Norwich bulletin., 1912-07-06
GRANDMA'S TRIP TO GOTHAM

John Edward said there was no use talkin, we never could\ reach the sta tion without freezin' to death; and It was foolish piece of business, any way, for woman of my age to start out on such a journey with the mer- cury hoverin' around zero just because l had made up my mind that l was goin' on a certain day; and he guessed the cars would keep on runnin' just the same as heretofore.
 Of course, I'm not actually a fool, and knew some part of this without his telling me; but I kept reviewing over and oyer in my memory (which is pretty good, even if my hair is get ting tolerable white), that when John Edward made up his mind to go fish ing, or to a Sunday school picnic-he went, whether the moon was favorable or not, and he usually got up in the dead of the night, so as to get "a good early start"
 Well" I said to Sarah Frances (nly first and only daughter), who had done nothing for a week but talk about this wonderful trip to the great city of New York, well go just the same, even if we have. to wear our blanket SDaWiS ana ONerShOeS.
 As for myself l didn't care, but Sarah Frances thought folks would eriticise US, and say we had come from the ! country, and a lot of other foolish things, which didn't trouble me-and it won't her when she gets to be as | old as I am. So we bundled Up and | the hired man loaded us into the democrat wagon" with our budgets and bundles.
 Sarah Frances didn't like the looks of my telescope box (which, by the way, had pretty much outgrown it's l freshness), and said it looked "as tho we were starting out to peddle no tions," and she wished Pa would buy us a suit case" But I knew this was 1 out of the question, for it would cost more than all the eggs them Plymouth 1 Rocks had laid in a week. besides, it 1 would be too stylish for us. and as ! long as John Edward consented to our ] going off all alone by ourselves. l didn't care if I had to carry my clothes in a i pine box. So 1 just told her to pocket her pride and say nothing.
 i You see. all this happened away 1 back in 1901. and in February. too. l shall never forget the exact time, fol i that trip was one of the principa 1 green spots that still finger in my memory.
 We finally got aboard the train, not much the worse for wear, although 1 thought one of my feet felt a little 1 frosted But I wasn't going to tell oi it. if it was; so I just settled myself closed my eyes and breathed a prayer of thankfu!ness that we had at las got underway and nothing had hap 1 pened to upset our plans, not even thf i weather.
 Sarah Frances wanted to know if thought I could find my way arOunC after l landed in New York, and
 said:
 "Of course; you don't suppose l hav' lived all these years to go on gooC time and get lost do you?'
 Besides, I considered myself an ex pert at asking questions, if those DO licemen would only take time to an swer them This seemed to reassur' her, as she always had great conf dence in her Mas ability to manag' things so they would come out al right in the end.
 The only thing that was pesterin} l me, just then, was the question Q 1 finances. John Edward was alway talking about folks getting robbed Ol i the train. and he thought woman never OuSuL u I liil lllG loiA OA OeAi y 4A4s over a dollar and half above her car fare-not even in her stocking. Bu 1 he said if I could only get there my self all right he would send me a checl for my passage home. as he though that would go safer through the mai than in my pOcketbook. But just as
 was trying to ''figger" out what
 would do in case I run ashore fo money while Sarah Frances and wer downtown sight seein (ard I wa bound and determined to get a look a those wax figgers" at the Garden O Eden-no, that's not it, Eden Musee or Nuzay, something like that-any way we Went), when To and behold! W ran into some place as dark as Egypt It must have been an undergrount passage, for no sooner had we gottel into 1t and fairly underway than ou again we came, quick as wink.
 Sarah Frances clutched my arm am whispered hoarse like:
 Whats happened. Ma?"
 I looked around in the darkness, bu could not see anything, and nObod hoIIered or jumped up. so l decided t keep still. and just then we dashe' out into daylight again. I looked int
 my pocketboo to see if the dollar an
 half was there, and it was. Befor
 we had fairly recovered our composur
 we came to a standstill in the big sts'
 tion which covered as much ground a