The L'Anse sentinel., 1907-05-25

cOusiy Will STcdt SiduSuttT. Dut
they made agallant stand, and doc =
led US in nine rahs for the band and
the "Sons OF Liberty" Fatty"
grew suspicious that the Daughters
OF the Revolution" might emerge
from ambush, but they did not ap-
appear, and we sauntered up the
street.
1t is strange how we idealize. /
wonder what kind of mental pic
ture my Seader has of what that
street scene in Lexington was like,
or what Lexington was like, so true
is the old trite saying that distance
lends enchantment,' and such q
glamour does fame cast over old his
toric places.
! remember ] used 70 think OF Lex
ington-if eyer did really think of
IL in the concrete-as thoroughly
moss-grown little hamlet Of say five
hundred or so people, completely
side-tracked and all but dead TO the
world. | suppose that old familiar
pictures OF Lexington Green had
something to do with copjuring up
such caricature as this. 1t was
more or less of the Lexington of the
days of the battle. ] believe the
town numbered in 1775 about eight
hundred souls.
But the Lexington of today is not
the smallest nor the deadest Of
places According to the last census
il has about four thousand people.
In actual hustle it is of course far
below the average Michigan town of
the same population, for it is not a
business place. 1t is a residence
town. But is far from side-tracked.
The main street, which contains
practically all the business places, is
an unusually busy one. Lexington
is like bead strung on long string
the string is Massachusetts avenue,
which runs through all the towns,
including Cambridge with its hun
dred thousand people, that lie be-
tween Concord and Boston-termin-
ais twenty miles apart.
This long street is main avenue
OF passenger traffic, and all of this
passes through Lexington. OF course
II is true that the actual business"
OF Lexington is not much increased
by it, but it gives the main street
business-like aspect. There are also
twenty-five trains each way daily.
Aside from this Lexington retains
much OF the old colonial air. Many
OF the older houses are still standing
about which cluster historic associa-
tions. In the center of the village is
the spot OF foremost interest to all
visitors, the Common. This is tri-
angular green bounded by avenues
and surrounded by fine old trees
which give it somewhat OF park
like appearance. Here at the upper
end was shed the first blood OF the
Revolutionary war.
1t was toward this spot we we're
making as we sauntered< up the
street. To describe to the reader
what that street scene was like will
not be difficult to do If he can call
Iop (perhaps not without pain to
memory) some glorious Fourth OF
lJuly celebration he attended 10 his
tpalmy days he will have just about
what we saw. | must add-mipus
1.-THE fire crackers. This strange omis-
[siOn we could not quite understand,
unless IL were that these articles OF
Torment are sacred to the glorious
Fourth. Everything else was there
from the African dodger, the cana.
Track, the souvenir vender, the street
isingers and the Italian with his
monkey and hand organ, and the
shooting gallery, the toy balloon
tman, etc., etc., to the man who sold
solid gold rings for ten cents.
4 There we're booths galore, and
lmuch bad lemonade. Festoons OF
red, white and blue bunting draped
j the fronts of business places. PEN
nants and streamers floated from
4 piazzas and windows and chimneys.
Il Notices and arches and eagles, and
flags with thirteen stars united in a
profusion OF homage to the occasion.
!, 1t was, OF course, not this part Of
1t that was Of most interest TO US.
. though it helped TO keep us in touch
with the genius OF the day. We made
our way up the avenue 10 where It
divides ON the ~" Of the triangular
green, to what is known as Parker
I monument.