Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1911-02-22

was d SOOu lCSCOH III Woyo ohi
though dearly bought was worth all
it cost US; if we could have secured
a little help we might have pulled
through and gone on with the busi-
ness, but that was not to be had
and perhaps, after all, it was just
as well in the long run.
CHAPTER VII.
In the early autumn of 1859, four
young men, Frank Lothrop, Freder-
ick Blakeley, William Blakeley and
the writer concluded to go south
and spend the winter, where, we
ere told, steady employment was
oe had for mechanics at much
better wages than were paid in the
north. Instead of going by steam
boat, which was too expensive for
us, we concluded to purchase a sail
boat which we had heard could be
bought at a reasonable figure. The
boat would carry probably a ton
and half, and we were told she
could easily be disposed of at Men,
phis, where we intended to stop and
spend the winter, if We had no
further need of her. So after look
ing her over we closed the bargain
and Immediately ordered her on the
dry docks, where she was carefully
overhauled, caulked and given a
new coat of paint; we christened
her the Morning Star" A canvas
covering after the style of the prai-
rie schooners so common in those
days was fitted on our boat to fur
nish protection from the sun and
rain, and from the dews at night;
it was so arranged as to enable us
to put it on or off at our pleasure
without much trouble. The mast
was shipped with mainsail and jib,
and everything made ready for our
voyage of five hundred miles toward
the Gulf of Mexico. After we had
been properly provisioned, cooking
utensils provided, shot guns and
fishing tackle carried aboard, we
bid adieu to, such of our friends as
had strolled down to the landing to
see us off unloosed the hawser,
hauled it aboard. ran up the flag
TO the mast head and then amid
the cheers of our friends backed
cut into the stream, turned the prov
TO the south, hoisted the sails and
were off, singing as we WENT
"A life on the ocean wave,
A home on the rolling deep"
Inasmuch as there was no crying
need for our immediate presence in
the south, we determined to take
plenty of time to the trip and get
all the enjoyment we could out of
it. The first day out we were favor
ed with fair wind, enabling us to
make splendid run, passing Ca
manche and lie Claire with flying
colors, raising our spirits and fill
ing us with exhilerating sensations
which were very pleasant indeed.
The river itself, with its ever
changing shores presented to our
view panorama of beauty which
was a constant delight, a series of
pictures painted by the skilled hand
of the Divine master artist one after
another revealed themselves to our
vision, challenging the admiration
of us all, appealing with wondrous
power to that sense of beauty which
God has implanted in all His in
telligent creatures; wide stretches
of table land reaching from the
river side inland, many a mile, sue
cessively followed by gentle sloping
vistas winding backward among the
hills, disclosing the marvellous beau
ty of the scenery as far as the eye
could reach. Then in their turn fol-
lowed by lofty, abrupt, rocky bluffs,
first on one side of the river, then
on the other, rising perpendicularly
to a great height, giving a sense of
strength and power, massive
granduer worthy of the Great Archi-
tect of the universe, who spake, and
it was done. 1t was autumn and
the leaves of the trees were of many
colors, green, red, yellow and pur-
pie, glorious'y tinted by the breath
of the wind, the lips of the sun, the
tears OF the clouds, the gentle
touches of baby frost and the con-
tinuous fondling of Father Time.
Noble old Father of Waters" the
days of the years Of thy life have
been neither few nor evil, rather
Rave they stretched away through
all the generations of the past; aye,
in the long ago, before even the
mocassined feet of the red man had
pressed the golden sands upon thy
shores, or his canoe had lightly
ridden upon thy gentle billows. thy