Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1921-12-23
lelped mena the feiiy and Sc

before the journey ended, although
Samson Kept the reins In hand
through his misery. There were many
breaks to mend, but Samson's inge-
nuity was always equal TO the task.
One day, near nightfall, they We're
oyertaken by tall, handsome Yankee
lad riding pony His pony stopped
beside the wagon and looked toward
the travellers as il appealing for help.
The boy was pointing toward the hori-
ION and muttering... Sarah saw at
once that his mind was wandering in
the delirium Of fever. She got out
of the wagon and took his hand. The
moment she did so he began crying
like child.
This boy is sick" she said to Sam
son, who came and helped him off
his horse They camped for the night
and put the boy to bed and gave him
medicine and tender care He was
too sick to travel next day. The Tray
l0rss stayed with him and nursed the
lad until he was able to go on. He
was from Niagara county, New York,
and his name was Harry Needles.
His mother had died when he was
| ten and his father had married again.
He had not been happy in his home.
| after that and his father had given
| him q pony and a hundred dollars
i and sent him away to seek his own
fortune. Homesick and lonely and i'll,
| and just going west with a sublime
| faith that the West would somehow
| provide for him, he might even have
! persisted on the way if he had not fall
en- in with friendly people. His story
| had touched the heart of Sarah and
| Samson. He was big, green, gentle
| hearted country boy who had set out
| filled with hope and the love of adj
| venture. Sarah found pleasure i'll
| mothering the poor lad, and SO it
| happened that he became one of their
| little party. He was helpful and good
natured and had sundry arts that
| pleased the children. The man and
! the woman liked the big, honest lad.
One day he said to Samson: II
| hope you won't mind if I go along
with you, sir
! ''Glad to have you with u.s." said
| Samson, We've talked it over. Ii
you want to, you can come along
with us and our home shall be yours
and I'll do what's right by YOU
They Jared along through Indiana
and over the wide sAvannas of Illi-
nois, and on the ninety-seveDth day
! of their journey they drove through
rolling, grassy, Towering prairies and
up a long, hard hill TO the small log
| cabin settlement of New Salem, Hi
nois, on the shore Of the Sangamon.
| of this little prairie village, opposite
| q small clapbOard house. A sign hung
over it's door which bore the rudely
| lettered words: "Rutledge's Tavern,
A long, slim, stoop-shouldercd young
| man sat in the shade of an oak tree
| that stood near q corner of the tavern,
| with a number of children playing
around him. He SAT leaning against
the tree trunk reading book. He
had risen as they came near and stood
looking at them, with the book under
| his arm Samson says in his diary
that he looked like IAN untrimmed
yearling colt about sixteen hands
high. He got up slow and kept rising
| till his bush of black tousled hair was
| six feet four above the ground. Then
he put on an old straw hat without
any band on it. He reminded me Of
Philemon Bakers fish rod, he was
| that narrer For humliness I'd match
him against the world. His hide was
kind o. yaller and leathery. / could
see he was still in the griStle-a little
/ over twenty-but his face was marked
up by worry and weather like mans.
/ never saw anybody so long between
Joints. Don't hardly see how he
could tell when his feet got cold"
He wore hickory shirt without a
collar or coat Or jacket. One suspen-
der held up his coarse, linsey trousers
the legs of which fitted closely and
came only to blue yarn zone above
his heavy cowhide shoes. Samson
writes that he fetched sneeze and
/ wiped his big nose with red hand
kerchief'' as he stood surveying them
| In silence, while DR. John Allen, who
had sat on the doorstep reading a
paper-a kindly faced man of middle
age with short white beard under
his chin-greeted them cheerfully.
Where do you hail from?" the
!, Doctor asked.
| Vermont" said Samson.
"All the way in that wagon?"
| "Yes, sir"
~ guess you're made O. the right
| stuff" said the Doctor "Where We
| bound?"
Don't know exactly. Going to take
| claim somewhere"
There's no better country than
| right here This Is the Canaan of
| America. We need people like yon
| Unhitch your team and have some
| dinner and We'll talk things over after
| you're rested. I'm the doctor here and
| T ride all over this part o the country
I reckon / know 1t pretty we'll"
! A woman in neat calico dress
Il