Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1891-01-29
TITLE Prince Dusty

= shonld prove TO be tlgnt ana SOUND.
~ easv and pleasant it would be to
down the river on it. Whenever
w. had gone as far as they saw fit by
Wv. Yer tbey could probably sell the boat
enough money to meet their ex-
y .n.es on the rest of the journey. 1t
amod fine scheme, and Uncle Phin
s...ened to lay it before Brace Barlow
nd ask his advice concerning it.
The Young man listened to it with
.aat interest, and then they drove
80 N take a look at the stranded craft.
,t+er a careful examination Bruce said
,ssf with little calking of its seams,
Ao boat could be made tight and river
~ortbv and that Uncle Phin's plan
canned TO him a frst-class one. He
snrtbermore offered his own labor, and
40 pse of his team, to help prepare the
raft for its voyage. and get il once more
sfoat
This offer was most gladly accepted,
ard the two succeeding days had been
/ bpsv ones for both men and horses. IL
,,as found necessary to make several
,,ins hack and forth between Brace Bar
laws house and the Ark, as he called
The boat There they calked her open
so.ms and smeared them thickly with
riteb They constructed a rude track,
II straight. Young tree trunks, from the
| bost TO the water into which, aided by
-ollers long levers and the horses, they
finally succeeded in launching her.
| After this they had the sweeps to make,
and. as they had no stove, Uncle Phin
built a rude place in the middle of
| The floor. near one end of the cabin.
| This he did by forming square of large
rocks filing it with small stones and
| covering the whole with thick layer of
ssrth. They filled the hunks with sweet
. fresb straw and made pillows OF two
four sacks stuffed with the same materi'
al Brace Barlow covered one Of there
/ hunks with coarse sheet and blanket
1 drawn from his own slender stock of
/ household goods. Uncle Phin had his
. own bedding, that consisted Of thin
odaruly blanketand tattered comfort
en- He also had an axe. that was the
only piece OF valuable property that hc
possessed
i Then Brace Barlow bought several
cooking utensils. few dishes and a
snail supply of provisions. to which he
added potatoes and a dozen eggs from
bis own little farm.
When all this had been accomplished
the two men surveyed their work with
4 great satisfaction, and nothing but his
+ duty to his mother prevented Brace
4 Barlow from joining the party and maxi
. Ing the voyage down the river with
them
From information furnished by Uncle
Phin the young man gained an idea that
the greater part of their journey was to
be performed by water, and that Dale
court was somewhere in West Virginia,
within few miles of the point to
which the ark could be navigated.
This was also Uncle Phin's idea when
. be learned that the river on which his
craft was launched flowed into the Ohio.
which in turn washed one of the borders
Of West Virginia. This new name meant
nothing to him. There had been but
one Virginia when he left it, and ever
F.. Of its extent he had not the slightest
H conception. He imagined that, once
within the borders of the State, it would
be simple matter to discover and reach
bis old home. All he knew of travel
ing and distances was. that when he
followed his young mistress to New
York, the journey occupied less than
TWO days, and that the one from New
FORK to the oil couE try had been accom-
plished in about the same space of time.
80 now, while he was we'll aware that
boat drifting with the current, would
not travel quite as fast as train OF cars,
ne did not for moment doubt that two
Or three weeks, or a month at the very
most would see them safely established
between the stately magnolias of Dale
court.
dad he known that between the
place where they must leave their
boat and their destination, there
stretched weary distance of nearly
I'VE hundred miles. much of which was
across rugged mountain ranges, it is
PROBABLE that even his stout heart
would have shrunk from so great al
Undertaking. But he had no knowledge
u this; and, as happily ignorant of what
sas before them as was his beloved
~ marse," now sleeping so peace
luly on his bed of straw, the old man
n0sted contenuedly over the cleaning
sa'ers, and recalled bright pictures OF
'le dear old home he hoped SO soon to
Inc night was far advanced, he was
'Ofh out with the fatiguing labor of the
preceding two days, there was no sound
!" disturb him, and so, after awhile, his
aead sunk low over the steering oar,
sno ere loeg he, too, was fast asleep.
mus, with no wakeful eye to de-
srnlne her course, the ark driftcd on
through the night; now in deep shadows
y great hills or dark forests; then across
Ong stretches of silvery moonlight;
as'e eaughtby an eddy and turned slowly
'Ouha and round; there held for a mo
-snt on the point of some glistening
|'Aauoar' from which she would slowly
ing on and again move ahead.