Middletown transcript., 1892-01-28

| was q uluOu VioCA 2OAAOW VhsSAA 49,.
now,) had been home here for the
Christmas holidays, and was to start
next morning for New York to resume
my work.
I" In those days journey from the
interior of the State to New York city
was, speaking after the manner OF
men, only a less serious matter than
death Indeed, among the country
people very much the same prepara-
tion was made for each, as tar as
putting all business affairs on posi-
bic post-mortem feeling went, with a
view of making settlement easy in
case anything happened as it was
quite likely to do. A summer
journey was undertaken only under
the most urgent stress of business, as
the time occupied and expense incur
red were things to be thought over
and talked over before being realized.
OF course we had steamboats,, such as
they were but TO the farmers in the
retired districts the idea of going to
York in steamboat was about as
practicable as it would be to talk of
crossing the ocean in a balloon in
these later timer. They much pre-
ferred the safer and cheaper sloops
and other sail vessels which made
regular trips between Albany and
New York for the accommodation of
travellers
If an average summer journey re-
quired all this forethopght, for one
undertaken in the winter, when we
were obliged to cross the river and
other streams hardly less dangerous.
on the ice, in heavily laden coach
drawn by four horses, to break our
way through deep snow drifts, or to
20 the wheels depth in mud, the risk
was very much enhanced. The ad-
vertised time for the winter trip was
three or four days, and the small way
side taverns where We used to put
up at night are still standing. The
promise as to time was rarely kept,
| depending as it did on the condition
of the roads, and the last day of the
journey we generally rode pretty we'll
into the night. I remember very well
being on the road eight days during
my college years, when the passengers
were obliged to pry the coach out Of
the mud several times. But as this
doesn't seem to be intimately con-
nected with my theme, I'll defer it.
Charley R-was my companion.
and had been home with me for the
holidays. A nice, clever, chap enough
and to this day my good friend, but
as a boy he was too eliminate to be
very popular among his classmates.
He had remarkably small hands and
feet, like girls, and we used to say,
was quite as proud of them. / could
never understand why Charley, with
his soft, womanish ways and manners,
should have taken to the Church |;
but he did brave and effective work
on the Western frontier, when it re-
quired as much courage to be mis-
sionary as to lead a forlorn hope.
"We were obliged to go seven and
twenty miles by private conveyance
to reach Albany, from which place
the stage started. We arrived there,
about ten o'clock in Che evening, and
enjoyed one night Of freedom at the
then famous Congress Hall-enjoyed
it almost too well, we thought next
morning, when we came down to the
dimly lighted breakfast.room, shiver-
ing and dispirited.
1t was the custom for the stage to
90 round from house to house to col-
lect passengers, the seats being secured
in advance, like boxes at the opera /;
so when it drove up to the hotel that
dismal morning, it was filled, with the
exception of the two places which we
had bespoken, one on the middle seat
where the only support to the back
was swaying leather strap, and the
other on the front. We could see
dimly by the drivers lantern that the
two occupants of the front seat were
an elderly gentleman, looking very
cross and evidently an invalid, and a
pretty, fresh looking young girl, rolled
up 10 the eyes in fur-lined mantle,
and, as we found out later, the sick
mans daughter. l don't think ever
saw so sweet "a"
Come, come, Morris" interrupted
Mrs. Cooper, don't 60 into particu-
lars, please, or you won't finish to-
night"
Charley had the good luck to get
in first, and of course seized upon the
seat by the pretty girls side, leaving
me to share mine with an old lady
who took SNUFF, aud carried a carpet
bag on her lap, poking me in the side
with the brass rod that fastened it,
when she did not crush my foot by
letting it slide to the floor. With the
daylight came a general Strengthening
up. and a putting of ourselves into
better shape, excepting the pretty girl,