his home when he
came to GlOster. He only lived ten
miles away, and frequently came to see
us while he was working upon his last
book. | observed you reading one of
his works, and / made so free to speak,
for | am-ohl so very lonesome and
strange here! Did come all the way
alone, sirl Yes, sir. But it was wrong
in NE to attempt it. / think sometimes
| shall give up before / reach my hus-
band. But Charles is quite a man to
me. You have no idea how clever and
kind my little son has been to me, both
on the voyage and at Halifax, at Balti-
more, and at Cincinnati. How do like
the States, did you sayl Oh, sir, don't
like them at all. | like the State of Gin
cinnati the best of any have been in.
/ stopped at Halifax. 1t is a dull, cold,
miserable place. They kept US three
days at Baltimore to discharge cargo.
At Cincinnati my luggage was smashed,
and | had to purchase deal boxes to
pack in. They charged me a sovereign
for them. was detained one day at
st. Louisa nasty, gloomy, smoky place,
is it not, sirl At Leayenworth they re-
fused to take my English gold for my
hafa1 LIN 1 in,
distress. H.i get my luggage all right2
Yes, sir. There is nine hundred pounds
of it, Why did I bring so much, did
you say? Why, sir, my husband wrote
me that he had got "a perfect little Eden
of place ia Colorado. Yes, sir he calls
our new home Eden, and l thought |
would bring as many of the old things
from home as possible, and brought
box of tea, a barrel of sugar, several
bolts of long cloth, some boots and cloth
ing, and at least n hundred different
kinds Of garden seeds. We will be so
happy when get home But, sir, (cry-
ingJ | really think l never will reach
home again. Three weeks of travel all
alone has nearly cost my life.
What is my husband doing in Colo
RADIO, did you say! He is sheep farming
He was a tailor and gentlemen's furnish
Pr in GlOster We lived in one house
for nineteen years, my father kept the
business before | married my husband.
We were doing very well and getting
rich, but my husband, who had been
sailor when boy, and who was born in
Brazil, was always always discOntented
and wanted to travel. In an evil hourI
to sell out our business in
He took $4,000 sterling with
him and started TO Colorado. His letters
which he wrote from Colorado were very
they were printed in our
county paper at home. Oh, sir, If you
only could know how tired / am of
how lonesome / feel here upon
these plains, so many thousand miles
from my dear old home, you would real
re how anxious 1 am TO meet my hus-
land "
The sun and the train rolled on west
ward. and toward evening of the second
lay out from Kansas City came in sight
If Bijou. Ny fellcw passenger was all
Justle and excitement; she had been
Ialf dozen times to the glass 70 adjust
Ter hair and apparel. The beautiful
little boy in his Scotch cap, blue jacket,
md black stockings had had his golden
Ocks freshly curled, his rosy cheeks
washed, and stood upon the ear seat
ooking ont Of the windOw-loOking for
Father"
..Oh mother, think / see father"
aid Charley. No, mother, il il some
me else. OH 1 see a coffin, mother,
,ome person is dead, they are taking
he coffin out Of wagon, mother.
There it i. mother: there we are past it
now Now We shall see father, we are
nome. The train stopped. The weary
ravel-soiIed niece Of Charles Dickens
up her parcels and her clCaks
md stepped out upon the wild bleak
pot called BijOu Station. The passed.
,ers. all interested in the talkatiye and
pair Of travellers. crowded.
o the window Of the car TO witness the
expected meeting between husband and
wife. While Eer baggage was being
umbIed out OF the car, she stood with
Ier baby in her arms, and her boy by
Ier side gazing around the strange scene,
md peering eagerly among the rough
lad ranclImen and plainsmen for the
ace which Of all Others she wished to see.
a rough-lOoking but polite 'ranehnan
topped forward, and, with a clumsy
,Ow and a bashful manner, inquired who
he Madam desired TO see"
Il want 10y husband, Nr. Henry Les
er. Does he not keep sheep and cat
le farm near here"
He did, madam answered the
anchman sadly; but he's rounded I'D
IL herd for the last time There he is
n that coffin; died last Wednesday
light, and we're sendin' the body TO Den
.er accOrdin' 70 his last Instructions.
lie died Of congestion Of the bowels,
madam. Beg pardon, madam, but yon
re his
He did not finish his sentence, but
topped forward to catch the falling
orTu Gf faItCttr-