The Medina sentinel. [volume] (Medina, Ohio) 1888-1961, 1921-06-09
Tramped Along Within Arms Reach.

Irampeu Aion9 WN"i" -"
tethered, fed and watered their horses
J and while Sarah and the children
built fire and made tea and biscuits,
he was getting bait and catching fish
! in the stream.
'In a few minutes from the time
wet my hook mess Of trout would be
dressed and sizzling with a piece OF
salt pork, in the pan, or 1t was bad
day for fishing" he writes.
After supper the wagon was partly
unloaded, the heather bed laid upon
the planks under the wagon roof and
spread with blankets. Then Samson
sang songs and told stories or played
upon the. violin to amuse the family.
Often If the others were weary and
depressed he would dance merrily
around the fire, playing lively tune,
4, with Sambo glad to lend helping
foot and much noise to the program.
BY and BY the violin was put away
and all knelt by the fire while Sarah
! prayed aloud for protection through
the night. So 1t will be seen that
they carried with them their own
little theater, church and hotel.
Soon after darkness fell, Sarah
and the children lay down for the
J night while Samson stretched out
with his blanket by the fire in good
weather the loaded musket and the
dog Sambo lying beside him. Often
:. the bowling of wolves in the distant
forest kept them awake, and the dog
muttering and barking for hours.
Samson woke the camp at daylight
= and merry song was his reVeille
Z while he led the horses to their drink
2 When they set out in the morning
{, Samson was wont to say to the little
i lad, who generally sat beside him
y well my boy, what's the good wore
/ this morning" Whereupon Joe woulf
y say, parrot like;
r "God help us all and make Ill
y face to shine upon u.s."
IL "Well said |" his father would an
e swer, and so the days journey began
q Often, near its end, they came t
ct some lonely farmhouse. Always Sam
rs son would stop and go to the doc
e, to ask about the roads, followed b
OF little Joe and Betsey with secret hope
IS One. Of these hopes was related
or cookies and maple sugar and buttere
y. bread and had been cherished sine
TO an hour Of good fortune early In th
", trip and encouraged by sundry goo'
q hearted women along the road. Al
10 other was the hope Of seeing q bal
az mainly, It should be said, the hoI
lst of Betsey. ,Joe's interest was mere
mt an echo Of hers. he regarded babi'
with, an open mind, as 1t were, +
ca the opinions Of his sister still h
ne some weight with him, she being
Va- year and half older than he, b
'as babies invariably disappointed hi
m their capabilities being 30 restricte
a Still, not knowing what might happe
~ he always took look at every bab.
ldy The children were lifted out OF t
tly wagon to stretch their legs at sloug
to t-and houses: They were sure to
iey close behind the legs Of their faith
o. when he stood, at strangers do
Then, the night being near they w
sha always invited to put their horses
Of the barn and tarry until next mo-
q ing. This was due in part to the WI
ltyy, y,id fuI faces of the little ehiidren--a &
leir unsuspected by their parents. WI
hey motherly heart could resist the sil'
ana appeal Of children's faces or fail
90 understand iti Those were memora
life nights for Sarah and Joe and Betsey.
'ing letter to her brother the woman ~