The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1885-01-02
TRAVELLING ON FOOT
From Village TO Village in the Old
Bay State.
Msrblehead's single Hotel-Jogging
Along ON an Empty Hay Cart
0 PerpIexiiies OF boarding.
House.
Prentice Mulford's Letter. ]


Prentice Mulford's letter.
lam travelling through a small part Of
Massachusetts on foot, taking IL easy" from
town to town and village, and often starting
out at morn with no idea where may bring
up at night. / am learning how little we
may SEQ of the real country while travelling
by rail The people Of the state live on their
country roads The railroad generally runs
by everybodys back door, and often far out
Of sight of that
Last week visited in this manner Salem,
Marblehead, Peabody, North Reading, Read
Ing, Woburn, Lexington and Concord
These places lie from ten to seventeen miles
from Boston
Salem seemed TO me as one Of those
finished" old towns, very pretty TO look at,
where all the fortunes have long since been
made; where there is just room enough for
NO many people and no more, and from
whence all the sons Of families I'm moderate
circumstances move away TO do better" and
where half the daughters never marry, but
die old maids.
Marbleheads single hotel being full from
theatre companys invasion, / found quar-
tiers at boarding house. lost that board
g-house three times in six hours owing to
Marblehead's crooked and confusing streets.
II would disappear suddenly, and after hunt
ing vainly for IL for an hour / would find it
again turning up at my elbow. Getting into
Peabody found what In California would
be called considerable OF place." with
banks, street cara handsome town halls, an
imposing soldiers monument, wide streets,
and rows Of residences outwardly indicating
fortunes, leisure and luxury. / had never
heard of Peobody before. I presume that
millions OF my fellow-citizens have never
heard Of Peabody. Let no Peabodian feel
hurt His ignorance may be as profound re-
garding some smart town" not 100 miles
from Peabody There are a great many |
people In this world-especially in Massa- |
chusetts.
From Peabody Travelled northward |
toward North Reading. think the country |
would have satisfied me that I was in |
Massachusetts had / been suddenly landed |
on IL from above. Roads wide and well |
kept, farmhouse and barns large and well
painted pumpkin pies set on kitchen window
sills TO cool, and great elm trees over
shadowing roofs
found the roads called streets, after
leading miles away in the country
Travelled on Lowell street nearly the Who'll.
distance from Peabody to North Reading.
Signs boards indicating the neighboring
places, their direction and number OF miles
distant, are numerous both in town and
country, 80 that the foot traveller is never at
loss for his bearings
A young man in an empty hay-cart asked
me TO ride IF could stand the cart"
jumped in. We logged on. The young man
lectured ON that portion of Massachusetts,
"Onions and straw berries, +" he said, were the
principal produce raised. Onions was a hard
crop to raise. They were infested by two
troublesome parasites, and very hard to keep
free OF weeds. One bushel OF onions required |
as much work as seven bushels OF potatoes.
Most OF the young men hereabout went TO |
Boston or TO Lynn and worked at shoe |
making. He thought the average shoemaker's
wages amounted TO about $40 per week. He |
had known of q "cutter" making a per day,
and a "laster' g. But these were
extra workers. Shoemaking hadn't In IL |
the money made years ago The land we
were now driving through was West Pea
body, and part Of the town Of Peabody.
But West Peabody was not satisfied II
paid the same rate Of taxes az did Peabody, |
and no paid for Peebody's gas, water, and !,
other privileges, which here of In the coun-
try were not needed. Hence, West -eabody
wanted a separation. We drove up to a
@father's place" Father had been away
from home for three weeks stamping for
Butler ..H
inquired of the young man how far dis
tAnt was Lexington. He didn't know Had
never been there. N. Bile lived about
fourteen miles from the latter place. Too
near, Of course, to have visited Il.
: Journeyed on to North Reading alone
There is no hotel at North Reading. After
some trouble found a private family to
board me for the night, and was obliged to
put my case pretty strongly to obtain such
privilege and pay for it. At the front door
the good woman Of the house surveyed me
critically through her spectacles, and took
my full measure before allowing Inc to
enter.
Strangers poking around the country seem
10 rank as suspicious characters In North
Reading. She did not say whether could
'tay all night or not, but asked me into the
sitting-room. Once seated, and the dame,
among other questions, inquired from whence
came and on what train arrived I felt
The crisis approaching. I felt that In me
we're vaguely suspected the possibilities of I
thief, burglar. a midnight murderer, or q
criminal fleeing from justice. Suspicion was in a
he atmosphere. The old family clock .
licked 1t. The homemade rag carpet on the q
door looked it. The neat and prim array all
about seemed severely reproachful. aBy
what train had j Gomez ! plunged In
boldly and said had come ON foot that day
from Marblehead, and that was NO travel
ing TO 4see the country"
was not turned away. The old lady con q
,luded 10 risk me- The supper hour ap- D
,roached. The @old man" came in from his u
'srn-yard d utiee-just such an old man as I u
expected to see-gray, lean, wizened, half e
,ald, and strongly nasal I'm his information
awt fba how kaff @t.x.~
xcited over the new playful of some CON-
ng show, and was sent cut TO milk Next
he eldest son, just In from an all-day's work,
probably IL years of age-tall, STOPPING,
awkward, angular. Lastly, three wood
guests like myself
! guessed my place at the table while the
lame was arranging it, She flung a napkin
Il my plate. IL was the only napkin pres
mt She flung 1t there with an air which
eemed TO say, @City folksi Must have one,
s'poseT accepted the napkin and her re-
hinder OF contempt. r
Supper was ready. We adrew upr Il was A
hardened household. No grace prefaced n
he meal The table talk was entirely local.
Smith wasn't looking now for jenkins Lost
lis place He drank. Good man when "
ober, though. Wife sick. She was a Pc
ers before she married CONSUMPTION,
.uesa lsiIence) After which one re.
marked, Pretty bad thing to have. Ei-
ence.) .g...r -
Breakfast was called ut In the morning
We ate hot biscuit and talked over the III 40
less Of Mrs. Peters, near neighbor. She nl
vas Fitch before marriage; her husband
rank; had been discharged from his situar
Ion. Was good nlAn 10 work IL he'd let no
Iquor a'oos. no
What's I'm . Manner
philadelphia Tmesl
Thousands of yards Of Smyrna rugs ara
made In Kensinston, this city; thousands