Connecticut western news., 1922-03-09

Offut's Store and His Clerk Abe, and
 the Scholar Jack kelso and His
 Cabin and Ills Daughter 5lm, and
 Gets . First Look at Lincoln.
 They had dinner of prairie chick ems and roast venison,- favored with wild grape jelly, and creamed potatoes and cookies and doughnuts and raisin pie. It was a well-cooked dinner, served on white linen, in clean room, and while they were eating, the sym pathetic landlady stood by the table. eager to learn of their travels and to make them feel at home. The good food and their kindly welcome and the beauty of the rolling. wooded prairies softened the regret which had been growing in their hearts, and which only the children had dared to express. 5'
 Perhaps we haven't made a mis- take, after all," Sarah whispered when the dinner was over. 'T like these people and the prairies are beautiful"
 Tt is the land of plenty at last," said Samson, as they came out of l thought"
 "As Douglas Jerrold said of Austra- lia Tickle it with a. hoe and It. laughs with a harvest" said Dr. Allen, who still sat in the shaded doorgard, smoking his pipe. 'T have an extra horse and saddle. Suppose you leave the family with Mrs. Rut- ledge and ride around with me little this afternoon. I can show you how the land lies off to the west of us, and tomorrow we'll look at the other side"
 ''Thank you-I want to look around here little," said Samson. What's the name of this placer
 "New Salem. We call 1t village. It has a mill, carding machine, a tavern, schoolhouse, five stores, fourteen houses, two or three men of genius, and noisy dam. It's crude but growing place and soon 1t will have all the embellishments of civi- lized life." Ee.
 That evening many of the inhabit- ants of the little village came to the tavern to see the travellers and were introduced by Dr. Allen. Most of them had come from Kentucky, al- though there were two Yankee fam flies who had moved on from Ohio.
 "These are good folks," said the Doctor. There are others who are not so good. I could show you some pretty rough customers at Clary's Grove, not far from here. We have to take things as they are and do our best to make lem better"
 Any Indiansr Sarah asked.
 "YouA see one now and then, but | they're peaceable. Most of 'em have 1 gone with the uffaloes-farther west. I Now and then a circuit rider gets here and breaches to us. You'll hear the Reverend Stephen Nuckles if you 1 settle in these parts. He can holler louder than any man in the state"
 The tavern was the only house in l New Salem with stairs in it--stairs | so steep, as Samson writes, that "they were first cousins to the ladder" 1 There were four small rooms above them. Two of these were separated by a partition Of cloth hanging from the rafters. In each was a bed and bedstead and smaller beds on the floor. In case there were a number of adult guests the bedstead was screened with sheets hung upoI strings. In one of these rooms the travellers had a night of refreshing sleep.
 After riding two days w4eh the Doctor, Samson bought the claim o1 one Isaac Gollaher to a half sectior of land little more than mile iron the western end of the village. Ht chose a, site for his house on tht