Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1921-06-10
CHAPTER |.

Which Describes the Journey Of Sam.
son Henry Traylor 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 Plenty-Furthermor Il De-
seribes the SospinG Of the Brim-
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, a bread
board and rolling-pin, a feather bed
and blankets, small looking-glass a
skillet, an AK, pack basket with a
pad of sole leather on the same
water pail box of dishes, a tub of
salt pork, a rifle a teapot, a sack of
meal, sundry small provisions and a
violin, in a double wagon drawn by
oxen. II is a pleasure to note that
they had a violin and were not dis
posed to part with it. The reader must
not overlook its full historic signif-
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
way for it. 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 its ancestral
home TO go to a far, new country of
which little was known. We might also
have heard Samson answer:
It's awful easy to be happy here.
We slide along in the same old groove.
that our fathers travelled, from Yer
gennes TO Paradise. We work and
play and 90 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
q new starting place and another route
TO heaven"
Sarah and Sampson had been raised
on adjoining farms just out of the
He had had little schooling, [
put his mind was active and well in I
,lined. Sarah had prosperous rela- a
Ives in Boston and had had the adj /
iantase of years schooling in that G
'lty. She was a comedy girl of n G
aste and refinement unusual I'm the g
place and time of her birth. MANY r
yell-favored youths had sought her o
iand, but. better than others, she n
iked the big. masterful. good-natured. L
humorous Samson. crude as he was. =
naturally In her hands his timber had n
Undergone some planning and smooth I,
ng and his thoughts had been gently
I'd into new and pleasant ways. o.
Let us take a look at them as they .,
lowly leave the village Of their birth h,
he wagon Is covered with tent cloth W
rawn over hickory arches. They are n
tting on seat overlooking the oxen si
the wagon front. Tears are stream n,
TX down the face OF the woman. The 9,
ANS head Is bent. His elbows are n,
sting on his knees; the hickory 20
andle OF his OK whip lies across his h,
p, the lash OF his feet He seems 10 -
, looking down at his boots, into the 70
ps OF which his trousers have been 70
lded. He is rugged. blond. bearded m
an with kindly blue eyes and nj,
Their prominent nose. There is q no
riking expression OF power In the ,sI
nd and shoulders Of Samson Traylor | CO
he breadth Of his back. the size Of ,co
5 wrists and hands. the color Of rt
3 face betoken a man OF great ,rt
-ength. This thoughtful. sorrowful. ~.
titude Is the only evidence Of emo ,,,i
N which he betrays In few 40,
nutes he begins to whistle a lively ,vb
ne r., ~
The boy Josiah-famillarly called tbe
e-sits beside his mother. He is nj
slender sweet-faced lad. He. Is tba
king up wistfully at his mother. IN.
= little girl Betsey sits between him sta
her father. 81
That evening they stopped at the Gle,
use Of an old friend some miles shi
the rusty road 10 the north. sar
Here We sre-goin' west Sam sne
shouted to the man at the door bat
p. z