Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1877-06-27
From the Chicago Post.
A VERMONTE3'S EXPERIENCE.
What Il Green Mountain BOY Saw
While Coming West.

| llt iolio"lHS paper, iio'i WV peh
of Mc. w. w. Chandler, OF this city,
will be of interest, not only to those
who claim Vermont as their birth
place, but also to all who can appre-
ciate an interesting sketch well told,
/ as he did it at the "Vermont Assocla.
tion," at the Palmer House, Tuesday
evening June 5, 1877:
Nearly forty years ago, while living
in Vermont, outside the narrow limits
of which | had never strayed, except
TO invade the State of New Hampshire
by crossing the bridge over the great
Connecticut River between Norwich,
Vermont, and Hanover, New Hamp-
shire. | had frequently heard people
talk OF a far-off country which they
denominated "Out West" until l Lad
pictured in my imagination general
idea OF the place, its characteristic
features, and particatlmlH as l sup.
pose, its geographical boundaries, and
| longed to behold it with my opel.
eyes.
Occasionally, persons whom l knew
or had heard OF, left my native State
to find home "out West" until, fl
nally, | came to believe there must be
a good many people out there, and l
was strongly apprehensive that quite
number of them had never enjoyed
the pleasure Of my acquaintance, and
without much difficulty worked my
self into the belief that y large majori-
ty of the inhabitants OF "Out West
We're really quite anxious 10 see me.
SO, after much deliberalion and con-
siderauon, | determined that it was
my duty to crafty them. Accord
imgly |
ARRANGED TO START
on certain day, not doubling tor a
moment but that | would surely see
every person still living who had pre-,
ceded me in that direction /; in fact, l
supposed that most of them were act
ually wai.ing to see me, and began
to feel some compunctlons OF con-
science for having kept them waiting
so long. Out West seemed to me as
much one place as does now the City
OF Omaha or Salt Lake City, although
| knew. as well as Olney's Geography
could tell me, that the general term,
"Out West" embraced several States,
as well as what was laid down on the
maps as ''The Great Northwest Terri
tory" and the Great American Desert.
Yet, so vague and crude were my
ideas Of distances, areas, and boundary
lines that | had no fears, whatever.
but that my advent "Out West
would create a pretty general sensa'
ton, AS was entirely confident that
everybody would know had arrived.
Everything being in readiness tor
the journey,--my trunk packed, few
needles, some skeius of thread, a few
buttons, and general assortment Of
medicines being very carefully slowed
away therein. | took leave Of my
anxious vents, brothers and sisters,
rs well as of sundry other bereaved
friends and afflicted relatives, very
early one September morning, my
heart swelling to an enormous size az
| uttered the final "good-bye." A
l neighbors boy OF my own age, and
from infancy, almost, my most init
mate friend, accompanied me tt
Woodstock, to take back TO Randolph
5 my fathers horse and buggy
. AT Woodstock | was to take tht
stage for Troy, New York. After the
horse had been properly rested and re
t treshed, my escort bade me good-by
! !; and as watched nv tuther's buggy
: receding in cloud of dust from
/, Whitney's Tavern q had never hearc
: the word hoteD, l would have recalled
: it, and taken passage homeward coult
/ have done so for | was twenty
Q three miles from lone, and all alon'
: which two words
!. APPEARED TO WEIGH AROUT FOUR TONS
as | uttered them several times, t.
myself, before the stage started. Fl
II nally the six horse Concord coact
. came up brlskly to the front of thu
r tavern, and as soon as had become
}. thoroughly satisfied that my trunl
!, would most positively be put aboart
without any failure whatever, | climb
& ed to the highest seat on the coach
" back of the drivers seat, where, unde
the excitem ent of high speed and jo
= vial company, soon lost my heavi
hess of heart in good degree. A stag
ride over the Green Mountains from
" " Woodstock to Rutland on that perfec