Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1921-11-04
CHAPTER II.
Wherein Is a Brief Account Of Sundry
Curious Characters Met on the Road.

Wherein Is a Brief Account Of Sundry
Curious Characters Met on the Road.
At Utica they bought provisions
and a tin trumpet for Joe, and a doll
with q real porcelain face for Betsey,
and turned into the great main thor
oughfare Of the North leading eastward
to Boston and westward TO a shore
Of the midland seas. This road vas
once the great trail Of the ~IroQuois,
by them called the Long House, be-
cause it had reached from the Hudson
to Lake Erie, and In their day had
been well rooted with foliage.
Soon they came in view Of the
famous Erie canal, hard by the road.
Through it the grain of the Far West
had just begun moving eastward n
a tide that was flowing from April
to December. Big barges, drawn by
mules and horses on its shore, were
cutting the still waters of the canal.
They stopped and looked at the barges
and the long tow ropes and the tug
ging animals.
There is a real artificial river.
hundreds o. miles long, hand made
Of the best material, water tight, no
snags or rocks or other imp~erfections,
durability guaranteed" said Samson.
'Tt has made the name of Dewitt
Clinton known everywhere"
81 wonder what next" Sarah ex-
claimed.
They met many teams and passed
other movers going west, and some
prosperous farms on a road wider
and smoother than any they had trav-
eled. They cemped that night, close
By the river, with a Connecticut fam
lily on its way to Ohio with a great
load Of household furniture on one
wagon and seven children In another.
So they Jared along through Canaan
daigua and across the Genesee to the
village Of Rochester and on through
Lewiston and up the Niagara river
to the falls, and camped where they
could see the great water flood and
hear Its muffled thunder. When near
ing the latter they overlook a family
of poor Irish emigrants, Of the name
of Flanagan, who shared their camp
site at the falls. The Flanagans
were on their way to Michigan and
had come from the old country three
years before and settled In Broome
county, New York. They, too, were
on their way to a land of better prom
Use. Among them was a rugged,
R.o.II1l rod hnodnd lod rJal1 o102-
In his teens, Of the name of Dennis,
who wore a tall beaver hat, tilted
saucily on one side of his head, and
a ragged blue coat with brass buttons,
as he walked beside the oxen, whip
in hand, with rousers tucked In the
tops OF his big cowhide boots. There
was also a handsome young man In
this party of the name Of John Ne
Neil, who wore a ruffled shirt and
swallow-tail coat, now much soiled by
the Journey. He listened to Samson's
account of the Sangamon country and
sa,d that he thought he would 90
there.
.lrah gave the Irish family a good
sa!nly of cookies and jerked venison
before she babe them good-by.
When our travellers left, next morn
liz. they stopped for a last look at
Tie great falls.
Children" said Samson, Il want
you to take a good look at that. It's
the most wonderful thing in the world
and maybe you'll never see it again"
1.-The Indians used to think that the
Great Spirit was in this river" said
Sarah.
Kind o. seems to me they were
right" Samson remarked thoughtfully,
kind o. seems as if the great spirit
of America vas in that water. 1t
moves on in the way 1t wills and no
thing can stop it. Everything in It's
current goes along with it"
"And only the strong can stand
the journey" said Sarah
These words were no doubt inspired
by an ache IN her bones. A hard seat
and the ~ceaseless jolting Of the wagon
through long. hot, dusty days had
wearied them. Even their hearts were
getting sore as they thought of the
endless reaches of the roads ahead.
Samson stuffed a sack with straw and
put II under her and the children on
the seat. At a word Of complaint he
was Won't to say:
Il know It's awful tiresome, but We
got 10 have patience. We're goin' IL
get used to IL and have a wonderful
lot Of fun The time1l pass quick
you see.s Then he would sing and
get them all laughing with some CO.
rieus bit Of drollery. They spent the
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