The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1905-07-13

ioicng, Ice cream, Angel cake, wines and
liquors were plenty, the son-in-law tapped
bis last key Of beer and all went merry as
marriage bell and peace reignsin warsaw
Thus the Lord blesses the meek In spirit.
In July II 10 company with another
patent right vender we crossed the State OF
Maine from the Penobscot river to st An
drews. We travelled by stage, the old fash
toned Concord leather spring kind, win
seats on top and trunk rack behind, drawn
BY four horses which we're changed every
10 or II miles. The road was mostly new,
Just cut through pine forests, full Of stumps,
rocks, mud, clay, many imall streams
which we're crossed on corduroy bridgef.
The first day GU. middle aged, red-haired,
fro kled.faced, bullet-headed man dressed
in a thread-bare suit Of black, accompanied
BY frail, wesz,n faced yellow haired, blue
eyed woman Of 80 lined US. They we're
man and wife and he claimed to be Pro.
lessor (of what we did not learn, but he
WAS blue ribbon and talked loud and long
about the beautiful State OF Maine, her
liquor laws, her temperance advocates OF
which be said he was one. His wife was
sickly, had cough and he was taking her
for her health to some relatives who lived
in Nova Scotia. The other passengers came
and went but the "Prof." and wife stayed
with US. Along the line we saw mills and
lumber camps at which were stage houses
and barns. We soon saw that the drivers
and knowing ones bought "shoe boxes" at
these stage stations. Some paid % cents
some 30 cents and more. These boxes con-
tanned certain black bottles that contained
tea, ctfise, or milk together with sand.
wicher. fried pies, etc. Some OF the said
bottles contained rum, q beverage that the
laws Of Maine prohibited, and cot good
money. The prof" had bis own lurcN
box and drank at the watering troughi
bringing madam pewter cup OF Adams ale
The fourth day at noon dtz,n or more
high priced boxes were bought by the doz
en- or more passenger ard we struck into
the worst stretch Of road on the trip. We
fl1undered along four . five miles, the stage
plunging ard lurcbing until II caught on a
stump ard the horses could not pull the
stage eli. We took1f our shoet, rolled up
cur pants and got down into foot Of black
mud, ard lifted ard pried. Tie driver
sxore. the air was blue and scented with
splritus fsrmtn,i. Bill Scott, the driver,
asked the "Prof" to get down sud help but
be had free pass and be preferred TO use
Il riding not lifting. Finally We 20. start.
ed walked 10 email troJk last ahead,
washed cur feet, put on our ,hoss and
scrambled up. Al the neIt stage house the
"Prof. In getting down flipplcd and cot
biz head ard hand on The strap rons,uo one
helped him aud DO one piled bin. BE 90.
ally got ny and Into the stsae hou'e where
be had hls WOUNDS tired MP and when he
came ut be bad two 30 cent boIss, ole be
gave 10 the driver who at otce "hatdsd J,
srouns, /" and after that the Pfof.' te:eo
axe olh,r psople and kept silll. The isii
day madam wac real ,iek and We did sli We
could to make her comfortable. Ard when
we parted At 81. Andrews we were good
hierds. Two years later ran aeross the
prot He was running ore-horse hotel
10 Northern Vermont. He saId madam was
dead Ard be bad drlited up irso Vermont.