Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1877-06-29

CllIiDeu 70 lHe nlgneSt seal on the
coach, back of the drivers seat,
where, under the excitement of high
speed and jovial company, l soon
lost my heavlness of heart in a good
degree. A stage ride over the Green
Mountains from Woodstock to Rut-
land on that perfect September day
was some compensation, surely, for
all the pleasant things | had left be-
hind me.
tarried at Rutland during the
night, and early the next morning,
on a similar coach, we proceeded
through Castleton, Vermont, Gran
vile and Salem, New York, toward
"Out West" changing horses every
dozen miles or ST., and the "great
world" continually expanding be-
for me.
In going through Lansingburgh 1
was amazed at its greatness, consid-
ering how little | had ever heard of
it; but when the wheels struck the
pavement in Troy, the first city l
had ever seen, l was giddy, and was
farther from home than | ever ex-
pected to be; and l am sure,
that, although | have since
seen both oceans and goodly por-
tion of the country lying between
them, l have never been half so far
from home as l felt that very mo-
ment. If you have never expert
enced the feeling it would be useless
for me to attempt to describe it, and
if you have, then there is certainly
no occasion for description. That
all-overishness feeling " is precisely
one of those things that cannot be
accurately photographed. 1t is well
for us all, perhaps, that it has never
struck either one of us i'll full force
more than once. Possibly some of
you may remember where and when
it hit you the hardest.
At a high rate of speed we ratified
over what to me seemed Ihronged
streets until in front of the " Troy
House" the six in hand stopped
short. There being no tall post with
a swinging sign in front of the state
ly brick block. had not the most
remote idea that the "Troy House"
was a tavern, or place where | had
any right to stop. Some of the
passengers alighted and portion of
the baggage was put off upon the
sidewalk, but why this was thus l
had not the slightest comprehension,
for knew l was going to stop at
the "taveru," and had so informed
the driver, who had assured me he
would take me right to the tavern.
So long as portion of the travellers
kept their places in the coach, | was
comparatively free from anxiety,
presuming that they too were going
to stop at the tavern, and that prob
ably the next move would be in that
direction.
The driver remounted the
coach, and with a grand six-horse
horse flourish, he brought up in
front of the "Mansion House" :"
where every passenger except myself
stepped down and out" while | re-
mained motionless and from my ele-
vated outside position l looked down
upon nv own trunk, standing on end
on the sidewalk. l was in guam
Diary, when the driver called out
rather gruffiy, as I thought, YOung
man, are you going to get off here?"
to which / replied, 81 don't know
SIR Well" said he, +" find out
mighty quick, for l am going to
drive to the stable l didn't stay
up there much longer. l timidly
made my way to the door through
which / had seen My fellow Passen-
gers enter, and stood there taking
observations" and keeping sharp
lookout for my trunk, until saw a
man (whose name l afterwards
learned was Porter, and l wondered
why every one in addressing him
appeared to leave off the " Mr. }
carry it into the house and place 1t
with other trunks in a room, which
l subsequently heard called =" the Of
flee" | noticed that my fellow-pas-
sengers were all huddled together
about a counter in one corner of this
same office, and that they left, one
hv one, escorted by a key in his
hand, but this ''fiank movement" was
utterly incomprehensible, to me, for
l had no more idea, up to that time,
tnat the place was tavern than that
it was a lunatic asylum. l stood
well back in the room, looked as wise
AS knew how to look, and waited
for developments. After all the pas
sengers had disappeared from the
counter, the wonderfully handsome
and well-dressed gentlemen who
stood behind it came out from his
place, and approaching me, very
bIandly said: care you going to stop
with US sir?" 1 replied, 81 don't
know, sir, is this a tavern ?" Yes
SIR" said he, "please come and regis
ter" l followed him toward the
counter; he passed behind it and
turned big book around toward
me, at the same time taking a quill
pen from behind his ear and passing
it to me. l took it mechanically
without comprehending why did
so, and there | stood. looking alter
nately at the book and at the hand
some man, until he said somewhat
impatiently, Register your name,
sir; please"
Now, be it understood that up to
that time, | had often heard the
word register" and had frequently
used the word myself, but l never
had any idea that it applied to any
thing else in the wide world than
3" Walton's Vermont Register" All
annual publication with which some
of my readers may have been famil-
lar; so of course [ was dumb-fOund-
ed, but l summoned courage to say,
"What do you expect me to do, sir?
He replied, somewhat smapplshly
thought, Write your name, II you
can, and if you can't, Pll write 1t for
YOU" Now, be it known that tor
some years previously had consld-
cred it unconstitutional for any boy
of my age to write his name better
| .ko, + ,,Ir,,,,, ,,,;,,a hence | was con