The Portland daily press., 1894-04-02

The passenger who had made no pro-
vision for dinner supposing it would
| appear along with the noon hour, as
usual, begins to realize that there will
be no dinner until Houlton is reached at
2.15. But there is always good dinner
in aoulton. Everything is good there.
| especially the contrast of it's newness and
brightness and Hveliness and prosperous
ness with the wilderness through which
one has come.
One veteran travelling mans told us
that there are probably as
Many Drummers
now visiting Houlton as at Bangor or
Portland. There were 90 of them
stopped over Sunday at a hotel there
recently. And as for the business of
the place-why last Saturday the great
(for it is large) public square was full of
teams as the busiest street in
the busiest Maine city, and
that is very conservative statement.
One drummer, who came Saturday,
found the stores SO full of customers
that the storekeepers would not have
word to Say to him. He waited till
Monday, and then sold $500 worth of
gloves. Everybody is buying and selling
in Aroostook and every body has got the
money to do it with, too.
Winter is still reignlng undisturbed
here in Pressure isle. The mercury was
at zero yesterday morning, and is far
below freezing today. Fur coats are
every where. they are one of the notice
able features of the place. Dangling
over the sidewalk in front of the stores
they swing frantically in the wind and
knock off a pedestrians hat now and
then with much unconcern. Wrapped
around every man who drives a horse,
and most of those who do not, they
disseminate an impression of cosiness
and comfort. The women wear them
too--great Buffalo, coon skin and all
kinds OF fur coatS-n0t their brothers
or husbands, but there own, made to fit.
If a young man wishes to take young
lady ON a sleighride he is expected to
provide fur coat as we'll as a horse
and sleigh, if she hasn't one herself.
The stable keeper has them to let.
A two-horse team came trottina in
from the country, the other morning,
happens almost every two minutes) but
there were two figures in great buffalo
coats on the seat. The horses stopped,
one figure jumped one way, the other
the other with equal liveliness One
hitched the horses and started for one
store. and the other made for another
store. The one that hitched the horses
was WOludn dIU5I ACA ACdu uotu
emerged 1t is not uncommon for
woman to drive in two horse team
alone.
Another feature of this place, and
of the whole region, is the
.sset-over" Single Team
The shafts are set over SO that the
horse trots in front of one of the run
ners. A glimpse at the road outside the
town reveals the necessity of this.
There are so many double teams that
the horses and runners have worn deep
the middle. 1t is to escape this ridge
that the single horse is "set over.n Tt
gives to a portion of the driving COM
munity, in the eyes of the stranger, a
decidedly cross-eyed appearance. They
are apparently always Slowing around
a corner. or just about to. or something
equally unstable. But they get there
all right.
1t is lively here at the Presoue Isle
louise. There are always good many
guests arriving and departing at train
time, and there will be more when the
B. & A. comes through from Houlton,
and shortans the present seyen-hour
ride to an, hour and half. There are
over 20 new arrivals at the hotel every
day and the off ce has always heap OF
drummers' trunks.
We may write another letter, and we
may not, hut it is requisite for us to say
now as Git is for all visitors to Aroostook,
that this is great country destined to be
greater and that everybody is SO i'm
pressed with this fact, so pleasantly and |
that he takes occasion |
to say so at every opportunity.
E.H.E.