The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1889-07-09
GOING AFTER STRAWBERRIES

An old lady in Detroit who has just
celebrated her eightieth birthday, tells
the following story of early frontier days:
One day in June, as 500 as dinner was
over, Sallie and a young woman named
Margaret, who worked for Uncle Sam,
and Uncle Sam's little boy and myself
went across the river to the Canada side
to gather wild strawberries that grew
in great abundance. We crossed In a
row-boat, and when we got on shore, we
pulled the boat up high enough on the
beach to prevent the waves from carry
ing it off.
We had a gay time filing our pals and
baskets with the ripe fruit, and, when we
got through, we were rather tired, and
very leisurely took our way to the boat.
We did not notice that the small boy had
| to the beach, he came running toward Us,
shouting: "Boatyl BoatyE
I knew in an instant that he had done
some mischief, and 1 set my strawberries
| down and ran as hard as I could to the
river. Sure enough, he had pushed
| the boat into the water, and it was float
| ing off with the current I waded into
| the water clear up to my neck, and, as l
could not swim, I had to wade back.
By this time, the girls and the small
boy were On the shore, and as I went
back they set up a dismal wall; for the
boat was gone, and there we four were
miles away from any habitstion, and with
a fine prospect of spending the night in
tie woods, where wolves still roamed,
| and an occasional Indian.
We sat in q very melancholy plight,
the girls crying, the boy looking doleful,
| and 1 thinking what to do. There was
an island abou a mile below, near the
Canadian shore, and l thought the cur
| rent would carry the boat to that island
and strand her on its eastern point. How
to get to that point was the question.
There was no inhabitants for miles, and
the sun was about going down. The
only thing to do was to make a raft strong
enough to pole down to the island and
| find the boat. How to make the raft was
another question.
I looked around the beach and found
there was driftwood of logs and long
poles, such as pioneers use in building
mud chimneys, and 1 thought we could
make a raft with these if we only had
something to tie them together. But
GuC1O q Y q I'LL q oAO ASAS ~ UoS
whole party, except those we used to hold
up our stockings, as was the fashion in
those days. But, strings OF no strings,
that raft had got to be made; and what
were sun-bonnets and aprons and dresses
and shirts, for, if in an emergency they
wouldn't tie a raft together?
I told the girls my plan, and they said
they didn't believe I ever would get that
boat back in any such way. Still, they
went to work with a will, because |
wanted them to, and because it seemed
to be the only way to get home. We
took off our clothes and tied the logs to-
gether with the different garments. After
a good deal of hard work, a raft was COM
pleted with the aforesaid materials.
Luckily, the fashion of those days pro-
vided every woman with a long chenise
that hung down to her ankles and COW
cred us more as to our necks and arms
than many a fashionable belle Of these
times is covered by what she calls full
dress. You may be sure such a raft was
a frail affair to sail the waters OF the
great St. Clair river, and Sallie said she
knew we would be drowned. 1t was
only large enough for two; and Margaret
and I went, leaving Sallie to the care OF
the boy. It required a brave heart to go
or stay; for in the distance we could hear
the occasional howl of a wolf, and there
was peril also by water.
The plan was that Margaret and l should
stand up In our white garments and pole
the raft; but as soon as we got away
from the shore she was afraid to stand
up, so she sat down and cried, and | did
the work The current helped as q good
deal, and after a time we could see the
head of the island. There was an en-
campment of friendly Indians there at
the time, we knew, fishing and hunting,
but we were not afraid of them.
By this time the moon YVES up, and, IS
soon IS we could see the island, we saw
all the Indians on the shore gazing eagerly