Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1897-11-04

| nave seen the lake Iuil OF Wdter.
"'Turn the water onl' / exclaimed.
i thought they advertised sailboats
and pond lilies and all that sort OF
thingf
80 they do, ma'am,' said the troll
ley man. but you know it's pretty dry
country down here, and they can't
afford to waste water on that lake I'M
less there's a crowd Drifter br-istled
up and said: What we want to know is
where the lake is when there is any
water
THE trolley man was accommodate
ing. He walked along with us, took us
up what he called a hin, and then
pointed out a hole in the ground about
80 yards round, and as dry as the hotel
porch. OF course, was amused, but
nevertheless disappointed.
"'Never mind, said Drifter. I will
take you for sail on the Trinity river
some afternoon. They are talking now
of running a line of boats up the Trim
ity from Galveston, and it will seem
like old times TO get on a real big ex-
cursion steamer.
For the next week or two Trinity
river navigation was thoroughly agi-
tated in the Texas papers. As near as
l could make out, the principal diff
Guilty seemed to be that they were clear
/ ing the river Of snags. / read that snag
4 boat No. ! had accomplished wonders
that suag boat No. ? had just left Dallas.
and / fairly reyelled in the anticipation
OF trip on the broad bosom of the
/ Trinity. Then the newspapers began to
print columns about the need Of rain.
and il was reported that the snag boats
were tied up, owing 70 the drought.
zone day Drifter took me on the
| train over TO the banks OF the Trinity.
Sure enough, there was the boat, an
excursion steamer on small scale, TO
be sure, but a boat, nevertheless. Be
lieve me. there was not two feet OF
water in the deepest part OF mat won
| derful river. One OF the Texans got real
mad when Drifter suggested that 1t
would be a good idea 10 put the boat on
trucks. SO as to give an excursion up
and down the river on wheels, at any
rate
You wait until we have rain, said
one Of the Texans, then you won't poke
any fun at Trinity river navigation
THE rain finally came, and there was
enough of it TO satisfy all Texas. Now
we will have our boat ride said Drifter
and we hurried over TO Dallas. Alas,
Trinity river was then so high that the
excursion boat would either have 10 be
: of
dock They couldn't afford 10 cut a
hole in the bridge, you see, just for an
excursion, and the river had risen TO tho
level of the bridge.
AT last accounts The Trinity river
excursion had been abandoned. Drifter
told me that the boat couldn't make
much Roadway on account Of the dust
in the river bottom, and believed him.
Why, actually they have 10 wait for .
rainstorm down there before they could
have outdoor baptism services, for you
see. il wouldn't look very well TO have
people lie down in the bed of the rive,
and have water poured over them from
a sprinking pot
III we didn't have river excursions or
sails on the lake, there was always
something to make IL lively during our
stay in Texas continued Mrs Driftcr.
Il wish you could have been down there
when cr0quet was in season. | went to
n croquet party one evening when we
first settled in Fort Worth. | enjoyed
IL very much. but didn't understand at
that time that one ought TO wear hip
boots or armor Ia simple little game
Ike lawn croquet.
"The next day was sight to behold.
| hadn't seen any mosquitoes, but il
was evident that had been settled upon
by swarm. My lower limbs were
spotted with the most irritating and eN-
asperatng mementos of the bites of
some insects. confided my trouble 10
ore of the ladies in the house, and she
said, consolingly:
"'Oh that's nothing. You have been
bitten by chigres, that's all
"Thigres. what are they?' | asked.
"Why. a chigre is a little red bug
she replied, the most persistent insect !
YOU ever heard Of You got them play i
ing croquct on that lawn. We have not |
had one at our house this season. but |
they have them over there. You ought |
to put some salt on the places where I
you were bitten. Rub them with salt I
and water. and you viii get the ehigres 1
Off.
surely they are not ON me now.
| snid,
eyes. they are, said the lady. /
.Chieres bury themselves under your
skin IL you look closely You can see
them
.lEy the aid OF Drifter's microscope I
was able 10 detect in the center Of each
inflamed spot little bright red insect.
something like spider. When ! poked
IL with the point of a needle il ran with
incredible rapidity II is needless to
say didn't play croquet on that par
ticular lawn again. Drifter told me
that chieres in Texas were like the
chills and fever in Missouri. The ma.
tiyes didn't mind them.
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