River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1896-02-20
SOME OF THANKFUL STRON6'S
EXPERIENCES.
BY SARAH wADswoRrH eErcrlKLL.

known that Mr.. and Mrs. Strong
were really going to Denver. Mrs
Strong had rot been on the cars but
once since she came here and ther
she did not go a hundred miles, but
she saw and heard more upon that
trip than many people do in going
around the world. More that she
could use for the entertainment OF
friends, at least. The day before
they started she said: 81 tell Caleb
that this bein' our weddin' trip we
won't hurry. Could make connec-
tons in St. Paul with just about a
minnit to spare but I'd rather take
time, SO we have to wait a good
many hours. I'll have a chance for
once in my life to study human ma
ture. They say that there is no
better place for that purpose than the
Union Depot. | shall stay there all
of the time; Caleb can go saunterin'
| if he likes. Yes, and l will take
notes and send them back to you"
The following is from her note book
"For a while there seemed little
to interest us. Caleb got uneasy set
tin, SO told him he might as well
go for a walk. He wanted me to go
but | thought | had rather stay there
and rest. While he was away two
young women who seemed to be
very intimate friends came and sot
near me. One said: 81 did not marry
the whole family when | married
| only took Nathan for better or fol-
worse, not all of Them" "That is
just what Think" replied the other.
"When / married my husband | ex-
pected and will have all of his love
and care." "Now," resumed the first
speaker, "my husbands only sisters
husband is dead and Nathan would
like to have me invite her to come
and live with us as long as she
chooses. | have not told him yet,
but | just believe | won't do it,
swell, you Just feel as do. George
would like to have me treat his peo-
pie just as | do my own, but how
can i They are good people, to be
sure, but then they are nothin' to me. y
Here they looked straight at me.
and felt moved to speak. "Y Dung
women," said |, Kit seems to me that
you have lost your reckonings and
are at sea. When / married my hus-
band it was none of your worlds
half marriages that we stood up
there together for. | married him
with all his hopes, fears, joys, sor-
rows and loves. If yOu iove your
husbands you must love and respect
all that he holds dear, else you are
not married in the highest sense OF
the word. You are allowing your
selves to grow narrow. Your lives
should broaden as you grow older.
One true love always enlarges ones
heart so that they can carry many
lesser ones and hardly notice them.
Time is like great river. If you
keep the current free from the sands
and rubbish of selfishness the chan
mel will at least keep its natural
course, and you will be able to carry
great loads upon your small crafts.
The name of your pilot should be
Love, and with him at the helm you
need fear no breakers or shoals"
Here my attention was turned to a
weary lookin' young mother with a
little boy, it may be that he was four
years old, and a pair of twin babies.
| thought of Orrilly at once. The
babies were just at that tiresome
time when the world is too large and
mothers lap far too small. | went
over and asked her how long she
had to wait. "Two hours" was the
weary reply. l said, 'You look
tired, and that baby looks as though
it would sleep if this one would let
it. Now you just lie down there
with it. l will take these children
for while" Caleb took the baby
babies always take to him wonder
ful-and | sot about amusin' the boy.
He was just as smart as a whip.
After he had asked the usual amount
of questions necessary to our ac-
quaintance he said: as that old man
over there that is holdin' our baby
your father? Hain't you got any
little boysf Got any dogsf We've
got an awful pretty green one at
home. y,can't you tell me storyi'
l repeated those lines beginning,
"Once trap was baited." He sol
quietly until l had finished, then
said: ssWhat did the mouse do then
Did the rat try to get him out of the
trap, Did the mouse cry, or did il
just eat away? Where did the rat
go then? Was the trap in house
Say, do you believe that God can see
every thing that little boys do;
When I'm home sometimes | shut
all Of the blinds so that He CAM
see me. l get awful sick of being
watched. Say, our babies came
straight from heaven. Some times
they squat so | wish that they would
go back. They Amt no good any.
way, can't talk and amt got hardly
any teeth. Say, won't you rock me
Pm so tired?" In just about min
nit the child was asleep. held him
and Caleb held the baby and they
all slept until the whistle of theil
train was heard. The mother looked
rested and so did the children. Sht
smiled and thanked us terrible pretty
and was gone. Then Caleb sighed
and said "Ships that pass in thu
| night" How fast the day had gon,
and now it was nearly time for us t.
| go. / had just time to straightel
Caleb's tie and gather things vi
when the train came. When w
were well aboard Caleb said: any
| Thankful, this is big world and
| feel for once as though | was in il
| | do wonder eff we will act country
fed?" 81 presume that we will,
said /, eff we act natural, and we ain
agoin' to putin on airs at our tim
of life. Let's act just as we be,
| pair of home-keepin' old hearts, on
in the world for the first time i
, years." 1t seemed to me that w
were nearly flynn over the road
went so fast that we could not sc
much, but from what we did see
. should think the country was yer
level. 1t made me think of tn
, directions for knittin' that we rea