The Snowflake herald., 1921-09-16
CHAPTER I.

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Which Describes the Journey of SAM
son Henry TrayIor and His Wife and
Their Two Children and Their Dog
Sambo Through the Adirondack Viii
derness in 1881 on Their Way to the
Land Of PIenty-Furthermor 1t De-
scribes the Soaping Of the 6rim-
steads.
In the early summer Of 1881 Sam
son Traylor and his wife, Sarah, and
two children left their old home near
the village of Vergennes, Vermont,
and began their travels toward the
setting sun with four chairs, bread
board and rOlling-pin, a feather bed
and blankets, a small looking glass, a
skillet, an AK, pack basket with a
pad Of sole leather on the same, a
water pail, box Of dishes, a tub of
salt pork, rife, a teapot, sack of
meal, sundry small provisions and
violin, in a double wagon drawn by
oxen. 1t is a pleasure to note that
they had violin and were not dis
posed to part with it. The reader must
not overlook its full historic signifl-
canoe. The stern, uncompromising
spirit OF the Puritan had left the
house of the Yankee before a violin
could enter 1t. Humor and the love
Of play had preceded and cleared a
way for 1t. Where there was a fiddle
there were cheerful hearts. A young
black shepherd dog with tawny points
and the name Of Sambo followed the
wagon.
If we had been at the Congrega-
tional church on Sunday we might
have heard the minister saying to
Samson, after the service, that it was
hard to understand why the happiest
family in the parish and the most be-
loved should be leaving it's ancestral
home to go to far, new country of
which little was known. We might also
have heard Samson answer:
Its awful easy to be happy here.
We slide along in the same old groove,
that our fathers travelled from Ver-
gennes to Paradise. We work and
play and go to meetin' and put a shin
plaster in the box and grow old and
narrow and stingy and mean and go
up to glory and are turned into saints
and angels. Maybe that's the best
thing that could happen to us, but
Sarah and / kind O. thought we'd try
a new starting place and another route
10 heaven"
Sarah and Sampson had been raised
on adjoining farms just out of the
village. He had had little schooling,
but his mind was active and we'll in
clined. Sarah had prosperous rela-
tives in Boston and had had the adj
vantage of years schooling in that
city. She was q comely girl of a
taste and refinement unusual in the
place and time of hel birth. Many
well-favOred youths had sought her
hand, but, better than others, she
liked the big, masterful, good-natured,
humorous Samson, crude as he was.
Naturally in her hands his timber had
undergone some planning and smooth
ing and his thoughts had been gently
led into new and pleasant ways.
Let us take look at them as they
slowly leave the village of their birth.
The wagon is covered with tent cloth
drawn over hickory arches. They are
sitting on a seat overlooking the oxen
in the wagon front. Tears are stream
ing down the face of the woman. The
mans head is bent. His elbows are
resting on his knees; the hickory
handle of his OK whip lies across his
lap, the lash at his feet. He seems to
be looking down at his boots, into the
tops of which his trousers have been
folded. He is rugged. blond, bearded
man with kindly blue eyes and a
rather prominent nose There is q
striking expression of power in the
head and shoulders Of Samson Traylor.
The breadth of his back, the size of
his wrists and hands, the color of
his face betoken a man of great
strength. This thoughtful, sorrowful.
attitude is the only evidence of emo
ton which he betrays. In few
minutes he begins to whistle a lively
tune.
The boy Josiah-familiarly called
JOe-sits beside his mother. He is
slender, sweet-faced lad. He is
looking up wistfully at his mother.
The little girl Betsey sits between him
and her father.
That evening they stopped at the
house. Of an old friend some miles
up the rusty road to the north
Here we are-goin' west" Sam
son shouted to the man at the door
step.