The Bingham County news. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1918-1930, 1921-12-16
THE BINGHAM COUNTY NEWS

Nldu 10 nave you WIFI us, Sdlu
Samson, "We've talked it over. If
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 Hill
nois, and on the ninety-seventh day
of their journey they drove through
rolling grassy, Towering prairies and
up long, hard hill to the small log
cabin settlement of New Salem, Illi-
nois, on the shore of the Sangamon.
| They halted about noon In the middle
of this little prairie village, opposite
small clapboard house. A sign hung
over its door which bore the rudely
lettered words: "Rutledge's Tavern"
| A long, slim, stoop- shouldered young
man sat in the shade of an oak tree
| that stood near a corner of the tavern,
with Il 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. l could
see he was still in the gristle-a little
over twenty-but his face was marked
up by worry and weather like mans.
l never saw anybody so long between
I, joints Don't hardly see how he
could tell when his feet got cold"
He wore a hickory shirt without a
collar or coat or jacket One suspen-
der held up his coarse, linsey trousers
the legs of which fitted closely enS
came only to blue yarn zone above
his heavy cowhide shoes. Samson
writes that he fetched sneeze and
wiped his big nose with a red hand
kerchief'' as he stood surveying them
in silence, while DIR. John Allen who
had sat on the doorstep reading a
paper-a kindly faced man Of middle
age with a 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?"
Eyes SIR
II 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 you.
Unhitch your team and have some
dinner and we'll talk things over after
you're rested. I'm the doctor here and
1 ride all over this part O. the country
I reckon | know 1t pretty WELL"
A woman in neat calico dress
came out of the door--a stronghold
and rather wel-favored woman with
blonde hair and dark eyes.
"Mrs. Rutledge, these are travellers
J from the East" said the Doctor
: "Give 'em some dinner, and If they
can't pay for it. can. They've came
all the way from Vermont"
"Good land! Come right in an rest
yerselves. Abe, you show the gentle
man where to put his horses an lend
him a hand"
Abe extended his long arm toward
Samson and said "Howdy" as they
shook hands.
"When his big hand got hold OF
mine, ] kind of felt his timber" Sam
son writes. II says to myself, There's
a man it would be hard to tip over In
rassle.'"
"What's yer name? How long ye
been travelln'? My conscience Aim
We wore out?" the hospitable Mrs
Rutledge was asking as she went int
the house with Sarah and the chill
, dren. "YOu go and mix up with thu
little ones and let yer mother res
while l git dinner" she said to Jo'
and Betsey, and added as she tool
Sarah's shawl and bonnet: "You loI
down an rest yerself while I'm fiyin
around the fire"
"Come all the way from Vermont :?
, T. NJ
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