Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1875-01-08
NY NIGHT IN A STAGE COACH.

4 NY NIGHT IN A STAGE COACH. 7.
The year was 1S56-the month Decem
berthe place Tamaqua. 1 was young
man then and strong one. I did good
deal of travelling through the State of
Pennsylvania, going from county town to
county town from the beginning of the
year to the close. 1t was pleasant bust
ness enough, for there was less railroading
then than now, and more staging, and not
unfrequently long rides Oh canal-boats in
the summer time. was not often hur-
ried on my trips, and took my own time
My exact business at the county seats con-
sisted Of hunting up titles to obscure, wild
lands, paying taxes upon them, and get
! ting them in good condition for immediate
sale.
In consequence of the nature of this
business. knew good deal about the to-
biography of Pennsylvania, and good deal
that, at the time, was worth knowing
about it's roads and it's inns All of the
latter were bad, but some were better than
others. One of the worst of them was at
Tamaqua, and possibly it is there yet,
though when l last slept under it's roof it
was in altogether such lamentable con-
dition of decay. and its roof was such a
very leaky roof indeed, that doubt not it
long ago disappeared out Of the sight of
men, and probably out of their memories
also-Tamaqua having achieved railroad
since, and, of course, grown as only rail
road towns do grow.
| L arrived there in that December of
1856, ON Monday afternoon, which was
quite as cold and disagreeable a Monday
afternoon as [ remember ever to have
known, though, when compared with the
Tuesday that followed, it might be con-
sidered rather warm than otherwise. I
was half frozen when I got there, and I
was not quite thawed out when / left, for
/ had yielded to burning curiosity to visit
a coal mine, and l fancy that Tamaqua is
nothing but a coal mine, with a thousand
mouths that every morning swallow SO
many thousand miners and disgorGe them
every night. It was then, and l think it
is now, a very black and sooty place, with
canal in front of it, a hill behind it, and
the huge mine have spoken of under it..
1t was not only black and sooty itself, but
its people were similarly black and sooty;
and so were it's horses, Oh rather its mules,
for it seemed to have few of tformer
and great many of the latter Even it's
dogs and cats partook of the general SCOTT
ness, and were evidently greatly depressed
by 1t. Twas very cold when went down
into the mine-which had its shaft just be-
hind the hotel-and was colder still when
[ came out of it. went to BED cold. and
| got up cold, SO cold, indeed, that I
thought never would be warm any more.
| When [ went down into the frozen break
fast room, | looked out of the window,
with snow, and it was still showing as if it
meant to exhaust the whole winters sup
ply in five minutes Oh so, being greatly
pressed to do it Immediately. [ drank my
cold, blank coffee, and ate my cold, tough
beefsteak in gloomy silence, thinking more
than had done for long time before of
home, Of it's pleasant cheer and warmth,
and Of the loving boys and girls in it, who
were even then, no doubt, expecting my
speedy doming. for this was already the
morning of Tuesday, and Thursday would
be Christmas day. In that home was st.
Nicholas himself, for it was that brought
home in the night the brave tree with its
spreading green branches; it was I that
planted it firmly i'll the middle of the wide
parlor; it was that found the infinite va
riety Of toys, cakes, bon-bons, and glitter
ing baubles which covered it; it was that
placed the ever-beautiful image of the
Christ Child on the topmost Dough; that
lighted the many-colored tapers, and /
that, at the suspicious moment, suddenly
threw open the folding doors and let in
the children to behold the glory of that
wondrous Christmas miracle.
In my frequent journeyings through the
State, 1 had been many places which /
wanted to get away from quickly, but ]
never saw another that 1 wanted to turn
my back on so much as Tamaqua. It was
not in any manner q pleasant place, and
besides, if those nephews and pieoes OF
, mine were to have a Christmas tree at al
in this year, 1856, I thought, must &C
! home as fast as I could travel l had come
to Tamaqua in a stage, and 1 must &c
away from it in a stage-not to Philadel
phia, exactly, but to the next railroad
town, and that was distant, knew moi
how far.
arose shivering from the dreary break
fast, and hunted up the landlord of thu
inn. He was easily found, and was nj
better OF warmer-looKing man than hi.
accommodations promised him to be.
paia his eXtrayagant charges, and then in
: formed hira that I wished to REACH al
quickly as possible the nearest railroat
station. md to take the first train for thu
East.
1.-THE nearest station is at Iliunl; Iliun
is twenty-five miles distant; you canno
, get there before night, if at all. thinl
you won't get there at all.''
All this was spoken refectively, ant
J with deliberation.
IF 1 can get there by ten O'Clock to
: pight, caa make the Eastern Expressg
nYou can, but / doubt if you can sc
there at ALL
. ssWhyP" asked.
8 He was not a man to waste words. II
a only said:
: "The stage won't COON account o
storm.