The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1889-04-16
AND WEST;
A TALE OF NEW BORN OHIO.
WRITTEN FOR THE %RoGREssIvE FARMER, b
EDWARD EVERETT HALE.
Copyright by the Author.)
CHAPTER III.
A SHIP OF THE PRAIRIE.

In a thousand discussions, renewed
morning, evening and night, about the
probabilities and the possibilities of Sarah
Parris's journey, the conversation turned
most often on what sort of woman Mrs.
Titcomb was most likely to be. 70 this
undecided problem Aunt Huldah and Mrs.
General Thomas and the girls returned
two or three times a day, while the prepa-
rations went forward.
"But, Aunt Huldah," said the laughing
Sarah, as she laid out in the sun a pile OF
clothing which she vas marking, You
did not wonder half so much what sort OF
man the mate of Roberts ship was to be.
Now Robert was to be under the mate
for three years, but I shall only be under
Mrs. Titcomb for three months-or Madam
Titcomb: perhaps she is Madam Titcomb, }"
the girl added, with a mock courtesy.
"You will not be under her a minute
and a half" replied her admiring aunt,
with a fond look upon the girl, which
meant, "you were never under anybody
in your life, and are not apt to be-" But
l tell you, it is n thing to sleep at one
end of a ship -"
"In a comfortable forcastle," laughed
the girl.
"To sleep in one end Of the ship,
whether it is comfortable or uncomfort-
able -" thus persisted Aunt Huldah,
" and to know that the mate is sleeping at
the other end. Now that is one thing.
Half the time you do not see your first
mate, and half the time you forget there
is any. But your Mrs. Titcomb-you see
her every minute; and like enough hear
her, when you get up and when you lie
down; as the Scripture says, when you
go out and when you come in"
"And you will hear her." groaned ele-
CANT Mrs. General Thomas, with her Il
be- and L vum,' and BE ye goin' to do
this, Sarey?' and Be ye goin' to do that2'
All of them laughed, but the irrepress-
ible Sarah laughed most of all. Mrs.
Titcomb should not be abused in advance,
she said. She did not doubt that she was
a French lady, a maid of honor of Marie
Antoinette. She knew all the ways of
court. Probably Mr.. Tltcomb had carried
a load of Goldfish to Versailles and sold it,
and Miss Adele had fallen in love with
him and eloped with him. "She shall
teach me French, dear Aunt Huldah, and
and l will teach her pure Yankee, with
with the true Essex County accent"
Such rattle as this gave a special interest
to the fatal moment at Andover when the
elegant cortege which accompanied
Sarah Paris on her first stage from Salem
arrived there. General Thomas took the
girl in his own chaise. Other carriages
followed, in which were the various
boxes, bags and other luggage which, as
receive in their wagon. More than one
oR IL ~Sr1o -Llo LII looool - A. Uo1o-
tines Day party had come to say good
bye. And as they stood by the slde-door
of the great stage-house in Andover, and
Sarah babe one and another goodbye, it
was clear that they would have made of
themselves a very pretty colony if only
they would all persevere to the new home.
At last Silas Gilman came running on
to announce that the wagons were in
sight. And sure enough, a train of four
or five canvas-topped "ships of the
prairie" as they were afterwards called,
filed by on the main road below them.
One of these detached itself from the
caravan, and came slowly up the hill.
The spirited boys, each on horseback,
rode up in advance. They swung them
selves off their horses, and, a little shyly,
approached the curious group who stood
on the piazza. These were Moses Tit
comb and his younger brother Cephas,
with whom, as the year went on, Sarah
Paris had much to do. The elder boy
introduced himself to General Thomas,
who stood a little in advance, and ex-
planned that it was his fathers wagon
which was coming up the hill. A minute
more and General Thomas was assisting
Mrs. Titcomb to alight, with the same
courtesy, as Sarah could not but observe,
even in that critical moment, with which
he would have given his hand to the
queen of France, who was at that mo-
ment the idol of all Young America. And
then a little confused, good Mrs. Titcomb
turned and looked around among the
bevy of girls to see which was to be her
partner for the next three months. For
there had been quite as much discussion
in the Titcomb camp as there had been in
that of the house of Paris. Sarah stepped
forward, and the sensible, good natured,
shy, motherly woman took the girl to her
arms at once. She looked at her with
admiration, and then, as if she broke the
bonds of her native reserve, kissed her
eagerly. "My dear girl" she said, 81
shall not be afraid of you a minute now"
And they both laughed heartily, and the
critical introduction was over. Aunt
Huldah came forward, and shook hands
heartily with Mrs. Titcomb, and with her
husband, who had now appeared from
the heads of his horses. Then began the
negotiations as to where Sarah's baskets
and boxes could be swung and packed
away-this one beneath an axletree which
had been reserved for it, that one from a
crosSbar in the top of the wagon, this and
that parcel under the feet of Miriam and
OF Polly, and SO on, and so on. Clearly
enough Sarah had a friend at court in
Mrs. Tltcomb, and she would not hear
no, not OF a pin being left behind. Sarah
mad IN her mind divided her luggage, as
sklItul travellers will, into the must be
and the maybe sections; but with good
Mother Tltcomb everything was must-be.