The Jasper news., 1921-08-04


Lewiston and up the Nlaenrn flvtil
10 the falls. aud caniped where ihey
could see he great water flood end
.heuf It's rnunlad thunder When near.
Ing The latter they overlook d family
OF poor Irish emlgrantn. OF the name
OF Flanagan. who shared their camp
site at the falls The Flanaeann
were on their way TO MichiGan aud
hnd come from the old country three
years before ana settled In Bro0me
county. New York They. too. were
on their way to, a land Of better prom.
ise. Among them xas rugged,
freckled, red-headed had, well along
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 trousers tucked in the
tops Of his big cowhide boots There
was also a handsome young man In
this party OF the name OF John Nc
Neil, who wore ruft1ed shirt and
swallow-tall coat. now much soiled by
the Journey He listened to samson's
account OF the Snngam9n country and
said that he thought he would 60
there.
Sarah gave the Irish family good
supply OF cookies and jerked venlsor
before she bade them good.by.
When our travellers left, next morn
ing, they stopped for a last look at
the great falls.
"ChIIdren." said Samson, II want
you to take good look at that. It's
the most wonderful thing In the world
and maybe you'll never see II again."
'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 II the great spirit
Of America was in that water. II
moves on In the way II Wills and no
thing can stop It. Everything In lts
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 .ceaseIess, jolting of the wagon
through long. hot. dusty days had
wearied them. kven their hearts were
getting sore as they thought of the
endless reaches of the roads ahead.
Samson stuffed a sack with straw and
put IT under her and the children on
the seat. At word OF complaint he
was wont TO say:
81 know It's awful tiresome. but, we
got TO have patience. We're goIn. te
get used to II and have a wonderful
lot OF fun. The time'li pass quick
you see." Then he would sing and
I get them all laughing with some Gu.
rious bit OF drollery. They spent tho
night OF July third at a tavern In
Buffalo. then a busy, crude and rapid
growing center for the shipping east
and west.
There were emiRrants on their
way to the Far West In the
crowd-men, women and children and
babies sin arms-Irish. English. Ger:
mans and Yankees. There were also
well-dressed. handsome young meK
from the colleges Of New England
going out to be missionaries between
the desert and the sown."
Buffalo. on the edge Of the mid
land seas, had the flavor of the rank,
new soil In It those days-and especi,
ally that day, when II was thronged
with rough coated and rougher tongued
swearing men on q holiday, steve.
dores and boatmeR off the lakes and
rivers Of the middle border-soIne oil
whom had had their training on the
Ohio and Mississippi. There was much
drunkenness and fighting In the
crowded streets. Some Of the carriers
and handlers Of American commerce
vented tht r enthusiasm In song.
They had the lake view and its
cool breeze on their way to Silver
Creek. Dunkirk and Erie. and q
rough way II was in those days.
Enough has been written OF this
long and wearisome Journey. but the
worst of II was ahead OF them-much
the worst OF it-in the swamp flats
OF Ohio AID Indiana. In one OF the
former wagon wheel broke down
and that day Sarah began to shnkS
with ague and burn with fever. Sam
son built a rude camp by the road
side, put Sarah into bed under III
cover and started for the nearest VII
lage on Colonel's back.
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