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,
J. A. 14.
( JUST ABOUT ME )
J. A. U.
{ JUST ABOUT US )
by
Dr. Bertrand K. Wilbur
Volume I of III Volumes
Boyhood
1870 - 1890
•
•
& Education As a Physician
Camden, N.J. and Bryn lla:wr, P& •
( Pages 1 - 195 )
HaTerford, Pa.
1933 - 1936
Introduction to this Digital Edition
Autobiography of Bertrand Kingsbury Wilbur
Just About Me
BKW began JAM in 1933 while still in Haverford, Pa, and wrote the final page in 1938 in San
Diego, California as he notes at the top of p. 737 in Vol III:
....It is a long time since I wrote any of this, and I am still anxious to complete it. Having brought
old letters and papers to do so with me in anticipation of having lots of time out here, which I have
failed to find, I have at last gotten at it. It seems best to describe events as a series of pictures,
rather than in anything like history. Its sad enough any way, but it seems to me that you children
will want the whole picture.....
As noted at the top of p. 278, Vol II BKW hand-typed five carbon copies of JAM. These three
digitized volumes were scanned from a Xerox copy made from Teddy and Nelson's carbon, when I
stayed with Teddy at her small frame house in Haverford during the summer of 1981 and helped
paint her eaves from a long ladder. I'm forever indebted to Teddy for introducing me to JAM, and
for her suggestion that I make this xerox for my family, particularly since all the original onion-skin
copies are rapidly deteriorating. And none of them would have held up to the digitization process.
Please note that in many places BKW apparently had later thoughts and memories he wanted to add
after writing the main sequentially-numbered text. In such cases he summarized these added
memories on pages which he numbered A, B, C...etc. I suggest that you read the main sequential
text first. And then read these lettered addenda pages separately; the events they describe do not
necessarily fit exactly where inserted in the text.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Begins with BKW's original 3-page Table of Contents which covers Vol I and Vol II, and later
supplemented by son Ross Wilbur's expanded Table covering Vol II and Vol III.
FORWARD
Written by sons Bert and Harry during the 1936 'Wilbur Welcomes Wilbur Reunion' in Lavallette,
NJ (pictured on p.62 of 'Happy Days') when JAM was only partially completed
PREFACE
Written nine days later by BKW after a coronary event during the summer. He describes the
genesis of JAM: .....this took form, and as it did, I pounded it out from my grey cells by the twofinger-and-thumb method... BKW speaks of spending many evenings with Anna Dean ('mother')
writing, editing, laughing, and reliving their life together during the preparation of JAM/JAU.
HAPPY DAYS & SPECIAL EVENTS
The 900-page JAM/JAU story ends in 1912 when the family was still quite young and living in the
big house with many servants, gardens and optimism for the future. It is unclear why BKW chose
to end his story at this point, even tho he lived for many more years and died peacefully in 1945.
But World War I was brewing in Europe, tastes and customs were changing, and the business
climate was becoming more competitive. Perhaps these were the 'sad' years of which he speaks
earlier in the text. And he might have had difficulty recounting those years in JAM.
-- Page two
-- Introduction to this Digital Edition
So 65+ years later, after a wonderful Wilbur Reunion in Virginia in 1980, youngest son Ross
Wilbur, then retired and living in Minnesota, was motivated to compile this heartfelt 190-page book
of photos and personal memories, that fills-in this later period of the Wilbur Family history to some
extent.
To compile this work, Ross interviewed his brothers and sisters who were still alive,
excerpted sections from the large trove of personal letters and memorabilia he had accumulated, and
added his own unique and loving memories. I flew up from Chicago to visit Ross and his wife
Helen during the preparation of this volume, and was honored to help Ross in the its production and
distribution to every living Wilbur at the time. So it seems appropriate that Ross' later work be
included now in this digital Wilbur archive.
SUGGESTED JAM READINGS:
To help readers 'get into' the story of the Wilbur Family, I would like to suggest a few episodes that
I have particularly enjoyed:
JAM page
1
13
170
240
249
296
370
486
558P
562
592
629
658
667
683
712
745
755
759
781
787
801
Early childhood beginning in 1870 in Camden, New Jersey
Family trip to Europe by steamship, train and carriage in 1880
Arriving in Alaska for the first time
Courtship of Miss Anna Dean
Hike up Mt Edgecumb in the wilds of Alaska
Summer in Gratiot, Michigan
Return to Anna Dean and their wedding
Cruise of the sailboat Bertha captained by BKW
Meeting John D. Rockefeller in Alaska
Leaving Alaska for the final time
Beginning work at the chocolate factory, by 'God's direction'
Summer at HO's 'salmon preserve' on the St Lawrence River
BKW raises money on the Main Line for a YMCA
Buying a 1906 2-cyl Maxwell - top speed 35mph
BKW joins the first Board of Health; describes early sanitation standards
Discovering Lavallette and the New Jersey shore for the first time in 1908
Steamship cruise in 1910 from New York to Caribbean & West Indies
Early biplane flights from nearby cow pasture
Honeymoon in Jamaica by steamship in 1911
Early trips to Lavallette in the new 1912 4-cyl Cadillac
Harry Backus and the Family's black servants
Starting a Scout Troop soon after scouting came to America
Carolyn Treadway and I as BKW's grandchildren, enjoyed discovering, editing and digitizing this
massive work. We hope that future Wilburs will also enjoy reading it and passing it on to their
children. JAM represents our heritage. For we believe that within each of us dwells the ideals and
spirit of the man who was Bertrand Kingsbury Wilbur.
Clark Maxfield
Son of Helena Ruth Wilbur Maxfield
January 24, 2017
.t'.liEFACE
&.hLIES'l .HCOLLi..C'JI01\;) &.nd .t0YL00LI.
Centenia.l
E:xpo:;i tion, tryn :.lav.r, .t'<'. in l ~7J. heLry C. l'.l J bur, Description of
i:ryn ll~a~·r, r:Uro:··ertn trip in l080, .School d~=>.j·s, d.ss Geiger, .1-ept'erell,
;.'other'~ horr.e, !/.onnt 1-lol.J·oke Ccde;;:e, ranherst, .i:·.~ss. GBi\EALCGY of
Ltn;rence and Chapman !'r.r:1ilier,. phge 54-lc
First Camping trip to iY.aine, • Lake KennebnGo, Lake Kinr.: Rnd .l::~:trtlett,
t.i0 &·t>3, !~ere abc-ut LTJ'1'. 1\',>-V.T, '1\J, .ci:ool in .d:ll1:1d•.dphiu, bcJmor,t
Gra:m:r.er, Dr. ~~-iller unct "'dirond&ck trip ::.n 1;-"i.;b, !"'g.?'!, Gc~ntr&l Hit_h
Schocl, 1-'hilE-celphia, 81: huhrw:r:ann ;,.cdic~d College, U!U~:i, 9(-: ,~- lr_,g,
'l'he louguets and the t'i!·st bi.c:.-cles, ~~!,. i:.oJLoori :d; I·r.Jn J\.~:;v.r, 9u- LJ7.
lfact
Harbor, V:ttsrt.,ld9u, 14::S: trip :::ct.:ross tr1e contin•cnt, v:ester~. "citiestt,
sage t::rust, 1~nllb. Yaallt\., Ttt.co!:--~a, .r... -t·(~rdeen, I..!L·:::fl~.li~~, Eo.:jUi~;n, GrtJ..~·G !:t·,rb.;.;r,
v:or-kir1c: in tJ·.e S&"'-·.-nlill,The Jtt\/S, forest. 1·2.re, 1l;ri~: u:. t.hP .t~U!!H)til.ir::s, 158.
rte"Lurn~ Che.:ezme, :or;d coY.toys,.lti2.
- ·
'
Gl·~du&.tion, ExBrr.itcL tion i'or ir.t,~nlship, lci4. Dr. Van Lennep, lti<;. ; l~.oreheb.d Cit;:l!___ ;:r.~Ll'[;:i_• .tttchelor';o .i::.!:..rge c:;.-ub,l7G; l'he 11 1\l
Meg1.mtic Lake, Cu::.1o1-d&, n,./ H"~::Jr;O. deer and~~ rith; on a deer's h..tck, 134.
JnckinG for i'un,l:J::i. l•or
H&.hnemann, l9b.
Derr:on:;;tn,tor in liistology,
Volurr:D II
Al-f'LIG.n1'IO\ 'o~.C h.ission Bow·d : .P~Jsich:.n need ,d &t Sitkt:t, 195, I apply
visit th~ I:oard ana amac?epted, 19ti-7 • .,:, r:;roposeal, en pe.sss!Jt,l88,
prep;;:.rat~ons to go, lS:1: Lecture on i .. l&ska, 2C:.': tha cepH.rture, 202:
l'ortlund, Seattle, Juneau, J,'uir Glucier, Si t.ka, 208 •
..
Table of Contents, pa.g;e 2
SITKA 1SISSIOJ:T; first i:~rp.1:e s~i ons, 210; Rudolph ;Tal torr, 21 b; my
ouarters 216; lii.y office opehed,21?; Visting in the Ranch, 218;
First on~ration, 222; Hosp:ltal opened, liov. 1894. 227; Tourists
visit hospital, 228; np Verstovia, 232;
Apuendicitis, return East, 236; Enter Anna Dean, 239; S~e comes
to· dinner 241; neturn to Sitka, Helena and Uadeline·.'T'lth me,
244; The inssion staff, 247; Trip to MT."Sdgecumb,248. l!ias Gibson
pRrty, 259. A murder case, 260; Christmas at't)le Schcol,265;
"The Pinta " 266· I meet Li:eut. Crose, 267; Living at the l!anae,
268; Abdomlnal o~eration, 269; Religious life,2?1; Picnic on the
islands,272; Trouble with Shull,273.
A.-pro:posia by mail,278, The Ala5ka.l'l Society of. Natural History·
and Ethnol.;;).gy;-218-J Explor$.tion;279, A sha'!Jan'a grave,: 281·; The
a.na~er from Hiss Dean, 283; Krs.Senn's il1ness:.284; t nle.n to_:
go East,. 286; ~Ravens'1Ie-8t';-287; S~ary of" my work, 290;
The
C.E.Convention~291; Yosemite and
Big Trees,292; Pikes
Pe~~
?.c Garden of the Gods,293; Philadelphia,294; A letter fro.:n I::"iss
~ean,295; Gratiot Beach, 296; I ask her,299; ~aidenhair Eo~er,
302; Cincinnati, 305;~ leave for A1aska,306; Delayed at SeattAe,
3·18; Sitka a.t las~, 311; Our hod:pi tal girls, 313; Pest ~.1ortem in
tlle Tia.l'lch, 315; The blue envelopes, 317r. Difficulties a."ld disco~.tra::;emen ts, 320.
S~~.LAZA?..IA ISLAlTD_. 323; lJay bla."llets,331; Princess Thom..332;
Tnl'!
'North Star", 336; Tired out, 338, Sit!:.& society, 342.;
1
~ohn G.Brady,345~A; The Christmas Play, 348; The g~hopaone,
35l;Aunt Helen says 11 Come",354; A serious obstetric case, 358;
}!.:r.Beek's rredding, 360; The crazy wc:man,3c2; f-..rma visits my :fa7:.ily~365;
\Vedding pla..<
'if;.::iting for the boat,370; The "S.S.i'lig.-:a.'"l 1' , 372; "mere is .A..rma 1 s
man?" The @irl in grey,375; '.Vedding ple.l'!S and proble:::z.s,379;
Tbe wedding day and the wedding, 381- 332; F.oneymoon trip #1,388;
The VP..n Tuyl:es, and the "Topeka", 390. J"uly 4th. at J"u."leau.394;
AI1na arrives at Raven's :!:Test, 397;
$-ur Public Reception,400;
:Sarly daystogether, 401; ·Up 1~t.Sheee, 408; Clearing our 11 far:n.,"
410; Lieut. 1!o8es urite:~ of "G:he Battle of Sctntiago, 413 •
.\.n!ta does~ soci~ty" 415;-:fularg:i;tg Raven's ~rest, 418; A native
in our roon, 420; !.'.:oving !':'1to the !·Iestt 421; limY it looked~422;
Ai rtights and Smoke dru::ns, 424; A difficult life for the bride,
,:~t;'; Scholar'3hip letters 1 428; ?ire atthe ::_~st, 431; Christmas
bojres from .lttome, 433; "Sn terte.ining Cottage people. ~435; A ro1r
r:i th the l!aval ~urgeon, 438,
The big potlatch, the peace dance, costu.!:.'les &c. 439;
!!
H'ClDi:.I\'fS n; CUlt LD!;;: :.:;5 ;::-in>': &.nd i,errh:r eg;:;s, 444: heler..a arrives
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Th
y,iLard. ~.nd proc1e:r.s, 474; I:ertie tro't.s, 47t:; Chur::h t:'roblems, • 7;
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Edgecu:nb club • 482; l).cting J~inister, 485.
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S/:A(}7fAY A!'rJJ,;lfHl~ iORS3. 5:53-4; ~:files Canyon and 'Vhi ta Horse
Ls.;Jids, 53~7-R; .Dyen, 541; Tl:e C£>.nadian ~~,:ounted I'olice, 540;
The "Ala.eka:."'l a>1d Shefflel''"543; Trip to Squanshansky Bay, 54?; Anna
oatche B sal ::non, fi49; Our fare;vell party, 552; The Pande Basin
hoo.x, 5:':3; ~;y gold mine, ;)54; Sell in;i out, 555; :t.'arewell to Sitka,
;:-,r:,e.
AT?l:i.EHX TO Tit:; i\JJj\:i!~.S..- ::;;:;;::nc·;1.
My mother'3 letter nf 19J2, 556-A ~~; Indian River, 558-F; Seining l'Jalmon, !:'?:-2.- F; S!:Joid:1g salmon, 558- I;. ~'orests, ptar:::tigan and
JA1;-~~ Hedoubt,~:<~'-S ~-.c; Beo.r ::·:nting, 558-1.:; Interior of I:aranoff
lslnnd, f:~i2-U; E:;nry ]•.?i~lds, !"58-0; .Jo.hn D.Rockafeller, 558-P:
:Let te:re of my mother, :15o-lt to X; Anna's letters to the 1:iationa.l
Indian A3so. 55S-\' to 558-c:~; 4th of July Oration, 558-DD; Delegc;.te to General As~eT'!bly, "·['·8-II; !!is~ Eindshaw on getting Spectacles, 558-:),Q.;
THJi: Hot~.VARD TRI:F.
!.'y La.at re-port tQ1the Board, [1 60; Retrospect, 561; Ca.nneries,562;
A scare on the stee...-,er, 563; Seattle, St.Louis, CinDinnati, 567;
'rhe Chu'toh rece;Jtion, h68; Van Lenne-p again, 570; I decide on
buninees. !'·71; .Jettled in AP.dmore, 572. 'forking in the
factory, 572.
J Vl)l.
'Ihe ~ 10 ~·'.c~ ,._:_- :1 (}r c:-~~ '-7 ·~;rL~::~ ~ _,~~ ::. n~::-t_ ,. ~-~:to t.::ret=: \."'"Jl'-~TftPS is unr·s~::'.tt~d t-:. t:~~-- tv·) t.iti .. ~.- \'--· :..•-··• :.: ~-· ...... 1..7.) • .&.'J.t:·.,:;r it e·)incid~:-.~ '-'.3..-tf: t!·.e t,h::-et:
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Table of' Contents, page 4
•
Volwne II
Medical }r~i.fi_sionary to Sitka, Alaska
··Page-·
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
J!,..
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
46..
45.
46.
Advertisement for Homoeopathic Physician a~ Sitka,
Alaska
· Corr.mission, January 23, 1894
Lectures about Alaska
Juneau, 1894
Sitka
The Nission, First Impressions - "The Sheldon Jackson
Training School"
John Gamble, han of all Work
Rudolph ~·lalton
The Beauty of Sitka
"The Ranch" lvhere the Thlingit Indians Lived
"A Morning at the Ranch - from "The North Star" published by U. P. Shull, Mr. Austin, and B. K. 1-Jilbu:::Teaching Native Girls to Become ' 1Boston Cooks"
The ~ission Hospital
Life at the Mission
Returns to Philadelphia for Surg.';::·
Back to Sitka with Sister Helena Elliott
The Mission Staff
The Mount Edgecumber Trip
Childbirth at "The Ranch"
The School Students "Indentured"
Hi9cS Gibsc.n, the Hospital rrurse' s 40th Bi:::-thda::·
The Doctor is a 1-?itness at a Nurder Trial of a ~·~
Lt. Com..r:1ander Crose
An Operation
Religious Life
Trouble with Superintendent Shull
Exploring an Ancient Village
A Wi.tch Doctor's Grave
Lt. Senn's Wife Critically Ill
The Doctor Plans and Builcs His Home - "Raven's Nest''
Sumit:ary of Ny l·brk
Dr. 1\ilbur' s Furlough After Three Years
Courtin6 and Iiethrothal
I'r. l·:'ilbur Returns to Silka
A Busy Time at the Hospital
Judge ;-Jilliam A. Kelly and Superintende:ats Shull a. ...~
Austin
Our Hospital Girls (Nurses Aides)
Difficulty of Practice
Father Anatclious - Practices Hedicine
The 1-Jonders of Lazaria
Gull's Eggs with Chicks for Breakfast
Sleeping with the Petrals
A Man Killed Getting Eggs - Payme~t of Blankets
The D•:>ctor Uses S!!:in for Skin Graft for I-iusb:md of
Princess Then and Teaches a Less~n of Christ's
Forgiveness
Tne i':'::>rth Star Ke>vspaper
A Strained Surgeon
195 A
198
200
205
208
209
211
215
216
220
221
224
226
2?~::>
236
244
245
250
256
257
258
260
267
269
271
273
279
280
284
287
290
291
295
303
312
313
519
322
323
.."i:nco
333
-~~~"'
yr
-·
•
Table of Contents,
.:1..
50.
o3.
04.
C5.
c7.
ciS.
c3.
:o.
•
71.
72.
-~ 3.
7,_;,.
76.
77.
.....
ao.
n;:,
79.
31.
52.
54.
55.
5o.
:7.
::.9.
91.
?2.
:15.
':::7.
::3.
:.co.
~age
5
After wn Operation
A Blessed Letter
Society and Other Things
The H.M.S. ".t-heasant"
u.s •.s. Y:heeling lirrives
Social Life in Sitka
John G. Brady, Governor (1380 )
A Valentine Party
Missionary Boxes
A Christmas Play (A clash of the Indian Cult~re
with Christian Concepts)
The Grauhouhone
~. Austinis Surprise Party
I Get a Letter
Aunt Helen Taylor's Letter
"You May Come for Nancy"
Afu.
Getting Do~~ to Earth
Mrs. Magee's Urgent Need (The confinement of a Russie.n &irl.)
Wedding, But Not :Uine
The Hospital Cove
An Unpleasant Predicament
Freed From Suspicion
Wi 11 Bert Come 'l
Anna Visits His Folks
Planning a Weddin6 from 4080 tiiles
1i·ihere ll-iy :.Lirne Goes
·The Plwnbing at "Haven' s l,;est"
Bert's Dover Chest
V';here Is the Stea,.,.boat?
.h Very UncOJnfortable 'Irip
A Lover In "Cold Storage"
The Girl In Grey
Welcome to 520 Prospect Place
Happy Busy Days
. vYedding Plans
Y'edding; Froble:r.1.s
Ky F~~ily Arrive
The Wedding Day
The ¥':edding, The i';edding Supper, The i~ec:!riing Rece~tion,
\';hat the Papers Said, The Da.y Af'ter the ·;·e
Dinner i'!ith E,;.rr;r (and Clara)
v;estward r..o !
Across the Continent, On the"Topeka", Ylliose S~ateroc::r.. Is Tt:is?
Sta.teroo:r.s Oversold, Often !
June~u and u~cle Sam, Independence Day at J~~eau
Sitka Tomorrow, Sitka and Eome, Anna Tells of hoven's Xest,
The First Day at Hor::e
The First Triu to the Islands
Our Rec8ptionL(The Eride and Groom)
Another Picnic , Suppers at haven's Nest
. Goodbye to the Lettsk Girls (Selins o. il.."lnie), Selina's Le-;;ter,
At Y..ork .ne;ain, iillnie Hines Letter
~iedical \'.ork,
The Mountain Top;,.Stumping and Clearing (e..t lt!:.ven's I;est.)
More About Raven' s Nest, .tilllla Y.ri tes c!'· Cur Doinf:S
Lieutenant Stanford E. koses, Letter of Lie-.:..tenent koses
(about the battle of Santiago, Spanish-..,:;:eri:::an ;·:ar)
Anna rteturns S:xne Calls, .iillna Tells of .F&.rty Calls,
?reserves and }.un::;.v;~:.ys, A Chafing Dis;,. Sup;:;er
------·
-·~,.
Page
339
340
342
343
344
345
3~5-A
346
347
348
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
3c0
3ol
So2
3o3
3ti4
365
.,_ ...
.... co
3o7
3o8
3o9
370
372
374
375
37o
377
378
379
3!:30
381
332
387
388
3-59
339-A
393
395
399
400
401
403
407
409
413
415
y'
Table of Contents,
•
2.Jl.
::.J2.
:.J3.
:J4.
:.os.
::.Jo.
107.
lD8.
:-J9.
llO.
:.:..1.
:12.
~14.
::5.
•__
1 o.
.
•
:.:..7.
:.~o.
p~ge!
Building the .r.ddi tion, (lilld 1iission V;ork), J.. 1:an In Our R:::Jc:n,
Moving Into a Bigger Eest, The IJJ-terior of Raver,' s
liest, Raven's Nest, Co::ne In. "Coming Up Stairs", :Uore
About the l>iest, A New Life Is Given Us, aQuarrel, Eut
Only One,
Photography and Other \','ork, Society Letters and Other Viork
A pathetic Family (at the Ranch)
We Ne"rly Lose the Nest, Fire at Raven's Uest,
Christmas Boxes from Home, Christmas 1898, Entertaining
the Cottage I:-oys, Ice Crea...'ll Surprises
Row With Dr. Y.hite (Naval surgeon)
The Big Potlatch (Opposed), The Peace Dance, The Deer Is
Captured, 1Core .h.bout the Big Potlatch, Costwues ~d:. the
Dance
Herring and Eerring Eggs
A Baby .hrrives (Bertrand E. Wilbur, April 10, 1899), A True
:!v~ther' s Heart, More .About Baby, Bab.,- Eert, Kew Adjustments Necessary, Maids Un.maid, Soapy Smi tn:• s :Decoy,
Helene, the Piazza and Garden
The F.arriman a:oedi ti::m , A Note on Earriman
Camping at Crab-nay, Crabs and Salmon Trout, Fa~ at Crab Bay,
Bring ~ Gun Doctor
Yachting at Saw l.dll Creek, Tripping In Silver Bay, Not ,i,.ll
Play
A Parisian In Si~ke Eospital
Scholarsnio Letters
A..'1other Th;__'1ksgi vi ins Din!ler, Th10>nksgi ving; 1899
.Acting Xa.val Surgeon
. ADo-th'erC!1..ri sh:.!:',S, Christ·:u•. s 1899, tiwre .nbcu-t Chri st:-r.as,
Skat~ng ~nd Frost Crystals
Colonel"'i,ilbur, lst.. Lieutens.nt ',filbur
Fb.nnie 'iillard (Hora Ca.rapbell, Olga f.ilton) and Others
(Question of hi:z;her education for natives.)
.&d-r.ard 1:arsden, 1·.arsden 1 s ''Mariette".
Dif'ficul ties &nd ircblems, Capturing Children (Comt'etition
beb
Cl;urch Troubles, "Zeal Y~i thout Knowledge", Offended :i\ati ves,
Harmony Restored
To>m :l::eetings
Trouble Ya th Cottt;.ge People
f.iiss Gibson's :Furlough
Acting U:inister r.r:;&.in (Iir. kcClellend on furlough.)
'fhe Cruise of'. the Bertha, The Charter, Ferparation, \';e Sail,
0
'
"-.,g , "C.._~c':
t
~I
'I
.j.
"
b DI.J~y ~
•
•
,..
h.._
Cnar
o _;:;.~
~-~ ve.1 ~ 1·.es "• \J::a.
~.nx1ou~ "'1 &. ~,
11.
L"ivelv Sall,
t.1o~kB.
1sl2nd, S1tk:a
1~o~.;
::.n
~::>rlr.!. ..:S,
•
S:::.~oed
£:=-:,..bJ
Exp~cted
430
431
433
438
439
444
445
450
·~452
?5ti
~59
4ti0
4tH
4o3
4o4
4o8
470
471
474
47o
477
482
483
484
485
H.c·:ouo-:;
Bs:y~ Difficulties, A Bad Situation, Ship t·irecked!,.Saf'e,
In the l'i!ornint; Light, the hX, .Home, Settling; Y:i th Clements.
.n_'1 Unusus.l Experience, Correspondence v,i th the Eoe.rd {re complaint about visiting; the hanch rr.ore often), :t.:y Reply,
A foor Letter
O:.>..:c
419
428
Chicken Yox Or - -?, &~~ll ~ox!!
The l:Iew Baby (i:iarry Lsv;rence born Janun.r./, ll, 1900)
Ss.d, Strenuous Days, 'iie Nl:l.l'"le Him Harry, The Scourge Jia.ges,
JW:r:e: Complications, Yr. Ke!:ly }~e~>.rs Del;.th
Fs_ther and liot:,er Visit Us, E&.l ibut Fishing, D!i.f Trips •-·ith
Father, Proble:r,s of liisc
, , Thinking of ::tesigning,
I Resigp.;;-JlyvResie;nation, My Resi[Tia.tion i:.ccepted, Thinking
About It, i.£'ter Three ?;!onths
487"
5o a
El4
515
517
518
523
529
....
•
•
•
Table of Contents, page 7
no.
OTer the ~nite Pass.
111. Skagway and ~hite Horse. A Dangerous Trip. Ska~~y At Last
(mining for gold & the gold rush, '97 -'98), Miles Canyon
112. White Horse, Town and Rapids, l~nite Horse, Yukon Ty.,
·Dyea, Dead and Desertelll.
113. The Mission Doctor, No longer.
114. 11 The Alaskan" and Sheffler.
115. The Wreck of the Islander.
116. "Going to Press". Two Bad Boys
117., Squa.nshansky Bay,Anna Catches Salmon,The Scow Goes Adrift,
The Cruse of the Suchflopsky.
118. Leslie Jackson's Paintings
119. A Farewell Party.
120. The Pande Basin Hoax (devoid of gold)
121. My Mine At Billy's Basin.
122.. Selling Out, I Return On The 1 Kelly', Goodbye Dear Friends,
Farewell to Sitka
123. Appendix to Alaska Section.
My Mother's Letter of 1902
Indian River
The Big Salmon Catch, Smoking Salmon, The Forests~
Ftagmiga.n and Redout Lake,
BUnting Bears, Chasing a Deer,Baranoff Island interior
Henry .M. Field and lUece, I Meet :tAr. Rockafeller, We
Expect Young Roacafeller to Dinner
A Birthday Letter From Mother, 1899
Anna's Letter, April l899,September 1899, Anna'a Le~ter
- to National Indian Association.
The Model Cottages, The Cottage Settle~ent
Fourth of July Oration, 189o
General Assembly, 1902 and Home Board of Missions
Miss Hindshaw's Squib (about B.K.W.)
124. Thinking It Over, My Last Report. As Looks Now
125. Canneries."The Ship Is Sinking ! 11 , Ordered to the Eoats,
Volunteers Wanted, Seattle At Last.
126. St. Louis and Cincinnati
127. Our Reception (Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church)
Page
533
534
539
542
543
544
545
547
551
552
553
554
555
558 A
'558 F
558 H
558
558
558
558
558
L
0
Q
R
T
z
558
558 DD
558 II
558 QQ
559
567
568
Table of Contents, page 8
VolU!Ile III
~FamilX
Grows, Years at the Chocolate Factory,
LaYalle~te,
128.
129.
130.
131.
132.
133.
134.
135.
13ti.
137.
138.
139.
140.
141.
142.
143.
144.
14b.
l4o.
147.
148.
149.
150.
151.
152.
15~.
154.
155.
'l....,o.
<;
157.
158.
159.
loo.
lol.
lo<:.
lti3.
lti4.
lti5.
•
J..::
.
lOcl.
C~unity
Boy Scout Activities.
l See Dr. Van Lennep, I Decide on Business
Greenfield AYe., jr~ore, Beginning Life Anew
(Start at the cho~olate factory, $20 per week,Jan.20,l902)
Learning Cocoa, A Factory Hand
The Roasting Roo:n, The .Mystery bf Good Beans, Beans lire
Burning
S<:ave Oriel, Factory Foreman 1 How Does Steve Figure?
The Code and Requisitions, Inspection and Testing,
Rule of Thumb vs. Factory Control
Bean Blender, ~·-orking Out at SolYing Problems
Vieigant 1 : The Lah:nan Roaster, Roasting Temperatures
Home Life at Ardmore
Dr. Miller ana Eis Pulpit, Dr. Miller's Prophsey
Y'•orking in the Fan. Room, 3rd Floor
On to the Mill Roam, 2nd Floor, Augustus ~einer
Donald ArriYes - November 2, 1902
Dressing the Mills
.
The New Factory - ~ew and Broad Street, fhila., Planning
the Layout; The Electric Drive Approved; George Lenning;
Busy Moving
The Neighbors' Club
Gratiot Again, .bertie Goes F·ishine;
Factories, Old and .Nev.
The fress Room, My Je~ish Boss
Milk Chocolate, Something New; America's First Milk
Chocolate
~4umber 42 Rosemont AYenue
-what Tom Mutch Wrote
Varied Duties, Estimating Losses
Medical Clubs - to retain some professional contacts
'Ihe night ShiH; Night Shi.ft Dif:ficulties; Night Shift
Itoutine
Our First Girl - !;ud.die - October 5,1904
C~ the St. xar~erite, Salmon Fishing, Jigging; A Tool
of the Guides \July 1905); ~o in One Pool; We Land
The::1; Walter Brackett, feinter of Fish
,:._nna Is Ill; Ecne;;~·.Jor., .£-oint fl--easant
Our First l.ut~obEe, ;·.e buy a Ford, Automobiling in
1904; Those Eorrid Autos; Our First Ride.
Alterations at Rosemont (l90ti); ImproYements at
Rosemont; Furnishings at Rosemont
~elson Joins the Family, July 22, l90ti
business Life; kaking of Buds, Wilbur Buds; Trying
to l'rctect Euds
Factory Superintendent
Joseph Baker ~pears; The Uilk Condenser
Coooa and Cocoa ~rokers
J.. nyn Considered; .rlrdmore Y'.PlC.A; Raising koney; Father's
G':?:terous Eelp, Father to the Rescue; h.ther's Generosi~
~~ Unvase • Experiment; Union ~ith the City
Cur Second Auto • Mexwell, 19Jo, More About the ~ell
r:.y :!.other's De~th.l901 A Sa~ Journey; A Lonely Wait;
S!):~itual Experier"'~es;
~i~fra Falls. lS07
Services,
;~:y
Mother
!-;c&ers a~d''Shoring;-Uptt (Yills critiCiSJt)
570
572
574
576
580
582
585
588
690
591
592
595
596
599
601
606
609
till
612
614
616
620
ti23
624
629
630
639
641
ti47
6!)()
651
ti54
t:i55
65o
658
.~
667
oo9
676
Table crf Contents. page 9
•
169. 839 - 841 North Third Street - a new factory (For sweet packag617
ing manufacture, after several years an addition was built on
the main factory); Katty Tripple, Forewoman
170. John H. C-onverse, Crxistian
171. _William li·amilton }Liller, D.D. {dies 3/10/'07? }; A Tribute to
681
Dr. Miller and His Boys.
172. Lower Merion Board of Health; The Water Fight; Chester Springs;
684
the State Conference; More Trouble rd th Doctors; Milk Control;
Conference on Milk; Milk Control Experiences; Progra~ of Milk
Control; Cemetary Abuses - An Innocent Hold-up; The Commissioners Letter ; Resignition as President {after over 25 years);
Nothing Happened; Public Indiference
173. Lawrence H. Wilbur, Factory Hand, Hultman, Draftsman (designed
703
layout for oTer-head cars that fed different beans into thirteen
machines in "a long line, all alike and each holding f'ive hundred
pounds of beans at a roast")
174. The Bud ~rapper, Hershey's Bud ~apper, Milton F. Hershey,
706
Factory Uniforms, Foremans' Meetings; Radamaker and DeGraff
175. Lavallette 1908; the Garabaldi Cottage; C.N. Clayton's Skiff;
712
Happy Days on the Bay; the Crabbing Hole; L£vallette Again;
Lavallette Sunday School; Sunday School Picnics; Ca.u ght on
the F"lats ;(Esther Anthony Wilbur, May 13, 1908)
17 o. We Buy Real Estate, We Draw Plans, ""i;e Euild a- Cottage; Folding
720
Bees; Inspection Trips
177. J. Archer Rulon
725
178. Father Determines to ~arry (.Anna Hutchin:>on, a widow)
72ti
179. li.O.W. & s. Incorporates; the Directors. Stockholders
727
130. Father's ~edding,-liotchkins
729
131. liarold Pierce and Dr. George A. ~orillson Ross; the Uinistry
730
of Dr. Ross
132. Ross Is Born, May 31, 1910
73;3
133. Letters to Dr. Ross; Addressing PresbJtery; Dr. Ross Leaves
733 A
Brj~ Ma~T; Dr, Ross' Letter
134. Will Adopts the Committee System (1908); Committee Flan Announ737
ed; Comments on that plan; Theory and Practice; the Plan
Collapses
195. Father's Letter from Korth Cape (1909)
. 742
186. David Halstead, Business and Professional Club, -on Camac ·street, 743
old Philadelphia.
187. My First Talk on Cocoa
744
188. First Trip to the ~est Indies (Jan. 14,1910); Cruise on the
. : 745
"Avon"; Jamaica; Cartagena
189. Cacao and the Microsco~e; Results of Study
753
190. Father iYrites i'ro~ Loni; Beach, Ca.
755 ·
191. Bergdoll's Airoplane
75ti
192. Family Doings
757
193. Tri~to Pepperell
758
194. A Jamaica Honeymoon, 1911
759
195. Building Number 7
780
l9o. Early Trips to Lavallette, Off for L.; Going; to L.; On Ou.r '.' ay
781
to L.; and Then Lavallette
197. Our Mother's Eelpers; Sarah Roberts and Earry Backus, Sarah
787
Roberts; More About Sarah Roberts
198. The Boy Scouts
801
199. A Scout Troop Organized, June 1912; The Scout Troop; Early Days
802
in Scouting; Troop Programs; Troop Activities; Scout Doings;
Scout Hikes; Treasure Eunts; ~-:rernight F..ikes; Darby \''roods; Scout
Camps: The County Ca~p Site; Camp Delmont; Scouts F.&ising Koney;
Scouts: Y.ar Activities, Liberty Bonds; Initiations; Conclusion
835
,-
Forward to Digitalized Just About Me/Just About Us
Bertrand Kingsbury Wilbur (BKW) lived a long and fascinating life. Born into wealth and imbued
with faith and the idea of service, his autobiography Just About Me/Just About Us provides a valuable
window into the changing times of his life span, 1870-1945.
In 1898, BKW married Anna Dean (ADW), who lived from 1874 to 1952. He took his new bride to
Sitka, Alaska, where he was serving as doctor to a mission school. This autobiography provides a
priceless record of rapidly changing Alaska, 1894-1901.
BKW and ADW had ten children: Bertrand (Bert), Harry, Donald (Don), Elizabeth (Buddy), Nelson
(Nick) , Esther (Toni) , Ross, Anna (Deanie), Ruth (Helena), and Virginia (Ginno). Toward the end of
his life, BK’s children urged him to write his memoirs, which he did in Haverford, PA, and La Jolla,
CA, from 1933-1939, totaling nearly 900 typed pages. Copies were laboriously typed on onion skin
paper and distributed to his children. BK made an abbreviated Table of Contents covering the first 572
pages.
In the late 1970s, my father Ross Wilbur circulated excerpts from Just About Me, copied from his
xerox of onion skin pages. Early in the 1980s, Ross had his copy of JAM/JAU professionally bound.
For easier readability, he separated the autobiography into three volumes and prepared a more detailed
index for each volume. The index of the first volume overlaps with BK’s own index. Volume I covers
BK’s boyhood and education as a physician; Volume II covers his time in Sitka; Volume III covers his
life at the Wilbur Chocolate Factory, Lavalette, family servants, and scouting.
In May 2016, with my husband Roy Treadway, I visited Sitka to donate to the Sheldon Jackson
Museum a cabinet door carved by Rudolph Walton, BK’s best Tlingit friend. This door was a gift from
Rudolph to newlyweds BKW and ADW for their new home, Raven’s Nest, which was up the hill
directly above the Museum. This door, which had been in my family since my childhood, was thus
safely returned to its Tlingit home for perpetuity. While in Sitka, we were honored to meet some of
Rudolph’s descendants. Talking with them and with Museum curators made me realize how much
others wanted to read BKW’s autobiography also. Thus began my intense quest to make this valuable
historical document available “to the world.”
It has been quite a journey, through thick and thin, to complete this digitalized JAM/JAU. The end
result is three volumes, indexed, with OCR (Optical Character Recognition) added. Standard computer
tools such as Adobe Acrobat and Preview can be used for basic searches; more advanced tools can be
used for additional searches. This autobiography has been preserved in its original form as much as
possible.
I am grateful to my grandfather BKW who deeply shared his life with his children through the written
word, and to ADW and their children for encouraging him to keep on writing about his life. I am also
very grateful to my father Ross Wilbur who preserved this precious family history so carefully and
passed on to me not only the cherished volumes of BKW’s life story, but the love of learning family
history and preserving it for future generations as well.
Carolyn Wilbur Treadway
Lacey, Washington
January 2017
FORWOHD.
.
;•,
:•':.~
~
:.
[~~·>: .,:
In res;Y:n:se t.o tJ ·· .i.u::istant desire of his chilC.1·en, this
~i~cord
-
of his life and of the lives of those nearest and dear-
~{;..:~
rb~~~ to him, ha~ beJ'n written by our father, Bertrand Kingsbury
''Wilbur, in his maturity, and after the rin;ors of life had left
~·~~~ :-~
~'{their mark upon his health.
..
~-·'i ~.L
~(':.
$'L. ;·,.
As we ad~ance in years each of us is begin'ing to experience
~.:f!omething
\.::~of
:.tr.-:
.
of the difficulty of living; sorr.ething of the burden
decision in the face of inadequate knowledge; son1ething of
>t·
~: 1 ~hat it means when opportunity or temptation comes; something
......
·:or aspiration,
of discouragement, of hope, and of fear; some-
'
trating experiences OL life
-~the
vicarious grief and happiness
that cor..es as we follow the fortunes of those closest and dearest to us.
Such we are finding life to.be t
All of this, we
·rind hidden within the pages of this record of the experiences
of our father-and mother.
We are grateful for such a record.
We treasure this jour-
:nsl - not as a thrilling biography, although it has power to
grip the attention of even the casual reader; not as a historical work, although it
.......
r~veals
many intereEting sidelights on the
.latter part of the nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries;
not as a moving romance, although its paees contain much of courage and of beauty.
'Vie treasure this journal because it is the story of sor.e.thing we all ha.ve come to cherish.
,.
•
thing that
h~s
transcended adversity; a reality that has devel-
oped in the midst of
l·
It is the record of sot;;e-
chanr~e;
a unity that has perceived and
•
Forward, page 2.
embrac.ed di vers~y..
We treasure this journal because it is
the story of the develo.proent and growth of our family circle.
The development of the family group has long been recognized as ar.limportant factor in the progress of society.
we have round in the family group a more personal significance.
.
In early life, it meant security. As we grew older, it became a source of joyous companionship - we played together,
worked together, :faced problems together, and worshiped together.
With the approach of maturity, it has become a force
integrating our various personalities into an understanding
love one for the other.
In one way, our family was different.
Our strong family
loyalty tended to develop in us both an inferiority of isolation and·-a.
sel:fsu.t;.f~cie~t
superiority.
Happily, this loyalty
,,
to the family circle is no longer a. rigid barrier erected sub·'
conciously to keep us unified from
ed to protect us :from without.
within~
nor is it
~aintain-
The circle's bonds of love
have been strengthened rather than weakened by an increased
understanding of individual limitations.
Experience is show-
ing that physical and emotional conformity are not essential
to spiritual unity • . it is the circle rather than the individual that is blessed by the quiet capacity for adjustment.
Our
separate lives when brought together share this joyous privilege.
one,
The :family circle is big enough to embraae us, each
as we
are.
The perspective of the years that have past gives our
•
farr.ily circle a deeper meaning for the future.
It is no vron-
I
Forward, page 3.
der, then, th~t we tre~sJ:Jre this journal.
of' the (;Jtor.y it tells.
We are humbly proud
We are grateful for the privilege of
having a part in its story.
We are thankful for the patient
wisdom that has given-unity to our diversity.
We are deeply
grateful for the many examples of unselfish devotion afforded
by the lives of' our parents.
We cherish the love that has
been the basis of' a beautiful reality.
We treasure it all.
We treasure this journal !
Lavallette, New Jersey
September 6, 1936.
B.H.W.
and
H.L.W.
for the rest of us.
/.k,._tl'1'-~ol
11-. /(,U~
PREFACE.
It ha.a·· been mon: than thrP.e years since I began_ this
story of m:1 life and when I began it I thougl:t it would be
told in a few hundred words, certainly in a few hundred pages.
But it is stil~ unfinished and my children urge me to complete
it. Had I realized that I would still be writing it at this
time I doubt i t I would have had the temerity to begin.
Following a severe attack of coronary spasm at the home
of
m:f
niece, Madeline Barnes, in Cardinal, Virginia, I was con-
fined to the second floor of my home in Haverford for some
months, and, as I slowly recovered, it see~ed to be an appropriate time to begin this story which my children had been urging me to write for some time past.
So it began.
Writing in the Reverie at 731 F·anmure Road, Haverford,
Pennsylvania, although some of it was wriiten in the attic at
our cottage, Drowsy Dunes, Lavallette, New :Jeree;~, sou1etittes
in the n1orn1ng and often in the morning ar..d afternoon this
took form and as it did I pounded it out from my grey cells
by the t•7o-finger- and-thumb method o~ typing.
Pounded is
eminently the proper word for I was making carbon copies in
order that as many of you-as_possible might have one.
', ....
So it 6re~, generally r~ve pages a day although, under
tbe stimulus of p~rticularly vivid recollections, I reached
seven or eight, 1700 to 2800 words a day.
ing against time.
I had plenty of that.
But I was not workI was pleasantly
filling my vacant hours for nry eyes ·nill not permit l:>ng continued reading and I •7as having a lot of fun in looking over
?reface,
p'l.g~
?..
old records _a.n•i re'l.di n~,.agai!l oltl let te1·s.
I think I have every
letter 1.1other sent to ;..e in Alaska, and that's quite a lot.
I
have reread every ono of them and in doin~ so I have realized,
in a new way, that s!1e was ;l.n even finer ;:rirl than I thought
she -.,vas at the time, if tnat is possible, and it is no wonder
.
she is th-9 s~lendid •·rom3.n we know today.
'Ni th all these other
pleasures my writing was giving me some of that .Peculiar satisfaction that comes from creating somethingG
Then there were evenings in the Reverie when Mother, wita
se~ine, would listen as I read to her the day's writings, and
all but forgotten incidents would be shared again in awakened
~emory, the laugh and the heartache, the hope and the disap-
~ointments, all touche·d alike by the kindly h:1nd of' time.
~ere hours of ~orrectin~.!~ seTting and the punching of
There
many
holes so that my busy children would not be too severely taxed
to bind successive inRtallments in folders.
Iately, I have been a~xious to finish this narrative yet,
.,.hen I do, so much h:J.s tne writing become a _part of the routine
of the day I fear there will be a gap that will be hard to fill.
~hen that time corr.ea I shall begin the story of Mother's life,
.
~
.
can persuade her tG dictate it to me, for hers is a life
truly worthy of record.
It has been a great pleasure to have this story received
so much interest by these dear ones for whom it was writ!e:1
:it
and their decision, at our recent family reunion, to bind
in book-form, and so put it in more _perm'l.nent form, is very
rreface,
p~ge
3.
Thi-&"is· -not.lan exciting tale, neither thrilling nor
brilliant but is is th~··story of a r;re:.-tt love and my t;.r~ti
tude goes out to her, the beloved core-panion of my life who
so wonderfully helped me 'hy her constant encouragement and
the· correction gf errors and by suggesting incidents that I
ha~ forgotten. This,then, is but a plain story of a somewhat
unusual life fa.;r it has not beem. embellished by imagena.ry
situations nor by the recital of events that might have
happened but did not.
As such I leave it with you, my dear sons and deue;hters,
grateful for your love and loyalty and for your thoughtfulness in binding my story into a book.
Affectionately,
Your
f~ther,
Haverford,}'enn:Jyl vaniu.
September 15, 193€.
Note. Thirty nine years ago today your mother said, "Yes.
11
·
j
<•.~
"···
•
.,
Ha.vertor~, May
17, 193:5.
or my sons and daughters have been rather insistant tha.t I write
somthing of my life storl and so to please them, tor it has been somewhat unusual, I am starting to do so. I know it will interest my children •
And so; here begins:--
~"'Some
~ .
JUST Al30UT 1m.
A high ~ fence about a hugh yard with some fruit trees in it
.,
.is the earliest recollection I Have o£ this thing they call life. The
feuce, painted gray, I'm su~ was gray, seemed to reach up, ao ·very higl:.
. and the yard seemed so very
• This was doubtless because they,m,y
.
family, had brought me by force, I certainly did not give my consent, :trom the good old town of Pliladelphia, where I was born, they tell me.
I have no personal knowledge of the historic event, on August 5th~,l870
So, from the close confines of the brick walls of llervine gtree1( P.UZ(WinA)
Berks to No.Second st.Camden with that hu~ back yard ·the open spaces
seemed Tast, indeed. I do not know just where that house was located but
I'm quite sure it was a little way, three or tou blocks south of the
. Camden and Atlantic R.E. then .a populal: line to Atlantic City and way
.atations. I always resented being torn thus !rom my native stat• and taken :
to Hew .rersey !or J'ersey was called' Spain' in those days, and and scorned i
with mighty scorn by those on the western side 6! the Delaware.
. .
·i
It seems that the world narrowly escap~ being greatl;r depopulated
1
by the failure of one little baby to be borned,on that August morning
:
Tery ee.rly I '1.1 told, tor I was nearly strangledwhen I appeared and only
~'
the coolness and effeciency o~ my dear Mother saved my lite tor the doc·
tor had not yet arrived.Tha.t was characteristic of Mother, ever calm in
~~
emergency and ettecient. Poor Mother! She had not been well tor for some ~·
7ears andd id not see how she could go thro another period ·ot strain and
!
weariness ··~d suf!ering. Indeed. ahe thought her life was likely to be
j
the price she:---wouid pay. And Father was tar from pleased when he :round
another BOY had come , he wanted a girl so much. So my arriTal seemed
to have been greeted with resignation and the det~nation to do her
·
thu1 1 duty, if sh_!, 11v edt, ~daiedar Mhothedr and no enthusiaamdby rq Fa~!f_ " . '. "
w 11 e Lena, my o-..y a1 a er s
a e 41 not want• at .re squ1.r'!Q' ~g
1
tho 11111, rq old eat brother took me 1n hi a arms and loTed me.
It Y&S a queer sort ot a fence, that fence along the front
side
J'U"d of our new house at f!_econd and State aja. Camden. Father Jl!wd xagr••ct
and a: W'.J: .. TBaily built ralhir fine hOuaea o1' the twin
ours being
the 4ertler and Daily's on S~ate Bt. The houses·were of rCnm: atone, at
f
least to the third ~loor,with Mansard roofa a•dxwwl'w considered quite
·I
t)1e thing at that period. That fence ha4 a. brick or stone base about. .
t
a foot high and above that large turned wood apindles eupporting a broad
rounded string piece, the loTiliest place ~pr a. small boy to ait. and play 1
he was. on horse back 7ouner saw.~ there he sat alm.ost.eTery day,._ridin;:n
hi a proud steed while he waited tor 'ifillie, Ha.r%y' and Lena to came home
!
tram school tor dinner. It must have been in 1874 o5r !5 that we moved there'
toz we were certainly living there duriJlg the Centennial· Exposi tio~a--- __ ,'
held in Philadelphia in 18'76.
. .
,
~\\\<.\".:
r
tr·.··,:···.
tPre-
and
I
'fhere is no doubt that Ye were there at that time for all our relative ·
&D.d all my parent's friends and thei:- friends came to "Tisita" us some
time tat summer. Tlnrre wa.s a large third floor· room which waa used as a
dormitory !or the women, where the men slept.. ·I dont knowprobaball7 three
in a bed in the various bed rooms. but /that dormitory is remembered for
one night,~ill Lawrence, Mother's youngest brother and always full of
mischief', and aome other man put tather thro the transom o~ that room
and dropped him inside. As the ladies had retired there was a furious
racket and mother, who w aa alee-ping there with a =.lipl)er in her hand. and
righteous indignation in he~~~~rt.cl~.i:, ~ark or the heel ~
J .:S.M. pg. 2.
· . ··2
lingered on a well padde~art of Fathers anat~-for some painful.
weeks• The rascals outside the door in the hall held the knob so father
eould not escape and a number or other outraged females Joined in the at-&
tack until the plotters ~utside, overcame with laughter~ allowed a frantic
figurex in paJamas? O! No. never heard ot at that time, nightshirt, my
dear, night shirts: flee down the hall. It was a wonder the police did
not raid the place there was such an uproar but ·I guess they were few ·
and far between and that was a "very resrectable neighborhood~
•
Altho but six years old I still retain some very vivid memories of
the Centennial ,the hu~ crowds; the tunny steam engines on the rail road
that ran around the gr~unds with cars tbat you could. enter from. the side
011 a rurming board end of lots of men on· top of the cars for they could
11at get inside always.
Then there was the Vienna. Resturant, the beginning of Fleishman. Strange architecture,tables out on the porches,unheard
ot in the U.s., and those wonderful rolls and that coffee, W'ITH ·wHIPPED
OR!!:.AK on top. standing up like a merangue on a lemon pie. Of course, ·I was
!l~t; allowed to drink coffee but I wa.s -given a TASTE and tho I waa with the
Gods on Olympus.
:BUt most of al~intereat centered, tor me in Machinery Hall where. my
wonder was didived between a. huge, to me, tank of water with streams and
.1 ets continually fiowing and pla;ying into the basin,. It seemed to me · .
eTen now as I can see them again there were hundreds of' them of all shapes
and sizes. (I belive they were to show the power of' various kinds of PU'...li?s
that were being exhibited.} And then the feature of all others, Tl!S
CCJRLIS ::imGllfE driving all the machineri(it the show. Experts crossed the
ocean to see it and it was counted the marvel or the ages. But as we see
things now with the smooth quiet,thoroughly uninteresting steam turbins
for comparison that hud eng9ne was a groteeque monstrosity. For it was
hug!.; towering trom floor to the ceiling ot ~ big building. High up in
the air twu walking beame, somewhat like a.. stem boai,went up and down
while great connecting rods went ever in pursuit. Modern machinery may be
infinitely more etfecient but it's not halt as as interesting to the
SMall boy's wondering eyes and to maD7 a bigger boy too.
.
.
f
~
I. wa.s alwqs wanting to go to the Exposition but brothers seldom.. ·
take me and I don • t blame them but I think I managed to get there
quite otten for thw Croft Wilbur A Co had an exhibit near the tank and
f1- the big engine and I could be parked there. As I remember the main exhib~ 1 t- ot the candy company was a large. reTol'ring pan where peanuts were
(' coated with brown sugar and sold b7 the bag, right !rom. the pan.
~would
t
·
••
~
It waa customar:r for the ·school ohildren to be taken in stages,. buscall them now, to the cemeteries on Decoration (:Memorial~ dq and
f I can still see Mr. Baily, our
door neighbor, who was a politician,
~riding a* the head of the parade 011 Lad7, a beautitul dappled brown mare
as Marshal of the parade. He se~to be the ideal of a tine martial figure in his high silk hat and long~rince Albert coat. We children stood.
by while the flowers we had broght from home, were placed on the graves
o:t the soldiers and came home deeplY impressed, if not with the sacrifice
they had made, at least with the duty o! remembering them.. It was a fine
custom. and a. pi:ty that 1 t a is no longer toll011'ed •
lea we
next
Circus parades frequently passed or corner and went out State at.
One day, oaptivated by the tinsel and the ba.Dds and all the rest, I
followed along beside, strictly against the rules. and rather exhilarated
at the thought that I was runniDg e.way to join :the circus! But somewhere
out those long blocks my sister rudely nabbed me and took me home to receceive a real troa.nking, no doubt, :tor Mother was never one to .-paret the
rod, in this caae·her effecient right hand, and thus was a bri 1 l~an
career blighted in its budding.
-------------------- -····
•
11
a..m.
:r.Al!. pg.3
... -.·. ·- -3.
- - . ..
. ._.- . -.
It was about % JCI&• when .rolm Baily• oldest eon ot our- neighbors
rushed into the house and told Mother -to take down the flags tor the
Democrats had won the presidential- election,io up to the trird floor
and in came the flags from the poles in the windows. At 2 p.m. he waa
bao:k; calling "put the flags outl It's all our way1" and out they went
again. That was the time »riv~«colltdcrgx:be;aan of the Tilden and
Hays contest, tho the n~~eant nothing to me then. But the pre-election enthusiasm was alwa-!. ~..\~a the party marching clubs, arrayed in gaudy'
unifor.ms, sometimes quite elaborate, suCh as Pioneers in cocked hats and
wooden axes made lasting impl!essions on the small boy with their torchlight processions. I t it was a Republican club the ha.mes of that party
were brilliantly lighted and everybody went out to cheer the marahers
but. if of the oppo-site tai th the houaea or the oppoai tion were in dark6
g1 oom.
ea-.
I
.
I
.
-
._
_
.- _ -
_
•
We had a horae and carriage and at rare intervals we droTe to
J'aimount IJark, as I remember an all dq trip. It waa most exciting and
delightful but w1 th one terrible drawback, we had to cross the rai~ xa
~oad tracks of the Reading at Broad and Callohill Sts in Philadelphia
and that was always a terror to me. There were many tracks on the
aurf'aoe and no doubt the anxiety o;t the older ones waa imparted to the
J'OUDgest member, who generally went thro that ~rial in teaza. . ·ae had
to traverse manT cobbled streets but when we came to Belgin :Blooks we
•• tel« that we had reached the acme ot' Tibra.tion-lesa ocnq:tort. It' a
1D~e~e$ting to know that some o'f those Philadelphia cobble atones now
toxm the fire .. ~lace at our La:9'allette cottage. (\~~t-----n.-.\J..-.Sl~-\t~\10
OUr Sunday school picnics were held 1n the same Park and I well
remember ~sad day when, no sooner had we lett the stages that i a ·
ran to expl.ore a culTert near by-. Y7 toot slipped and I te61 :tlat in
••• horri.ble tU th right on the front ot rtJ.Y nice cJ.ean white shirt
wast( how I hated those stif:t starched things! I anci I bellowed like
a _wounded cow, or calf'. Yother came running and was so sympathetic
as she washed me_ up as best She could but l wu ao ashamed and diagu•ted I was one lonely boy that dq.
·.
It mq haTe been the same dq that rain came• on toward night
and •• gathered in the front of a tire atation to try t4 keep dr,y.
SUdde'ly the alarm rang. the horses rushed to their places, a f • f'eet
behind ue; firemen called to get out of the wa:y as th_.!y eam.a sliding
down the poles~ rushed to their places a the bar11eaa was on; bella .iXjL
clanged; the picnickers rushed here and there and got in each others
wq and Mother or someone with m~ in their arms fe~l flat in front of
the tire horses just as they atat'ed to oome out. That's all I rem.caber
but certainly we were not run over.
·
•
AD accident that nearly reaul ted ill a trageq eooured before we
left Camden .. ur :Baily ke1)t a fine riding horse and n•xli~ which he
would allow 'Yill to use occasionally, ?Till was about 17 or 18 then
and one day he went off for a. ride. I 1f8'S plqing ri th a:noth~r boy in
front ot our house when m.y friend sudder.tly call.ed"Lookl Horse running
away! Down State st, from the East and the open country, dashed a horse
and rider1 stirr'UJ)s flying and on the dead run. A block away on the ax
other side of tlm:Xstx••x a vacant lot the horse awerTed audde!flY: toward
his stable and the riders plunged to the ground and la;r quit~ome•:a.
thing told me it was Will when I first saw him and aa he came nearer I
knew the horae. I never knew how I got oTer that block but I gathered
•Yill' s head in my lap and sat there or,1.ng to him until othera came
in a tew moments.~~~~;£~~ .. .L.
l.A.JJ..-
pg.3 A.
Bll\ 7Ul was not dead, tho he 1raa unconscious tor what seemed agoa to tlfl
and it was a miracle that :i:lo bQnea were broken. The doctors saici'*CoDuaa
· · •cussion of the brain" cut attar a time he wa.a quite hi!naelt again.
-
· fhe
was moat
IIW'i:m:ting
down the
gers.
Delaware River wan not rar tro-:n our house and a ahibl yard there
interesting when the brothars let ~e go with thca when they went
near- by. Once there was a launching and aa the schooner slid a
wqs it ma.de & T1v1d l)iature o~ grace and beauty that atUl lin-
- It was near th1 s shipyard that llarry ttns gave ae "fJ1Y' ttrst lessons
la ewimming. The boys all said that tho~ 1ED to teach a kid to nim
was to chuck h1m in deep water and he'd have to ntm. .But liarrl" did not
tl"7 that tho it would have been mora like h1m it he bad, not because of ·
unkindness but because that method would have appealed to him. Perllaps
7111 intervened tor he was always good to me. Slet the boys made a pack ot
oork ~evered Y1 th burlap, with a traps to !aaten 1 t on 11t3 back and 1r1 th
that ljlearned to paddle about.
.
D1aionally across trett our houae was a little ators that kepe oand1'
and chenring gam. -,encila and elates and -kites and all that sort o~ thing
aot to mention 'prize packages' tor 1~_, Q.nd the moat delicious diamond
ahaped coconut cream candy covered with ver'7 blnak ohocola.te.
liner
haa any candy tasted as good as that but as tether was in the candy busbees naturall~ lSertie was not allowed to buy it. lhy thow l!lOney ~
D&7? nut Croft "Jil bur & co. did not make a thing a.a good as that coconut cake. Yother noticed that I was going OTer to that little store
(.quite· often. 1D tact as I continued to go ahe ata.rt~d the the third degree
and horror of horrors 9 Bertie had been taking pennies tram mother• a
l)Ocket book to bu7 that candy. I don't lmcw what was done about it tor
:tother did not alwa:rs IS'Pank• sometimes it waa a dark closet and I teared
'Ule dark greatly and. sometilaes 1 t 1JIIBfamiM*mt**ldn· tim..""=li2tbl · an waa
oonfinement w1 thin the limits ot the yard, bttt whatner 1 t was, I was
oured ot taking money that did not belong to me and. that was a remazok&bl7 l~ting oure.
There were acme !)retty tough boys around and aa I began to go to
school I got acquainted with them and to some extent wa.a attracted 'b7
their bold badness. ene·ttme9 aa I was considerably younger than tho
others, they gave me some coins and told me to get a. penny ot1ck ot
oancly' and bring them the change. I queaa I heard them diacu:saing it betore hand, anywq, I knew 1 t waa oountorf'it but the store keeper took it
tho I shied at a nolicemnn tor eome time to come. Uarr.y was always x:moh
cone em ad about the kind ot boy-s I went with and I aue!la 1 t wws that that
kept me trcm going w1 th that crowd veey tmch.
•
A emall boy driving a horse oar or as we 8&.7 umr 9 & street car, 1DDir
would lir:aJl bring rage to the C1 ty ?a thers and 1 ead to a upeody arrest
DOW adfl\rs at1d indeed, was an unusual sie-)lt in my boyhood but the kindly
man who droTe the one horse car by our house allowed me that priTelege
,now and then. He had long ciark whi~kers and was t'ttll ot tun. In somna.y
we got acquainted and later I was allowed to driTe. Itma:s was near the
end ot the run and it there ehould be any lJassengers of course I merely1 ooked on bnt f!Se•ex at~~ sometimett the en r would be ft"?ty and Joy, 0 I Jpy
I was the CONDUCTOR.
Tha old white horae, 1 t was always a. whi ta horse.
oould not ha.Te been persuaded to leave his gentle amble c.nd the line Yaa
&a flat as a ·jancake and I waa sura l WG.:l a grea\ ::an Q.fld would. OGX'ta..1nly
'be & atreet. o~ dx'iTor wha I wu a man. really.
4&
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Mother and Father were very active in the Centenary ::.rethodiat Church
tor while mother we.a ~ongre;;a.tionalist she went with lz.,a.ther to his
ohurcl1and was happy in doing eo. The Ladies' Aid was giving entertainments
at prlvnte housesnto nisa money for the cht~rch" end the Jilburs s~ve one
of th~"!l.
Gilbert a."ld Sullivuna "?inafore"waG the ra~e e.bout that tme
(I think this wn:s the first ot tlHlir light o'er:J.'tfmd every one was singing
snatches ot it on the streets.) So I was rigged out in butt knee trawser3
a blue coat with gold braid tri:mning and a Knight Templer Hat ilorrowod
trom a neighbor. George l'erka, and I sang the Ad::Iirala song. Oh!yea; there
were enol'l:lous gold epuul eta and a toy s~D~am sword and :rather made the
au1 t. 7ell I did 'nt forget nor get stage atr-.tck and 1 t went orr Tery well
amid gnat appla.use.Slngularl;y enough the last line ot that aong haa c~e
back to me and here it -is.
IIJlow Landmen, all, whoever you m.&.7 be
It 7ou wish to rise to the top or the tree~
And ;your soul is•nt fettered to an o!fise atoolJ
:Be aura to be guided by this golden rule.
Chorus.\ (friens gathered in the hall)
Be sure to be guided by this golden Rule.
STICK CLOS3 TO YOUR D~SK5 £"1> ll3'"-13R GO TO SEA.!
And. 70u all may be adl'!1iral s in the "~ueen • a Ya-vee.
Chor.
(I
I
Stick close to your Deaka and never go to
ae~
Anti you all may be z:C:~%hax admirl11 s in the {1ueen' a !Ia-Tea.
7e still h&.ve apicture or :Jertie in hi a l.d!:!iral-aui t.
·
. I think it was later on that sa:1e eveing the we had "!!ra. J'arley' s"
l'ax 7orka'', on unfa.Uing tield tor a'!latuer effort. end Tery popular then.
Kra.J'arla7 a rotund and tussy individual~.made and owned these waxworks
and went !'rom pla.ce to place displaying thm.:1 1 for a consideration, end
Cousin Charley Mace. Uother's couain5 and a professional actor, hia
etage_ noma was Abbott, vas Mrs. J'arley. He enm ~crificed his tine
moustache to take the part and he* created roartiriOt laughter. The wax
worka were different people who were carried in by their elbows end stood
up more or less uncertainly, singly or in guuups,wound up by winding a
fishing reel behind~ then going thro motions. Ter:f mechanical indeed.
otoou.rae, the taco must be kept Tery rigid and no sign of lito 1:1ust be
eTident. . ·r 1rna Olive T71st but great,ly to i.!ra.J'arleys diatresa, bad not
been deliTered by the express comp~rncers were out but Oliver could a
not be located and !!ra. ~ said a lot about her diBG.pointment zo as to got
the audience qui ta wrought about vha.t they would i.dss. Then a ball rang
loudly and a. mesacmgar rushed U)l, we were hn.Ting that part ot the ahcnr
on the second ttool" where the 'Sitting f.oom' was located, and. azul express ;..::
paokago tor Hrs J'arley waa announced greatlT to that good ladies flusteration. A coi":tin like box is carried up thePta.ir.Ta3' in sight of the audience
md with much oonfuaion the lid ia pried. ott. q.uanti ties of paper 'Pa.okin~
ia tossed out and there is Cliver, who is gr~ed by the ausiata.nta end
stood atittly on hia f'eot. ::Lrs.J' tusaea about urgeing oa.ution and aust•
in 0 him off with a turkey fe~thor duster. But the duater is alao a vici-ous tickler and OliTer who haft bad trouble enour,h to keep frOI!t la~Jh,ing
assumes a terrible grin but is able to hold it there tho he looks little
like a pinched end starved achool bo,.. Cliver iS at last ttound up and
begins to oat ~sh from a bowl held in his lett band the right di~ping
the spoon. SUddetly that right arm seems to alip a cog and eecenda on ~
the bowl which crashes in fra.o~ents to the noor. :1hat to do what. to do
!ira.J nearly frantic. But another bowl is round and atter a good de~l of
apparentl7 drivint; nails thro Cl•vera band he at laat gets some. m.uSll.
--••
1\.
J.A.';.l.. pg.4 A.
I was standing by the window 1n the second. tloor back
tor like most . hose:s
,
the 'Sitting room
/
in the oity,at that t12e tlle family spent moat ot it
3
timca on the s-econd floor back, whio~ ul.wa¥o ~ a bey windou at the end
o-r that room. :iother was with me and 1 t was storming and blowing hard.
Across the street wa~ quite a. large h¥se4, ri th 1 ta long aide toward ow:s
and Yi th a nearl,- tlat tin root.
Sudden].~ that whole root roae
fi
ttle
:tom the house and slid sicta:a tsa out in the air. aa one :piece, like" a
.
.
hugh toboggan• to land across the atreet in front
or some house
baCk ot
of" oura,where it crumpled. into a pile ot splintered timbers and.twi~ted
tin.
lio one was hurt but I can still aee that big rootaa.Uing tl:lro the
&12:.
r
his apiJearance tor I saw so much o'! mother's care ot him and was in his
room a. grea.t deal
or
the time aa :!other was there almost all the time.
Harr,y•s Skin became a mass
or
scales, same as large as a tinger nail
covering hi:m from head to toot a.ncifscaleing orr :!ram da.y to day, only
e
e
to be 'followed by a new crop. Every bit of hair came offand his head was
in the s~~e condition, even his eyelids could not be clo~ed and I've heard
mother say that there would be a handful or more of scales in his bed ea.c..t
morning. For weeks each finger and toe would havo to be wrapped in band~
ages covere·d with mutton tallow. and the "Wrappings carried up to the shou•der and thigh. Strange to say, much or th3 time he was not feeling very·±
ill and ~oald sing, 'Ea. had no haib on the top of his head in the place
where the hair ought to grow.' Dr. Hering c.:nne as o. consultant, a heavy
set man with thiCk glasses, long hair, quite grey, and very German, indeo<
His medecine case was about the size of a cigatette ease, It was silver .
or silver color anyway, and filled with the tinest bottles about the
size of an rubber eraser that fits in the end of a pencil. The Dr. was
&"!:high 1)otency' man and .they belive tr.a.t a. dose or two a week or month,
was q·.ti te enough hence the ti!JY c:a.se. To satisfy the pa.tiant a. 'place"bo
which was sim~ly milk sugar in fine pawder was given every few hours,but
8Uch men certainly ei'fected some astonishing cures,. and a.s I rel!lember,
Harry begn.n to mend alnost a.t once after Hering's visit. He eventually
returned to normal health and skin and seemed to be none the worse for
.._____t_h..;;;e;..,..;t;..;;e;.:r_.r.::i~b.:l..:e_:e.:xo~e~r.::i..:::e:.:n_:c._::e...,i;•......_;li~ow~;d~e;a.r~Mother ever stood those long days o.n.
-
in very vigonous health.
....
/
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5
It was Communion service at the Centenary :J:ethodist ChurCJh and
communicants went :f"oreward· to thaa chancel rail to partake o:f" the elements. All ot the fa"lily- had gone •:roreward '.. tor brothers and sister
were church, mEr.!lbers by that tim;, and a small boy sat lonely in the pew.
to him there was something
that he could not share;
that, in
.It seemed
. - .t;I..J:r
.
.
· · · •ome ,...yil~e:. did· nat· clearly indersta.n~ he was shut ~wa:y trom tha love
ot a heavenly father• iF.here was a distinctly spiritual el~ent in that
'
I
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.
lonl1ness and. sense o'f loas for he must have been too old by that time
to mind being lett alone in the pew.Tha.t was I'fJ7 first religious exper ...
ience and ths sense of loss never quite lett me tmtU I
~oined
the cl;nrch
some years later •
. And ao the )"ears s)iJ?ped by un-til..,one daY, we na were driTing out
Kontgomezy Ave. in B17I1 Ya.wr end stopping to look at the house that is
on the weat
·,_,
ot
the present l!anae.
It had a fine tlcnrering :magnolia. in
the :rard and this and a hot-air engine,to pump .water, in a little house
txcrt1nr back o:f" the k1 tchen made me decide a:t: once.
we should live for even after.
that tha.t was where
But the house did not please ltother or
Father and as were were there they thought they would drive out a little
iurther and look around.
So they eame to a other place
great trees, a big yard tull ot them,
loved trees, all
~d
. sale, r i th
f~r
house- and stable.
Mother
alw~
in tact, and the big ,grounds, 3 acres tilled al.J.
1879
the ohildren with oxtatic Joy-. Anti so in lla;rAAunt Adelia and Bertie movai
~ature
into the Co.oper place in :Br)'llUa.wr.
It was atl:lree story house with thick atone walls covered with. grey
\
plaser, lined in black to look like blocks of gran! te.
I
The mansard
r;oot .l:Lad . tl:ut .usual slate sides and there was rfahallow air space above the
.
.u.
tho third floor ceiling. The house seem..-hugb. tho our Ca.t1den house was
this ·-~
.
·
very comtortabl.e, but house had 't70 13A'!'Ii RO~..IS! and who ever heard ot .lCI.
auch lu:mry? and beside there wer3 set wa:sh stand with hot and· cold water
in the sGcond floor roams and euch tine plumbing fixtures tor Ur. Cooper
•
nomotitle between 1076 and 1879 Father bad. a partial at»oko
o~
paralyei s tho whether it was more than a f'acial paralyui a I do not
zemember, probabally it waa not,
He lmd been working very hard o.nd
1D tho Chriatma.e holidll3a they kopt the retail store open Ul'ltil late
at night and a
taw
·c~aya
betoro until nearly midnight.
'Janamalte.ra
kept oper lato in the evenings also .and one night 1 wua taken there
111 the evening a."ld I cmmot remember suoh a Jam of' people as vera
orowding th8 alal es•
Attar Pather grevr better it
,,
experiences,
Oft
WllS
decided ho 11Ust have a reat ao
'Useir l'etruat were moat mterestillg and thq brought
One time, Fathor and 7111 were ·driving tl1ro a pine and palmetto
'
•••
, ..,
:t.A.Y. pg.6.
manufactured pluabers supplie3 and used the best and most uv-to-dato
in this house he had built only a tew year~ betore.
There wua, o!course,
the 'Parlor' on the right and the 'Sitting'roam an the left
harrow hall
entry-.
~hich led
or
a tairly
straight back to the kitchen via. the baok stain
The di~!ng room
lil:\8
back
ot the ai tt1ng room but mtered also
by
a doorwq under the straight !light of atd.rs that seemed of 1n.. te=inable
length·.
Then
there was "ctu.ally a DRZSSING room rcr li.other and lather
ba.ok ot thire room on the second :Cloor and connecting with the bath·
~
the 'Ouest'room in the front, Helena's room em. the other si.d
cUd, and how· often he warmed his io7 teet on the small brothers back when
he CSIIle in 1-ate,ll
p.m!
from :;>arties and entertainments.
The third noor had tho 'Servanta'ro02, another small bed room and
on the cast side,
&
hugh room running the whole length of the house.
was also a big store room on that floor.
~her~
The water came !rom a vell in
one c'lmer of the celler, which was deep enough• itaelt, but had another
and deeper-
cellar. quite smell where tha well was loca.ted. lioura a day
I
the 'lUred lfan' had to pump that water to a tank in the top of the house
one gave 11otice a!ter a -raw dqs
or
aad mare
tr~
labor.
7e burned gas made 1n the gas ma.ah!Ae located in the yard. dow
1n
&
pit with a roof' over 1 t.
that simm: strenuous
~
Gasoline was etored 1n a. tank and the pres-
created by a. weight which bad bo be wound up everr
d~y
aud 14llch woe
trouble did that internal machtne oauao before electric light
c~e
A
~md
in.
A ch1ck0!1 yard1 Yi th a paling fence., occupied about a quarter ot tho ;rard
and thore was a. large go.rden and a barnyard, aome trui t trees and and
grap~
TitHnJ -grmring dong tho fence. It was quite a place,
B:UK
in
tl:~.oae
daya a11d I have dosoril:lcd it a length beaauee I ap•mt 15 :rears at !!lll lite
there,
~er11a-ps
the most
:L~ortant year~
:for
cl~:tvelo·ment.
J.A.ll. pg 7.
••
•
A board, walk lead !rom the Beym Yawr ata;Jion to the corner,opposi te
the Marvin place and !rom there to our house there was a cinder walk.
4~
The Marvin place then belonged to a sculptor,ARoberts, by name and the
ground between his house and ours was allowed to grow as a tangled wood-'\,.
We learned to know them, a:f'ter a time, and to spwak in passing, but nothing
land. A Across _Merion Ave.rrom the Robertts place Joseph Richards and his
wiie ·iived with theU' two children,sa.m.' and Lizzie.
1'o the west ot us the Fuguets livet, He was a. Cuban and in the
cigar bus-iness and Mrs. F was a l'rench woman, related to the nobility
the De La!orests and so tlmat name appeared in all
U
or
the names of' ·their
five children. leousiq also lived with them, a bOT about 14, and the.
oldest of' the ahildren.
It was quite a while before we got acquainted
..
with them. tor they seemed pretty top lofty and had lots of' money. I
,.
learned, later that the children called me ~
partly because of' Father's business.
Later, we all
, 'cand;y box•
bec~e
the best ot
trienda and the oldest son,· Alphonse De LaForest Fuguet, ·~' tor short
~
was my bosom triend ,. we were almost inseper-able.
Across Yontgomer;y Ave.1 at the cornu of Roberts Road MW' Fra.kk Ripple lived with one son, Will, who _played withAl and me quite a lot and
went with us on our first camping trip to the Adirondacks. But he was
older than either of us and never was the close chum we were.
:Next to them was John Kennedy, a 8atholic family-, as were the Fuguets,
'
but with two pretty daughtess, girls thentboth brunettes at the darke*t
t7Pe and. the oldest one Emily, an object of'
Mellt time only. Eer mother saw to
East
•
or
~
early devotion, tor a
that~
them was (ieorge Oberge and wite, with son and daughter ,Eureka.,
who later went to
B.~.college with Mother
and still lives here at Haverfor'
one of the very tew boyhood friends who still lives or
or
wham I knaw
l
anything.· ( Not so many years ago I m~t 3mily Kennedljforget her married
name and m a very teff
of decidedly sulphorus
~inutea
conversation, her highly flavored language
odor made me moat thankful that that a::tf*tx
a.f'fail'
was !!lost thoroughly squashed, even tho is was just a. boy and girl .affair,.
..
~
---~--~~---------,--------------------
:1 .A.Y.- pg.S,
Kr Oberge was a sweed or Swedish decent and looked 1 t. He- al1f8.1'-B had-
a.
ai
t
lot of :tire
~
works on the 4th ot July and invited all the neighbors- ove:t
to his house to enjoy them. For some reason or other we never played much
with 'Reka' and her brother , George was too much of a kid to even reoeive
notice.
Eaat ot the Oberges were the Tracys,liTing in a very large, green
atone house, the stone quarried near black rock ana thought to be very
tine indeed. (The CJhapel
•ax
at our church and at the
~aptist
church on
the Pike(Lancaster Ave.) .lfere built ot the same material) The Tracys .had
about tour acres ot land and the property extended to the railroad as did
&1.1 the places on that side ot Montgomery Ave.
elder~;y
Mr. Tracy was quite an
man, on" o! the Trusttees o! our church aud probaballl" a charter
member. He was tall and gaunt ana sandJr and :tollcnred the old custom o!
al:n.ys standing at prayers, 1then he
w~uld
let his eyes roam over the
congregation( Ol I peeked, I'll confess) and he always Jingled aome loose
ooins in his trowsers pocket.
His widowed daughter, Ho!blan bf name rlth her onl.T son Miles lived
with them and a daughter-in-law, with her son Atlee lived there also.
//
I cant seem to recall the tace ot the younger Mrs Tracy• s husband nor do
I remember anything about him- except that he was aeldom at home, a
ing man I think.
trav!t~
Miles Hof:t'man was about "JJJY age and tor quite a while we
..-ere close friends, before
1m
I chummed withAl.
Somehow, 11Ues and Al
never hit it off if indeed they nen knn eaq other,
Atlee Tracy was
in the kid class so did not count •
.
I am not going to decribe all the resident o! Bryn Mawr and vacini ty
4lt
but have mentioned these because they played so large a part in my early
lite, but thers was a strange tract o! land on the m%hx east side of Merion Ave
~d
opposite to the Tracy House. A mansion had occupied that
large acerage at one time ath hands om grounds about it but
~he
hguse
·~
b ~rnt down and the place
. had grown to a tangle_,haunted it w~crumored,~
~
1
J .A.M. pg.9.
·
-~~
·- -
~
9.
as 1 t certainly was b;y tramps who ganged there/ commilted no. s.er1oaa
crimes.
Naturally we small
:..~ys
explored it with great caution and at.
rare intervals and never alone ::.:·"'- ,·r.'"':'!'\ we returned, as travellers l'orm
W"£AA-
a far country, weAglad for o'flr many hairbrea. ..::: escapes, we may haTe seen
where some tramps had camped sa.metime,releived of our curiosity ;and very
content that THAT would not have to ·be done again for quite somett..
llaturally the question or schools came up during that first .-mer.
.
.
Private schools were very much. restricted to the children or great wealth
and .there were none
ne~
by.The Richards children,Milte Hottman azul two
or thl'ee other children were taught by Kiss Annie Johnson, stUl 11Ting
tn this neighborhood, at the Richards ha.me but my brothers and sisters
had always gone to the publis schools and I had gone to the same school
in Camden before we moved so naturally go here, especia.ll7 as they Had
a new school house just built a year or two before. Sox in the !al.l Ber.•.
'tie Wibbur was enrolled in nss Annie Whites room, 9 to 12;.2 to 4 and
home to lunch.
I was not enthusiastic about !!iss ltiu. te_, the first school teacher
I remember. llo doubt she had an exasperating lot of students,m: politely
ao called, but She seemed to tly into rages so easily and tailed to win
our respect and certainly did not win our af'festion.
There were glass
·eliding pa.rti tion1!1 , above shoulder height, between our room and the
!n the next room
,
liigher grades in the next and we kids would sometimes see the' big boysA
at lea•t their head and shoulders, when the; had 'entertainments' or
'Slecial exer-cises'Friday a:rternoons.
Oh! would the
d~
EVER come when
we would be in that happy land and have entertainments iliEU'Y' Frid-.~?,
•
,:Jbat .ever Hiss Annie's faults she did teach and eventually ·we did
arrive in 'Hanna.' S\ and found the Paradise, on closer inspection, seemed
~0,...._
tJ) bear some striking characteristics of earth with decided suggestions
of some hotter· place.
Miss Hanna Geiger, PrincipU and senior teacher
was indeed a remarka.bl e woman. O! mid-lite, heavy tho not ta.t,muscular
1
~.A.M.
10.
s.Jmxc but not tall, she was a woman or exeoutiTe abili tya
~narian,
~n
but caretul in deciding the
her decisions.
A-stern-4iscipl. . . .
. .
suspected one tG be guiltt and fatr
She was quick to recognize real effort or a desire to
obey and while I cannot remember that she openly praised, she did show her
appreciation by her attitude and certain priveleges which, it was well understood, could be earned in this wa7.
Miss Geiger was a good woman who
tried to lead her pupils to see the Talue ot righteousness.
too tar ahead !or it must have been attar we bad been to
But I am
that I was
~rope
promoted and 'ihe whole f'amily- made that trip in 1880.
Father must have been very- prosperous to be· able to buy the Cooper
house in 1879 and then take his famil;J ot his wife and tour children :tor
a two months tour of Europe. He had been born in Dundatf 1 Pa.inJt in 1832
the aon ot William Wilbur
zmixnzmiuliax}Uxp
(bOrn in Rhode Island, I think,
in 1809) and Ari.Ininda Birge, (born in Hebron Conn.in 1810.)
They were rug-
. ·~ people and in 18:55 drove from New England to Dundat! in a one-horse
cgaiae, some undertaking at that time. ',Vh7 the,.- made that long journey
~
.
11r
.
is not recored , neither do I know anything of their parents or what theydid but as Grandfather
~ilbur
was a carriage builder and wheelwright i* is
more than probable that his rather followed the same occupation.
My
father
waa DeTer one to preserve familT_ hmatoey. and my lite was too full of problems -at thefim• when one becomes interested in those things)ror
me
to
1m%
tind out.
Father waa born in Dundaff and I think learned his father' a trade
but went to acme academy in a nearby town. This was rather unusual at that
ttme and I suppose gave Father the desire to aee more ot the world than the
.t~n7
Tillage he lived in afforded•
So he did not tollaw the Wagon business
aut clerked in the railroad at Scranton, tho that was ater he married I
~hink.
It was while he was working. in ·nmira, N.Y. that he met Mother who
waa attending the college tor women there tk&% and later won her. They.were
married in Pepperell, Mass, Mother's home in 1{-J-r and I think went to
pg.ll.
J.A.'M.~
. .. . . . .
went to Corning N.Y. to live. Certain it is that early in their
married lite
they lived there and Father was at first Asst. 'oat Master and later
r4ilkaater. Later they went to Pitt\on Pa.
Scranton thatXk
ll
~ost
It was while Father was a clerk at
the president of the R.R. Co., the D.L.& W. I think, made
it possible tor him to buy some or·the stock on the ihstallment plan, and
,
as this proved to be pro:f'i table ""it gave Father his f'irst capital.
It was
with thi a that he was able to move to Vineland N• .r., tho why there I cannot
imagine, and aet himself' up in the stove business, 1n which
~e
was auccess!ul
and continued untU some mutual friend brought him. and Samuel Croft, a »raetical candy maker together and that resulted in _the firm ot croft
ao
·~vubur &:.
with a store and factory at 125 No. Third st. Philad4!tl:Phia. I suppose it was
at Uia time we moved to the
:Serk~s
St address in Philadelphia.. The begin-
nAng ot that ti:x businesa must have been some time prior to my birth 1n 1870.
The property at 125 No. Third has not changed much hat is about the same
: ·~tside at least, except :tmttfor a. display wtndow on the street front.
I
remember very little about the inside of the f'"actory except the narrow stairs
at one side and the enormous quantity or candy the covered the treads. It
seemed to be inches thick and tho Tery dirty always made me wonder wby anyone
would waste so much deliciousness and could'nt it be boiled. over ano/cleaned
in some way.
And that's no joke either tor,sad to relate, if all we hear
about the candy-makers is true there ma:a was many a pound of :rtoor acrapeings that went into 'penny- sticks' in those days. (It comes to me now, that
I have heard father say that when they started in Phila, it was in a small
place on q,uarry
~t.
between Second and Third. tho I never saw the placeths.t
I remember. )
I think it was jnst before the Centennia1(1876) that Croft, 7ilbur
~oved
to their new factory at 1226 Market Sts,cansidered then to be one ot
u.s. It hod
~ put up in
the largest, if not the largest, candy factory in the
usual
feature~
Ofcourse.
a cast steel front. from pavement to
Wanamaker had moved to l3tb.
ru1~~-
a most
UDQ
sections
Market, a halt a block away and
:r.A.M.
pg.l2.
12.
and the partn1trs thought they had been ver;r wise and foresighted in
.
'
·selecting this site !or their
tle tar
out~
-.xs
~
business as many considered it •a lit-
Later events show their good judgement for this is todaY.,
nearly 60 years later, one of the busiest section of the retail trade.
Years after Croft Wilbur sold this property it was burnt down and replaced
n
-b
,f
~
~
'~~
:.-.
b7 stores with a large power house in the rear which supplies Wana-
makers and is owned by that company. Some ;years ago 1 made an album show-
ac_;.,es
.
ot
Fathar~'f
. :Mrs.R.O'f's death.
business hiatoey but it could not be tound
&
~ter
.
.
j
·l
For the bo:rs sake, I wish we had it. Father managed
the ot1'ice and business end while Croft looked at'ter the factory and
1 altho they were quite di:tt:erent in temperment and had divergent Titnrs on
~ lllBI1Y matters the;y continued in partnerllhip tor liiiiZI7 ;years and ·yare ver;y
l
.successful.
It was in the new store,mE
alwa:rs spoken
the:r had _a large and :tine retail store on the
and was allowed
~
~
-to
or
as • the Factory' altho
~irrl
floor, that I saw
try a telephone, something new and wonderful. and just
coming into general use.
One had
to stand at a good ai:ed box tastenecl to ,
a wall, not so different !rom the wall-seta still to bee seen, and ring
a. bell at the aide. Then wait until the bell rang a repl;y and
tha give
'
the number and,i! luctT you could hear a taint voice coming in the receiver·
It seemed-Ter,y wondar.rul
~
, l·
ft!
' \ ~
T&lue tor sometime.
a~,tndeed,
it was but it was considered
or
doubt-
.
I yaa a clmnlcy lad rathar given to pllllllpllese and Yae highly ineul.ted,
when some photographer said to Mother, when she was criticising some
proota ot J113 :Photo, 'You can't hslp that bagginess ot the cheek, l\!am. •
~ ::l;•::·~::t~~:ts::::~::a::::i::: :::::-:a:::::~ c~:::en~:.d::::::•
,
~
~.
~
r·
attaoka ot
tons~litis
and aTen as early as that some Dootora urged having
!thave.aorouitt but Dr.Anna Griffiths; ot whom Mother thought a lot, did not·
and Mother was much opposed. I haTe ott en heard her 8.8.1' with
13.
J' .A.M. pg.l3.
Jri:de," No, Bertrand, I would never allow it."
r •
She never knew hOlt'
.. ,
much sic~esa I might have been saved .bad she urged their early removal
tor severe attacks continued until I,at last outgrew them, some years
atte~
I was married.Dear Mother thought she 'Was guarding me f'rom an
wnwarranted and dangerous mutilation. Even in 11!7 college days the dan-
gers tram infected tonsils were
recognized by very f'e7 and the
~
operation was seldom pertor.Med.
So the summer
o-r
1880 came along and nth it much hustle and
bustle in preparation tor our trip abroad.
It was quite an undertaking
at that time and far :rrom the 'ferry trip' it is thought to be. today.
lfa'ture.lly a boT or nine did not worry much about the getting ready"
•
but he had to be fi ttect ~or a grey check flannel shirt or. two with &
~his
•
neckband • B.i.i my: brothers and rather' FOR 1 t was dif'f'icul t to get
laundry done in Europe and we males all wore celluloid collaas and, on
I
occasions, like the stately 'tabl~d hate' & false ahirt front ot the
same material, freshly 'laundered5 by the simple process ot a good bath
with soap and water.
Ufi'UlliXjiJfDlJHiXKX laa.gp no doubt :M_other made
the shirts for the .family. they were all the same color and pattern.
Evening dress? Nay, nay, not in those da7a when travelling, at least
not for people in our station of li:te.
The problem of baggage was also considered serious for there was nc
checking syst~ Abroad and'bookings' were teported difficult and uncertain
So everything must go in handbags as fa.r a.possible. I suppose ~
'there were some trunks but lfe only saw them now and again !or the;y
•
were e~ressed oW something, to points where we were to make longer
1
ata7s,but there weee certainly very few of them.
Now belold the
Yilbur ·f~ily setting forth tor Europe: Father and ~other with a very
large
u
canvas covered telesc~e carrier between them,'lill, with one
ot exactly the same color and design, a kind of a natural crash color,
-v
"'1
a little !r!aller tha.n !::other's. Helenas a little smaller
14.
J .A.lt. pg.l4 •
._~~.so
em but even I had one about a. toot long. as I remember.
':Jill, who was just 20 years oil the previous March and had Just graduat•
_ trom Laf'B.7ette College :tim that spring, was oourrier and travel directo:
tor could he not apeak FP.EN'CH as we thought with greatest fluency.
_!{_!t
:>...--
~~rtainly
-
~or even emplo7ees at large hotels spoke little
was a great help"but eTen a.t that I marvel ~t the cour-
Bn~
-
age ot my parents in starting out with such a cavalcade.
e_<;.::_ ----
-·
~
We sailed on the CITY OF Pdll
o~
the Inman Line, one white band
on a black stack. She had some sail on her two masts but no square
rigging. I remember about the sail tor some kind petty otticer YoJI].d
rig a bOlt'lin over the apanker boom on the~ ~t deck and sitting in this
I would awing ot't the sk7light transom. and lower JD7sel! to the deale a
~..,
••
t'eet below.
It seems as tho I plqed this tor dqs tor was I not
gathering the eggs from the nests
overhanging
clit~s o~
or
countless aea birds along the
a wild sea island?
Yother was v-ery seasick and I doubt it she
land to land.
le~t.
her berth :trom
The cabin Tentilation was poor and she wanted the port
hole open as much as possible. I slept in her room in the upper while
llelena slept on the transom below the porthole, Father and the two
boys in an adjoining stateroom. One night we turned in as usua.l the
weather being quite calm.
Sometime in the night a wave slapped against
that side an·d -poured a full stream UTer 1mt Lena sleeping beneath. the
open port. Much excietment,Lena scared 'and shivering, stewards running
and the slosh on the floor gradually mopped up, while Mother, tho she
could hardly hold up her·head, directed everybody', and operations gene
erally.
.AAhertime~ either going or cO!!ling, I wasll
.
.
sitting on the taf-
rai., which is a short railing, a toot or two just inside the bu~arks
and I w.as much interested in a game ~f shut:tle board, when whack! .a
waTe struck me in the back and knocked me to the deck but beyond a
.
""'
:T .A.M. pg.l5.
. -· ... -- ....
---- - ...
---
~
·1-5·.~
a thorough drenching no ha.rm was done, tho some kinclly old -lady- remarked
•How fortunate that the wave did not come from the msiD3 or th.: ship
or the poor chuld might have been washe4 in the ocean!t"
Hr.~iller,
our pastor at Bryn Mawr and his
brdth~r,
Rothsay, a mise
aiona17 in .Tapan, returning to his station, were passengers on our ship
Altho a middle aged man, Mr. Rothsay was Tery· good to me& and whiled away
man7 an hour in the rather monotonoua Toyage of eight da7s tor I cannot
remember there was another child in the ships company.
l!r .Rothsay's
impromptu !air,y tales, interwoTen with his experiences in Japan
nner tad:xmerx: failed to interest nor was he above a mild romp
••xRXIIJI
DOll'
and
then.
••
I ahall not attempt to describe a tour ot Europebut s~e things ae
j
seen thro a small boy's eye, seem wJth recount~g.
There were the enorat queenstown
mona paddleboxes on the queer 'tenders' that took us ashoreAand it was •
0'-N
~the
top of those padd.leboxes that •e went f'rom the ship to the tender
at
The big delicious strawberries we had 1Kz our first 41nner in Ireland
the jaunting cars, a never ending source ot delight: and the enormous
gooseberries, sweet and fine that you could buy for ha'penny a tincup.
'
.
~e
rode thro the Gap of Dunloe on pony back and it was not long be-
tore I could trot on after my brothers. who had galloped on ahead.
Turning a sharp corner around a ·hill I came upon '!Till and Harry tryfmg
to kiss a buxom. rosy faced Irish girl whom the7 had generously tipped
tor
,,
the~ccas.ion, while her parents ~stood laughing by. The boys wanted to
know what business I had to be riding alon.e and maybe get run away with
and commanded me to return to
her.
~
mother at ottce and be sure to
s~ay
Did tell? I don't know but nothing ever came or it tho such
with
action~
in 1886,.. were regarded as very serious indeed, at least in our family.
No end ot 'Old 7ives' would accost us with the plea to'Have a wee drap
.
o • mountain deY' (Irish whiskey) while they held the bottle and a tiny
ern
~
declined for he was a
J .A.M.~·
a 'temperance
~-.
~Cm.t'man'
16.
16.
z
and Mother was· a. xealous
worker in- the
.
T.C~['.U~
.
·
But goat's milk was different and I drank some: •••• and wished I had 'nt.
Helena kisses the Blarpey Stone while 7ill and Harry held her
leg~
'limbs'(with a slight blushJ in 1880, and I want to kiss it but the
distance waa too great for 1lf3 ahort body. Al•s and again Alasl but for
t:;-rd;,. that I might have been a great .a'tt:tlter. The lakes ot Kilarney ~emen~er
but slightly but 1ri th no,: pleasure for I was enJ o;ring ever,day and
.
.
taking a keen interest tho i was not much ot a stud~nt and
had
~·
no,fead
as much as some children. But Mother was always an inspiration and liDf
alw~s a teacher. One thing, I gness,
that gave me more interest was
m.y love of' geography in which I had alwa:rs done well in school, so I
knew where we were and where we were going.
••
Au
so on to Belfast and
a steamer to Amsterdsm with happy memories of Ireland.
Those tunny Dutch ships we saw as we came up the harbor., their ·
centerboards hung outside the hul.l on each side and their bows so blunt
;you could heardly tell whether ther were going or coming!
shoes,
clum~-clumping
The wooden
over the cobbles or parked in raws at the sides
or the streets; rosy races and ever;ybody so CLEAN!
And then, the
green,green country with canal boats seeming to slide thro the fields
in all directions and'
windmill~
everywhere, turning, turning, turning
ceaselessly
and apparently- doing no;jhing. I did not know they were""eea~el? pumping
the water to the sea.
The seashore and the prospect of an ocean batl~
tor we were atScheveningen (No, I did not remember how to spell it.I
had to get the atlas.} Schevy is the •tlantia City of the Hague tho as
little like !hat bizaare resort as one could
I
th~. san} are those funny
i~agine.
BUTl 7hat,Under
11 ttle houses out in the water and now being
hauled out by a man who is wading and a horse and now being pulled in.
Bath
all
hauses~ell,
or
for gracious sake. I was tucked in with some,maybe
the males and we were hauled out· There was a big hood %kK on
17.
J .A.!£.. pg.l7•
on th& bt-..ok or the wagon, like a aprayhood on a :1otorboat, onl;y bigger,that was let .down to ths water and under cover ot that contra:pt.ion _ ...
we bathed in buff' in the icy water.
All the men were on. one se¢tion of
the beach and the women on another, quite a distance awq. I wonder
wha.t theY' will do no,~t
As uaual. .- we were travelling second class. There was no amx:trta
o~rrido~o the trains and the conductor
the
had to p'Xll clbb along the
steps that ran along continuously outside the carriages (cars)
!he second class ocn:r.pa.rtments held eight but as we ha.d six in our
party we generally were able to have
za
& Yhole CClD11lartment t" ourselves
.~
especially i.t tha gourd Yas ti,ped when we got 1n. Just betore the
train started the guarda ran along the plat!or.n and LOClGD us in
and there ve were until the !irat stop when all the doors were unloCked aa long aa the train waa at that st&tion. rhere were two rowa
ot aeata in each compartment , tac1ng each other and without arms except t.he seats by the windows at each end.
As long ae a party could
h!LTe a compartment to 1 tsel.f 1 t was:s all very nice but to bell cooped
up
~th
strangers •nd toraed to sit racing
th~
indefinite hours was
moat disagreeable. There were no halt fare tickets sold ae I under. stand but· two children could ride on one tial::et. :sarry was small tor
his age ao rather thought it waa as !air to have Harry and I travel
on one ticket as to have to pay tull tare tor me.
.
so it Yas that
.,i
I
whenever we saw the conductor coming, we could generally see him at %
the window ot the compartment ahead, Father would say, "Now boys
scrunch u-p t" whereu-pon Ra.r.t'7 and I would crowd our heads into our
•
shoulders and draw our joints together and t17 to look as small as
possible.
I "Hould •nt be sur:prized if that tiro mont.hs of ctJntra.ct.ing
prevented me from
kBaamtm~
growing to be 6 !'t. t:J.ll.
:Eut
tor all
the 'scrunching• there was more ti'r...an one argmnent ;vi th the conductor
giTtng
~111
considerable p:act!ce in his college Trench.
•
18.
J .A.l!. pg.l8.
r -··-· ,.
~e
~
• •
.-• ..
~
were on our wa;r to Antwerp- and it bad grown
dark,
as· we- swung- around
.
long curve and the lights ot a large ci t7- came into view
•. This is
.
.
.
Antlrerp we said. Will consul ted his guide or time table and said "No,
.
I
~
this 1~. Ah-vare, at least that~s what it sou:r:u:led"'to me.
.
I
I
WbT, WUl, this
pards unlocked the doora and called Ah-Tare, Ah-Tare.
t
ll1ist- be Antwarpe" "No; this is Ah-vare•!
The station
So we sat in the train and
atter quite a 1 ong wait the train went on again and out in the countl"y.
It was an e%press and 1 t waa quite a time bet ore the conductor climbed
along that perilous outside step, and asked tor our tickets.
we gaTe
Up
TiCkets?
our tickets sometime ago! French back and forth and increas-
blg excietment.
Re unlocked the door and came in.
acre exoietment. At last the te:rr1blw
~;ews 11'&8
More French and
.
I
out. All-vare was the
n
French !or Antwerp and Ye were on a thro train ror Paris or some distat
•
place • .At la.at he agreed to stop the train, about an hour !rom Antwerp
and ..,.
sot
c!! and got back to_ Antwerp about midnight.
And then, Just
to keep us awake, the drunken driver of our cab ran into another and
·
me-l
~ and
a shaft came crashing thro the window .._MotherAand the others who were
riding in 1 t.
But no one was hurt and
i•,
at la.at, to bed.
I remember the cathedral but looked in vain ror stork's nests on
the chimneys tho there Y1tre l)lenty of pictures of them and Isuppose
it was here that those weary miles
o~
picture galleries began for me.
Art galleries, to be sure, but picture galleries to me.Perhaps it was
.
.
rq
those wear,rmilea that account tor iXK laCk
o~
appreciation o£ art.
'then came Sri tserland, tho whether I follow out 1 tinerary or not
I do not knOY but it makes no dii'f'erence. tor Switzerland. was a delight
I
with its mountains and charming valle)"SJ 1 ts waterfalls and glaciers:
1 ts goats and their tinkling bells and enchanting chalets with the. :s::t:m
atones to hold the roof's. dawn. Thera was a
Subd~
on a mountain top
which we reached on a !tmn1' 11 ttle cog railYa)", where we were on an
J .A.U. pg.l9.
'. . 19.
island floating on a aea ot billowy cotton%
'.
Therewere other islands
all about us, some ot them snow ca:?ped but of the 'good green
earth~
there was not the slightest glimpse, all that Sunday on M!.Rig1 •
•
But t tear that this is becoming 'My travels in ~urope' in spite
ot
.
my promise not to indulge in
.
that lu:xu.ry, but as it is. more
than pro1:
,,
able that I will get morebleaaure trom this story than an)lone else I '11
get along, tpr, after all tt not many American boys ot ten saw Europe
in 1888.
The steamer trip on Lake Geneva Yas delightful as all steamer trjpE
were, to me
Chamouni! Thy beauty aud •••xm
(.
that aurround thee;
and the grandure ot the mountains
the charm o'! the treautU'ul valley where ypu nestle:
Thy' quaint houses and the tinkle
ot goat bells and that ma.n-elous
air, crystal clear and tilled with
b;r the vileness of
ant
trag~tance
and lite, unpolutted, tlmn
auto exhaust :Fifty- three years ha.ve- passed
aince then but"'ll· can see and hear and feel your tacination even now!
Here I becgme a real montaineer tor it was at Chamouni that my shoaes
were sent out and the soles covered with hob nailal in preparation
!or that terrible
de
~lace
tri~
up the mountain• across the trecherous ller
and then that very dangerous climb along the ?.:au ve pas!
at least so the
:p~hlets
Ot.my elders. So we all
sa.id as I gathered from the co\versation
x~
set out,even Mother going too, not that she
eTer lacked the the willingness or desire tor such trips but quite D1X
otten the strength. 'Up the mountain' proved to be a clll!b or walk would
be the better word, of pwrhaps 1000 !t. along a very good path; the 'x
'sea
or
ice' a
narrow~of
dirty ice, with crevasses, sure enough
but such a. we41 defined nath around thm that we would not have
a guide: and the 'dangerous
way'w~~le
need:::r.
truly a narrow series of steps
across the face of a steeply slopeing rock was eo guarded by an iron
hand railknat, even tho it was along the inside of the path,nothing
*
short ot a cyclone
..
,...
--
..
....
•
,
3 .A.l!. pg.20
would have dislodged ua.
..
..
~
Bu~
•
..
"
••
_ _ ...
-in. sp-1 te-
..-..
•
ot.
..
· · 20.
wha.t.. W1l
had expected the trop was most interesting and I enjoyed it all. and
examined my hobnails when we returned to the hotel to see how much
had been worn offl
VIe spent Iunday at Chamouni and while I was sitting on the baloouy-
overlooking the river
val~
and Ht.Blanc beyond, I noticed a
very- pretty young lady ai tting near. She waa ao pretty 1 t was hard
to
keep my attention on the mountain-and seeing this she gave me a
friendly smile that contused me greatlT and no doubt covered my 1&
face with blushes.
But b8'!ore long we were talking together
as
old friend a and I was telling her all our tamil;r history. Mother
came from her letters ill her ro011. and was introduced to Miss Ida
I
Bodine, an American girl travelling with her f'ather,and so a. long
friendship began of which Will ursurped the maJor shzare and at one
time, aatter we returned
Ofcourse~
home_~
we thought he was going to marry her.
we had to hava
Alpine stocks -rar our trip •u:p
· ~.Blanc' and even I was able to persuade Father I needed one. He
was alwqs good to me, even tho I was not a girl. These staves were
a.bout 5 ft. long, a knob at the top( Tho the pro!essiana.l variety
had an ice ax
there) and a. big spike at the bottom. As they were
made of some white wood theY'lUt were branded with the names of places
where
ori' had been. :preferably mountains alimbed,
of'course.
I car-
ried that infernal bunch of sticks to m.any- cities before we finally
had the ends saw$d
•
away.
orr
with the brands on them and threw the
.~est
Helena had a sort of a ca.ne effect with the horn of' a chamouni
tor a handle and I saw it a.t Cardinal only a. few weeks ago •
or
Milan Cathedral and the wonders of its roof:the
~e&~ing
tower
Pisa whioh we boTs ascended and the very peculiar effect when
coming down on the low side and
V~TIC:?1
and eternal boat riding to
_J .A.~.- pg. 21.
my intense delight.
'Je doubtless -went to a pens-ion-, but it- wa.a on-
•
the- Grand Canal, not tar trom st M:ark'e,- and when we-
'·~.
gondola to go in I
~ns
wondered~
got~
ou_t
o~.
·~~ ..
the px
it their cellers-were tull ot water.
Hel•
nearl:y eaten by mosquitoea-·::tll&t firs-t night and most or the
tamily- complained or flees, but what ot tllat when you could get right
b1 a boat::tram yau front steps!
column that
the:r said came
from
I -renember st..Mar.ks and the marbie
Solomon's temple; the »ridge of aighs
and the holes in the wall, near 1t,where the cords of the garrotte
ran thro' and a fine ocean bath at Lido where we were given towel a
u
big as sheets to wrap around us until dey. ··You aee,I was fond of
the water as tar back as I can remember, except when it ca::ne to
ing
•
m::r
neck and ear a Yashed and then I was sure there was no
han
-skin~
either of them.
We were gliding down the Grand Canal, Mother, Lena and I in one
Gondola and Father- and the boys in another, when, a shout went up,
f'ltlt
there, in an approaching gondola sat Mr. Miller e.s solemn am:t as
.
an owlS I was in his gandola in no time, tor e-ven then, that attachment
•
between us was strong, we were orr together tor the rest of the day.
I Know we went over and under the ·Rialto with 1 ta tunny shops on U:.t
either side and
iae cream was
~o!!le
reoolleation of a pink ice, very
-1h-A- ~~~~~.
unknown.~7e
insipid,~
u
had hot seen Yr. Miller since we left the
steamer at queenstown as his itinerary was different and ke was so
glad
to meet
friends as he wa.s travelling alone most of the time. I
lett Venice with regrett tor even the ahopa were aost interesting and
•
the tunny tinJI streets and the ever hungry- pigeons. And so we headed
tor Rome •
I had read Plutach' s Lives for YC'ung People and so I had a lot
ot interest in
Rome.Being~
a p:.t:_etty familiar with Bixble stories added
to that interest so that I enjoyed R~e and never w•Z3a~xza tired of
J.A.u. pg.22,
22.
ataiiding at tli• window ot 1!17 roam and looking at the ruins of' Caesar• i
·•·
palace on a
hills~de
a short distance away. I 'nJo:red it all, the
Coleseum
where, in fancy, I saw again the gladiators and tha Christi,_
ana given to the beastsa
The Arch of Titus. the bas-reliefs ot the
turrli ture trom the Temple at Jerusalem ot special interest and the
hins of this and the ruins
others.
or
that that meant lees to me than,tthese
But it was not all ancient Rome that was interesting.
1fa1l
There
and
the Vatica.nAthat ~7 ceiling where a :picture of' the J'udgtlent
. (~liohael Angelo), I am looking thro boy's eyes, where the souls ot
Ula dead are represented as children emergeing !rom the mouths ot :til
(.
their bodies only to be ceased by a dOTil on one side while an angel
Some were More fortunate tor
struggles !or posession on the other.
\
they- were at Ol'loe born ott by the angela while tor others the angels ·
~
let the devils have there own"without a protest,or so it seemed.
mart•
&.t
least this is as I remember it, for remember it I certainly do. '1e
41d not attempt to see His Holineas,not
KK
impossible then for f~eri
oans were not such frequent Visitors as they are n~.
But kissing
the great-toe did not appeal and that was the inv~riable rule.
A
good deal of horror co:ua back to ae whenever
r
see a. ,picture
ot the ball atop the spire ot St. Pe~er's for I had an experience inaide that self s~e ball. ~brothers' allowed me to go with them to
the inside or that ball, permission being granted for a ~all tee.
Up countless stairs we climbed until we c~e out on a. narrow balcony
•
circling the entire inside of the base
or
the dome where it Joins the
·roof. Looking do'irn to t:-:e !!lain floor f'rom here was very wonderful •
A hollow,slightly conical tube o.bout ten teet long and only 1 ur ;;e
in diameter
snoughJ\.t.O admit one 9erson at a tine supports the ball, a. ll.ollow
iron sphere, perhaps about f'iTe teet across. Cne has to olimb up a.
•
~ j.A.~.
pg
as.
I do not re.aember Juot where the stairs were that led trom the base
bu~ached
to the top ot the dome
the base
.or
the tube•
~ last •
.
., .. ·.·:
.
~
One has to climb up an iron ladder,insidethe tube to reach the ball.
liothing very dit!icul t about that for and active youngster, ao up we went
and others followed tmt1l the hollOW' apera was not only full but in
4aanger otbeing Jammed~
Aa it was onlJ" Tantilatad by a few small narrow
elota and as people kept crowding up the tube, thus shutting of a.U aufrom that source the situation began to look serious.
guides or guards,aa I r«:1ember, so it waa•every
~tor
There were no
himaelC! I though
I was beginning to smother and teared that so much weight in the l3all
would break it oftI tor the tube looked p:tett7
small and thin, and we
.
would all go rolling d01m that great dome, only to bounce tram the root
•••
md go falling, falling, falling to crash on the !)&Vement below. I su:ppos
I bawled, I tear I was likely to, and others :relled but. men keA;)t crowding
up, there were no women,lTo one seemed to knov wha.t was wrong or underata:
the ahouts !rom above.
As the tube was canpletely filled with people th
:man at tho bottom had to back down f'irst to begin tul:e=- to clear it.
And, at last this began and the ladder was tree and
thankful for space and air once more.
picture
or
d~.m
we all hustled
That is why I never can see a
st.Peter's and the ball at the top, just under tha erose,
without a bit of a sense o! oppression tor air and a little Shudder.
7ea sa. High Uass and the gorgeous coustumes and all the rites
and
I
•
with the clouds of incense impressed me greatly nor shall
~orms
~orget
the statue
pwzw~2
or
Moses tho the horns seemed to ce rather
to auggest another personage generally represented
both horns and an arrow-headed
·1e
~
to have
tail •
had a 'oourr1er naned ::olespini, (spelling doubtless })honetic)
a bandso~ young man very intelliGent~ pleasant ~~d courteoua. lie ~e
eyes at Lena and Father was a little disturbed betore we finally left
:r .A.:U.
r
24.
pg.24.
left Rome :ror Naples.
A:ld here I am reminded or a tunny- experience Harry and I had at verona
,.
tor we were to spend Sunday there. I do not think
that
.twA..~
day,~ to
we ever travelled_ on
an :English service when :possible it not hen to a Catholic
one. So Saturdq we went aight seeing. Harry not careillg to· go~ and vis. 1 ted the old Roman ampitheatre, which, tho Jmch smaller than the one at
Rome, was 1n a :perfect a tate or presenation. When we told Harry abou.t
1 t he wanted to aee 1 t and as 1 t was too late to go tha.t day he and I
I
started out Sunday- atternoon. It was quite near and I acted as guide.
'Jhen we reached it_, great was our aurprize to tind crowds of
and an admission was charged
and went in, to
ing at their tops.
~ill4
:peopl~
I
there
but Ye wanted to see what was doing so paid
raoea going on and two greased poles
with cloth-
We stayed quite a while hoping to see the :pole act
but finally decided to return to the fa.mily feeling rather guilty tor u
I
that was not the 11a;r the J'ilbur children were expected to spend Stmday
attemoon.
On
the way to Naples I saw the primitive wine making and ... it
did not make me want to drink wine.
head, were a. nu:::tber of boy-s
legs covered
~ith
a.~d
In a large trough, on top of a hogs-
girls treading out the gra.:pea, their
the juiae.
Naples and strings of llacaroni hanging on poles at the side
or
the
narrow streets to gather dust and dirt ad lib: The ever !acinating
aquarium and then, one day, to :Pompeii.
I remember· it. well, es:paoially
the bakery with its mills to grind grain and the loa.Tes of" bread, burnt
black but stlll in perfect
4
Sha,e,trust a
~11
boy to remember
~here
the eats were :na.deJ and the ma.r:!ts of the shariot wheels worn 1n the
•
atone paved ·streets. It was a marvel hew the horses ever learned to pass
between the large blocks of stone that were placed tor toot tra!!ic at
the crossings.
.,''
!
•
.
JX.A.Y. pg. 25.
-
. . 25 •
The trip to Vesuvius will never be torgotten.
A long carriage ride
around the shores of the beautiful Bay, then up the sides of the
mountai~
,
in easy grades,
s~on
passing above the little fa.rl!ls to
e
miles o-r lava from old eruptions.
are found, from
&1"8
&J.l black, folded and
dough.
or
to WlwaX black, these surface feilds
coiled,
like the top of a bowl
A thousand yards or so from the tOll we took
with tiny cars,
part
:almos~white
Altho many diftemt colored lavas
the
and
con~.
Of
a ca.ble
cake
road
went straight up the steep incline of the lower
This cone was covered with fine cinders almost
tor toot travel tor any distance. Itz could not have
i~ossible
been more than 200 ft.-tram the edge
or
~
the crater that we le£t the
car and :passed a 11 ttle way around the cone.
It had to be on the ·
windward side tor the 5u}l:phur fumes were al:1ost stifling !hen the
'•
wind shifted, even a little. It was awesome even to the grown•UJ)S
and little short ot terri!ying to me tor there a little above us,
and so near, the great· throat of this thing
tha.~
aureJS must be n
aliTe, was belching emoke and throwing atones, some of them as large
as my
he~
into the air. They eeemed to go straight up, perhaps a ·
. hundred f'eet, a.nd then !all baekjinto the crater again. The eruption
was not continuous but cBme in successive perioda, closely following
each other.
retur~1ng
There was, !!ret, a low rumble dieing down and then
louder th~ at first;
to
be repeated, again· and again,
'
each one louder than the other until at last with a roar, up oame
the S!!loke and the stones shooting up in the: &ir.It certainly was
a wonderful spectacle; little wonder it frightened me.
I
As we walked along, our coachman acting as guide and he was
a. good one, we step:ped over eracka in the ground where emoke slowly
. seeped .out
and
ou~
feet soon told us that, tho this might be holy
groun. it certainl:r must 'be near the Inferno tor it was not warm,
~.A.];{.
1t was hot1
ll'ot
~ar
to the
pg. 26
18rt~ s~od
-- --- -- -- ~ -- --·'
a
--· ...-26.
~-cbi~efookbg ~s-~
1 t had been made by s~:e huge giant., carefully piling up aucces_sive
layers of sti1'1' dough, aa~h a' .. little
·smaller than.Dthe last. It must
.
.
.
have 'been ten or tif'teen fe-et· hiD-,& mostly yellow color with some
,.
•,:
streaks oi' black and not more than a toot in diameter a.t the top
.
)
.
where fumes lazily escaped from a small opening in its center. The
guide told us it was mostly J»tlre aulpl:l.nr, an4 was conatantl7 getting
tall a:- as the oozy atuti' nowed uot from the interior.
Down the side o! the cone below us,
t1ft7 yards away,
&
am.all
stream of mol ten lasa, bright red, waa al.cnrl;y fiowing down tho we
could not see any motion. Rere our gttide took some 5 centime peices
we gave him. and walking and alllding down the cinders.
•
toot wide stHam.
7inding a bandana handkerchief about his hand
and shielding his !a.ce with his other arm he
around each coin
approached the
wit~
1(
put some
or
the la.va
a. statt he had with him. A:tter theyhad oooled
a l it=W.e as he dragged them awaT f"'rom. the heat he brought them to us
each coin embedded in the laTa like a. jewel set in a. xr!ng, hi a !ace
glowing like a brilliant case o-r sunbtU"Il,
For man,- ,-ears I had one
oi' those lava-encrusted- coins and perhaps we still. have it somewhere. ·
"1hi te grapes, an inch and a. hal.! long and ama.ller at. both ends
than at the middle, linger among my- memories of southern Italy-. They
yere caJJ.ad Tivioli grapes and altho I haTe :never seen them
a~still
seem the aame of delisciousness.
'!'here was a long steamer ride on the Rlline with the m&nl" castles
•
and the C1:)untl ess vinyards on the terraced hills and some dap at Heidelberg 1n a hotel well abave the town and near the ruined cas-tle •
.uL
.
It seem" a..s tho I would never tire of lnoking at those towers Sl'li t
clean in hal! by same terrific explosion and Lena and I wandered about
the ruins every day. Then the droll steamer cra.~ling Ull the Nec~A\~
•
27.
River which tlcnrad thro the valley aome dtstnnoo below the hotel and.
1n plaiD sight tor a cou:;»le ot milea.
Tllat queer boat acted like a
floating iX cable ca.r tor 1t would. take
Ul)
n
-a. ca.bla tror2 the water, at
the 'bcnr and -pass it bacm at the stem, -,ulling itaoU along, meanwhile,
up the nitt current. ·
It was in tha caller ot the castle, I think, tba.t we saw the Great
Tun,. a tamous hugo oaak
tor storing wino, the bicgost •ner =de at
the t1ae 1 t was bull t. llere again aone ot
_
petty Tandalism ot which some
~
party :practiced tllat
TJ-:. ..
US
qu1lt1'. I regret to aq. 1 .. a ohrODiCJ offender. but with my parents lalowlodga 1t alould be said
of'~ were
in all taimess. In Caesar' a ?alace, in Pompeii and"'& lot of other
:places I would linger behind or wander ott and tho guides woUld pay
little attention to the small boy.
Then with the toe ot my shoe or
a knif'e blade I'd pr:f loose a atone trom. a mosaic or chip a ;liece from
a columJS or aome other out;aseoua doiDg and.
oan':f""~U
tor J'IJ¥
'C07.:...:;cTic:I'
It certainly' was ahmnel'ul but I oonnot rcember tllD.t anyone of our
tam117 obJected in the leaat.
So it was
that~ a.
collego !riand
of 'i/111' s, who was travol.lins with ua at that ti:le, slippod. behind tha
big oa.nk and sliced otf a !(f';t chips tor Helena' o
CQ!.I.-~CJ:Ic:J
tho hara
was clmoat entirely pressed tlowors and therotoro·quita innocent.
It
wua at Eeidolberg
host.a in
tho~o
day-s,
ou:~e
that the the proprietor, they were real
to me after dinner one evening, liiJGl aa we
were leaving our table, holding a large -plate ot fruit, quite a pyra mid
I
or
1 t in tact. I all'IOiYs 1 oved trui t and he hwi noticed. 1 t. OfT·
course, I ~aa quite overcome, and ·a.a I reached out
tr..xi t
But
~lo.to
~ine
I be6W'l to a tanner out "CJY thm'.ca, i."l
Hoot aeeaed strangelY
roluct~t
rr:r
lulnd tor the
~:ngl.ish,
naturall:J'.
to release the plate tho
.
I ,tugged rumtully. :F1ually 1111 interprets£ the avouting German.: not
'
the plata but the trui t, hel;> m:7selt, =.aby %.70 peicoa. nome
crest.fall~n
•
j.A.M. pg.2B.
----28.
Ji'rom time to time vre saw German students in their corp- uniforms,
white trowsers, high black boots, well above the knees, short dark tz
the
Jackets with brilliant sashes over their shoulders in different col-
"'
ore of their corps, _and rediaulous tiny caps held to the aides of their
)l••«ts close cropped, bull! t heads •. ButJheir facest slashed and checkered with ugly scars.
Beasts, Mother and llelena called them but th!J'cer-
tainly slandered the
beast~tor
most of them have finer characters and
a lot more sense than we humans.
The outstanding memor,y ot Heidleberg
was~
the night tramp to
Woltesbrunnen, a tiny place around and 'higher up the mountain. Dr.
l!iller had ap-peared again tho whether by a_ppoinf.lnent or chance, I do
1
not know but we two started ott
~~d
after a climb on good paths where
I thought I was lost in trying a short cut, we reached an Inn and sat
I
down by a fountain with brook trout swimming in the basin.
3oon some
of those very trout were scouped out in a net and fried for our supper.
Was'nt that beloved
or
~astor
a good old
c~?
?aris I remember little except Chocolate and rolls served to
us in bed in the morning, a most
abau~i
were mig...'lty good: A whole store full of
bought' so cheap':
per£ormanee, I thought tho both
~<:id ~loves
that !!other andLena.
a gorgeous service in the Madelain with a church
official in brilliant silk uniform who marched up and dawn the aisle
to wake up any sleeper,they told me: and miles and ndles or art galleries and aching f'eet and tired legs, and so to England crossing the
Channel on a queer
•
between the hulls.
ste~er
built like a catamaran with the propeller
It was supposed to be very steady but we had a
n
stormy day and most of our party were sea sick •
In London, where we were to stay some time, we lived in a houae
on Half Moon St and had the entire second floor. The memory of woidert'ul bread, sweet butter and Jam, ewvry morning for breakfast lingers
J" .A.Y.. pg. 29.
lingers still, and with longing desire.
2'DWBX
Of course we visited the
~-
29.
Tower and, also of'course, f reme~ber'the Block ano/the headmans ax, ·The
•
crown jewels and the Beet Eaters, most assuredly. Then there waa st.X
Papls and Westminster, and the Horse Guards and Omnibuses, the first
two deck ones·-t ever saw, I guess: and a boat trip on the Thames.
There was also
\
a very tragic
one noon day drinking claret!
family erruption when W'Ul was discovered
There was a resturant where we often took
lunch aa we had all our meals out excf!l)t tbreakf'a.st, and Will had beJm
ott somewhere with some friends. One of his college mates either traveled with ua or joined ua f'rtm time to ttme, but we were not expected at
that resturant that day-, for some
reason~u
or other. Imagine his sur-
prise and l!other!s horror when we all trooped in and found Willand his
friends, all men, with small glasses of
their dinner.
,•
w~e
beside them as they ate
Nothing was said but the was a frigidness in the air
quite noticeable.
And THAT NIGHT! Thew! some
ro~other
greatly grieved
'that her Son' Father stern, doubtless under Mother's prodding, !or he
waa not the stern type of parent nor did he have the unbending New
England conscience of my Mother.
As I
rem~ber,
there was talk of send-
o.-J-
ing 7/ill home at once but somehow peace was patched up • we were happy
again. Btlt it yould have been an untold blessing to my brother and his
family, as the years have amply demonstrated, had he
shared~ ~other's
strict principles on the use o! alcohol ·and had he never touched it again.
My
tenth birthday was spent at Crystal Palace,a sort of a permanebt
exhibition and here again Dr. Miller appeared to give me a good time.
The palace was a big building with a huge arched glasa roof, the roof
•
ot Eroad Stree' Station train shed frequently reminded me of that big
glass arch. There were sort of 11 ttle shows in the place
Small
a~ission
at which a
was charged and to at least one of these.Dr.M aook me.
There was a large iron tank about ten teet deep with portholes some five
teet above the bot top and open at the top on the tloor above.
Here a
-·
- 30
- J.A..Y.. pg. 30.
---··
··a man put on a diTing suit while his helper explained it peiae b7 peice.
~
lt" was a camplete outfit, even to the lead
bel~d
lead soled shoes.
FinallY' the helmet was screwed on and down he went in t11e tank. A rubber speaking tube was passed around and I heard hia voice but was too
t:luatered to
~ake
'3e went to the floor below and, standing
much of it.
at the port holes. saw the divers !ace in the little round windows of
hia helmet as he passed
!r~
porthole to porthole, and the bubbles of
air escape1ng !rom the relief valve.
Then we went to the upper :tloor
again and aaw hil:1 get out orjthe suit; all moat interesting and it made
such an impression that I remerber it clearl:r, even now.
Sometime on our trip we went to Scotland but I remember 11 ttle
about it
'I
~~~-
except~-. the
tireing o!
·~1g
fortress on the heights o:t Edinburgh, wh&re the
Een: a large old fashioned cannon, tired everyda7 at
noon, al:nost scared me to death. But the Highlander band playing and
mare:hing in the park ot gardens in the afternoon was no end or f'un.
It was at Zdinburgh, as were taking the train, that 1 had the
surprise of the trip.
The txat« ears were a little dark
atternoon, and the eompart::nent empty.
e
as it
was
I bounced in !irst and ran to
the window in the opposi• door. Eelieveing the window was open I stuck
m.y head out, when CRASE.: I had. run by head thro the _glass
!or the win-
dow was not open at all! There was same ca.mmotion, I tell you; family
ae.king. and advising, Mother anxious,
Father must have said"
~t~a'bout?~
Uaater called and departure or train
•
bro~hers
scolding and I am sure
Guards came running, ltation
del~ed.
But tinally Father paid
for the da.!!lage and quite subdued I subsided in a comer and 'scrunched' ·
up. I was not even scratched •
Ther·e are other scenes and incidenss but I ha.ve written enough of
our trii tho I muat mention a Sunday mervice in London in Mr. Spurgeon's
church. It waa a. typical b3 London tog with the street lights going
;i
I
I
J' .A.Y.. pg.31 •
•
I.
eome fenoy.
7e were dri.tting in a perfectly nat ocean while they
made some repairs to the :lngines and I was standing by the rail looking at nothing in particular when, Only a
the quite sea, a
~e
shor~
41stance away, out of
snake, almost as long as our ship, coiled along
like a rapidly revolving spiral spring and clipped below the lltU'face
again. It looked to be as large
and from head to almost
aro~d
as a good sized watermelon
tail its thiCkness did not var,y. The
till same
head was like the head of an eel ,::tlnmra size as the body and it" s odd
~the
'
that as. often as
I have thought of that 'aarp1nt' and seenii
t again in
.
I
my mind'f
JJY-fl ! have neTer thought hcnr much it was a like an el!l until
this minui te. But it it wa.s an eel it was a tbmtsand time bigger than
eel
8117 all atlyone wver heard ot before: In this connection 1 t must be re-
~
membered that I was only ten years old and and never had a drink in
my life!
So lite began again in Bryn Mawr but with many curios and memen•
J
I
(
•
31 A.
J e.A.'M.. 31 A.
Hathar never could get used to the extra charge tor soap and .
a~dles
we
while· to be charged for wine, at a -rew ot the hotels, whon
did not drink
outrage.
a drop
There were
at table d'hote was nothing short
or
an
few it any tixed wash stand a in the rooms
'but· a wash bowl and a pitcher and I oannot. remember a bath room
&nTlfhere. ·.Vhat? Sure we bathed, but it was 3enerally in the wash
bowl!.
But the ona thing that nearly ruined the trip
tor rather was
the farewell at every hotel. The bill was paid, the carriage at the
door, and we decended !rom our rooms, by stairway of course. and
there along the sides
narrow, everz
··e
em~loyee
or
the entrance hall, which waa comparitively
of the hotel, from porter to head waiter
cooka,chamber maids, scullions
and sKeepers,all to say goodbpc and,
incidentally of course, with hands extended tor an appreciation of
thetr
wonderful service. Then bll:.Ck looks if the tip was less than
than the;r expected and 1 t generall;r- was.
It nearly drove
~'ather
frantic, not lhat he was niggardly but to be held up in that way
was a little too much.
There was scarcely any tipping in AI:lertca
at.that ti!ne and even the table tip was rather hard to get •sed to
but this wholesale onslaught was Just too muah.
JxstaJ~
Mother had a great time getting hot water in the
mornings but finally managed 'varmest vassar• and generally got
what sho wanted whether in Ger.nany,j?arance or Italy, >Yhile in Rome,
•
we all mastered, ' Co-ke- arie, co-ke-arie,
~~~uesta
piattza.? no
authority 6or the spelling, and this remarkable flaw of Italian wan
au,poeed to mean ''Driver, what plaae 1s this?
He ge::terally reapondc._
promptly but the trouble was tJ'l..at we could never tell 'Nhat he told
Cne
~ afternoo~
along toward evening, we had arrive at some
hotel and as useual , gone strai.,3ht to our
roo~s.
E.a.vin~
:~
r~~
cleaned u-
/''
•
J .A.:I. 31 B.
3l:B
I stepped into the hall to take a look arount when I saw R&n7 at
the othor end or the hall &!Jproaohing another young man who waa
•
walking toward hi:n. Earry stepped to the :riGht to pa.as the othor and;
the young man did the sam.e.
71th a alight bow Harry murmeredt ':Beg
pardon and movad quickly to tho lett but not quick enough to avoid
They were now faoe to face and almost :tm1 tuching e3.oh
the other .•
other.
Hany glared and the other did not look pleases when, as
Harry made
.a
UIF~OR.
another effort to pass he bumped into his opponent and--
~
'~
'
.
fool!.•aaid Harr,y as he aouttled down a stairway.
You aee the entire end or that hall was covered
&D7 frame or other thi.Dg to mark it.
make the hotel seem Tery large and
by
a mirror without ;'
It waa doubtless so placed to ,
roo~
and F..arry w&lking tcnard 1 t·
saw his renaction but in 'the rather dil:l:l light did not notice tha
mirroe or recognize himself and,naturall:r, he oould not well giTe lU
htmaelt the go-by.
Did you ever see a 'shawl atrap?
hand baggage in my
without one.
bo~hood
A'i:uJ
The were constant ,1ccen of
and no one would ever think of tra.vellin0
~
e>._
,.,.,.. ehawl-'SiH"Ja.
- , ...sti!t leather handle with S:z a leather
atra, at each end which were faatoned around a bundle or ruzs.
aha.wls nnd similar e,-u!t so that it could be carried like a valise
handy enough and certainly much more convenient than banging the
1
over .ones arms as is the present vogue tho they are not so much
needed
nowad~
as when trBins and boats were not as well heated.
I don't doubt we had ine on o?r European trip but I don't recall
I
1 t . part! c)tl a tl;r.
J .A.JI. pg. 32 ·
toea ot our trip •
about things
32.
!!other was ever a student and enJ eyed learning
and telling others so many statuets, small mosaics,fil-
agree work and such things o! no great value were brought ho':!le.
was a cuckoo clock
and a Swiss carved salad fork and spoon which
in our sideboard drawer or else a pair Just like them.
photographs, some
There
or
There were many
them hand colored, all professional aa Kodaka .were
UJ'lknown and folding cameras and tripods certainl7 not in general
even if they were
into
-J
g~eral
ar.e
kn~
at all.
use~
The gelatine d%"7-plate did not come
use until 1880 so there were no aoatuers at that
t~e.
Some years later, while I was still a bo:r, camera and outfits tor de
T•loping began to be otf'ered for sale and '1JJ7 parents gave me one. Y6u
could put about 3 'dozen
tair sized Kodaks in the earrying. case which
was of wood and the whole camera/exce-pt the tripod went into it entire
,.
tor it did not told
up at all and the tripod had to be
carried separ-
ately. I think that some ot our albuma still ha.ve some of those early-
• attempts' views taken trom the root ot our house in Bryn YaWl;, in tersting especially because they Show how few houses there were
at that time
and how much ot the ·countr7 round about, eTen close Ul' to the Tillage,
was open farm land with very few trees.
it look almost like
The same view today would make
a forest, so many trees have been planted and
grown to large size.
:But I haTe wandered from the photoes we brought back which were
.
see
mounted in two large albums and I can still xa Mother, seated by some
friend, telling about our trill as she turned atlllrSx
•
'
the pageo
or
&n
album.Photo albums were not the peats then they have saince became
nor was a summer in
3urc~e
so
~
much a matter of course •
The most treasured souvenir and
~
expensive, was the beauti:tul copy of the
~adonna.
by !a.r the most
ot the Chat_r, paint-
ed in the gallery where the origonal haung and by some artist o!
3 .A.¥. pg 33.·
note. nt:s It belongs to lladellne :Ba.rbes now and
•
Jm:g
at Ca.rd1nal Virginia. ?or
Europe in a. round tin case
t~S"
man)"
lmng~efn
.
.
Z3•
home Hk
weus I had luaged. 1 t around Xu:a
1 t was not
:f"r~ed
until we got ho!!le.
Hot that I was overburdened• not a bit. Y7 little packing case aeema to
·have been absorbed .by Mothers but what tezs.-;roar-old would not teal
burfened by anything he ·l:ad to CazT1'·
'l'he collection or stones, lava and other J:esulta ot m:1 Tandal1a
were all 9arotully fastened to cards and labelled and aplaced 1n a
oabinet where I soon torgot thea and no one else had any interest in
them, even my boy !reinds shcr.rin g acnnt interest when I would occaa1onall;y exhibit my treasures.
many years
'I
to
!hey were kept around the houae
~or
be :tinu.lly- Urrcnn away, I suppose •.
'1111 wa.s in acme busine:ss in the ci t7 tho he wanted to
be an
author, Hele~waa at !!t Holyoke and ~ attending llavertord College
as
ad~
scholar.
evenings I drOTe one of our apan, the quite
~any
one and the station wagon to the college to bring li&n7 home and paased
down lSuck lane direotly behind our present home.
-
I was going to the ?ublia School and getting on without &n7
trouble w1 th the ':powers that be 1
'1e had.
recess morning and afternoon
and I playod ball some and those other games ot boys but I was never
Tery keen about them. except tennis and that Oa!!le later. 7e ottcs
'Played .kissing ga"!les in the yard where a large cherry troo made
plea~
ant shade, Copenhagen being a faTorite. I was quite a bit younger
•
than moat of the girls w:1o outnumbered the boys quite a lot. but I
a-..L
waa genen.lly there. "2. f"ell quite desperately in love with ono of the
older girls, :!amie ----.
hair, • and her rather
~nd
She
iail
dark blue e7es and black lashes u.nd
mother were IriSh and aha wao Irian too'
but she was always Teryo neat and tritl· and waa counted as one .or tho
good girls standing well in her olasses.
I always waited Hriday after
•
,.
"'•.
J".A.M. pg.34.
·-.
noon for ~ kiss before she went home "!or would-it not
be.
~. ~
34.
two-whole
days before I would see her again? The bo7s guied me a lot with
haughty disgust
and
no doubt Maimie laughed but she always t~eated
&1Xk me in a kindly, motherly sort of way.
I carved her initials
with mine on some of the beach trees in our yard. ~nch to the indignation o~ Rarr,y especiallY, who said her father ran a speakeasy and
indeed her home fid not have a ver,y savor,y reputation. It was in what
was called Kilkenny and the house, 11 ttled_ changed,stt is now occupied
b;y the -:vomans Exchange, only a 11 ttle way from our :present home.
· •!f
'J'e had new Readers in 1r1ss Geigers room, ver:r different !rom the
old stytt-, They told about what the children did in sO!:le school and
among other things, how they collected seeds which they pu~ 1n scall
bottles and exhibited in the school roam. It appealed to ~e and I
~
asked Uiss Geiger it we could not do that too.
so,be~ore
long, we
had a collection of our own, prominently diapl~ed aimng one wall.
Anna ~ F1stine, who later married Sam Richards, was the
prize schol~ oyour room and it was her duty to keep the naces o£
those who were'kept in' after school to write long 113ts of words
tr~ their spelling books. The penalties were given out during the
day and Anna.
recorded the name and the number of hundred words the
culprit must write, so she was not very popular tho she was in no way
to blame tor our :punishment and she llated the job of recording. !Dnly
once, as
ra.r
as I can remember, was I kept in and then for 200 words
which seemed interminable.
•
I dont know my o!fence but
iir made me
teel very badly to be kept in tor misconduct.
But Miss Geiger did not stop at 'mere words! ~ore than one scholare was whi,ped with a stout bendy stick, generally cut ror the occasion and generally-after sehool hours, when most of us whould wait
, -. .. - •· . - - - , - -35.
J .A.ll. pg.35.
around, outside ot the achool house, to hear- the-crys
•
ot'-~the--untor~--
tunate and see how he looked when he came out, not to express our sympathy, either, but
ra~er
to find out
,
if'it hurtt
Once in a while there was some breach ot rules so flagrant that
a public punishment was thought necessary,
I well remember one such
occasion tor I was sent out to cut the rod ot punishment.
get a nice,sott,thin, bendy one?with compassion
~my
And did I
heart?
I did
not I but a good at out stick with Just enough btmd to make it take
hold well• and I confess it was considerable pleasure to do it,· tho
I Yaa·no more or less cruel than the average young human male.
liext to:.t
the school property, on the west, aaa:x:tlm lived Dr.Sti-
gent. an elderly man and one of the officers ot our church. There
were some appl e{treea near the school fence and
we were
strictly for~
bidden to go into the doctor' a yud or dua ta 'take any apples. One
of the boys in our room,:Sernard Montague, (No not U:~-tay-gue but Mon-
tage) could not resist the lure of those luscious apples
and filled
hi• :pockets. In some Wa."3' Miss Geiger found out about 1 t and brought
him foreward with the stolen apples atill in his poQkets. He had been
cal1ed to the platform so suddenly he had not had time to give tBmm
away or hide them. Slowly he was forced to bring forth his plunder,
Cl,/i.wtf. ~ ..,...., /~
apple b)t apple,Aand place them on the platform before him,. while the
•
'I .
atmosphere grew heavier and heavier with the impending docntJ :Bernie
n
~
Montage, thundered the teacher, you will eat every single one of those
apples now or you will get a thaa.shingl
.,
Bernie grinned. That was a.
cinch and he gathered up the apples and started for his desk. ''None
I
ot that,.. shouted Hanna, 'lyou put them right back on the platform and
you stand up facin·g the school and you eat every one." That wa.s different, very different indeed/and poor Maaty looked a little worried
but the first apple went down in aig time, tho Monty- looked pretty
ll
•
,-·~
J .A.l!. PG.36,
sheepish. the rest ot. the school were told "to go on with our wo:tk and
not to pay anp attention
wtt» to Bernard", 7hich we pretended to do
but with many covert glances, to see how the apples were going dawa.
I'm afraid many of us hoped he would not be able to eat them all so --:we
could see a good llcking,~ot -that we- disliked Monty, not at all,- for we
liked him. He was a ha-ppy-gO-lucky soul who often made us laugh at his
droll sayings' but we wanted to see just what
ba~ened
when someone
go a licking and if Uonty was caught: well--we could'nt help it.
About the third apyle Mont;r began to slcnr up and to look doubtful
Each bite we:tt down slower and slower. About the first bite o! the
fourth apple, I guess it was the fourth, I can • t ·remember the exact
number, the jaws seemed to lo•ae power, the swallower showed symptoms
ot bucking and a look of
resignation·c~pt
into his
ey~s.
lliss Geiger eyed hi!n, waited a little and then, ""Jell why don't y
you go on"? "Ca-ant"
"~at,
can•t eat any :ore
~p~lei~"
go get a switch and get a good one'
"Nomn".
• Bertie
~ilbur
The Voice of
doom.
The whipylng was 7i thout apparent anger but thorough and
aevere. '11th a hand fixed firmly in the back or )!ont;r' B collar the
blows fell on his back and aegs in rapid succession Hanna getting considerably hetup by her exertion but not lo,s•ing control of herself.
When
she was thro she threw the stick% in a. comer and brushed her
hands against each other as tho she would shake off the dust of a pol. luting
~
and disagreeable job, and turned to the
But to us it was
a.~
really~ sight
rou~ine
and u-pset me badly.
work again.
It made me feel
mean all over and I was glad to get outo! the roam, when school was
I
over, for I felt mnothered and oppressed and the fresh air was good.
But we surely had the best of order and attention in that room for many
days to come.
Tho we had Janitor service, for some reason,the older girls had
0
..
t·o swee,., out the ro1::1 after school, tor a
ti"~e. It
was not a punismen t
•
:T.A.M.37.
. . - ~ -· ~ 37.
but was necessary because of some emergency, I think. We had double
•
desks in most of the ·l'oo:m
tho .there was a row
'
..
'
aide. These were much coveted
~d
'\
or
single ones on one
were therefore assigned to the best
scholars, Anna Ristine sitting in the first one, the high place ot
honor. There was a Shelf under ne~th for books but the top did not
raise and there we. a en open inkwell ,in the cen-ter. Generally two boys
or two girls
-.
a.oe~ed
ane:t desk but a brother and sister might ai t
tog1eher and Frank and Maud Ua.rsha.ll sat together a:near me. Their tath'
er, who was the tiCket agent at Br;n ~awr~ ~bject4ed to ~aud's sweep'
T.hen
ing and so notified Miss G. In a note.
She received that note
she shut her lips and her eyes smouldered. a.nd we . knew. there- was going
...
to be trouble.
Presently Frank was told '·to go t:o the blackboard and
get a peice of chalk and we wondered what was going to happen. Under
I
.
'
Miss Geigers directions Frank drew a circle_ or cllalk about the desk
r.
.·
'
•.
. -,
he and his sister occupied and Hiss G. announced that as their father
•
! .
would not let them sweep the room then no ona shoUld swe.e~ a:bclu unde
'
't
.
their desk or within that circle and the ~a.raha.lla\~nz blushed and
:"!:"
looked unca.mfortable •. It got pretty thick under their
_d~sk-
after a
little while. for boys and girls would not be true to form>if some
rascal did not sweep
a~rt
within the tabu mark.
--
i'' .
~--
7/e had the friday entertainments and they were :f'u.Yl
~but· -I
never
reached the. u~er grades and so was entitled· to take part in them, for
. ""<1~ ~"·a !riend of mineAwas so entrusiastic about the city school-he attended
that he persuaded my parents to let me go there under his protectian
•
tor he was one ot the bigger boys and as
it was sort o! a family affair anyway.
15 I entered the Belmont
~~ :Srown
Gr~~er
~ill
was engaged to his sister
so, at the age of about 14 or
School, a public school, at Fortyeth
Stst in Philadelphia. Before
101
I leav_e the Bryn Mawr school
I want to record my respect and gratitude to
~iss
Geiger. I may have
•
_referred to her aa 'Hanna' but it was more in arrection than
'1b.ile ahe was not· or the tne to
t~a.k~t
disrea~ect •
us ;youngsters love hsr when we
were her scholars we had a real artection tor her whan wo had grown
older.
she was a good woman and a good teaoherx.
Every year Mother mad.e 1 t a rule to Tiait her parents who lived
ill P.J!.rell, !rasa. end I gorierall.T went with her •. Sometimes the trip
'll'aa in aum:nar and ocaaaionally 1n winter. In that caae I would be exoaeed
fr~
achool.'becauae he is a good boy and attentive to his ·
studies • and Mother would see rry teachers anc.y'~et an outline of the
ground w. the clase would likely coTer in the time that we would be
away.
!hen, every morning I would study and roc! te to !!other
L"ld
ahe was not one to ski::np or let 1 t go tho always patient end loving.
•
a,
Yother always preferred to go bT stemer thra long
Is~and·
Sound to
New LoDdon which we reached about tour or t!Te in the !norning or
earlier. It
88SMed
to be in the middle
or
the night
.
in order to
an~
'make connection' we had to h"!lstle oft at that ·reiDdish hour without
breakfast.
ttiekery
The cars were lighted b,- coal oil la..~-pg, ptotty di:~ and
and~
stove, genernllsr coal but
farther north,was
cold rides fr(r,"l
aup~onad
to heat
zot
no~et1~es wocd ~8 ~~
th~. R~
I
1
~re~~ed tho~A
:r ew Lnndon to "Voreester. It wa.s too
dar~
long
to a eo
outside and the light to dim to rea.d or look at pictnrec inside and
the stars looked so cold es they ehown
~n
the hilln and valleyo cov-
ered with snow.
'7ec elways 2-"P!)ronohed TVorcester with w1oh anxiety lest • the
":xpress' he.d left or that
~.!.r.
Brooks, the
Sta~io!l
l!n.:';ter nnd n school
mate or Uother's had not been able to have it atop at
•
rep~erell..
had a Jolly face and r.ta.nner and a w:.:i te ber.rd and :{as j
man.
Gemera.ll~
U:Jt
tho
He
kindc~t
he would be ,o.i tint; on th.a platfor::t lookinG fer un nnd.
would· aeo un safely en the
3xpres!!.Ofcour~e
the Conductor Uot vo wera
39.
Z .A.ll. l'g39 •
tit
'some punkins! when he amr tllat.
Then the New London- train was- late
Hr Brooks would hold the Express tpr us and we were the proudest things
ever, at least I was.
I felt that the whole rail road
waiting on l!ll' pleasure.
As a matter
o~ ~act a
s~stem
was
little one-track road
that meandered up into New Hampshire, and rith one or two trains a
dq 1 didnt mind a bit i:t' the Express
1t
1f8.8
late. It generally was,
.
-
a.nywa~.
.It was some souther Jtail road and not thia , tho 1 t might have been
just faa well that a man walked into the. station and asked the agent
who was sitting on a packing case ..a:s!. lost 1n meditation or
slumber~
1
•How long will it be betore the next train get here?• ni kaint zaoly
tell, Mister, but I reCkon it wont be long nor. I see the conductors
I'JIIIll' hound coming down the track and the train gen 'ly follows him1'
•
It was alw&y"s a source
ot wonder/to me how that
train. got out of'
the station for 1 t had a special door yay 1n one corner and the hole
looked much t-oo small !or the engine.
When it started it always seem-
ed as tho it was sneaking out the back door and a.s
ft went
By some
backyards 1 t looked as tho 1 t was slinking along the ba.ck alleys.
In the earlter trips the engine burned.- woal and had a. hugh smoke stack
sha:ped like a huge !ui2el with a ctounded. screen over the top. I saw
that tunny back door in the
~orcester
station about two years ago on
our auto trip to New 3ngla.nd. It was boarded up but the station looked
Just the same as it did years ago when it was new and considered very
tine. 'Yhen we reached A.yer
journe,-•s end,it yas only a
•
bumped across the tracks
or
~unction
:rw
•• :telt we. were nearly at our
mtm«L•&
miles !.rom Pepperell and we
the main lime !rom .Boston
to~
the ::Jast
thro Hoosa.c Tunnel, then one of' tha mu:"Tals of' railroading •
It our Uncle3 did not meet us at the station we took tha stage
whi eh was set on runnera in t:he winter, and drOTe the two miles to
the 'Center' while Mother gathered the town news trom the driver who
.T .A.M. jg. 40. ·
.... - . -. . . . 40.
I'""'
greeted us as old friends.
•
mill ·da:n and lJ:':.er mil~ and the e:er_ presen-t od~r ot- cll:larine-, , . -.. :·
Until
~
.
7/e }'a.ssed over. the Naslma. River-with ita
death, we always went to Grandfather Lawrence' e home,.·
'
and received a hearty welcome. They lived a little way beyond the 'Cam-
mon 1 on the street that led to Townsedd and Fi tchburgt in what they
l!ost all the houses had a. section for the own-
called 'the tenement!.
er and his family and another tor renting.
3a.ch had separate entrances
and stairways and 7ere, in effect, twin houses. Uncle sumner Lawrence
his wife and two daughters, (lertrude and Grace lived in the main :part
ot the house and the two cousins were
my
playmates, especially Gertrude
who waa the older. Uncle Sumner, :Mother's oldest brother, wa.s the VU-
lage bl a.cksmi th and his shop was nearby, the other side
He was & big man
~ith
or
the garden.
7ith hugh muscles. a Selectman,. Chief of the
fire oompany,and lea.d.er of the church choir, quite e. leader in the Til-·
lags.
Grandfather was a talyra.ther gaunt man with blue eyes and a fringe
of white whiskers about his face, his U:?:per li:p a.nd part of his chin
being shaved. Re
al~ost al~ays
looked stern but he had a merry twinkle
in his eyes when anything a=tused hii!l b·.1t I thin1t I ne7er outgrew- some
!ea.r of him, tho he· was always kind to r:te. tJra."ldmother was a Cl:.a-pman
with numerous relatives in the villa.get and nearby places. She wa.s
alWS\YS smiling,a small little woman, who 1n spite of her large 1"a.-31ily,
there were thirteen children tho not all ot them lived to a.dul t lit"e,
and her years of toll for they were never well to dot was Just love
••
and aunehine all the time.
-vith them lived their daughter Catherine
· and her h.u sba..~d James Pierce who was awfully good to :ne and took me
on many
tri~s
with
hi~
as he went to tee woodlot or the fields. I
loved him dearly. He was tall and wore a long black beard but no
muatache,!ought in the war of the P.ebellion and had lost a hand some%±
. . --·- - . 41.
•
time a:t'terwa.rd. With en iron hock on that arm he could do more work.
than many men with two hands and his stories of
.
(/~~
.
a~
life never ceased
to enthrall my ·interest ."Aunt Catherine, Aunt Kate, was a semi-invalid
and han estly, did 'enjoy :poor health' tho ahe kept cheerful and b:ight
and was always good to me.
Into this family we were receive with open arms and what a time
the7 had ta.l.king over the tamiiy news while I was given albums or
books to play with or
allowe~
to go and play with Gertie. The
u
Sit~ing
room was warmed by a soal)stone. etove burning wood and this room was
generally the dinni!lg room also. The .sleeping rooms had no heat, tho
perhaps E:a.tie' s was a.n exception and if thera is anything colder than
a New 3ngland bed,
••
rul I do not kno7
~ven
~r~t
a feather bed, on a frosty night I'm thank-
it is.
But we did not always go to
Pe~perell
in the winter and I enjoy- .
ed the long sum::1er days when I could be out doors almost all the tbe.
One
or~ ~riveleges
was to drive the cows to and from pasture, over
a halt mile away. The heavy dust in the roads felt good to my bare
teet ·ror ! did not go barefoot often enough to make all going comfort-
able. Of course, to drive cows one must have a whip 9nd Uncle
J~es
he waa never called Jim, made me onelarge enough to drive a string
/
of mules.
Ho~
tha town boys made fun of that city boy with his whip
Thet did'nt need anything to drive cows in !act the cows went along
by themselves and
all the boys was for was to ta.ke down the bars.
Grandfather was not so sn.re about the whip and said 1 could carry 1 t
if I wanted to bp:t it I ran::t the cows, especially -when they were
•
coming horne fro~ pasture 'he'd tan~ hide'and 1 with his face 5o
stern and
!lO
tho~e
blue eyes so severe y>Ju -r:1ay be sure I
never. '!'he eows were
ue'.l~ly
~ro!"lise1
!Tever
standing by the bars wa.i tin;;; to go
home but one evening they were no1jthere nor could I see them in the
3 .A.'!l. 42.
ttasture whioh
· •
'!'laS
-. .. - --· - . ·- - ; .:: 42.
en a rocky hillside with.little.patohes-
green trees here nnd there.
ot
ev~rg~
I must ha.ve been very-young- for I d-id
not like to go up the hill among those trees and look for the cows.
l'flere must be ao:netiling "¥rong or the coif's would be at the bars as a
usual and
m~be
WOuld not come •
a
bea~
had chased them. I called and aalled but they
The pa.ature was just outside ot the Tillage and there
were f'arms not 'far a.7ra.y but 1 t ran back !rom the road
a
~t
r
t
aeemed to2:
· me a Tery long way and held all kinds or possi~111 ties, maybe n pan-.
ther:
?ell, there "::as no help:f for 1 t.
;J.,
cows I get scoldsd
~~d
tt I went home w1 thout the
laughed at !or being afraid
and so I let dawn
the bars and climbed into the unknown. I tonnd the • cri.tters' not ao
.,
I.
.
tar nay but the,- eee:n exoieted and wild anct I was sure thel'e waa a
wild ani:-na.l about. In anger, that they had !!lade me so
~uch
trouble and
expecting same wild creature to burst from cover any minute I ran those
cows doml hill and out into the ro~d, full tilt. ragardlsss of grand-
fathers warning and when
we
reache~ ho~e
eieted. "Tieen running 'rr'Y' co~~!"
"~fhat'd
they were still hot
r te)l
you.c:~t
a~d
ox-
::y explanation
..,1 th all re:farenr:~ to boa:::-s and pn.nthers carefully cmi tted, mus-jhave
save~y
hide from ta.'"'lning fo-:: I a"'!l sure he did not whal c me then
any other tine.
I
le~rned
afterrarn, t11ro
overhe~xin0
or
con7ersation
not intended tor me, that all the trouble was aauaed becau9e one of
cows wanted to see her boy friend and the others were so
s~pathetic
they all forgot itwas time to go hame. 'Boy-crazy' girln alway3 make
a lot or trouble anyway.
1r'atur_ally, a.ll village interests ~entered in the Comr1on for here
1
stood the ':'cr.m I!all where the Seleamen net as did the Od.d ?elows,
and the town meetings and entertainrnentn and all that.
0n~
snall
roO!!t Y1 t.h barTed windo~ •as the entire jai~ and 1 t was '3eldom
occupied
The Jenera! store and ;>oat oi"fioG was at one corner and the Unitarian
•
....... - .
1.A.!.f. 43.
43.
Church diagonally across while near the store and the oenter ot theCommon and really dominating it, stood the Congregational Churcrprith
a tall spire and a clock in the tower. 'l'he cloe.k was: always running .
and, I guess,everybody set their time
by
it. just about everybody
went to one or the ·other of these churches every Sunday and it was a
sight to inspire patriotimn to see those Godly tolk in their Sunday
best
~ excha~ge
greetings and then
sol~ly
take their places and
reverently turn to worship. All mY relatives belonged to
the Congre,
gational church 3tld altho the Unitarians were regarded as friends &
and
I.
neighbors it was evident that they were terribly mislead and were
hardly thought to be Chri-stians at all. As a
with the ra,ily every
earnest
se~ons,
s~mdayand
~atter
of course, I went
as I grew older enjoyed the simple
for the people were intelligent, if
~any
of them
were not far advanced in book learning. They took their church and
and their
D:mr:
gove~ent
seriously and were a tine type of
&~erican
cit-
zens. 1ould that we had more of their kind toda7.
After church we returned home being within easy walking distance,
but those
co~ing
frori a distance would wait until Sunday School was ov-er
when they would ~e ~heir te~s End out of the horse sheds and b~dle
in the
f~~ily
and drive h&me.
7e always had a cold lunch which peeved
.me greatly for I was never much for cold lunches as a boy. As I
ber those lunches they were
~ostly
r~~~
pie and after lunch followed a long
afternoon when relatives and *friends came i~d there was endless
talk about the family connections and the local news. It wae a simple
•
sensible 7ay to spent the rest
dreary for
~e
o~
the day tor the grown ups but rather
aa I was not allowea to play with my cousins or anyone
else.
One of my aunts ·was my devoted slave and therefore the center of
my best affection. :he was Ai.mt Adelia and married to Sumner Garter·
J.A.M. pg. 44.
44 •
.
a carpenter and builder by trade, what we now call a working contraotor, ...
~.
for he was generally his own boss. He was a. large man but not tall, rzather
grave and serious,as were most of the men there abouts, yet kindly and
climb
.
patient. I say patient tor I loved to zktkk into his lap and pull the
,
cord of his glasses o~ tease him ~some other way,_ and
I
can still hear
htm say,•Ta-care, Ta-care. Ha would stand it as long as he
put
mt down, telling me "to
angry or impatient.
p
run and find Atmt
Deal~ I
and then
~ould
never saw him
Altho he was somewhat older than Aunt Deal the were
very tond of each other tho not in the least demonstrative, but they
always called "Good luck" to each other as he drove away to hiSwork in
as I called him,
the morning.xzxaz)y=axwtmXUncle Carter~to distinguish himrrom Uncle
(.
Sumner Lawrence,was a. Bible student and fond ot reading and
wealthy had a comfortable house a halt mile
fr~
~tho
not
the Common, where I
would o:f'ten go to send the day or longer. A runny old baoherir live1in
the tiny tenement of their house and tho I often saw him he seemed to
.
me as some sort of a gnome or man from fairy land tho he looked like
any other man.
Ot course every house was as clean as was possible to make
'
~~
I never saw one, anywhere we went that was not Just that way and they
~
~fresh anf fragrant of well cooked food, Just a suggestion you know, no
stale fried grease smell but ginger cookies or fresh bread or a new-made
pie. ·1hile the furniture
w~Hs
plain, there were curtains and tidies and
growing plants and an evidence of pride in one• s home and of comf'ort if
1
not wealth. Ramshackle or run down places were very rare as nearly eveybody was just about in the
I
s&~e
condition of modest prosperijy. It seem ed
to me to be just about the nicest place and the nicest people and I loved
~6
·to ~there.
.
Grandmother and my aunts always kept a wooden ferkin or wood bucket
tor cookies and the7 made a peculiar soft molasses cookie, sort of a .x
cross between cake and bread tha.t I was crazy about.
tl'
The bucket ata:
stood on the pantry !roor and I was allowed to he)p nyself if it was
I
not too near meal time. Ot the joys of the good eats of childhood.
Aunt Adelia lived
XB&X
next to a place owned by some ver,y wealthy
people who livediin Boston but-epent their
a~ers
in ?epperell. Thre
-· were two or three such families scattered about the neighborhood.
~
The hired man on thi~ ?lace was a goodnatured
triahman who let me ride around in his two wheeled b
went trom one
plac~~
to another.
ox cart as he
Ono day as we were bumping along
I lost my balance and fell back so that my baCk was resting on the
broad tire or one or the
revolvi~wheels.
could-not cry out and it seened quite a
I was so startled that I
t~e
before Pat. became aware
o'! !f1:/ danger as he happened to be look.ing in anooher ·direction.
(•
_
lie
quickly hauled me up and so I did ;tot dropi£ beneatheh the wheels.
Another time I was with ?at when he was threshing wheat wi_th a. hand
small
tla.il a.nd I was playing with a"'pile of the newly winnawed grain. Some-
one had siven me a narrow gold ring,hea.vily chased, of which I wao
very proud. It occured to
~e
that it would be good
ring in the loose wheat and see
~tw
run
to put that
easily I could find it again
and eo in 1 t went, just a little way and a hand i!'.::!!lediately follCT.ved
back and brought 1 t forth, in triumph.
That was easy. Again and yet
again but thts time the fingers failed to ftad the ring. ~ry it again
No ring:a l~ttle anxious searching, no ring.
in the pile but with no luck.
•
~
Pat ~ ~e
llore anxious feeling
Then a really frightened pulling the
.
pile apart till
to qtit it or I'd have the wheat all over
7:1u.--~
and that was the l~et I ever saw of that ring for I was too scured to
tell about it and felt aaha...,.ed !or having been so foolish and so th~J.t
little pile or·wheat was never sifted which would have been very little trouble indeed.
•
j
.A.Y. pg.46.
. . 46.
On the other side of the stone wall, all the fences were stone
walls, was an orchard and one day I saw one of the trees just full of
red squirr!l)s running· hither and thither among the brabches. Hurrying
into the house I asked Aun
ao that I could
cat~h hL~.
I noticed
a funny smile she gave me as she
handed me the salt but I rushed back and stood a long time
tree but never a squirrel I caught.
beneat~
the
When Uncle Sumner Carter heard
about it,that night, how he did laugh but it was a long time afterward
that I learned the Joke.
Uother's oldest sister, Aunt Sahah, was married to a far.mem named
Henry Hall, a ahort, blue eyed man with a goatee and they lived on the
Prescott Far.n where he was the farmer in charge.
It was a large place
and the roon where Prescott, the historian, wrote some of his works was
preserved just as it was when he used it.
~!/e
looku/ into it with awe,
almost reverence. \.:'ncle Henry kept a bull that was very fierce and pawed
and bellowed when we passed by his stall and filled me with fear. If he
was in a field we were always warned and took good care to keep out of
it .but sometimes we fo_rgot and had a fright now and then when we saw him
start toward us.
Ye
always managed to tumble thro or over the fence befor:::
he. got there.
h
There were two Hall cousins, Lillie and Lura and alto older, they
played with us 9
my
brothers and !_ena and I when the strenuous work of
the tarm would allow it. Under one ot the tall trees near the house was
the biggest swing I ever saw. It was made of iron rods in short pieces
which were looped together and went up, up to one
~
o~
the big limbs a
long way above the ground. It was great fun to gwing there and the older
ones would· 'work' up to appalling heights.
~ui te
a distance '-way but the next neighbor, was the Farre.r place
owned by wealthy people also and I have dim recollection of
play~ng
•
-- --·- -- '-
·----
..
-·--·- 47-.
with- t-he Farrer girl ,who was about my e.ge. but I did not play with he.r
nearly as much or know her as well as the lively Fitch girl who lived
in the big place next to Aunt Delia's house. in fact I had quite a z
orush on her 1 or thought I had.
(Note. I have mentioned some big places
owned by weal thy people and one might inter that there were many such
but, at that time these were the only ones I ever saw in our many
drives about the country.
Rot far from the Prescott place was
birthplace where
~other's
on the 21 st. of October, 1835, Harriet Amalia Lawrence was born to
Daniel
~.Lawrence
and
.
C4~~
Rachel~
his wife. It was a humble home with a
brook nearby. After Anna and I had returned from Alaska we spent sometime in Pepperell·, one sll!!lmer and I took the :photographs of some of
the scenes of
(~
~others
early days.
These we
which is still ~~ong our treasures.
~de
into a little album
At that time the old house was
abandoned and X% going to pieces but one of the views shows the tiny
bed roam,opening off the kitchen, in which
fireplace,
al~oet
at the bed
ing for the large family.
roo~
~other
door.where
was born and the old
Grand~other
did her cook-
One side of the fireplace one can see the
iron door to the brick oven, bull t 1n next. to the chimney
and.
here
the baking waa done and the beans put every Saturday night and the
brawn bread later.
I
never was much for vegetables or beans but there
0
never were any like Grandmother's and I lved that dish and often begged
Grand.~other
or m.y Aunts to cock some.
·:~e.
bY.J:mx Ann.::. and I, took
ott some of the old door latches and hinges from the doors. They had
•
been hand forged by Grandfather, whom was a
black~ith,
I think. They
are still about for I never had the chance to put them into a house I
expected to build, sometine.
Much nearer the rrescott place was a little red school house wher,
Mother
I
wen~'to
school as a little girlll, a.nd there is a photo of that
r.
48.
J.A.l!. pg. 48.
in the
a])bum,
also • as well as ot the Oak Hill school where Mother,
a brown eyed, black haired girl of sixteen was lchool Ma.rm and contin;
ued to be inspite of the big boys, older and bigger than their teacher
who threghtened 'to tmm the teacher out'.
I do not know the names of Grandfathers or Cirandmother• s parents
or what they did but on the Memorial tablet that has been erected
on the 4o!mnon/ since my
. early days/there are Lawrences way back to the
Revolution so they probabally all lived-in that vacinity.
Alw~a
there was a visit to Uncle 7ill Lawrence who was a black-
smith and liTed with Almt Rose in towns some miles away, :f'irst in
Shirley and later Drzllld!z7
in Ashby and the drive there seemed very
long indeed over hot dirt roads with a generality utility horse,
i.e. generally utilises the opportunity to walk. But Uncle 7111,
(.
~oth-
er's youngest brother, was :full of tun and always up to some mischief
as you m+ow :f'~om his pranks at our house during the Cebtennial
Exposition.
Mother and I stayed to visit some days and often Aunt Kate
I)
wold be there too.
One night there was a crash and loud exclamations
od indignation from liother's and Aunt Kate's room and Uncle
roars ot laughter.
::~i~l
in
The rascal had taken all the slats from under the
mattress but kept it in place somhow and when his sisters went to bed
down it came with a crash. I spent much time in his shop and as there
was often a spare anvil he would let me heat some iron and ha.mmer
away but •. somehow, I could never l!lake that iron do any of the wonder-
•
ful things that seemed so easy to his skill:rul hands. Afear supper he
a-...;.~~-~
would sometimes take me fishing but I can tt recall any big catches.
J:'.;:f-.tt...r- c---,...,
,'
-4{3· I was always fond of tools :rather and Father wanted to send me to
'IJncle 7111 !or a summer, to work in his shop and learn what I could
of the trade but he thought I would cost more than I woud learn tho
they e~ected to pay for my board and any loss to
him.
ae had much tv
,.
S.A.M. pg. 49.
49.
to thouble him tor he was not very successful tho very industrious
and. a tine smith and wheelwright. I enjoye~eing with him and ·as
he had no children of his own he seemed f'ond of me so we were pretty
good chums.'
. My brothers anct sister wer 9 e summering in Pepperell while I·
was still a little boy and they made friends with soine o-r .the boys and
I
girls of the village, especially Belle Uace and Clara ShattuCk, Cousin
Caddie.
There was an old co:cord Stage somewhere in the village,
Yaybe the livery stable attaehed to the hotel for there was a so. Occasionally,
called ho~el.",uncle sumner Lawrence would take a crowd of the y:otm.g
ieople out driving in the old stage with its leather springs and
a,..,L
the four horses,under his skiltul management, made the people turn
•
out to stare. So a trip was planned to Mt. llonadnock, thirty or toty
miles away ':'Jncle sumner acting as coachman, 1 guess. Haw I begged to
go but of course a small boy would be a nuisance on
that and Uother very properly refused consent.
%x
a trip 16ke
In the early
~rning,
just about dawn, I heaid them starting and life seemed full of
disa~pointment
and woe.
Later on, when Grandfather and Grandmother lived on
the_~ax
Groton Road they had an orchard near the house acd brothers and
Lena would perch
read.-,-~ome
th~selves
up in the trees and eat and eat as they
book, while I would be below enjoying thos luscious'August
sweetings' a sweet Juicy yellow apple I never saw in market or any
where else.
Tuomy aehes~
I'spoee a plenty but fortunatly forgotten.
in the memories of the joys of August !weetings.
I
·Many hours were spent in Uncle
f
S~ers
Shop. It was a busy place
as he. seemed to have nuoh better trade thal''l TJnol e --Till !or Pepperell
was much larger.
The most fun and most exaieting was shoeing oxen
!or there were many of them in use on the !arms.
In one corner of
the sho~ there was a strong frame like the frame work of a hor~e .X
.1.A.ll. pg
50 •.
~0.
stall and with a windlass at each side and at the end.
This- one
was
to hauld the ox into the stall by a rope attached to his homes for
the animals almost all refused to walla in quietly and hung back and
bellowed.
Once in,a large piece of' heaT,Y leather was put under his
body and fastened to the windlasses at the sides and he was thus mrang
up in the air and his f'eet fastened to the supports at the side, in
the right position to be shod.
The poor beasts seemed terribly fright-
ened but altho Uncle Sumner was a quick tempered man, I never saw him
beat or kick them, no matter how stubborn they were.
It was all very
excieting to me but I dont believe Uncle and his helper were as much
1.
pleased.
Like Uncle
~ill
Uncle
S~er
"'Y\..-
was rod of his Joke tho he was not
such a cut-up. Often, when he was tYelding and heavy hitting was necessar:,·
he would spit 6n the anvil and the next blcnr would be followed by such
a loud
b~
that I thought the shop had blown up and would nearly
jump out of my skin}md Uncle would laugh and laugh and want to know
"!Jrhat was the matter•. Ia never knew when that would
ha~l)en
but soon.
learned to wander away when they began welding, much to Uncle's a.musemx
ment and he would urge me to stay as it would be interesting.
Setting a tire was interesting. First the old tire was taken off
and with a little wheel sei in a handle he would revolve it around the
outside of the felloe. Then he would revolve it around the inside of
of the tire and thus f'ind out how much smaller he would have to make
the tire, which was then cut and a piece taken out and then welded
together. It was too small to go on but a f'ire was built all around
~
it and when it was hot it forced on tne wheel and quiCkly eo~led t~o
generally it had to be laid on its aide on a big flat stone and
bo~h
men would set to hammering it l!lerrily. Then the job was finished that
tire was on to stay and I don • t believe it ever had to come back
J .A.Y. pg.51.
51.
because it did not tit.
....
• -
-..
..
•
'I'"
...
•
-
~
There was an attic in every house, o-r course, but Grandmother's
'
fo-r
did not have as many ancient things as some ot them she had suffered
.1\
from one or more bad fires.
.
Still I loved to explore around and
whiled avray many rainy hours, especiallT with the old carding wheel
but the Sl'inning wheel had disappeared.
· A memory o-f Pel)perell remains which must have impressed i tsel:r
on 'IIJY' mind while I was still a very small chap '!or I remember it onl;r
· diml.T, except the central figure •.
ciatern~to
Common were three large
On the
supply water in case ot tire.
Their round iron covera
could plainly be aeen, near the Congregational church.
One night,
d01n1 the s~ree"t comes the tire C0!!1JI&n7 to be greeted by loud cheers
by the villagers who stood about. Up to the top of·the tank of the
old hand-pump fire engine 8Jlrang 'lf1Y' Uncle Sumner, the Fire Chief,
his eyes bright ·in the flickering light of' the lanterns, nery powerful muscle tense, radiating
~nergr
brakes tor more speed and power.
as he called to his men at the
Yo ·me, how magnificent, what force,
what energy, what enthusiasm! A heroic figure I shall always remember.
There was no !ire.
It was onlY' a drill or perhaps a. contest
with some rival company, but I remember no one else, onlY my Uncle
Sumner, my hero.
The~e
are other memories: ot Eert Durant who teJtl out of' the
cherry tree close by our side door and knocked the wind out of' him-
•
eel! eo that I thought he was dying: of' catching frogs and cutting off
their hind legs and marvelling that they did not
se~
to mmnd it
and would not die and o! those same legs fried in butter, what luxury
what extravagance, and the deliciousness of that browned white m.eat:
~.:-~.
'and our dear
ot many days in a rented houee with llother and Anna
/
J .A.M. pg.52.
•
..
"
•
•
-
0
~
...
""
52.
boys, after we had relllurned from Alaska, and the meeting the people
held in the Vestry of the church, as the· l~ge_
room on the first floor
.. - -. : ""·
'
;
:'"
:- ~:'.
·-~
was called, to hear me tell about Al~sk~~- ";;~'>'J~-~->
Mother had taken us all to Pepperell·. t·o .. attend the Chapman Reunio~
an annual gathering of the Chapman (JlBn and Grandmother was a Chapman.
It was an all day· affair, held in the Town Hall or tbs-t ~n.r in '~he
Academ7' the building where Mother gained her higher education before
more
she went to Mt. Holyoke College. There were 100~" Cha.:pma.ns, Lawrencea,
and relatives of' various names and reports from different membe.rs were
given at the meeting in the morning with the exchange of banter and
Jokes and serious triendl:J greeting. Uncle :Vill Lawrence, who was
Note.Brown'a Bronchial Trochees were widely a~erised for sore throat.
Secretar,r, I think, got·of'f the follawing:l\ The Irish were making
plans tor a celebration on St.Patricks day at their meeting in New
York, and a member had just made a motkion
~o
have a procession when
....
Yike jumped to his teet and said:" Oi'm in faavor of havin a procbssin
an Oi'm in faa-vor of havin a tarch light proc•ssin an Oi'm in faav-or
of uai:ng them tarches that is advertised frim wan end of the kintry
to the other. namely Brown's Bronchi! tawchest"
The a.!ternoos were
given over to talk ·and meeting new relatives while the young Qeople
played games.
There was a rousing dinner at midday th1food being
brought by the different families but all sitting do~ at big long
tables in the Town Hall
w
~
the
Acad~.
It was fun even for a small
boY, and. very delightful when I grew older tho we could not attend
them every year. I suppose they 'have-- died out as the olan grew smalle:::
and more widelt separated as the years went by.
.Then there is the memory or the
•
run
"~-
in the meadow pasture pla;i
with tl1e brook, there were a.l':'f'ays brooks everywhere,.
In the Spin::;
when the the thaws set in, wonderful ice gorges vould be made with
blocks or snow and imaginary ice houses Jammed with tons of snow bloc .
J ,A.M. pg. 53. ·
•
-~
which, or course,
-wa-tt
the clearest and bluest ice.
stream, around many obstructions until
do~
.
..
(1~
~
-~~
~'wee
I
-~53-.:
had to be-guided
landed at. the .. ,
sliding ways of the ice houses where my,tmaginary,crew of men stored
and packed it away.
Tireing of this, I wopld break the gorges and
(/
flod the tiny valleys and follow the roaring flood down the brook.
Ho~
hours on end, it was no end of tun.
·. 1 · ·. ·.'· · ·
·.:,.Sometimes, we would stop at Pe:?perell on our
way
to some camp in
Kaine, where we went nearly every year in my vacations from College.
i
One
f
ti~a·a.~rs.
Perks, a dear friend of the family was with us and
aha and Aunt Deal, who was then a widow, were _staying at the:~otel
when theY' were awakened by the '!II.Ost zzz•s:sa::•:a21
~esome
J
noises. Peculiar
thuda milgle. with uncanny rattling of paper; cries,grawls and wails
Lighting a candle and cautiously opening the door a little Aunt Deal
sprang
awa:y
with a scream as a big cat rushed 1n and went tho the
wildest gyrations.
Ror he had gotten 1n amne sticky fly paper and
..X
could by: no mean.s get free.
Row I 1 oved 1 t a.ll !
Uncles and Aunts:
The ever kindJ dear Grand-oarents
and the
•
the simmering heat of
and the snappy cold.
~er
of winter with the creaking snow and the merry bells: the fragrant
groves of pine and birch with theit moss and brackens and teaberriea:
the sweet odors of new mollll hay and riding on the hey loads: Blue
berries and
!acinating
'aho,
b~ue
berry pie: the
c$~s
·~~
delicious~~of
every house and the
of the country store and to hear the people say,
I wan't' know, Dew tell, ',Vh71 How yeu
talk~
and to their horses,
Sh-h,_ sh-h, Sh-h beckl when they wanted them to whoo.
I
Oh! I'm glad for those weeks in a New England village and the
happy memories that abide.
I am thankful for God-fearing ani Gos::-
serning ancestors and the good old
~ew Sngl~~d
back againg and have time to ramble here and
stock.
I
ther~or
I want to go
there still
!
I•
J" .A.M. pg.54.
54.
lingers the charm of dear old Pepperell, 'Center'··
Most all ~r .:Sngland towns had a 'Center' with an 3ast. and~7lest
village and ~ or a Notht~~d South and sometimes all four with a
\
junction, now and then for good measure. A story is told of a weary
.
1
traveller on a slow aooomodation train tha.t wandered to East
Had~,
Hadem Center, "Jest Hadem, south liadem. and finally to Hadem J"tmction
till, at last worn beyond endurance, he exclaimed in a loud voi-ce,
! I wish the devil had' em'''.·
JlY longing to return was gratified, in part, when with Anna and
J3ert, we went back in November, 19:51 to see Lura Hall Swallow and
the only near relatives who are still there
.
I
Clara Shattuck'\ as apart of our NE!'.T .Bngland trip, my first auto tour.
There is a full account of our visit in the account of that trip
but the old scenes had changed but little.
The D'n.i ta.ria.n church had
disappeared for the two congregation3 had united, on what theological
basis 1 t would be interesting to know.
But all%
the places about
the Common we=e well kept up and the Congregational Ghurch, spick and
span in its shining white paint. The little school house near the
cemetery, where
~other
and her brothers and sisters went to school
after the family moved to the village looked just the aane the 1t
used as the home of the D.A.R.cllapter and the Co=mon not shabby and
run down but more
tr~
~1ly the h~se•
and Aunt Kate
and fine than it ever
~
~
in
~
boyhood.
on the Groton road, where Grandfather and·Grand-
motherA11ved1 later on in their lives, looked run
do~vn
and neglected.
It waa in that house that Uncle Henry Hall and Aunt Sarah lived after
the death of my grandparents
I
floor.
~d
with Aunt Adelia living on the second
Mother and I often visited there and Anna and I made at leagt
one stay there, while, in the sa!!le house/ I attended the golden wedding
ot my. grand"?aren ts as iVell as the Golden '7edding of t:'"n cl e Henry a..11.d
.4un t
Sarah.
But delightful as our auto trip was we felt pushed !or time so
(.
J'.A.].{. pg.51
I I aoul4
no~
entirely satis!7 my loaging to return.
Dear Anna had childhood
father was born in
in Ne. England, also, tor her
a~eriences
Sale~, llaa~.,
and
~
spent many days with hwr reaativs
s~e
Perhaps she will tell about them. sometime and I will make them
ther~-·
a part or thi3 story, too.
'---~--·_1f'e
55.
:But
went to Pepperell, there
--
when we . Tisitedi:.
salem, the same day that
.
.: .
Ya.B
'
'
~
11 ttle that she could recognize.
A tire,
...
years betore,had destroyed so much of the village almost nothing familiar
~~d
---~·-
be located altho there were a number of places in Marblehead that
had changed very little since the days when she played there.
7/lile Harry and Lena were in college at Amherst and Mt.Holyoke, Mathe.
and I generally visited
th~
on our winter trips tp Grandfather's. I
suppo~
that is why we went in the win~er time. l!t. Holyoke college. was a long
••
plain rectangular brick building, located
across the plain, some
distanc~outh
~~ong
trees and facing llt.Tom.
Hadley was a tiny village and
we lived in a little hotel or boarding house just across the street from
the college building.
It waa quite an experience to visit there with the
girls eo~ing and going in Helena's study which she sheared with Zdith
Derby, her room mate. Then there.was Ida Hay,
very dear
chum
V~s
Y,C.Atwater, now a
of Helena's, !Jreta Jack a..~d very pretty Ruth something or
other, her ~arried n~e is ~ill, of whom I was very !ond.
For the girls
all made much of me being "such a cute and d~ar little fellow" ,and,naturally,being a ~ilbui, I did not object. But those perfidious creatures,
true to their ancestor, ~other ~e, used my innocence, at least they
•
thought I was innocent, to get by the letter of the College rules. They
nor_,
ooulc not buy candy in the village art I su-ppose/ elsewhere even if theyhad a chance, '17'hich was not likely for week ends away from college were ,.,.
unheard
or. so
I was given money and sent to the country store to buy
various ~we~ts which I ~ugg!ed in th the great rejoiceing of the assembled conspiritors.
./
. 56.
J .A.l!. pg. 56.
Helena was permitted' to bring us to the dining hall for one dinner
r~
possible more,~d the girls told me they always asked ~ ~ present
to say grace and that I was liable to be called on.
I took it serious-
17 and sat in an agony of apprehension when the President rose, as all
were
a.,...::t..
seated~~
I waited ror,the
e..
no one ever thougt
o~
.
fatal mention of
my
name.
or course
asking that small boy for such a thing but I was
scared, just the same.
All the scholars and the faculty sat at long
tables and the girls acted as waitresses asd, infaot did most of the
college housekeeping. I
r~ember
the dissert thEy had called'Deacon
Porter's Hat' Deacon Porter being one of the Trustees. The 'Hat' was
a
tall~
boiled
pudding,sha~ed
the crawn on a high silk hat.
like a truncated cone and not unlike
or course I felt very conspicuous as
the otly 'man among so many girls but it did not
1
s~oil
my appetite.
But I oertainy was trapped in an amusing situation tho it was anything but tUnny to ma at the time. :!t. Holyoke, being an institution
of decided religious influence, true to the concepts or its sainted
founder,
l~ary
Lyons, whose name was always mentioned
wn th
a eort or
reverent quiteing of the voice, at least by the faithful thom soma
faint maoory of a
sho~king
reference to 'holy llary'seems to linger.
/ell, any way, getting back to religious influence,there was plenty
and groups of girls were formed into' sections' which .held short prayer
meetings in ~;;=all roo!!l or study.
reading roo.m while
~ena
One day I was s:ant to a small
was in class and mother probabally with her.
Eusilt looking at some magazines I hardly noticed whene. a girl came in
•
a.nd sat down.
T".vo or three more coming in a few moments rabher inter~
ested.me and when about a dozen had assembled in a few minuteaAI wond
what was doing. I soon found out for one of them began to read from
~
Dible and I knew i.t was going to be a prayermeeting and wanted to get
out tor I felt I was intruding terribly.
Naturally the girls \Yere
(-.
l.A.Y.. pg. 57.
. -: - . ~ .. 57 •
surprized when they came in and saw me ttawu there, their- surpr:lze
soon· giving way to amusement as the meeting began. ·The only door was
on the opposite side of the room tram
~e
with girls sitting along each
or the side walls and I never could run that gauntlet and escape. Fortunately I knew how to behave ina a prayer meeting and eo worshipped
in outward appearance, at least.
Great was the amusement of l.ena and
her friends when they heard about it and said that surely I was the only.
male who .had ever attended :t
a meeting or "sections".
As
-ra.r
as I
lmow the meeting did me no ha.rml
I do not want to leave the impression that I sco'!f or
standards of
,.
M:t~
J ear at the
Holyoke, as I remember them. or at the memory of
Xiss lyons. Truly she must have 'been a saintly woman and ahe mad.a higher·
education possible for thousands of women.
I haTe only tri'ed to give
some idea of the abo sphere of the College in those early days.
\'Thil e
is seems to me 1 t was overdone, to some extent and shared in the false
i'
~L
·emotionalism of the period it cettainly be a great blessing to young
j
l}
'
i
people if such reverence tor God:
and~$ belief'
'
in colleges today.
OUr visits to Harry, in
at
~
South Hadley.
"'
Amn~erst
~
in Rim were tar more common
.
, were in strong contrast to those
~
Harry lived in a dormitory at least part of the
s
time and his room was a facinating place fpr the'kid brother'. There was
a piece or fire hose, about a
~oot
long,hanging on the wall along with
pi'pe racks pictures, none of ladies in scant attire, or none,
·mmu
'·
usual collection otesouveniers! ~
~
tile
an' :tkxX
but my interest in that bit of hose
"
neTer ceased. The Freshmen were having a class celebration with a big bon-
•
tire on the campus. Out rushed the Sophs with the village fire hose all h
hooked up and proceeded to douse, not only the fire but the Frosh as we~l
But '84 drew off and gathered in the stragglers abd with a mighty sweep
they charged the upper class and capture<:!- the ho·ae which waa promp~ly cu-p
up in ~11 pieces and distributed aaosg the men.
It cost some hundreds
k-,.. ·
:.
.J .A.U. pg.58.
. -- 5S·.'
of''' dollars O~tlournful Sophomore:: pockets to pacify the Fire 6ompany
which of course, made the Freshmen exceedingly
ha~py.
Harry interested rne in good books Scott, Cooper
while he was at classes I sometimes stayed in his
chums and friends would come
b~sting
~~d
~oom
the like and
and read. His
in the room anytime and chat or
guj' the kid. They all% seemed so f'ull of life and tun I was greatly
terested.
~:
in~e~
They ate at a club1 not a fraterni ty1 tho Harry was a psi U
and Mrs Louise Houghton, the hostess was a rare
woman~
or
tine character
and great charm. She helped many a boy to follow the •straight and
and narrow' and the fellows all worshipped her. It was interesting to
hear the talk and the enthusiasm and pep. It seemed as tho they never
ran down.
There was Spondee, :Tillia.m C .Atwater, o~ At, Billy Wheeler
Arthur Dakin
•
all close chums of
our house in :Brynllawr.
Harrt~s
and all frequent visitors at
Atwater was quite tall hence the name Spondee
Mter that 1~oot in meter called sponeee, meaning two long feet hence
too long.
Harry; being quite short was called Bildad, either here or
·at Haverford, for you remember the Biblical character, Bildad, the
Shuhite (ahoe
hi1;ht~
The gra.duatil)n exercises at 1\.mlherst , tlle firElt I con remem.ber,
were very i::n-pressi ve vi th the faculty in long Prince Albert coats a::~~
names of the graduates read out 1n latin except the Fa-:nil' name. Ha:r::-;:,·
Lawrence be came Henricum ~rentitl!:l, at least so I recall it.
enthusiasm of the alumni, some of ~ham
astonished me.
•
The
staid at ::rs lioughton's
BX2B
One day one of thet!l came bouncing in like a 3choolboy
his face glowing as he said, "Rave you heard the ne':f' Al'..llnili yell?
!; o'~
·,vell here it is, Alumni-1 alu1"!mi-i
To the Dean ~e used to liet
Al U!!ltli • "
There Yas Ivy day and Class Day with cer~onies in the woods where
\
the Grads all smok&J long clays,very much to be regretted I thought
tor tho I doubtless smoked crrn silk now and then on the sly/ ' this
-e~--
'
.'
'
../
ot early de5eneration
to rob m7 heroes ot same ot their
ae~ed
~
glory.
Aa I said, qui to often we would go on to
c~ping
before we returned
h~e.and
~ine
s
for a tews woe::
the memories of those and other
camping trips are tit among the happiest or rrr:1 li.te.
Father always
lOTed to fi ah from tho ti:ne he waa a bo;r and fished in the streams
-
around Dundatt' with a bent pin tor hook untll his second wite
perauaded him. he was too old to go fishina tor she did not like
the wood a a 11 ttl e bit and even ouch a. ver;r mild form ot camping
as thG waell a?pointed fishing lodge as the one rather owned with
!ra.rga.ri te
Ur.:facCloed on the ~to ~
filled her with terror.
I
••
.But
st.
near Tadousao on tho
I
La.wrenaa·
:!other loved the wilds, the wilder
the better and naver tired of
!i~hina
whether ths fish bit or not.
To me,aeems to have descended tha combined lave tor the
OyGn
~
both my ·parents and then/ tbn.t cor!lbincd lov'!, wns r.ml ti?lied b;r
mome
bi~
factor.
I nevar
Dud enough of it and in tho
days in Alaa:k.a./ wr..!le I m.isncd LTJ yu.renta
~d
semi-pioneer
my dear onos and co::I-
genial t'riends/ I loved tbe eotmtains nnd the :Ja:r and the island:J
the a ea. and tl:e forZ!:tt n.nd soma feel i..'1C of beL"'l,:; in tho wild.crnco3.
I never t!ll.;t loncly,
~~<:t is.~not
until I cn::1a 'bac:!.: o.r:d left
fia!lao 30·JO nileo awo:y bae!c i:t tho :a'lt
W\..
~
if' jto•t ar..1 luck-y.
get baCk, I loved
~nd nail~
~.;/
every two weoks,
E!lt tr..!lt•s wa.y on ahead 1'1 thio story. Jo to
c~~ing.
Father 7as tickeled to have G.nY of hiG boys love it and as
'7111 di(l not ao.re
I
ed a
-po~si bili
t:r,
ntOber of trips.
tor 1 t a.nd :!elena, being a girl; was not aon3id crtoo:'~
It would be
to attemn
. to describe OV
~eari3~~
tri:,> in detail or even :1
.
:!o.rr:r and me on a
in tho a~ dr<.J'5, ::?:1t'.her
will bring thoseB saenoa,so dear to
3.
3CO':l& here o.nd thur.:
~~ory. ba~
again to
~• ~~.
••
~
J.A.U. pg 60.
--
----
- - . ·-
- pg60.
-
..
The first trip 't;o ~aine woods must have been ·in 1881 when -I was . , ..
.,. -·-
eleven years
ol~
l
and we went to Lake Kennebago1 not tar tram Range_le:
Lake • '!'he last part
of the journey was over the Sandy River R .R. a
.
\
~
narrow gage line, with cars so narrow that there was only room tor
I
'
~.
I
one·' row of s·~at$ on each side
.;
!
•,
or
the center aisl~. There was 11 ttle
I
l
I
a;~empt to ~ade the road which wandered up and d~, over the hill'
or
~at
the ~:q along the banks of the Sand7 Rive:l',·~. It was most
interesting :and my only regret was that I could not ride 1n the
j
'
engine.
'
.
\.
.
,
~
( After,· getting into our woods togs and repacking our dut.f'le1
•.•
l!
a buck.'boa.rd took us to the Kennebago
~-
~
(
t'he .:-Bight.
~
. . . ·· !
.
C&ml'B
where we ]"Dkmt spent
The next morning we went to the other end of the Lake
_·,ottr,· guide taking us in a light row boat. There we settled down in
"
"
&
~ug log ca'Qin with balsam. bough bunks, what can equal them;! a.nd
o~
'lif'e began.
tor a:
short_r~.
Hardly bad we arriTed before I started out alone
The wind was f'airl7 stiff and straight down the
lake c~d a.!ter going some little distance out in the lake I though+
l'd·_ \,attar return for I was not
mlich at home in a boat. But no .
•
soOner
had I heSded toward camp than my boat perxzversely headed
.n1
up il~e. I pulled on one oa.r and headed for oa.mp again but about i .
.·'·/
went heading up l:a.ke. Again and again I tried but no use and I wac
.
r
{
dr~fting down the lake f-!Dd farther and father away.
~ui te scared_,
f\i.atood up and yelled" Hel:p! Helpt I cant steer the boat!" a :phras
'
-~I was not allowed to forget for many a day. The camp was in plain
•
:;;•
Ti~
and theJcalled back something I did not
hear~~d no~
see::
greatly exoieted. Aa I had the only boat at our cabin a man fro~
another, not far a.way/ came out ~~dtowed me in laughing ::nea.::1whilel
to be greeted by more
+'~
laughte~>,.
-
:?ather, Earry and our
'd
6.ll
e.
It was •nt funny to me but when I learned that if I had shifted ~-
,.···
. pg. 61
J.A.M. pg.61.
my oars from the bow seat to the center one I could easily have
~·
·
come back I felt pretty sheepish and did not wonder that they laughed.! certainly was far from the rugged woodsman I had fancied myself to be.
Th~
had tried to make me understand I should shift m y
oars but I could not understand and it was a long time before Harry
atoopped iaying, often at the mpst inopportune monent, 'Help, help,
I can't steer the boat.'
Near our cabin was a tina cola spring of the clearest water
and it flowed into a small pool which was large and deep enough to
n
,
keep fish in tine codition. It was soon tilled with brook trout
of medium size tor we_put the fish in ax'live-box• tawed by the ka
boat and so brought most them, to camp,alive. Then when ·we wante.d
fish for breakfast, dinner or 9Upper and we generally did, they
would be actually !lapping when they were put in the pan. Never
were they equalled for deliciousness _tho I ha.ve eaten many trout
since then,from a number of different places, tho the bbinm
sallllon trout tuom Indian River: near our llome at sitka were a }IXDX
a mighty close second.
~e
day, Harry Father and I had gone thro a narrow stream into
1
another small lake and were fishing when a small aloua drifted up,
in the clear sky and promptly proceeded to ahawer us heavily. Our
rubber coats saved us from much wetting for it was over in a few ~
minutes and we were rej oiceing in the sunshine again when someone
said " That cloud is coming baek!" And it certainly did and showered us again.
'
7e could see the sky clearly and it was perfectly~·
plain that the same cloud came over us once and in a few
came back again i,the op~osite direction.
~inutes
I su~~ose it was suf-
feciently lightened by the loss of water to rise ana so ~eet a
current blowing in the o~poeite direction. The out let of the XX
PS 62.
ot the
11 ttl a luke rtm into one or tha .Rangely srou:p reJ o1ou1ng
in the
n~o
from
ati
of
~oosle-ae~~t1o
whioh our gui4e 1no1ated ouce iX~
old Indian who triod to uhoot a aoooo on ita shores but
h1a flintlock fo.ilod to f'iro.
Thile he primed it agu1n J tho mooco
still stood tllere and tho oecond shot killed him.• So tho IndiGD
. aa1d. it waa the lake tiaa Where the ttmooae let my gun tic."
While at Konnebago I #aught :my 1"1Rt~·-a, • rti~~~~~~ other
.
.
. -.....
kind a o~ tldhing has seemed tame ever alnce. It waa ther_o tl:lAt
.I
~1rat
went 'Jacking'tor deer
'but only au an onlooker
tor i'ather wua in tho bow rewiy to shoot. There were many musk-
rata swimming about and as long as they wore in tlla light thoy
did not uee:a to know we were there bu aa soon as tey passed into
the ttlm.dow they g -:rent down, giving thoir tails a miGht:! creek
on tho water aDd maJcing such a report one would ul:J.ost J lJ:l1;l out
or
tho boat, especially if you had not
Dut Aenriebago wua too civilized tor
was not ao good
~
ac~ tu~
Ea~ar
before.
and tuo fiahinb
he wished so tho next year we wont to i.:in.;
and Bartlett Lake twolvo miles tram a.tO\m call.ed =unties on thiJ
:Dead River. so called boouuse it llad so tfJifl rapids and its cur-
rcn t was so slow.
Here I saw my first real
~
mill and 1 ts
log pond md the loss coming down thu river • the clam up .of tho
sprind drive.
It was a verJ tiny oporation for ltmlberins 1n
that purt o£ :..Iaine was prncticully over but it see:n bia to ma.
Detore me• as I wr1 te is a tin-tYl'e of .?ather. liarrJ end
tnken bcforo we 7ent into the woods.
I
before?
How do I
~ow
t'l&
1 t was
7.ha color o~ llnrrJ's trowsers is ~le proof of
thut.
?o.tllcr would not troubl!J to -;mt on his wood 1 !J alot:1ea so tllu
general ri".fect is of an
.t.!'ric~
explorer witJ:l hln two gunbourors.
Dut not the riz.
J:.,ather .with a pith hel:let o.nd
.
:.i~ry
and ! 'ilitll.
-pg.63.
J'.A.U. pg. 63•
a 10 gauge, double)arrelle~ sgot-gun and Father, a 44 four~een- shot. re-peating
Heavy armament indeed but, fortunately
it did
.
.
little damage even in these days when anything alive was considered a !air
I1
ot a
It
~inchester
rifle.
pu:t many parties who went into the woods a 1n those days.
Look at those big necties,orlHarry
and me and those
blue flannel shirts
\
.
considered absolutely essential tor every real camper.and
that lang Bowie
I
knife at Harry's belt! It was double edged and about as useless in the
woods
\-,
as an automatic sliceing machine but it made us reel we were true
frontiersmen, hardened and tough and not to be tampered with. In truth.
we were neither over dressed or over armed, according to the custom of
the times.
It is interesting to note that ?ather, who is dressed f'or
travelling, is -.rearing a Prince Albert Ooa.t with silk faced lapels and
most pikely ,a high s_ilk hat to go with it for he wore one a great deal,
tho Fa tar was never a 'dressy man •.
Father engaged Jobn Day as our guide and he was with ats a number of
successive years. John was 'sandy complected'with a decided~ emphasis
t.uL
,..
'
.
~~~
tm the tones but he was not the t!hery kin-d en:d' always good natures.
Tall
I
broad shouldered and strong he did notbelieve in tking life too aeriousl
ly or in working too hard when Guiding but all in all he was Tery sa,is-
factor,r.
At first he was rather apt to be prett~road in some of his
atoriea but Harry was ever striTing to protect my morals and jumped on
John so saTagely that he pretty we}l stopped that.
I
There was some doubt as to whether the 'Kid',meaning me, could
make the twelve miles of rough 'tote road' to the Lake.
Ofcourse I was
confident and there was no other way to get there exce~t to walk so we
started out. A tote road is a path thro the forest origionally cut out
so as to allow sleighs or sledees to take supplies to some l~ber ca~p
i
!
•
· .·-
~ .A.:M-.
64.
64.
1D winter. Being a winter trail it was not
necesaar,y-~or-
the- .
swampera I who were laying it out , to avoid the bogs nor boulders of
considerable size as the snow and lee tilled in the hollows between
the rocks and made the nampa into fine lnel roads • · :But cold
weatla:r does not laat forever and when the thaws come Dlt rocks ,
that,in winter,were alight eleTationa become big boulders and bogs
which were nice level places of
hard road,
become deep quagmires
that can not be crossed antU 'corduroy' ia laid.
p
•.
so the road is
Such must mave \teen the roads in the :crontier I
dqa or our count%7
-
.
or on horseback and then
impassable excet to foot travellers
onl7 at a walk •
·.·
~d
anyone who has ever travelled one marvels
.
haw those early settlers ever managed to get on to the west.
:Bob Philips who ran the c~··m~ith his rather~ did manage to
haul in some supplies and a little baggage on two wheels, an z
a:xl.e-b~q" ;met a pair of
shafts and an old white horse. The durne,
Well covered with rubber blankets, was lashed atop the axle-bar
and almost as or ten as not was resting in acme mud
axle on top and wheels in the air.
hole with the
Bob had probabally used up
all his large supply of swear-words long
x for when we x
be~ore
passes hL>n, on our "lfa.y-cin' he was philosophically putting the rig
right side up again, a half smile
~
on his mouth and
a look .of resignation on. his bearded race. fl~~ -;p.- ~ p
~ Jl-- ~ ~t;t_j.~/~~~~.
'---;v Tha~ tote road was abo~t the worst I ever saw b~t it rin ~
-;;f__:_ __...
thro beautiful forests and/ while I was tired before we reached
•
the end or the twelve miles I was not played out and enjoyed it
/
/
all.
About half way we reached an old logging camp and stopped
for lunch.
~ohn
Day% told us that one of the lumberman died dur-
ing the winter and as they could not take him out they buried
him in two flour
~arrel%s
j
plcoed end to end until% the body could
/
J .A.1l. 65.
pg65.
taken down the river in the spring he showed us the half empty
grave and,in fancy,! could see the body in the flour barrels for many
nights to come.
But that did not prevent
me
from enjoying a
big~-lunch
and topping of with a lot of' the luscious wild red raspberries that
always grow around an old logging camp.
John Day. who was a little ahead
or
us,
into the f'orest there was a doe and two fawns feeding quietly 1 the
moth~r
looking at us occasionally. It was
~
bealltiful sight and, or
course, we did not spoil the party tho we were well armed.
Some distance on a large bird fin up in a hemlock not ten teet
away. It was
&
handsome
in its black plumage tipped with white and
a bright red comb and sat there twisting its head this way and that
'Spruce
pat~idge'
said lobn. "Good to eat"?
•r
don't fabcy em. Too
strong. Some like em." "Can I shoot it?" SXXWK" Shure, if yeu wan
to."
So I raised my 22 Flobert and fired. The bird never dodged only
twisted back and forth a little faster. Ofcourse I aimed at his head
as even a. small bulli t would have torn th body to peices a.t that distance. I fired again but still the idiot did not fly.
"Aw pshawt
said Harry, "let me have that gun" and he fired but the bird was n
still there twisting about.
patrige? :Tell I'll git im''
.John laughed and a.sked 1'Do you want that ..
It was not customary for guides to do
any shooting unless asked to do so and we were not altogether pleas-
•
ed.
But J'olm
did not intend to shoot. 7fb:a' waste a.mmuni tion? He
stepped a little to one side and went a little nearer to the bird
which still did not fly, and threw his
lo~g-handled
axe and
birgia~s
head dropped o!f as clean cut as i ! it had been on a chpJping block.
These birds are often called 'fool hens' because they seem so
d~b
•
J .A.u.
pg 6S..-
---66.
about getting out of danger. -7/e •ound ita. crop-~~otthe--tili)s- ..
ot small Sl)ruc_e branches.
lee stick out in all
You kncnr their rather sharp little need-
direot1o7~ ~d har the}cre~tzure
th&lll down is a mystery.
J'olni waa right
ever got
•tliey- was prett7 atrcmgl•
and I pre1"er thet "J1.f3' apruoe gam should net be mixed with
I never did like rosin as a diet
But how Father did guie uat
m:r meat.
~·
•Great shots,
TOU
bo,-s.
What·
will ;you do -when 70U don't have John along with his arz • HarrT and
I, like the Tar Baby-1 'ain't sayin nothtn'.
· Along in the late a'fternoon we came oTer the top o't a hill.
and there was the lake and the camp, a
tw log cabins and a
larger
one tor cool' house and dinning room. I was able to 8l)urt ahead and
•
came in
si:i:::f
much to the wonder of the tew camper-a who were there,
v
who wanted to know how I got there and hardly believed that I had
Our cabin had a single btmk along the back end and we all
Yalked.
slept in it side by sidet on
a~ruce
or more
pro~erlYt bals~
boughs
)'atherand .To.bn we enormously :t'ond of onions, which neither Barry
or I ate and they generally kept some big ones sliced and soaking ·
in salt and vinegar, so that they could have some whenever they
wanted
th~
which seemed to be about all the ti=.e. Hali tosisl
at night, tor there
w.hew; It was not so bad in the daytime
b~t
was little room to Sl)are in the bunk.
Harry, as older brother
cla.im.ed the right· ot greatest distance and I ha.d to sleep next
to the odorous ones.
~~
~
.
they sa;y a man can get used to anything
and doesnt even mind hanging the second time ao I lived thro it.
I
Ye wanted to get a deer or even a moose and to do that we
had to cross the lake and make a. short ca.ny &a
us i%to a
~all
river. There were deer tra.Ok a plenty and quite
a few moose tracks a.l.so.
steal a.l.ong
in
which brought
Uter dark we would light our Jack and
the canoe. One nif')lt we head a :moose sloshing along
•
·· j
the edge
Tiew.
ot
.A.U •. 67.
.
~
- -- - --
.- --.0!1-. •• '
a bog, close beside us, but aa row- ot aldershid- him
tror::
;
.
.,
He tramped_along 1 parallel to us1 tor
~uite
and splashing and making noise enough for an ox.
thought he
-- -·
wamm~
a way, snorting
I!very moment we
would come out but, after a. ttme, he went oft
lnto the woods and we neither got him nor 8ll7 other moose and we
neTer saw a deer.
a
Dr. Porter , his son and friend had the cabin next to ours
and,while agreeable enough, did not seemed inclined -to be
cln~.
7e were quite astonished,thererore, when they went out at their
wq to do us a most welcome kindness.
71e had been over to the
little river fishing and hunting and it began to rain and,... got
they
troroughly soaked. Somehow ~knew 11'hen we would get back and
as soon a.s we got inside or our cabin they sent in a big
-~o-r~~.~~
cu~
of
hot partridge stew with hardtack to goV''3'ith J.t,-..V 'Ne ware wet a.bd ·
t
cold and bedraggled and never anything tased as good. ~ighty nice
was 'nt it.
I never saw a man swim like John Day. Not that he was fast
or had a fine stroke but in same way we could never understand he
swam
high out of water so that his shoulders were all in the air
and you see a third vf the way i to his elbows
~hile
his head
stuCk up in the air like the conning tower of a. battleship.
?ather and .To:bn had gone off to another lake for !ish or deer
lea:v-eing Harry and me to amuse ourselves till they- returned
then to pick them up with the boat.
•
ond
71e were on that 11 ttle river
and and Harry's matCh box slipped overboard and sank in deep water
Like all true campers we
and just at this
t~e
~ept
our matches in 7ater,roof holders
we favored a 12 gauge brass shot gun shell
11'1 th the but of a paper. shell for a cover It 71asfine and
wate~
proot but we found out that day that 1 t was a far better airiker
-t:nRn ~1 na.ter ~
'7e had shot a -oartrid e
as the
called the r.lffed
--
_A,~
•
~-
-
----
-----~~--
~-----------------
:r.A.u. ss.-
-
. ··-·. --
6B.
- <1,which we had planned to roast tor- lunch and 1 t waa- cl_ouding up- and
beginning to drizzle and we wanted a :tire.
But- our matches were . .ct.
down there in the damp and the water far too cold tor diving.
7hat
to do tor a fire? ve never carried !lint and steel tho we might
possibly have found some flint and we had oW/Jmives but we neTer
~here
~
heard of Eo)t Soouts.were.QJM.,... at that da7 and so we-
kne'.t
nothing
o~
rubbing sticks and camp was tar too far aay to think of going there
and back, so,what to do? . we knew there was a half' burnt old l.og·ging sha.Dty down the river a bit where we planned to go :tor cur
lunch and as we went in some cotton batting sticking from a hole.
in an old quilt gave Har17 an idea. He pulled out more cotton until
~
•.
he got some tha. t was quite dr7.
Then he U.Z
drew the shot !rom.
a shell and holding the ahot gun tour or !ive re9t
cotton he :fired.
fr~
_
the shredded
The low roof made the raport sound like a dyna:o.i-:e
bomb and the flying ashes and dust lookad,uinBJqll.
indeed, as
~
. tho the shanty had blown up but when the 1m1oke and dirt had subaid.ed
there was the cotton glowing cheei'f'ully and
n• soon had a fire.
But time's u:p and we pack our dut:tle/ with great regret on my
par~ to start orjour homeward way. How I hated to leavet Did I
want to break camp?
ever
Yea, I remember once when we woke u-p in the
:::1orning to find a small ereek actually .gurgling thro our tent and
it raining a.a only
a.:tter while..
s.:a: •.Uaska mow
haw to rain but that's
way
on a
Cur sta3' at King and :Bartlett was not a great suo.aess.-
It rained a lot, the fishing was poor, the moose seemed
~
and the
deer had vanished, while'Uncle John Phili?s'Bob's Father, who was
I
cook and the whole kitchen-staff' was a
even pass in a roug.."'l oaz:rp.
~~,'}
~ and---hone.
p~or
cook and too dirty to
So up the hill for another tr.vel ve mile
:r.A.ll.
pg.69·-
,. ..--- •··-
.
-
r
69.
The same old country village in odd contrast- -
Brya Yawr again.
to the rather pretentious dwelling on the 'Avenue' as Montgomery . H'
~
ATenue was
~~hile Lanc~ster
was always the
..
'
·~ike'.
Thoy
~ere
all dirt.
dirt roads, except .the PU:e, which was macadam, smooth in apots but
most ot it
f~l
of holes.
At the corner opposite the Trust
co.mp~
stood a real toll gate with. 1 ta big single beam, which formed the
gate,BW'tmg back and a sizeable little house tor the keeper.
The
tnhabitants had quite an~· exciting time dodge1ng the toll gate
for the
ColDl)~
owning the Pike ,pu~ a 11 ttl a box between Bryn mawr
Ave/ and Morris Ave. with a man there to catch the p.ennies ot
those who went that short distance to the i**s Station and the
(
•.
atores.:But 1 t did not ata7 1ong for there was such a hawl 9 not
about the
amo~t,
but about the bother
moyed it turther east.
o~
having to atop tllat they
•
that way.
·,
Then peol)le went down B.E.Ave. to
•
and. around back to the Pike and dodged 1 t
•
&
R.R.ATe~
Then the Com-
Pa.D1' mOTed it east again and for a time gathered 1n the toll but
it was not long before we learned that 70u aould have the toll
charged and the 6ompany would send monthly bills.
But the Keeper
was not Ter,r bright and we tound that by giving him a smile and
holding up, one :f'inger he understood 1 t was a charge cuatomer whom
he was supposed to recognize and then make the proper entr,r. Soon
everybody was giving the signal and the '-POor man would stand maz
scratching his head and looking after the departing :.b:ml carriage
~ ~ ~~ ~ t-r~,_:...,._ ~~~ .-...~ -~~
to remember who' s who. The Comp~ finally gave 1 t up as ·
t17!D.g
poor business.
~
Ramsey's Store stood,for many years,where the
is located now and it was the
Yt6~iat
Tr~st
Company
bigest atore in miles. }bear-
ly everybody went to Ramsey's altho marketing was done reglarly
'
in the City. It was quite the thing !or the man o! the
:t'acil~to
- - . J .A.U. 70.
,.._
.. ·-·-"··- ----
.--. - .. 70.
.....
appear at the station every Saturday
with a. large.. marke-t. . . morning
...
.
•
.
.
Jteading Room which their association built and l!Utintained !or ma.11Y' ·
:years.
This corner was the buiiness center of the village and stUl
is a.l to nearly all the building have been replaced or removed.
But the station gas not changed much, in outward appearance,- altho
t:t;.,...
I\grading has been changed. 7/e us eel to go down eight or a dozen
steps to reach the
~xtss
level of the traCks.
Bryn Mawr was a terminal in 1679 and
as the. ran
or
tor some years later
nearly half the local trains ended there. There z
were sidings and ni tches and a turn-table and we felt we were
•
quite important.
so I began to go to the City to school and the going was,
in 1 tself' anli: adventure.
:JTery morning I had to make the 8.18
~I
which was inoonv~nient tor Father, like nearly every other mad
who went to his business in the City 1 took th~~
8.30,the
only express train in the morning, and he did not care to go to
.... -
•
:.A.u:.
the station so
.. - 71.
pa71/
earl~ end, somehow, two trips to the atttlon seem-
ed rather complicated. In the end he generall;y .went
we did not ride together tor Father was a
not like a smoking car..
I hated it.
~eat
wii~· me
but
-
smoker and I did •
Generally. there were tour or
t1Te school boys on the train and we always got together in the last
car wllere we traded stamps or coins or tin ta.g·s ~ the .little tin
~~
.
markers that were placed on plugs ot amoking,..tobacco.theJ.flo were in
colors and printed or marked with a symbol to show the brand.)We
41d not chew but found these in the streets or got them from or
friends.
I tear we made a good deal
man' had his troubles.
\.
noise and
the'rear brake-
Some ot th•""were cross and some were in-
dulgent and some were 'cam but tirm'
taTorite,
o~
~G. ........ ~
One Gonductor was a uniTersal
Harry Carns and he never had aily ~rouble with anJI of us.
Not that we were rowdys but just boys and like bo~a fond of noise.
One taTori te trick was to see if you could beat the Conductor by
fjnding the pi"ece that came from youri6hool ticket end put tin 1 t
back in the hole so that he would punch it again •. If he did I that
gave you a tree ride but as we always had a number ot rides left ·
over eaen month we did not need it. Dire threghts of arrest and
imprisonment kept a curb on that trick but generally- when the COlT
-a,.,_
ductor punched the the insert~iecea would fly here and there and
·we would be caught and the thing went ott as a. joke The conductor
threghtening to punch tiTe extra rides tor eTe%7' time we tried it.
or
•
course,he never did.
The
•KttP'dJI :Belmont Public School_, located at 40th. and
Brown wa.s a very rttHnrt:
different a.fra.ir from tm Bryn::awr school •
It was, tor those days, a large three story brawn stone building
located in a good sized yard which was di.ided in halves by a high
iron fence, ton~side !or the sirls and the other tor the boys and
woe betide anyone wht wa s
never _knew it to haP:P an •
J .. A.](.
·pg.'72.
-.
. . . - -.
~ound ·on the wrong ·side· ·or-· ·ther ·t'ence
· · - . I. 72.
.a.
• · .t
But ~otes did .go. OTer :tl:Itl ten·ca. %low ·and
then bu~ tha~ waa rieky business and Ye let the girls pretty much
alone. We had separate teachers and separate clas~ rooms.
The boys
were on the first floor where there was a large room in the center
surrounded by tour clas~ooms. Parti tiona could be raised between
them ao that we all could see the Principal as~he read the Bible at
opening exercises in the morning at 9 oclock. J'acob Sides was tlie
Jrincipai, a tall, grey haired man with a tull beard which he kept
trimmed. He was kindlY but firm and Just and bad the welfare of every
pupil at heart nen tho he did wear a tallo fuzzY silk hat and a ehort
· ooat and we respected and some of us loved him tho we called him
Jaltey. I don't remember my first teacher' a name but I well remember
I was reading a book under the tOl'. of yq desk, one day, when she came
'· •
up quietl::r and caught me at it. •Let me see that book! • I passed 1t
to her.
she was all prepared for •a penn::r dreedfu1' or worse.- bUt
found i t was a high olaaa bo;re' stoJY b;r lljorsan and was so relei'V'ed
ta&t I got off with a mild rebuke• The other teachers were
~iss.Gil
bert, ur.Sides assistant,
Miss Lancaster, Yiss Slyter, a pretty
.
\
young woman whom we all liked and Yias Da'V'is who was ill 'lllY ta,.orite,
tho tor some reason we called her Squaw Da'Yis, and !lias Lancaster
was alwq& Lank::r. ETeJY siX months, if we 'passed', we were •moved
up to the next grade and went to a new room and a n"" teacher •
As we ·had two hours tor dinner nearl::r 811 the bo;rs went home 1i
but there were tour or fi'V'e who brought their lunches trom home and
it i a a marrel that we all did not go to the dogs in that long
idle ·interval. There was a station. then at Girard.Ave. and later at
40th •. st. and between these two was a large field about !our bloks
c
in size and we
w~ t
there very c:t'ten to eat our lunches and play •.
Sometimes we would go to what we called 'the York Peninsula' the
triangular bit or land between the
- .~~.
.n.r.
~
Main Line and the 1Tew York
I.A.l£.
pg.73.
·. 73.
tracks. ore bad to cross the Main Line tracks to get to it but there
were not as many then D.s now.
3ven at that it was a foolish thing to
/
do and when some of the oi ty boys told us it was the hang out of a
a Yexy tough city gang called the Yorkiea we did not go there any more.
Ono of our queer amusements was to collect
'cn~ine
numbers.' 7e
would sit the whole noon hour on the abutments ot the 40th. St bridge
and put down in our little b.ooks/ever:r engine number tha.t went by,if
1
we did not alread;y have 1 t, and the fellow who ha.d the most was a proud
lad. Some
or
the &hitting engines that went back and forth grn to be
/
/
I
old !'rionds and developed a personal! t:.r ,. like ola 21:5 that waa always
a Joke.
She seemed to be so important. with her hugh stack and big
smoka, puf't'ing back a.nd rorth and apparentbly not doing a useful
••••
thing •
Other deys we would play on the side ot' en old gra.Tel pit where
some city boys ha.dz dug some ;p:•••t dallow caves with pa.tlma leading
to them. ;.t their toot was a 11 ttle streaa whicn we dammed and made
water ways and pipe lines with odds and ends t'rom a. nearby dte.p.
!.ike all boys the language
I
o~ aOI!le
was hardly fit tor • tho parlor'
So I organized 'The lloral and Intellectual Improvement 3ociety'! and.
in spite of the ns::to it flourished for quite a. ti!!l.e. 7e wore red ribbon:.::
bearing the ini tia.ls in gold, which one of the boys printed on his press
but what ll.A.I.I.A. ment we.s known onlj' to the members.
There were
1n1tiat1on.r1tes conducted at noon hDur but the chief thing was the
to
absolute r.Ue tha.t any member useing dirty language wasI\.receive three
punches on his upper arm by each other member. :1hen we grew to' ~ve six
or eight manbers that was no joke. for the virtuous ones did not deal
lightly with the offender and once was plent~nough.
It did have a
marvelously bonef'iai&l effect tho one or two reoigned after the first
treatment.
J.A.Jl·. Jig .'74.-.-
-- .. - --- -----
74~.
Aa a matter of course, I took my ltmch to school every day .. - -tim
There were nox
restuarents near and no need
tor
a. school catf'eteriaa.•
. .
.
At ·rare intervals I would go over to Market st. and get an oyster stew
c
but thal: seemed like a j oumey to a far aountry and was seldom undercable
taken. · Q,ui te a crowd of us did go to see the wrlnl}: cars when they X±
!irst began to run displacing horse cars. They·were marvels and the ct
Chinaman's description was about right.
"No pushee, no pullee •. All
same-e. go like hel-e!"
But I shudder when I think of those lunches I took to school.
I can't imagine ilhy I was allowed to do myselt such violence for
Mother was far !rom indeitfarent to the best good of all her children
and she certainly was not ignorant. I suppose that knowledge of diet
and food values was much more limited at that time.
But I be that as i t
may/ day a.tter day my lunch was a good part of one of those .:t braided ·
1 aves of' bread the bakers used to make and some stiil make them, broken
and buttered and spread vri th currant
~-
tfelly~
Tireing of of that
.
I was often allowed to buy something tor luncll at a German bakers
near school.
Here a dime would purchase a. goods sized pan of sticky
cinnamon buns and that was my lunch many a day and yet I am sixty- '
three, even if not so much to brag about.
I suppOse my dear Mother would rebel at these statements and
indignantly insist that I had plain nouriahing food and that these
poisQns were only occasional variations or deserts. It may be so
but I cannot remember the 'plain and nourishing.'
Ana
so in due course I went up to High School to take the entr:
exams and failed!
So back to :Belmont for another six months. I dor
know why. I flunked for I had studied f'ai thfully, not ha.rd but hard'
enough to set me along regularly.
:J .A.M.
•
75.
pg. 75.
I 'went· up' to Eigh School exams again in. the winter of'K85 as
Humber 1 boy
tr~
Belmont and there was high hope that I would en-
ter No.1 or Tery near it and so bring honor to my school. But I
·
two
three
did not do that but was about the millle of the 1m&% or ti:o hundren boys who entered at that time.
While these sshool_ days were :passing by a Y.M.C.A. was organi%ed
in :Bryn:Mawr and held ita meetings in the Reading Zoom. Yother and
Kr~ Jo~
RiChards were active in the
common,,...s~
w.c.%.U.
and,as saloons were
that a :place was needed where men. could tind a decent
place to spend& a quiet evening.
So lltOne,- was raised
and
summoning
their' courage they went to see A.J .Cassatt president oil the PennsylTania rail road and •ere courteously received by that: eminent gen-
tlem.an. Re gave them per.mission to use a corner
or
the comJ,an_y' a l"ot
opposite Rmnaey's store and good sized building was erected there
•
•1 th a. large bright room on the !irat noor. which wa.S well supplied
with books and magazines, and· a good si.zed assembly room on the sec-
ond .floor.
It stood there for many years
and
met a real need in the
eommunity.
~
%he Y.Y.c.A. did not last Ter,r long but berore it died it g
gave birth to a. :Boys :Branch which long outlived its :parent and was
o! untold blessing to the boys of the
~.
C~Q~i~y.
Dr.Miller fathered
it and, altho the only activities were a weekly prayer meeting and
a. monthly business meeting Dr. Miller made religion so real and vital
that he held the group together until they began to go here and there
with larger interests. But a cleanet" crowd of boys/with better ideal a
(f
were
hl).rd
to f'ind anywhere. Of' course the Scout movement did not
begin until. years later.
Beyond question the business meetings helped to hold the gang •.
.I
They were held in the first Manse where Dr.rUiler lived with two
maiden sisters. a. widowed sister in law with her little girl and a
·- J'.A.M.
D1i: a good deal
or
pg. 76.--
-- 76-•.
the time a bachel~r bra~her who -was- a-- ci~il engin-
eer. First there was a business sessian conducted on
~triatly parlia-
mentary rules Slld many were the debates on. right o~. proceedure. Then
the reading of the 'ChestDut
:sur•
.
a J)aper· 1rritt~n by the memberd.
mostly the Editors, Poems? stories, articles a.nd Jokes. An old Joke
was called a chestnut in the slang
o-r the
day.Hence the name of the
paper. There was quite a vogue, about that time./ to wear
&
11 ttle gong
on you vest hidden by the coat and when someone you were talking to
told an old joke ,-ou rang the gong.
Ye»u generally rang it
anyway
and there. was danger of jokes being killed off entirelyt
!hen came games, debates, mozck tials and 11ttle plan. Brother
J'im1 the engineer/ bought us some Tigs and f'a.lse hair a.nd ·we used them
'
on all occasions. All that were left were given to me by Miss Mary
and Tilly after Dr. :Miller had gone to his Heavenly home and they
a-ppeared again at our dress-up party at the reunion o!
19~3.
It is
a.· wond~r tha.t the old Manses did not fall to the ground· with the wil.M
tun o"! those meetings.- The Millers always served ice- cream and cake
~
with smiles and cordial! ty but I can
a hea.rtfel t sigh when we went home soon
imagint~t'·-they
a.f~er
1 t would be a month before we came again.
ent and,
al.J5
must
ha~e
heaved
ten and gave thanks that
Dr. Miller was always :pres-
I cannot :temember that he took any :part we always tel t
he was one o-r tts as he laughingly seemed to enjoy is all.
""--
~ill
HipPle, Al Fuguest a.nd I were coming home from swimming at
Wynnewood one hot summer
I
~ternoon,
in Als'dog ca.r.t' a
two wheeled
carriage with seats back to back. Generally- it-was drawn
~ one a
horse tho the Fuguet girls often d.roTe two, tandem. The infernal
thing n·early jiggled your teeth loose but it was very stylish and i:-h
that was reason enough for the Fugue1us, except A1 who was anything
but a snob.
J.A.M.
so we jogged along.
•
77.
pg. 77.
A1 and I had become great ohums and :Till
otten played with us. Altho not handsome he was goodlooking and had
a perdonal charm. /fis .fine physique o.nd strong active body made him zx:ti:
rather a hero in our eyes ;md altho he was somewhat older we liked hi:rm1
a lot.·
......
··
..
"GeeS: ! • It's hot. ncertaiily is. Wish we could go camping.n
":vlly not?'•
said Will. "Fat ohailce! How could we?lt"Get some one to take us, each
:P&T his share"answered
~ill,
nonohantly.
"~iho,.?a.
chorus f'rom Al and me.
Abright idea hite me. "Say, Fellows, why 11ot Dr.
and then silence.
Miller? He goes every summer. I've
o~ten
heard him say he wished he
had some one with him. Sayl Let' a aak him."
I think we stopped at the Manse that very at'temoon,on our on our
way
home and the dear Domine, as I always
ce~led
him, seemed
rathe~
pleased with this brand new idea. !or there were no summer camps f'or
I
boys and
girl~,
or, 1:! any they were strictly lindted and. never ad-
Terti sed. 71e were to talk to our IJarents and see him next day. A1 bel on gad to a Catholic far1ily altho they were not Tery aotiYe aatholi cs
as Madame F. did not take kindly to the Irian Fathers of America after
lu: the refined :priests of France.
:But everyone respected Dr. :Uiller
was eo charmed
when he aem.e to talk about the trip Mrs. Pugu.ez by his courteous digA
nity end his sincere piety that ahe was almost tempted to join the
Presbyterians!
Costa were figured; parents persuaded, Dr. !!iller comiserated
by his frilinds, and in .TuljJ, 1885 began
trius
when Dr ..' Miller
and some
...
,.. ...
, __
,
, ..
or
that long series of camping
his'dear boys'would steal away to
the lakes and the forests for a wonderful time.
'.Ye went to "Jeatport ·by train and then a short drive to 2liza.beth-
town where we spent
~he
night.
The motherly woman who kept the board-
ing house said to Dr. 1J.iller, at supper ta ble. " Are all these your
bov~?lt
The bachelor blu~ed to the to-., nf' his bald s"Qot but doubtle~s
J.A.U. pg.78.
answered, No, but
Iw~sh
78.
they- were.
A three seated wagon with a top and two horses was at the
a
~
door tor our long drive of forty miles to Saranac Lake. The was
considered the easiest way to get into the Adirond~a at least
from the :Sast. It. was d
and down dale thro some
all day drive over dirt roads, up hill
~arming
country and some pretty- wild.
'!le
plqed Travellers whist and passed mm1Y' mlles that way-•. Along
toward night we reacked'Saranac Village' a regular little country
t01m tho now it is quite a. little city. 7e did not ato:9 in the village but went on to the Lower Saranac Lake where there waa a goodsized hotel.
As I
ram~ber,
there were acttered houses all the
·~
from the Village to the lake about a. mile or two.
worn
7e had ~ our oi ty togB this far t.ut nOY, 0 J oyt we were to
•
change to woods clothes and so become real seasoned bacl:woodsm.en.
That night our guides a.p:pea.red as
in advance and ·we had
ou~
ot
Dr.~iller
had aade all arrangements
Marsh(Marshal.l) :Brown and Sile
(Silas) Flagg and were at once captivated by Sile's merry twinkle
and somewhat awed by the rather stern serious faae or the other
man. Marsh was rather tall and gaunt with blue eyes and dark hair
somewhat greyed. }i.e was lean and wirey:J seldb laughed but was reliable
and alwlq's lcindly and patient and as our headman and cook was emii
nantly satisfactory. Sile was short, chunky, blue eyed and sandy
strong end merry·: a good man but he teased me some and never seemed
to illspire the confidence the !Jarah did.
The next morning we saw our first Adirondack boat, fqous all
over th country and well deserved to be.
llade of q:1a.rter in cedar
plankin~ith stro~ but light sp~~ce ribs, smooth as glass on the
out aide and rowed by a
~air
of oars in swivel oarlock which did K
not allow the oars to !ea.ther, they were shaped like a birch canoe
-------------------------------------------------· ~ ,A.l!. pg. 79.
79.•
.
but they were not aa orank,y and better rough water boats. Birch canoes
'
are ot many shapes, according to the regions where they were built
~
'
but these round bottom boats~with a. sinsle flat bottam piece, shod with
~
three strips ot thin iron were the best all-aroung outing boat I ever
uaed~!w'o
ot them .took the six ot us, two guides, Dr. Uiller and we
three boys, our du!'tl e which wa.a cut to the limit of' comt ort and our
O&ml'
atutt a
dq and a. hal.r
ahi'PPeci a drop.
J oume;y into the wilderness and never
'fhe photoes
o~
that trip, which Dr. lUller took,
I still have and they show how lent we were in the water and we passed
same rather rough water in the bigger lakes.
lD high glee that Ye were leaving oivilzation we made an early
(.
etart, leaving our eity togs at the hotel. A t n miles
~rought
us
to a. large brook ot swi!'t water flowing into the Lower Lake. Here
we Yal.ked a few yards while the guides hauled the lloats up stream
with bow linea and we were soon in the Uppwr Saranac. crossing the
lake we came to :Bartl etta earr7 where the boats and du!fie were put
on
&
two horae wagon m.ad.e tor the purpose, while we wal.ked the three
miles .over a :tair .road. Af'ter lunch we soon entered Raquette River
which had been nooded years ego by a dam.7 and wound in and out among
the whitened skeletons
or
large trees.
Toward night we reached
ltart Moody's on Big ~:per Lake and stopped tpr the night. It was a
:prW tive emall1Bh house but clean and comfortable.
men and noted thro the entire region...
.
Uart was a big
The)" said he would bave
.
.
I
been sen-en teet tall it the,. ba.d not turned uo ao much !or his teet.
Al and I
-I
sl~t
together and aa we were dozing o!r Al suddenly sat
in tha moonlight that fell across his bed. "Say Eert, is it true
that sleeping in the moonlight makes a
~er~on
loony?""Oh1 Nonsense
Al. Nol Go to sleel)'' and we were soon lost in the cool tra.grn.nt air
ot· the untouChed
A• before.
~ilderneaa.
Dr.~iller
and I were in llarshes boat and 7111 and Al
•
;r.A.v. rg.ao.
1~ Sile'a
and moat ot the
length apart.
ao.
w~ we travelled
aide by side, an oar's
7111 xidded me ao oontinuall~d got Al to rather
aide in with him that I got a little sore and Dr. Yiller had to raproTe 7111.
Te had another three mile 'horse oarr7'and atter some
some miles on Dog River the boats turned to the shore where a trail
led up a small hill.
~e%'7thing
us to our ca::lp on Spring
)'UJr
waa lll'lloaded and a short walk brougl
Ponf#. quite an extensiTe layout. Heareai
the lake was a frame tor a large wall tent while across the path was
a similar frame with an elaborate rustic porch made o! hemloCk bark.
A little further trom the lake waa the 41ning ahack, also or bark,
open on brae sides wih :le cooking !ire not far away and. the lean-to
(.
kitchen a little beyond.
7lby the camp was not laid out- along the
lake shore I never knew but our !!len did not. plan it%. It seemed rathe
civilized !or, Al a.nd I wanted 1 t
ROU~li
but atter our two day trip
trom saranac we tel t we yere pretty•tar trom nowhere' and we were soon
aettled in a large :tent
w..t-
~
the ground tor our noor and bed as well.
ve swam tor hours tho the water was pretty cold and there were
many leeches, which never. troubled us tho they looked mean. Short
lengths or logs were '!!lade in water horses and we jousted end splashed
I
and, one day, SVfa:!l the quater mile across the l~~wing our horses,
·Dynamite and Bucephalus behind us and reeling very~-of our long ::rail!l!
7ill ~~d lu each shot a deer, tor, ~hile it was close season in was
an unwritten law that oamJ)ing parties on distant lakes could slloot
enough meat for their needs alto needless slau~1ter was severely ~un
iahed. ·."t'hen my turn came to go'Jaoking' ::!arsh took me out. It was
cramped and unoom!ortable in the bow of the boat and very, very still
Marsh made no sound as ha gently propelled the boat close to the short
The light made every rock seem to rise to the surface and, at first, :
expected tm· boat to hit th~. The~~~quitoes and !lies bothered a lt
but no sudden motion must be maQkali..-~ many slow ones. Uow and then •
muskrat would swim along but I knew about that mghty flap of the tai:
and so was prenared. But no aeer.l'he boat slid on;the light slip:ped ~
tram tree to tree and I began to be very drowsy. I must st~"3.waka,I
must stay; I - - . Shhot! whispwred Tfa.rsh. 7aking from a sound sleep·
I pulled my gun up and f'ired at the shadony, grey fol'!l1 au: on the ban:!:
•Yu shot a !nile over his back'' ~a.rsh said in a disg-.usted voice and
soon a badly disa~pointed and very ~rest!alledn boy cre?t into his
blankets and mourned his lost Oynortunity. I was not quite 15 years
old. Of'course I was kidded plenty the next day and ~~arsh said it 7as
as good a chance as a man could ever ask tor, which did'nt. help ~~y.
J' .A.M. pg.8l
.
As I look back on that trip it
.
ae~s
.-
,... .
10/21/33"to me -it must-have-been~
rather dull tor I cannot remember that we took any trips,- e_aught
81.
m~y
fish or did anything much except swim and have Dr.Miller read to us,
as we sat aroung or loafed in the bunks and whittled.
wild with
enthusiasm to
.
s~~
, all with a tripod camera, 5
But we returned
the many photoes Dr .:M took, they were
x 8~
and tell our stories ot our great
trip to Al's admiring sisters and smaller brothers. But we tour never
went again as the same party and strange as it seems I never went with
closest
Dr. )(iller again tho we were the'Z1Uxmwrt d :.rriends as long as he lived_.
Circumstances did not tall out that way and I guess that Mother and
Helena and Harry began to go to the woods in summers and I naturally
went with them. Dr.Yiller, hawever, took a few boys to~he woods evrey
summer tor many years after that first trip. I really think that that
haTe
wasthe beginning of boys campe that izK gro7n to such hugh p~oportions
.•
today.
And now, a high aehool boy at the age of 16 and amember of
the~
93rd. class. The classes were not designated by the year of graduation
as two classes ..x. completed their work each year. The entire class
was divided into three sections aso as to reduce the number in each s
section tqa size that could be handled in one room. at that)each section had about So boys and I landed in the second section known as H2/
Hl
having all the scholars who had entered with the best averages.
The old school still stands at Broad and Brandywine in the city,
and looks just as 1 t did when
Ji..
went there but just o:p:posi t.e stands
the fine new school, altho that is not so new now, that is three or
tour times as big as the ole. (nA...e._.
I
School life at the High was very different !ram the old Belmont
days.
~ach
professor, they
~ere
all men as the school was not co-ed
and there were about a dozzen of thmn, had hi~ room and everJ hou
a gong sounded.and we went from room to room u:p and
do~
stairs
-~
J" .A.l! •
pg.S2.
- - - ...-- . 82.
. .... . .
-
. ...
between 9 and 2 when acbool was over and there were no s-tudy. periods·.,.,
all reoi tations with demonstration~,lectitres covering~ a part--of' each
hour. There were no electives, no physioal training, no break- in-the.
grind except a recess of 15 or 20 minutes at noon. During this brief
period we were no allowed to go to our lockers in the basement without special permission nor to loaf inside the building tho perha:ps we
did heve some sort of a home room where we could study but just about
eTerybod7 piled out to the small yard* paved with brick and :fenced in
by granite blocks, about two teet high. surmounted by an iron fence.·
As we could not get our hats or coats, no doubt many a cold 2ZX fol•
lowed those recesses in the icy winter winds. XsxmLYZa~x~.
As ~e could not go to our lockers it was difficult to take lunch
and carry it around all the morning~ and practioe.lly no one did but
we all ruehed to the fence outside of which :tood venders lined up
with Tarious kinds and degeeeex or poison. It is beyond belief that
~
the faculty allowed such truck to be sold to the etudents and such
people to sGll 1 t~ tor they were far trom
clea.~ly
not to consider
the word san1 ta.ry. There was Old Annie, a veri ta.bl e hag who sold
cin~
mun'buns from ~ig basket so. !ast1 lots of boys oculd'nt get one. She
·•·
was always dirty and the buns a poor conbiz:ation of· .f'e.ir bread dough
a raisen or two ,
~ of
sugar and considerable B1fta
the boys were crazy about them and every da.y ;,."!lnie was
cinn~on
s~ld
but
out long
betore the others.
Then ther w vas the colored man
His
~ho
sold 'fish
ca~e
in the ehell.
1
basket was always clean with its little heater to keep the cake L:
and he put than in a crusty roll .. T~a.t was t;'le shel:!..
even if the fat was sften a
littl~
A tunny fellow who certainly
Yhey w·ere good
strong.
mus~ r~ve
been a
sold fried
sai~or
turnovers filled with apple butter, ,olitely so called,
Th~
were
generally warm as I guess he fried them every ::!leming but the blanket
that lined his basket was, to say the least, suspicious, even tho &
whi t~loth sepatated it :f'rom the cakes.
I
was quite ehort with very red cheeks, not
The little fell ow who. sold
~hiskey colo~ed
th~~
but fresh
a.nd heal thy looking like red apples,. very blue eyes and very_4-ed whisk-
ers like a halo around his otherwise clean shaven :f'ace.
ot course
ther~ere
ice crea.m men in warm weather and candy
1~. ~g. 83,
10/30/33.
and other truck,all exposed to the street dust and flies tor collophane was unknown and tew peicea were wrapped. I have to hold 'J:!JY
diaphagm when I think ot the probable cellers,sin~le room houses or
back yardaheds where those ger.n distributors were made. But we had
ao more sickness than than now/
I guess tho di:ptharia was
tatal and T,yphoid far more frequent.
/
tar more
.
H&Ting rushed to the fence as soon as we reached the
'
fought our
~
7a:rd and
to the front line, :Passed out our penn;y or nickel
and grabbed _our bun or what-not we hlmted a sheltered comer, i:C aD7
and there ate our prise, discussing the quali-Qr or fish cakes or
-
the relative merits of cinmm buns and tU'mOTer, or the events of the
4~
in -sChool lite or the utter degenerency of certain professors
who had given us _
,I
\
I
demerits Just tor nothin, 'tall.
y·ou mq be
sure we watched sl:lar:p lest acme fellow come bus:jin round the corber
~
4
~
knock ~ ~ bl~ck away", never heeding what might be in his way.
-
'
:But it was a goo~a.tured ·crowd and tights were almost unknown. Per-
haps the tact that the class room windows were Just over our heads
with a prot. orten seated at the window, had something to do with
that.
-
Those prot at tho windaws samettmes tempted us to try to•cet
wild' without getting any
,'.\-.<••
d~erits
for so doing. ?rot. Billy Green,
was a good teacher but never oould be taken seriously tho he eould
distribute demerits, callled 'notes' aa a
~e
driver lays an the
lash. :nut~l' Green was tunny to look at and it was partly his
own tault~vl~ addition to Tery light blue eyes, reddish hair, ~ig
•
noseand a very high torhead he wore a long but scraggly red beard
and he had Ska a way of tlying into momentary s-pasma of
~ere ~i~ly
too tunny to be resisted.
ra~e
"
that
But, Ohl Boy! it ha ever
cuaght you laughing at him.! But with 1 t all. he made chemistry very
interesting and went to a lot of trouble in his demonstrations ::;a
J.A.U. PG 84.
more than was
actuall~
. 84.
needed • He was reasonable in his· -questions
and ~air in his treatment of his scholars, so that, underneath 1 t X
all we
KBXB
really liked Billy. But he was suspected of going to
· saloons, now and then, tor a glass of beer and the color of his
~oae
almost confirmed these rumors. and made such terrible actions
practically a certainty, at least to us.· It is a great pity that
High school students todq do not regard drinking, even beer, as an
UllYorthy i:B not an immoral action. I do net believe that a single
one ot those thousand or more students ever carried a tlask tho they
were no paragons ot virtue and we did
.
think
that our profs ought
not to drink. Teaching temperance in the schools had accomplished
that.
One day, after a story had gone around that so and so had told
ao and so that he saw Billy going into a saloon, some of ns got to-.
gather
at recess•Just below Prot. Green's window, and in chorus
yelled the follawing;
'\lho is he t.he midnight prowler?
Who is he that runs the growler ?
~o in the rum-shops is often seen?
Four-eyed, cock-eyed Billy Greenl'
Billy did have a slight cast in his eyes and·wore glasses.
K
as suddenly
at the windo~
Never have I seen ·such apicture of 4laming rageA.as appeared"'above •
our
heads as those weak eyes, fairly boUing with fury, glared dcwn at
us, the face relit with ·anger and the frame o! red hair and beard
bristleing with indignation. 7aulS
I took one look and ducked my
head to prevent his recognising me and ran !or another part or the
7ard and so did every other conspiritor. As far aa I knOW' it did
•
not effect a reform!
Next to Prof.Jreen's room on the firnt floor zxa ?rof.
~.J •
Houston, pronounced then as house-ton, taught Physical Jeosra?hY
and phJieics· and altho hes was almost as droll in his way as Prof •
Green no one eYer thought of laughing at him. Short and very fat
J .A.M.
pg. 85.
.
~
-
.
.
. \.
with a broad round race, ratheviong black hair,a thin scraggly black
--
beard you would expect a poor teacher and.- the but of many jokes and
you would be dead wrong. He had perfect order without any apparent
ettort. 7e studied harder for him than for any other teacher and I,
at least always looked foreward to the hours with him with keen pleasure., altho he required good work.
A kinder man or a better teacher
would be hard to find and he was easily the best liked man in school.
In contrast was Prot. Cristine, Policical Economy, a subject
that seemed
~-
the top
one
or
!~~ght
~o
cover almost everything. Oristines roam was just at
the stairway !rom the first floor, !or there was only
of double stairs in the building and I cannot recall any
outside or inside fire escape.
It was not because his subject was considered so difficult that
••••
Cristine was so thououghly disliked but because he
se~ed
to take
delight in giving !ellaws demerits and I believe he did enjoy it,
and because erissy was always sneaking around to try to catch sone
one worthy of punisl:mlent.
71e changed class rooms every hour going
up and down stairs as our •rossiters' required and Crissy would stand
at the head of the !light.
If we happened to be rollicking or mak-
ing much noise he would pounce on us like a cat on a mouse, putting
down our names on his eYer present pad as he softly said with the
sweetest hatef'ulest smile imaginable, " It will cost you
Just~
notes,{demerita) :Brother." If' thoughts could ha.ve done it he would
haTe been· smitten dead many a ti!!le. right then and there. Still he
•
was a good teacher.
One day having ended his questions and begun to explain the m:
xext
he suddenly stopped, the fierce look he could s~on
came on his face
when angry and he could be· very stem, as he said in a. very harsh
sectio~,
/'\.
voice." close your books,.
:Breakers ahead tho probabally most. or
the boys f'el t as I did and couldnt imagine what had happened. ":;"T:RY
--.· .·ao.
J'.4.u. pg.ss.
:BOY PUT HIS HANDS Olf HIS DESK AND L:ll.VE THEI! THER:m! 2 W'hat- on. -earth?
I wondered. Then Chrissy brought the first boy to the poattor.m
to
·
the boy's hands
utter ama.sement, lifted kbl wu;rta to his own nose.
~
~
and
then the
.
"bois hands went to Crissy' s nose and so on. a daathly silence pervad1ng the room.
tdust could'nt guess what it was all abput.
.
When half of the class had been put thro this peculiar pertormx:t
~
anee Criss suddenly gave a gratfied AHH! So you did it.
The victim
blazed red to his hair while that meanest of all smiles.spread over
Cristine's face.
A
scribbled note and the cupfrit, a nondescript
chap ot no special prominence in the class, started for the Presidents office., the principle of the school was
,.
alw~s
called the
President of the sehool.
WNow,s aid our professor,if any ot you boys want to put shoemakers wax on my chair Just tr,y ite". So that was it. Some boy
had put the stuff on Crissy's chair and old foxy Criss had Just
smelled each fellows ha.bds until the jell tale odor gave the guilty
one away.
He ·got his man,all right, but it required some courage
to persue that method.
But much as I disliked Cristine I absolutely hated our ;e=man
teacher, llax
Str~ube,·
a German of the leonine
typ~,
longisn yellow
hair,a full square cut yellow beard, parted in the middle and a
large long yellow mustache whose ends he liked to curl.
S%x
His
was a big broard face and from beneath the high forhead a pair of
Tery blue eyes loked out seriously and with great complancency if
not insolemce.
•
I suppose Straube was rather a fine looking man
tho I never could bring myself to admit there was anything good
about
him~
kno~ 1 the
for he was the most
co~temptible
great bitterness we held against
his rank injustice to us.
creature I ever have
hi~
ccming,mostly,
fro~
1
------------------------------------
...
87.
It seemed unju·st to us that. he not only- required us. to. wri t.e
all a:aswera to his questiems.On ou%r lessons . but to. write them in·
Ger.msn script and then he counted any error in the script·as an error in vocabulaJ:y, tor exB.1!1ple,m:cctx±t :But, in addition to this was
his 1mjust% and enrageing way ot reproveing us. That became almost
unbearable. Seated in his high tacher's chair he would :took down on
the class 11 terally and figure! tively and rave about his wonderful
High Saxon language end tell us, with evident comtempt, that, o:rcourse,
J»eople here did not agree that 1 t was the most beauti£ul language on
earth. Ill tine round syllablea·he would aay, in German, 'Dare mon
hot ein hot,' in a rich musical Toice. 'That' he would say 'is not
··beautiful!' 'You think ·this is beautiful 'The man ha.s a hat' rasped
•
out in-the harsheat,!lattest most nasal tones possible.
But that was not the worst, irritating as its constant repetition
,
certainly was, for, when he caught seme resentment in some boy• s eye,
and he was constantl;y looking tor it, he would say, with the greatest
apparent fairness, 'Vilber is not satisfied.
Now Tilber!
speech.
II
Vilber wants to make a
Naturally Wilbur was quite unconscious
that he
had shown any resentment and this mean. unf'air attack did mak.e him ~
frown tor it made him rediculous to this cla.ssmattSs.
strange
So it is not J1U
that when Straube ended this ca.mtemptible attack with
'Vi~ber
gets an inattention zi!er' I f'14med into rage at the injustice. But
.
-
I had to be mughty careful that I did nor allow any trace of m:r rage
to show on my face which Max watched tor any
.
sign
of anger. Then,
~-.,_,
···'
with the air o:t a man who was Tery. much abused and who had dealt with
••
an unruly pupil with gre~t__ justice he would :proceed wi t)fthe lesson.
An 'inattention
c~her•
was a sort
~!-combination
o! demerits and
deductions from recitation marks,an invention o:t Straube and the
devil.
Straube taught me little German tho I carried good averages in
'
~ .A.u.
I
- -
... - - . . .. - . -•· 88.
he did teach me to hate him and tha.wholAe German-race ..
~~tin but
1
·•
pg.88.
wi th'1 a hatred that :tasted thro tile years.
::i:Very victory. ~ver the
Germans in the world war rejoiced my heart.
I cannot remember any-
one else I hated and I knew that such feelings were wrong. It would
be a real trial Xi today to have the opportunity to forgive Straube
tor any thing he had done even tho he asked for giveness.
I have detailed this to some length to sho-. what lasting impress
ion can be made on the adolescent mind by those who exercise author-
ity over it. I do not believe I was mare impressionable than the
average boy.
Esther said, when I had read
about these High SChool days to
her, ' You must have had a quee·r lot. of teachers.' '.Jell, 1! this x
were all that would be true but there were others, sone
~
liked very much. It
tell about
th~
must get on.
mig~t
or
whom I
be interating to me, at least, to
but there is so much of later years to tell that I
is
It
certainly true that our ?ref's were individual-
uaJ.i sts. It was the da.y ·or beards and almost all o! them wore them
and I think that.indentifies a man more strongly.
and
Shock· a..~d
:t:em~,
Cliff
and
Rol t
and
There was Vogdes
Stewart, who wrote the Latin
books were studied and so never criticized the author. Then there
was Smythe who ta.ught'Literature• and took himself veey. ;eriQU3ly.
over ..
He ~as English by_birth or ~~tation, wore a black cape coat,a ver.y
round barrelleg;, straight rimmed silk hat a large black bow tie:
a Tery blond face and equally blond mutton chop whiskers or some
length.
I
·te were :prejudiced against himlllll'. with that strange innate.
prejudice~ ~hich
seems to be a part
or
every
~erican
boy, much mor
then. than now, I judge, but he mad.e Lit. interesting and inspired
eome love for a better type of reading.
good
~~
teaCher~and
their students.
,
All in aii they were all
nostvreally conscientious in their effort to
0
r~
he~
/.
.T.A.Y. - pg.89.
.. 89.
They labored with me with varying .success.
Iflo~dered around- ·
in ~rithmetio,
we did
not call . it mather!a.tics then, but enjoyed. alge.,...
.
.
..
bra, plane geonet:ry, ehardstry, :physics ane. drawing, even tho our tirst
teacher in that{subjeot wa.s daffy on pers,ecttve. Zoology was facinating
and physical geography a joy. At the end ot the first aix j]],Onths I
climbed to the first section of the clas3
I
~d be~ore
.
long to the first
ten of that section for we had a. strict :narking s:rstem with averages
every month..
Then the boy with the h1Shest average would take the
_ first seat, the one nearest the professor's deek, and so on. Those who
were the poorest students being in the cack of the room which suited
all too well.
th~
I think I made
2 once but could never dis-
~o.
. plaee :frank Schermerhorn who hung on to No.1 like a ;u,_py to a root.
·-·
.
\
There waa a light
colo~red
colored boy
the class,
1~
a nice olean chap, who waa ahead of :e much of tbe
~io~ L~is,&
ti~e.
. Once I had an attack of the mserable tonsilitis·the second or
third
day
of the
s~iaannual
exams.
You
kn~
hew follicular
tonsiliti~
amnes·on.oll of a sudden. As I sat reading over mT paper I cound'nt
see~
soe
to get a grip. Soon chills began to race about end my throat got
ann
before the first hour was over I knew it was hopeless. Sent by
the prof .in that room to the president
o~
the school I was· told to
o:pen :n.y n!outh and after one look I wa.e sent ho!:le in a rush ;vhile the
poor man doubtless expected the whole school to
eo~e
down with
diph~
theria.. Eut, because of r:J.Y good record and as I had passed one or two
subjects I wes not flunked and forced to repeat that terms work but
they graciously' sr~ved me up' and I was allowed to go on with my class.
tit
but in the very lowest seat in the ver.y last section. emong the dumbest boys of the class.
I hope I held
~o.l
there.
T~ere
was no
Fr~~k
• know. ·I only know it was net a very
Schermerhorn ahead, but I C.ont
hap~y
six months that followed.
There are one or two incidents that seem worth while telling
,..
J .A.M. pg 90.
-90.
:letore I walk out of the tront doors ot the
neTer enter them again.
honarably discharged
parents.
No. You•r wrong.
old.'Cent~l High-'
and
I was not expelled but
and at my own request ot rather that of my
Incidentally that was the first time I ever did pass thro
those' august portals' as the students entered only by the basement.
However that's
a little
farther on.
Assembly was held every moming at nine oclock in a large.z room
on the first floor where long settees ran from the center aisle to
the walls on either side. In the aisle sat the Prof's, at intervals,
and they marked absences or lateness. Perhaps the Bibee was read.
if so it made little impression on •e tho I
sramm.er school,
re.m~ber
it well in the
announcments were made aut the great event was
Declamation,Public Speeking it would be called n~. Every boy after
or
his first year had to epeak,l\recite before the whole school and
the J)rofs each marked for 1 t, the combined marks making the average
tor that subject.
~e
rehearsed our speeches
~efore
the Prof on Lit.
who censored them and coached us, but we were tree to make our oun
choice of what we would 'declaim'.
~le ~reeches'
·3hen
i~
came my turn I chose 'lit·,
principally because o£ these verses:
!I don't go mueh on religion,
An free grace an that sort of thing.
But I believe in God and the .Angels,
~er
since one night last Spring.
And then, when they found
hi~
son, Little Breeches,safe and warm
in a Sheep fold, in the midst of a rageing blizzard the story goes
on:
•
' Eow did git thar? Angels!
Re never oould'of ~a~ked in that storm.
Thet j 1 s swopjted down and toted him
To ~here it w~s safe and wa~ •
An I believe that savin a little child
Ail
bringi~~ him ~a.u:L~x~"!"V''r:n
~to hia o-m
Is a. dum sight better business
Than loafin round the throne.'
"Y.hen I came to the line wbere the rancher goes in to the countr,r
-
---------------------~
-----------
3 .A.~. pg. 91
store to get a Jug of'merlases' the stor.y runs tbis way:
91.
I
"The snow !ru!n do-:m like a blakket z
7hen we kum by Tagzsrt•s store,
_ An I we:1 t in to get e. Jug or merla.aes
and left the team at the door."
So
after I said merlases I paused
rubbed
Bl1d
my tummy
mea.ninglyWhile
what I intended to be a sly smile s~read over my face, Just to shaw that
there was considerable doubt as to just what the Jug was to hold. Prot.
Clit~ looked startled and than rather angry but in a moQent he broke in
a hearty laugh
all right.'
as he,said, ·~ell, if you want to interpret it that way
In one o~ the U1>per cln sses there were twin brothers named Rondi-
nelli and moat of us could not tell one rro.m the other. 7hen sa.oe one
aaid here
..:
"e
"
cama3
Rondinelli the invariable answer was, ~ NO! !hat's his
brother.' :Sot..'l of them we= a invej:ara te
j
akers anfi quite noted by the
whole school.
One :aoming, one brother started his deola."::lation useing the
la:aent ot so::ne ola ::loman for his dead brother.
7hen t..'lis Rondinello
started 71th ~ I had a brother once" there was a pause and then the a
whole school began to lauth.
with pencil
n':'ld
The Profs. sor~ad around in their chairs
;:'l::lte bo.')~<:: ominouoly dL:rplayed.
:.>:~t "'''hen the twin
went on 771 th " a fnir yoW'13 el':.il:i'• tb.ere was a ron.r,for both brothers
were aa h~ely as a hed~e f~ce.
The ?rofs r~shed about a~d distributet
demeritG on ~1 sides and Randy tried again but it ~a3 no use. The
school si~)ly could not be controlled and Randy had to leave the ,lat~orm. with en injured look of innQcen1e
us n.nd/ I SUs;>ec~ ~ost
or
Oft
his !ace. Juet about all
or
t!:e Prof'esaors./ thought he chose that particu?ra::
lar :piece just to mak~ a. disturba."lce but how it 'lver got by "E'rof .Cliff
•
is
~
mysterJ.
~e~
once in a
~hile,
some boy would came into the cleas room
and sho~ the prof. a little s11'
or
pa,er.
The the ~rof would sign
~/10/1933.
J.A.M. Pg 92.
. 92.
I'IJ-8 the boy passed him the text book on the su~ject- -that he taught as the ..
~··
whisper went round the room 'he being let outS '::Seing let o~t• meant that
he was leaving school and most o-r us
E1CQt
envied him and wished that we
were the lucky fellow. I had been in the school zm.t two and a half' years
-~
when I bUmped into T~igona.metr,y and I bumped hardl I tried and I fussed
and I fumed but still sine and co-sine meant nothing to me and logari tlmls
just got me mad.
I was going to De a Doctor ao·why bother with all this
mathematical. truak any way.
I wanted to leave school and finally- got
Father and Mother to consider it •
Dr.Powell, our family physician was
consul ted and thought 1 t was useless to spend more til:le in such work, blltter go to medical college. Brothers and
,.
sister,~ll
college graduates
agreed or assented and ·one day in October 1889 I too went around with
my note and my books and was being let out. Some o-! the prota. eigned and
said nothing but others asked why I was leaving and one or t-.;-o who were
'M.Ds said I was making a great mistake not to do more preparato17 work
betore taking up medicine, Cristine even urgeing me to reconsider, talkk
1 t over at home and come back the next day.
Somehow I found that"being
~
let out was not halt the tun I thought it was but I could face that Tlfig
again and so down I went those front steps
lonely boy.
t~
-
Broad street a free but a
True I was 19 but I was very mueh a kid tor all that.
The :preliminaries were
so~
made and within a. day or two I
Freshman in the 8lass of 91 Hahnf!!nann
~edical
college.
no exams. My High School record was quite suf"feaient.
wa.3
a
There had been
The 'good moral
character 'listed as one ot the requirements was not even mentioned but
like a long lost brother I
~~~
~as
gathered
L~
ly tucked away in the treasurer's slim bank
a mustache!
and my tuition tee most glad-.
acco~~t
and I
Row or why my family ever let me do it I
beg~
c~~·t
to rais1
imagine. Th
was. good reason wby I should not have been torcsd to spend so much tbe
on mathematics.
perhaps~
If there had been any electiTes I no doubt
would have graduated from the High.
B-at at that the u of p was giving
93
a
a tine two year course A'l"f!J)atatory "o"medical course -and why'-I- wa-8---~---
not aent there I do not know. You see I must have been very -immature
tor these decisions were made for me and ,so it was_;
~e
week a. High
ichool boy; the next a College man with the title of'doctor'
which~
applied to all medical students except DY the profession itselt.
The family decision was most unwise.
Neither my mind nor my character
was ready tor such a radical change.
During High School days I reached home about mid-afternoon and
a few minutes later Al Fuguet and I w~re together.
Ire went to a pri-
vate school and reached home earlier. Until the days were short/we
generally went to the 'Company woods' that plot now 01med by the Austins
lying along.dult Road ,. west ot the Baptist ehurch.
That same tract
thro the kindness of llr Austin was the stamping ground of
Boy Scouts, years later and in spite
or
my
troop of :E
all the changes here abouts
thro these years, that patch of woods has not changed in any material
way.
We played there a great deal and
c~ed
out there almost ever.y
Saturday. There we had an 'Ole swimmin hole' where the water was actually waist deepl if our dams had been well caulked.
As the'Pike Boys'
often broke un6ur camps, at least we held them responsible, we tried
to hide them and I remember one that was in the center of a big briar
patch. It was made with much pain and many scratches and doubtless
many tares in my clothing that added work tor de~~other's hands
but she never complained.
•
Into that mysterious camp we could only
go on our hands and knees thro a tunnel in the blackb~ery bushes 3XK
t
that led to qu~ a comodius little clearing in tne center. It was
,. a
long
ti~tJ
saved us
before that was discovered. It was hee.lthy play and no doubt
fro~
many pitfals.
".ihen night came early and the days were two short to' go to the
woods
I
we would play withAl's
brother~
and sisters. Dallett was a cou:
.-:~.
• cousin who lived with them, an orphan. I th1nk. sbd alv~s treated
aa a son by !lr. Fuguet.
He was a queer, studious sel.f contained chap,
older than the others and given to mooda. llarianna was the oldest
o~
the otherata tall b1011d girl with ver:r brown eyes. Then oaae Alphonse
A1 · to me and to the others. tor tb.at matter as they all had. nick names
~
3rilaa waa the next youngest, a olmnlc7 girl with
bl~ck
ha1Jir and qoa
quiok tapered snd Terfl outspoken but lilceable tor all that. I miGht
haTe gotten' neet on her' it' she bwl not made tun of me ao ottGJl.
Then came
n~ond
and Steplmrl, Stcrrle.
They all talked i'%enah. almost as muoh as 3J1gliah. and they used
1tftreely when thq d.id not want me to lalow what they were aqing nor
't""
did some ot them hea1 tate to make f'un ot me in tbC.-lungue.ge 'tho Al
•••
nner did.
~t, &Ol'.'1ehov,
I liked them tho it, wna qui to a while be!ora
I waa reall7 accepte4 aa one o-r t.llam.
at first sight. Mudame
Jiluo~et,
called !Ira. ?ugtiet, Jed tor
liU't A1 and I vera chums almost
•u.s'the grand la.dy'.
WD.S
:he was never mr.
aha aot related to the 1i obilit:r ot"
:?rmtce and she hnd no obJection to &DYcme mowing tat.it.
kindly and al-..ays
courteous. !lother called on her a
revr
Yet
~
aha 4ft
times and
was interested in :.!ad&ee' a viewu on ..'u:lerioa and t.:a Ca.t:lolio ?rioota
here as com;>a.rod w1 th France but thq lw.d nothing in cOl:ltlon ond beincstrict Su.ba.ta:rian:s mother and ra.ather naver a.ttonded tho Ua1o1iculs
the i\lguots hold
so otten on Su:Dday attemoonst rather to tho aonndeJ.
ot the neighborhood.
:tirat
About the time I got acqutLinted w1 th the :?ugueta the "'bicycle
•
crue
began, and all the :&"Uguet boys had an ot those terrible
hi~
wheal cOl'ltraptions. AJ.' s being about six feet high. They rode morning
noon and nic-"tt 1!' the bad a chnnoe and altho there wore fre~ucnt he:.::..t:era there were Do serious tulls.
Aa a
gre~"t
concession I was Bllwed
to ridelJone or.thei'I%:Ulllerwheela,no. and thaa 1 but 1 I::IUst aon.f'esa/I
pqytr
f!lf. rgnl
AJlx1QUR tO
att.amnt. t_ha
•iY-¥1'\1'\
,.~.., .... -~ 111
t-
- 3 .A.M. pg. 9!5.-
•
- . - - - . - - ..... . . - - - 9 5.
Two or the boys in ~ur S.~da;y ach~~l class -~~r~~ l~~lng~ t~i~g.....
tapq and tapped out messages on each others shoes or hands or- any-. - . ~
other part or their anatoey that was bandy, often when they-were-suppose
to be listening to the teacher. It annoyed me that I could-not~ underst~
and Al and I decided we must have a tele~raph line between our houses. ·
There were plenty of trees to carry it and, so, the next Christmas; the-re
was a complete outfit. MY brother Harry ran the line and soon we were ·
dotting and dashing madly. We could send alright but,somehow, receiving
was quite a. di:t'f'ereent matter. 7/e worked at it a while tho played at
1 t would be a better. term and we finally got so we could understand
a.d.t. which meant'come dawn to the fence; the dividing fence be~een
our properties, and there we would meet and continua our conTersation
'by wire.•
·
V/e had the bow and arrow craze at one time and went hunting
with them but the game did not sutter. one day while wandering along
in the edge or the Company woods by the Ashbridge farm we ran into a
fiock or half' grown turkeY1J and, not eXpecting to hit anything as
usual, I let go an arrow. Rather to !1JY horror 1 t went smack into one
of the birds! 7hat to do? I regret to say we were not manly enough to
take 1t tc;, the house and own up. Instead, arter a hurried conference
we smuggled 1 t home and in the 1 i ttl e furnace-bouse back of' our green
house wea broiled it over the coal tire and a't once devoured it. I
mud confess it was the best, turke;r I ever remember.
JUst at the dividing tence,at the corner by the hedge, grew a
,e
large malpe w1 th Tery close limbs and heaYy :tollage and almost at the
top Al and I made a. seat with a broad back.
place
t"or many hours.
~·
was our tryating
"¥e had tried cornsilk but did not care tor it.
CUbeb cigaretts were not so bad but we teared they were drugged and
.
,.
neither of us wanted to risk tobacco altho Ala. father was m the
oigar business.
Someone said sa.ssatraa bark was
the Ashbridge -f'a.rm and
tot
some corncobs.
~ine
so -.e went to
Sassafras trees were :ttxw
plenti.ful and soon we repaired to ouz nest and there a::exc
our pipes like real old timers.
enJoyed
At least we thought we did and hailed
a eigar 'box to the tree to hold our impedimenta.
Day after day we
ha4 our mnoke. Sometimes l!other would aay •:Bert. you small so smoky
•
and I would 1ZJ1blush1ngly reply, 'Aw, I~e been roun tire' which waa
tru• but
.
~17
-.
intended to dece1Te •
One day Harr;rI from the third f'loor Yindcnr, about on a level with
our tree top, tho some. distance away, noticed smoke lazily rising from
that maple tree. Climbing ap there ;'"hen we were
away~
he found our .a
eaache and the well burned pipes and the truth was out. Confiscating
\
3 .A.7J..
pg.96.
the outt1t, tore down the box, lectured ua and tbreghtened to destroy
·~·
I
our neat it ever - - · Ohl :toll, we had had about enout)h an:J"ii03•
A1 zd I wore clooe friends for many yeara and I cannot· remober
I
•• ev•r ha4 a qtl&J'rel.
Juat attar he entered the Univuai ty
or
?enn
his f'atbtr tailed in business m1d they all moved into their t0\711 house
at 1128 Spruce st and the llryal!awr plaoe was aold.
Al went to work
tho daTotins much time to mueicr ot whioh he was verJ fond.
plqed the piano
verr
well and. I ha.Te him to tbook
tor
lie mm
11J7 appreoie.tion
of the bette.r things 1n musical composition. I eaid the 'battel:''
thiftga tor I cannot appreciate the beat, but I
rot and drivel •• get ao often on the radio.
\,
•
..
certainl~ detea~·tha
The Yuguo't fn.-·,il:l' atru;;-
gled alongJ keeping up a pretense of atyleI but 1 t waa pretty lu.u'd.
goblg at. t.hat, and !!r. Y. did not long aurri.Te.
I •en" there t.o dijnner one evening. 'rh87 still had. a
.
or two and
ll'adm:~e
aenw:~t
w1 th a trieud of hera aa.'t ~ aear. the end of a lone--:
table the rest. of ua ranceing down
~oag
tlle aide. aa.da.me and her
f'riend were served with lamb chops and peo.BJI,in ao.mo style while we
had atew or a01:1e much cheaper dish. · It struck me as so Tory queer
but. the children took it. as a :mt.ter of course.
Al~
nctxi:t
and I lost contact, to a lo.rp extent. after they
•ned into the city and I was busy nth :edeaine anc1 when I wont to
Alaska
~ere
were not many letters exchanged.
waa not much help to him I
thought~
lie married n
7ii't~
ilho
went into 113ht opera without.
much auacea and when I rotumed. tram Alaska wrote to me, the tirst
•
"time in yeara, and a.aked tor a loan.
·.11th rJJ¥
ra;>id.ly growing. !Dlrll.:r
'
I explained to him that I could not help except in a Tery m:u.ul wii.J.Y_,
he wanted o. considerable amount. but he never answered my lettor un ...
Dot ao long .afterward died
ot a;>pendioitia. It saddened. me tllut our
~ouda
!or in many lni\YS it wa.a the mo'!t satiop
triandllhip ended in
tacto17 f'riendshi-;» ot my lite. I think we were cm:1.;>lmenta of' auoh
97
3 .A.l!. PS 97 •
other. I
waa.
perhal.)s the more agreaaive and took the initiative more
.
otten but A1 had to be ahown betoro ho would tollow. "31thout ~
,
.
~L~
atX'ODg religious aonviotiona 1 t aeomod to bo naturn.l tor h1I::lltonc1 he
waa morally
olem~.
71th so fetr mutual·i.Dtueata wo seemed. to find in
each. other atrons elc:umta ot attacJmront that held ua to each other
'
It ma.Y be that the stead7 degoneration of cma
~
o~~\ frienda
had a
u n 1»rototmd etteot in keeping ue tx-om the uaual pi tfnlls that aaaail ;youth so often than we realised. at the time.
Thia 1'riend had
bee quite oloee to ua tor a while but he got illto a taat arowd at
tile
••
1-
:BZ')'!l
!alan liotel.a. TerJ
1t 'bumed
a.ow.
ta.ahi~able
Altho this
'bo7'•
work 1D the city he thought 1 t
and kept a decanter
011
DO
resort tor the
weal~
father waa prominent
~
untU
Church
ham to SerYe wine o.t hi a table
the aideboard ad our friend took a glaaa
-
.
rather trequcmtl7• Altho a tine peraonal1V' and with e. magnificent
.
.
often bis
'bod;y he graduall7 went d.own spend.ing his eveninga. an~uii;hta. 1
gu.eaa,
in the oiv.
I wah remmber J!J7 aatonisb:lont wh~, after
playing l)Ool or billiards with J,J. ~md me 1D tho li'Uguot • a haune until
1 t was
'l4:f
bedti:le, he would say"well•I auoaa I 1 11 run ,into the city".
Be:tore many years h1 s health broke down and ha died as the direc-t
.
result ot hi a own folly. Dut he never tried to got .tU. or me to Join
hbl• not oven by recounting his escapades. I never auw a 11.te. full
ot splendid posaibilities and most uauaual advnntages ao deliberatel7
Nined 'by the l)alth or sin.
Du"iDg all these years I had a vor.r ditter011t eet ot trionda
made· up ot the young :people or our and the other churches in the
oom:mmi ty.
I haTe already wri tton about the :Boy' a :Branch o! the
local Y.:.r. C•.A. an!l wbD.t a helptul influence 1 t wus to all the bo7s
who cane under Dr. :.!:iller' a inf'luenoe. In thia I waa a recognized ,.- ·
J'.A.X.
•
pg.98.
-
~-. 98~
leader in that and, !or a while I was presiden"t o'f th~ :BAPTIS-1'. young
~
peoples society~ strange as that may seem.
But there ras a reaaon •
There generally is about that time of'"life and .this
W"S.S
one. I was f'ond ot a girl who was a :Ba-ptist and liked
'meetin'. But the churches were all very cordial to
the usu:-al _
~o
take her to
eae~ other and held
union services after the holidays, that is the Chris~ holidays tor
pe%ople always called them 'Tim Holidays'.
so,
1 t did !lot seem so
atange, especially as Dr. :Miller• s group were or all
except the Rornanists.
d~omina.tiona
of
· . ·I cannot tully tell.. the great value to me thos,Yo:;:ng peoples
societies.
The7made think. study- the Bible and
books and
religi~ua
prepare our little addresses. They gave training in parliamentary
or
proceedure that has been
real value all thro my life and practice
7e planned our progr.E:3 and made a
in Jublio speaking. and debate.
list of topics and leqers a:nd, later, when
Ohttroh Messenger' which continues until this day.
At
~irst
a committee
Ot Young people were the editors and to a large extent the authors
also.Of course school duties were not half as exactinB then as now
not even when I was in :.fedical College and we ha.d tine to enjoy these
outside interests.
But above all other helpful interests in my life
influence of''the Do::::1inie'
I
a3
~as
the splendid
affectionately called :Jr. :!iller.
loved him as a father and he retume_d that love in tull measure.
•
'!JJ!! own father was not one who
I
As
./'
paled with his young son altho he was
~
always kind a..'"'ld affectionate, Dr.l"Iller ws.s m,y confident a..Y!d adviser •
Time after
ti~e
I
~o~ld
cli~b
to
~is
study, on the third floor of
tr~
old Jtanse, and ':'f'aste a whole evening of the good Dominie' a time, tho
he never showed .anY
annoyan~e.
even in the slightest degree.
Indeed
J.A.M. pg 99.
he always made me teel it was a rare treat.
. 99.
I was a happy,Joyoua boy delighting in QY religious lite which.
was veri re4:. :td me.
I was absolutely sure that trouble could never
really hurt me, it, indeed I reoogntzed any circumstance as troble,
tor, I was certain that my Heavenly ?ather loved me and, being allpowerful, nothing could happen to me unless He ordered or permitted
it.
Row much richer lite would have been had I been able to con-
stantly hold to that simple faith. Childish some may aay. Perhaps;
and yet the Master aaid,•except ye become aa little children ye
ahall in no wiae enter the Kingdom of Heaven" ~here have been dqs
since then, when that confidence has been sorely tried and not a
-and·
tffltt times when I tel t 1 t could not be true but, thro the mist and
murk o'! doubt the sun has shown
---------
now I know that 1 t. is true.
Do not J1..lrlnk that I was a. religious prig or that I was a longfaced,
aancti~onious
aaa.
3ven in mT
been willing to aCknowledge
~bleat
ma.menta I have never
l was au ass, altho those antmals
tba~
haT• a lot more sense t.han some humans, I believe. No. I was a
Boisy, rollicking happy boy, tond or my friends, glad to be count-
.
ed in near the top or most or our activities, a JoT to my mother
and good comp<.U1Y for my father when we went camping together later
on.
nut
I was no saint, tar
tr~
it tho
I
~
did honestly strive
tor better things.
Atter the Bryn :.Iawr liotel burned down the ground stood idle
tor a nUl:!lber of years and as few ot ua went away in the summer time
except for a week or two I thought it would be tine if we could
I
organize a tennis club and
ge~
permission tram the Rail Road com-
pany to use the hotel grounds.,ome or the fathers secured that permission and we took posession of'our club grounds'
The situation was almost ideal as a laval s?ace otfered romn
tor the courts while a double terrace
by
the
~
drive,sheltered
J.A.a. pg. 100.
100.
by trees waft just~e -,lace tor a long bench with a nice high back
where we could sit and talk to the girl a and watch the play. It was
Just about as nice as
t*w~wxtz
n
counr~
club an~ :·~ aure,Just as
'1!1110h tun and lots more wholeso!!le.
Tho walls ot .the old hotel still stood 1n place a and the ruins
had nner been clenned up.
the I'U.ins
or
At the base o~ o'bne of the walls we !owtd
the kitchen and two hugh kettles with the spigots atill
abaTe one or them.
To our aurpri:e the water ran hom
. we slacked our lime
~or
~sC2.and
here
the wll1 te wash to mark the courts. !lajurally,
the walla might. have !allen at an,- ti.::te but we never thought
ot
that
and there were no poli oe 1'Ul ea or poli co to keep us away.
:Back ot the court a waa a. culvert tor storm water tram llontgomeey
ATe. and to Carr:/ a tiny atrea::t to the little
the grounds.A J:Wl•hole Ya:s
hal:t wey down the sido
or clear, cool water.
or
~
~one!
in tho lower part. o£
near the courtc and a tile drain
the culvert discharged a vecy small etree.a
'1here it came tror.1 we nevar blow but we used til
that tor our drinkins wa.ter and never hati any ha.r:!t tro::t 1 t tho I
guess we were taking big chances.
Ths costumes or the boyo. especially, were verJ guy.
-
It was the
day of the 'blazer' coats and some ot the: were blazers in very
•o cambination
or
colors were too
g~,
the gayer the bettor.
truth.
lluah as
I loved color those gaud7 things looked hot. Hnhne.mann colors were
the .
impossible, oollege boys wore college colors generally, bu~siCkly
green and bilous yellow ot l!aJJllema:tn r.:ed. were 3imply horrible.' In-
stead, a flannel coat
I
or
altornate,·aoderatel~
narrow
stri~es
of
navy blue and \lhi te appealed to =te as both attractive and sutf'ecimtly
colorfUl.
Anyw~
the girls
sa~ed
our white tlannels.trawsara we
was crimson, I
r~eaber
to liko it.
~ore·brilliant
and I was very
huna a littla below MY knees. Yes
1
~roud
Thro the belt-loops o!
sashes
or
silkS, mine
or the !ringed ends that
I was considered,'dressy•.
J'.A.l!.
7e had a -lot of heal:jhy'
~
101
pg.lOl
trom that tennis clua .and one year
we played tennis on Christmas day, it waa ao summery.
The Tennis Club
bec~6
the Cooking Club in the winter season and
\hat also proved to be a great success, and ran ror a number ot aeaaona. It was almost simplicity itself; we met once or
~ice
a month at
the homes ot the members, each member bringine -something •ooked or prepared by that menber.(Note. this rule was not ~sxt3xtw¢ %aa enforced
Tery rididly nor was titlE a probable breach investigated./ even lang11idly.
}
Suppose some fellows :nother did nake his cake or salad for him? It
would be a lot better tha:n he could make, almost to a certainty and
•• had no desire to limit refreshments either tD quantity or quality.)
And
•
11e
did have good teeds. One would think t.hat there would be a.
surplus o! aamdwiches and a dirth o! icecream. and cake.
Uaybe sand-
wiches were taboo, I oant remember we ne.r had them not did we ever
tail in suttecient variety. Possibly the girls hinted to each other
what each would bring tho it was supposed to be a
pro~ound
but whether they did or not we had a fine time.
no by-laws
~
sec:et
There "::ere·cno rules,
no mtnutes and only one otticer, a President who
sL~ply
made sure that someone would arrange the next meeting, the host of
tr::.e evening arrangeing the program of gaaes or
no dancing except the Virginia Reel and
what not as there !las
3aoetL~es
tee Lancers. It was
all great tun and eo perf'ectly wholesome and natureJ..
member ail the crowd, there were about twenty
well remember those wkttx Dm:x
I liked best.
or
I cannot re-
us I guess but I
There was :!laud :.::a.rsha.ll
and her brother ?rank, Florence Humphreys and her brother Charles,
I
~abel '"~orris,L1111nn
:Batteraby, !"nne Lawson a pea.ehea e..nd crea!'t blond
but eo!!lb.ow I never fell. Then there was
_thur
~ans,
:.~iles
Hoffman._ Nelson and Ar-
7111 -Jeimer whose jctlly- mother wonld like the club to eo:r.-3
to her house all th3
•sc1ons'o!" gre:1t
ti~e.
2Q:t!t
Tr.ere were no scoeial high hights and no
.}
'Tealth and there!",.re we had a mighty nice
ti~e.
1.JJ!l.. :Fg lOJ.
··:-~-·
1o,t.
It was from this same grou1'1 with some trom the. :Jndeavor crowd~··
that Helena and ner husb~~dz_Roy 3ll1ott, choose a troop for amatuer
thee.ti:i ca.ls tor the bene!i t of the Boys Branch of' the Y.
Two. plays- .
. wer-e selected, • Sarah's Young Uan ja tarce centering a.bout a. groce:ts
clerk and a maid in an 3nglish estate,and a. romance,
u
'~7eethearts~1n
which an elderly znglishman returns from India a!ter many years and
falls 1n love with his boyhood sweetheart again. I was given the leading
role in each as my sister always over estimated her brothers ability
at least, after he grew up.
:Te had to give the show
was no suitable place in Brpn Uawr or
a.t :vayne a.s there
so our audience waa
Ar~ore,
rather Sl'!lall, the ·:7e.ynei te~were not interested _end the home
.-
•.
thought it too 'Ear e.way.
~eo-ple
'l'he JJress notices were enthusiastic even tho
the gate was ·far rrom what we bad hoped tor.
Sam Richards !ather said
that I ought to be en actor and not a t:tissionary and· perhaps he waa
right.
lmyway, it was lots of tun for us tho poor Helena and Roy near-
'
died of dispair after the last rehearsal, sure
ho~elessly
to peices.
t~~t
we had all gone
But the show, a !ew hours later,went of! like
clockwork.
On the afternoon of one rehearsal, we hD.d a picnic in the Company
woods and I was accidentally
girl( at
~
time!) 1iaud.
str~ck
in the eye with a stick by my best
!~arshall.
The conjunctiva was torn and for a
while it looked as tho it might be
serious.~ut
we could hardly get thro
rehearsal that night. It was just about too much to see a
-pompus
~d
middle aged i1nglishman, Sir Henry Spreadbrow,
su~posedly
making digni-
fi&d but ardent love with a big bandage over one eye and the other red
I
and bleary.
Horseback riding was the rage for a while for nany of the crowd
could get their family Dobbin
of her own
no~ a~d
tneh.
and watt en expert, much to the
'.::!r:!ily C:la.r}~ hDd a horse ::::
eilvy' of the other girls. Dirt
roads and no autos and lot a o:f country made a
ideal condi tiona. for t:~e
I
I
t
f
pg.l03.
J.A~.
•
tor the sport. I had ridden enough to feel-quite- at-ho.me on our.steady
horse, Don and never
Dandy
rode~the
other one-who was nervous and excitable
but the span of dapple grays were verj handsmn together.
Mother
•canning' and wanted a basket of peaches that bad been sent out
town and as I
~
~tm
!r~
just starting for a ride asked me to
-~~lilt
--go-to the station and get them. The 'baggage man at the
was
wa~
~aokage
room'
Reilly who had been there tor years and knew everybody and
11m rather demurred at my taking the basket on horsebac• for baskets
were _baskets in thmse days.But I assured him that old Don was perfect-
ly safe and he put the basket on mhe pommel
~t
the low English saddle.
I had hardly turned away when Don started to trot and then things hap-pened: Don gave a terrific plunge and started to run, jumping like a
crazy horse every time he hit the ground.
I remember, vaguely, trying
to control him and hang on to the peaches, swinging them to one side
with one hand and e,illing half the basket along the street;
"'!1Y
or
Don'6
lungeing around the corner andl\sailing thro the air n.nd then, blank.
7hen I opened
.
~he
of ona of
my
eyes it wa3 to look into the anXious Iris~ace
ncaY maids
~ho
had my
•
"""'
head~lier
kindly lap
the ground. There was· a small oroW"d about and I
head
a.."'ld_
shoulders for a.
brtc~\:et
~~s
a~
she sat on
very \"ret Clbout m.y
of oold "":Tater was considered to be :i:
the first necessity in every case of First Aid. ivus taLen hame snd
Dr Powell,
our'f~~ily
doctor' 'took stitches' but I
k.n-'311
~e~ftfuDj~
little
about 1 t for I was U..""loonacious for a while. The*y round the ba.aket
near where I lay with a few peaches in it but :!other' o ca.."lning :party
was spoiled ror that day.
To vindi ce.te steady, F.eli2-bl e Old :Jon 1 t should be told that there:
I
was a small eore on his shoulder
~hich t~e sa~dle di~
not
in or(' in ary ridi;tg 81ld our mt-..n did not tell ::n.a a bon t it.
of the peaches jabbed the saddle down on
ft:;:"t
tr~t
sore place
and the harder Don jumped the the worse it hurt.
L~
tou:h
T!J.e 'treigb't
~ith tb~
~r o wonder
104.
Z .A.•1;i.:, pg.l04.
went 'up in the
·•
air'.~
·.
·.'i."
..
~J
..
....... •
.
_:: •••
DmfDs'u'F. I have reterred to' :f~ther's parents on page ten and during
m3' childhood and ;youth we of ton "VJ1s1 tod them tho not as regularly a.e
we went to Jepperell. Uother mada it a regular duty,and pleasure aa
.
-r;;-~
well, ·to vis! t her parGllts every year i:t possible whie tathe;,fient~-u-v
~rom
time to time. Somehow it generally seemed to be winter when we
went and 1 t was verr disagreeable with the long cold drive :trom Carbondale, Just at night:tall,always dreaded.
\'
Grand-:tather Yilbur was blue e;yed,rather ahort and
8mall
with
a kindl7 tace and gentle maruier, 7hile ~rand:lother was large with
brown eyes
~d
a decidedly Irish cast o:t coutanance. It is
tr~
her
that ao many or the 7ilbur' a get the long upper lip and their tenden-
••
cy to snub noses. Grandmother ·111bur was inclined to be harSh, hard,
severe in her judgcenta and unrelenting in her puniabment.
I waa
a:traid or her end would have prererred not to visit Dunda!! but rrother
telt she •ought .to go•. I have often heard llother tell of' the
when 71111e, "'!JY brother, would not ea.t his com meal
~uah
t~e
and said
1 t made him a!ick. They were Tis! ting Dundatt at the time and ::Zrandmothc:
aa.id he vas stubbom and ought to be made to eat it and 'if he were
H3R child
it.
,~a.•
and I can see Just how her eyes
~ouldered
as she 3aid i
?ather had her brown eyes tho his disposition was tar more like
Gr.andf'ather•s.
:fell, much nga.inst her better judgement daur;hter-in-
law Harriet, my mother, took 71llie aside
an~~1J.m and
she knew
howt and "71llie ate his mush but promptly lost it then and therel
•
·There upon
t
Orandmother advised another whaling because he was auch
a naughty child.. Instead,- :.:other put hi~ to bed to recover, no .tb:tt
doubt
.
~ reeling tbat he had been pretty badly treated.
As I
r~~ber
Dundatt it was a. pleasant country villace or per-
haps a. dozen houses. a Methodist ehureh whore the Tisiting
and
31sho~
assisting minister conducted Gor::!tunion serrico on tunday. Altho
-··
-z •A.M.-, pg.
105.
- -- -105.
.the church was very tin;y the sen-ice waa quit.e-tormalc and the.minirs'
'
tera, 1n their gowns, took Communion !'irst.
It seemed- to--me very
.. . . .
atrange and seltiah tor the clergymen to be having a service all by
them.sel ves as I aaw them, peeking thro my fingers.
!wo ot my oouaina, George and Clarence Rogers live in the next
houae to Grandfather's and were m;y
pl~tes
but, somehow, I never had
much tun at Dundaf't. Their father George Rogers always seemed to be
an old man as tar back aa I oan remerber. ne was tall and kindly and
worked with Grandt'ather in the wagon building butSiness.
His wUe
Amanda, Yathara oUest sister,. was buxani and wor!ced hard but kept cheer-
ful thro it all.
Father's other sister, Gertrude was much like her
mo'Uler in di:apoaition.
•
She had married a Yr. Slocum and a1t=xxirtsxt:i•
an their children, 7allace, Ea:rneat and l!attie sometime were at
lmn-
da.ff' when we were there, tho not very o:ttes. Mattie later married Tom
Hantar ao that's where he comes in.
Father must have
~een
a. lively boy. They tell o! ·his fondness
tor ti-shing tor trout in the 11 ttle streams about his home and of his
falling into a tanner's vat one day, which, fortunately, was about zm
empty.
One of his 11 ttle playmates, lleering over the to:p ot the vat
I
piped, 'Oscar; He was called Oscar in his boyhDod, Oscar, do you see
any hoppy-toa.ds dawn there? •
Another time Father was coasting and
moat of the children pUed into a. big sleigh while .Father, on a small
sled took the tougue of the al eigh and guided 1 t down hill. Ha.lt\va.y
down an oxcart apJ)eared, eoming up hill, and before Father could turn
•
aside he ran right in between the oxen. I neTer heard how they
untan~e
the mixup but no one was :much hurt •
In 1879 I went to Dunda!f to help celebrate the Golden wedding of
my grandparents, the first of the three Golden 1eddings in our immedi-
ate eonn.ection, ~Q~d.ut.--
Atter Grandmothers death in 1895 we did not go to Dundaf! for
•
3 .A.ll. pg. 106.
- - -- ·
- - - - - . 106 •
aal·D7 tears,:tor Grand:te.ther had died some years before •. I t was n<~t
UDtil. lTovember, ·1931 that I saw the town again when !!other .Bert and- 'I •
stopped there on our auto-trip.
but the town was terribly
-~
There maz have been a f'ew more houses·
dawn.
?athera birtrhlace looked Just a s ·
I remembered it 81'ld the village store atood where
rrrr
gradilla.ther' s
wagon shop ueed to be.
"I thought you were a 'NU bur" the storekeeper aaid when I went in
to aSk tor directicns. Old friends of' gather's, visiting us when l was
a boy, often said that I looked so much like Father. in his boyhood
eapecially m.y hea"fY head of' hair and I an:. sometiMes startled
mh
now when,.X
unexpectedly,! see myself in some window or door end al-
most :teel I amx meeting Father again.
••
But, as Father was considered
to be a. very good looking man, why worry .. ?
There
w~s
another place that I visited as a boy that ought to
hti.Te some mention bef'ore I begin my medical. stlidiea and that
Barnegat City and Bay.
w&a
It must have been before we lett Camden that
Father began to go there on fishing trips !or I certainly remember
lrother and Fc.ther in our back yard struggling to get the scales o!f
a
'sheepshead~
11'1 th a hoe: and that was one
o~
the fish Ji'a.ther had
brought home !rom l3amegat., and he aJ.ways brought bluefish, I em. sure.
Father and some friends believed that the 11 ttle town at the Xi:;
Light would became a great summer resort and raised money and began
improvements, among which was a good-sized hotel, 'The Oceanic' ·and a.
STREET
CAR~
LIITE
from the wxxfawharf at the inner edge o4 the
inlet to the hotel on the beach. The was one car and a mule tor motive power!
There was no rail road running across the bay except at·
the )ier a.nc.fthe company ranjl.. a :f'orty or f'i!ty f'oot steam launch from
the
Pi~r
to the Inlet. The.pier was a lively place in those
days,~a:ty
Bpats being tied up to eTery stake when the trains came down !rom the
oit7. They were all.sail boats and took the
!isher.me~
down the bay
J'.A.M. 101.
. - . _.. -- . . . 107.
or to the tnl et, and ,very party was almost. certain or. a--tair•
~atch
·
and otten an enormous one. The Inlet was was wide and :f'airly. deep- and
small, two masted schooners sometimes passed in or out.
flocks of snipe and the game laws, it any
There were,··
were..}_~ enf'oraed
a.U;:a aeouple
shoot them all summer. It was not trick at
r
so one could
of :fellOJ's,
in a 11 ttle 12 tt. aneakbox, to slip along under sail or oars to llarae
ot the many sand bars that were just coming out or water, set up a
t'ew decoys, squat down a
rew
yards
aw~
get two or three good shots.
!hen away in the 'box' again to another bar arid do it again.
were of'ten pretty heaT,Y and tar too
l/:y
o~ten
there was useless slaughter.
brother Harry was crazy about that sort
or
shooting and he and
7111 :Baily, who live next door at Camde:t, were on the
•
The bags
b~.y
all the time
they were at )a•ai% Barnegat City as the new town was called.
/
The trip !roc tlle .city was quite pleasant even tho the trains were·
as slow as ou1: winter trains now are but there were fewer stops. Arriv-
ing at the Pier .in the late a.tternoon. a delightful trip in the comtortable
latmch of about an hour brought one to Barnegat City where
the colored porter !rom the hotel was luat1l3' calling 'O-she-1Ian_ic,
Hotel 0-she-nanic!
~mosquitoes
..
I
The street car was full and a ride thro the Jines ·
brought one to the well run hotel, right on the beach •
The town site had been liid out on a large svale and here and
ri_dely
separate~
with the
were cottages
g~gerbread
or
~'lere,
various shapes but Gll well supplied
trimmins thought to be essential to every seaahore
house. 'to make them look light and airy'.
It was a great place to have
I
run
and a lot ot boys and girls at
the hotel had lots ot it and I nearly
bea~e
anl7'other time in my lite. There waa a
hol~
a hero, more nearly than
in the beach whicn
genera.ll~.-
was quite long and sloping. One day a. girl I kn~d played with and
I were bathing hear it.
zz-~
3he step~ed in~and I could'nt swim muc~i!
any but I waa n·ot &rraid of the water an so went under and helped her
/
loa.
olimb up the ato8J) aide coming up tor air when aha got her head above
•
water.
Altho she
was
t:rightenod. the girl kept her head :Gn:axutn
Md I told hor to koep cool cnd just climb up over the odgo and we
were- in aballov water in a tf!JVI :tomento.
She thought. my calmness and
help saTed her lite and made a lot ot it around the hotel thO aha did!t::
aqt I mt he :rmr-der-tulll 11 t'
The hotel B.o.d one or two uuccesatul seasons but. the pl"'moten
had forgotten one verT 8:1811 but vary 1m,ortant f'a.ctor ill their rea.s-
to ruin 11D7 buaineas,a.a
6niug• the ~erney !!osquito 9 which tho amaller and not nearly
as his Alaskan relatives 1a 'l>lanty enough'
o.a hot
thq did the business o~ that hotel aud. townsite com,uny. lieside it.
took too .much ti:ne to go and oo:1e end men oould not. cozm:n.tte.
O
or
Even tho
the railroad t.9ihe ver.r doora a& tho hotal did not revive
tho 'City'.
Aa it to cover the ae.d IQOCtnole ot ao much lost money and dead
hopes tho sea cume u, and took the hotol into 1 ts capacious maw but,
not before 'them 71lbur boya' (:Ben, Ha:ny and Dona) had sottc soma
tram the ruins
or the elevator_ weighta"tor be.llaat. in the l'olir.rcg. Dut Uon .1olm--
aon of !leyllea.d thought tbJ.cy' were much too fino tor a mere anaekbox ·
ao he gave tllea to some tine ynoht, I
sup~ose,
and· calmly told uo
YIO
could have same sash weight.n. 'l'hnt' a a Jersey ;;a:f.l1Dl'1 tor you, ull ovor
orcourse tha happened t!Ulny yenza a.tter t.he hotel. wa.s bull t.
I::n3:&H
Ili laf5 m:1 brothei'!ill waa :!:W.rried to =aJ.sabeth li'itch o! ::Joniclltown Conn. in AprU but I ltC.a not there.
Instead I wa.a 1n bed a.t ho::!··-
wi th a hard a.tts.ak ot the menslea and Aunt Adelia. was taking care of
I
mo. !Jhe was ?robo.bally brought on tram :Ia.aaachusetta 1n the enorGeno;r
as she was allfaYs randy to.
earth, I do boliava.
hel~
une. loved :1e bettor thon o.nyt1lin3 on
It wo.a a great dlun-ppointr:lent to me for I
wr:.G~
te!lll'orarily, intere:sted. in the youngea~,itch dauGhter, ~arah end had
noarly gone to aeo. with her in a cnnoe a.t
~latch
ill.ll one ti:le. =er-
·:
.•
109.
hapa we were too busy talking. perhaps the wind did ch'lmge, but, what'"
eTer the reason, I suddenl7 discoTered we were sone distance out in ~
,LI-
the bay, with an o~~-ahore wind and a choppy ~·that was getting~
Daaty. It was just about all I could do to get baCk to the dock again.
Ura. Fitch was a large 9 white haired matron
or
much poise and dig-
nit,- and the family 11Ted in considerable at7le.., £or the little Tillage
tlrU adJoining Norw1%ch, always pronounced Yorrige. 1'he ~irst time I
visited there I was a. little late in coming to lunch, taking particular care with '!!J7 toilet be~ ore appearing be~ore the Tery proper la.d.T
and her tour daughtera.Hurrying down stairs, I turned
room, stepped on a little rug in the
doo~
ili
the dining
and went down ker-tlunk!l .
I Yas covered with contusion but led 1n the laugh tha.t toll owed,
even l!ra. Fitch joining in.
l!almeM.ann Uedi~~ :::: .... _!i'eeling like a fish out
4
at water I join-
ed the Freshmen"' who had been at work tor a month and tried to adjust
myself to the new lU'e. Classes did not begin until 10 and were over
at tiTe with an hour or more at noon.
A
~-
:tallows brought their
lunch and we hung around the rooms, quizzed a little and sometimes .
studied.
theo was a chap
~ong
lx=m~tltwxc
tr~
Milford, Del. tho
perhaps he was not there at noon time but sn:ywa:y we became acquaint/
Tery soon and found much that was congenial.
I
So began a li£e).ong
friendship with Frank Pierson that endures until this day.
"Jhen I said classes I should have said lectures tor there were no
recitations
or
any kind,. nnd no one paid any attention a.s to whether
a man attended sny lecture in the entire course. One f'ellow wa.s said
4lt
nner to have attended a single lecture but graduated just the sa::1e!.
7here ~ere quizz-olasses made up of the students themselves that were
8Upposed to take
t~e ~lace
of recitations but lots of fellows never
went near one and I was one of them.
~
The relief !rom. a. strict mark-
ing system and;._ so much freedom Yas too much ror ey Umn.aturi ty and
3 .A.l!.
pg.llO.
I Just did •nt study much th&t first year.
end clubs,
Christi~n
- ·110.
I
Our young people& societies
Endeavor, Sunday school &nd entertainments-and···
calling on the girls tilled nearly ever.y evening. But I attended
took~ note~fully
1ng,
the rest carefully so it was not all loss.
lab.
~~d
\
'
urea regularl7 and
cha~
lect-·~:
and did my practical work. dissect.i:n!
l
Dissecting Yas done at night, first and second year and I enjoyed
·
oil
all practical ..work. ""!/e wore pld coats 11hen dissecting, black ~ cloth
aprons and
elbow~slleeve
cov!rs and
le~
or
his pockets when he got
The cadavers had nearly all been posted e.nd were keyt 11'1 the
home.
college basement in a tank
along the
~all
or
brine.
hand operated
'fhere was a. tinyA. elevator passing. ·
o! one of the class roams and we often heari the oar
ascending and knew that another •stiff' was going to the dissecting
tables.
~ach
body was divided into
t~eoretical
quarters called'parts•
and the head formed another part, so that five men could W3rk at the
table at on time, one on ee.eh· leg section, pne on eaoh a.rm section
and one on tbe head.
~ith
The arteries had almost always been inJected
plaster ot paris colored red but the muscles were grey as the
body had been preserved with a zinc solution and the tleeh looked
ver7 deed indeed.
rather there was an
was dead and
~
We were not taught to reverence the body but the
~phaeis
on the idea
is bodT was Just so mnch
t~~t
when a man was
~terial
dea~
he
and that was all
there was to it. The cacavers looked like scmething else than a dead
person 9 anyway tor they were colorles, or rath~r greyish objects that
4lt
!
ever,y visitor beware or he
wou1d find a choioe b1 t of cadaver in· one
•
I
showed very clearly the effects of their long Etersion. Nevertheless
I
ea~e
I f'el t rather queer when came to the .table w1 th my 1rnct of shiny new
instruments.
Ther~ are pictures around of ?rank Pierson and me stand-
ing by our first, :gartly dissected part.
!e had a atmeral Surgical clinic '!Very Saturday
afternoon and th:::
whole student body gathered L1 tha operating ampi theatre in the brand
111.
J A.!:l. • 111 •.
•
~
f.--,.
.<.-
ho_spi tnl, so new that we students acted_ as guides at the ot.rivial
In the am::>i theatre the Seniors were in the lowest aea:s
O!Jening.
tthooe neareatkm the
o~orating
surgeon and the
~resh
up near the ceil-
ing, quite a distance from the halt circle on what was reall,Y the
floor of the story below. I well
reme~ber
that first operation. Dr.
John ::.:.James was the surgeon, a t,omer surgeon in the CiTil 7ar and
not ready to accept the comparative!.)' new'germ
theo~'
1n ita entirety.
He acknowledged the l)rese:nce of ge:rms but he claimed that they were
the resul t,not the cause or infection.
from pua not
l)Ua
In other words, germs reaul ted
from germs. and he still thought there was a 'laud-
able pusl In an operating gown coming a 11 ttle below his knees, oTer
his hia street clothes from which he had removed his coat and Test
and with bare hands and no protection aver his tull beard· and hair he
was rea¢y !or ~~7 abdominal, craniotomy. or anypther operation.
But olical material was scarce that
d~
and after a considerable
lecture on the gem theory and its talacies he took a scalpel and
opened an abscess on a man's tootS The pus, whether laydable or not
waa not stated, tlowed out and a number
o~
thalfreaaaen tlawed out the
door also, looking Tery pale and sheepish. 1Perhapa other cases tollcnted
that pus case but I think that that clinic was over.
Then the Gynaecological clinics were so rediculous I must mention
them.
A poor frightened wom-an was wheeled into the a.m:pt.hea.tre, cOM]Jb-
Z& pletel7
in sheets.
part
•
or
covered,fr~
Tlle
the top of her head to-the aolea other feet,
P~rotessor
the poor
making the examination without exposing any
patient,~
then told the class
~
the Qonditions
he, had found and the patient was wheeled out. Can you imagine anything
more absnrd? It was as utterly unnecessary as it was useless as a teach-
method.
I a.-u glad to say it was given up betore
":!J.Y
_:;en1or 7ea.r.
Sm Livint at home, I did not attend the quizzes whiah were general-
held at night nor attend the
~eetings
of the liahnemann Institute, a
••
- . - -·
~.
- U2.•
'I
student society that held monthly meetings,leotures and d«non&trations·
and quizzes more
:trequentl~
and so, I did not ;. did re-t come- in- contact
. with my class mates in tilis informal way.
That was a mistake but the
allure ot so much freedom was too.strong.
The !!lem.bers of the Class o! '91 were a Tariegated lot aa any one
would Judge by out% class picture, taken when were ware graduated• and
which, I still have. There was a father and his son in the class. a
number of men ot middle agf or beyond and ont'tellow
younger than .I.
Thera were f'a.mera and clerks and some fror.1 the trades, I think: a few
college men, one or two weal thy men, a Turk from Constino1)le, a. German
with blond hair, blue eyes and very thick gla.sses and gener ally dis-
liked; _thore were some fine men, chUJfPs, nodescri:pts .and a acalawe.g ·
••••
•
or two, and yet Hahnemann was considered to have a decidedly
better
.
.
grade of students than Jefferson. (J"uat remember that, Ha.rey,my son.)
Betore the end of the the course congenial fellows chtra;ed together and
I made some good friends.
So Apl-11 came along and the end or my Freshman year.
October to April,
and
n:.u.D.
reall~o
Think of itS
llarch, a three year course and an N.D.
to top otf! :But we produced some real doctors for all that.
One o! our class was elected president
sooiety, years later,
o~
the Eomoeopathic
national
The highest honoe in the profession. Tha·t wu.s
XacCahn ot Ohio.
I was sitti~with Frank Pierson while he waited to•go in' for his
cham examtriation, a two year course unless you had studied it before
In that case, you could be exacined at the end of the first year.
I
Frank said,
'l3ert, why don't you try it?
1
'No'. I said, ' ! could'nt pass'.
You had chem at the !iigh."
"7ell, try it a:nyway. It will do no
harm and 1r you do pass you· wont have t~other with it next year."
so
I'went in' and, greatly to my·aetonishment, I passed. That
w~s
the
-
••
"'
•
-
I
•-•
-
·-
-
-··
,o
'
•
"'
only exam that I ever~a~proaChed without~ ~revious boneing and
much :ttrej)ic!ation.
-... . . '
.
!he exam on Histology was very different.• You kno\7 that Histology
is the microscopic anatomy of the body but I always said it was the
large
science in whieh very EXzXtAnames were applied to very amall objects.
a
It 1aA difficult subject and my failure to study that first ,-ear did
not help a bit.
7hen I went to be examined and after a few questions,
which might as well have been Greek for all I knew about them, Prot.
Ingersol looked at me as tho I was some atrange animal and remarked
•You are not Tery familiar with this subJectn.and
I certainlY' was not.
I
He was a kawkwaxixtxtw&k
laCkadaisical,indolent chap with an absurd
drawl and did not give me the calling down I so richly deserved. but,
•
in all fairness he must have given me zero in that e:xa:cr.
But, somehow or other, I passed enough subjects to go on with the
I
the olaea and w1 th NO C01lDITI01I3. I neTer heard ot such a thing 1n
11edical college in our day.
"Jhat my average was I do not know and
doubtless thought it was far better not to find out.It was certainly
a blot on •the fair reputation of Hahnemann' that I was not flunked. ·
Eut then, I can remember ANYONE was! so why pick on me.
y
You &Xt may remember the the wonderful'eoncerts' that wall given
right after the performance
o~
the circus. How the 'barkers' would
announce• n•r.1 fifteen minutes or eo, the wonders of the a·cts to be
anawn
only ~t the 'Concert' Tickets, 25¢ bu~ them as the Ushors come
I
around! I always wanted to stay, 1 t sounded so wonderf'lll and was always
such a disappointment. I remember one act for the musiCll was only a.
I
1
little more of the circus band, reduced in numbers for the occasion.
In this thrilling scene'? Col. Hector O'Lear,-, of the Royo.l J:rish E:orz~:
fought a fearful broad sword combat on horseback with ::aj. UnpsteU!!t;!s
of' Ria Irajesties Poyal Bengal &c&:c. at least that was the barkers
announcem.ent.·Vhat ha-p1)ened was that two small and thinI' red
coated
:
··~,
..,_
J .A.M. ·pg•~4.
men,. on scraggly horses and with
heads protecte*'
. -114.
th~lr' -~odties
.
hueh masks, rode out
well :padded- end thei-r·-. ;
and. were
.,
elabora"ely introduced
Going to the opposite e~d or the track the_jroad.~as~ast as their poor
nags could go and with broadswords, they were
-
.·
'-
wood,I ..am sure, whacked ,
at each other a blow or two and rode on to the other end.
repeated this blood curdling
performance~-the
Then they
base drum coming dawn
hard when ever a blow was etrucld It certainly waa a. :fean;ul conteata
in the opinion of the
the audienca, they had hooked 1 perhaps,
barker,~~d
a quarter or the aziBt:•wx't the people iaho came to the circus; smiled
wanly and doubtless aaid • sold
again.~
tnere •ere some other
Just. about as thrilling as this one and in tif'teen minutes or so
i.
\
~
•ae
ac~s
show was over and 'we fools and our money soon parted' •
l3ut what has all this to do with medica.li college? Just this.
Arter the regular course was over the College gave what they B.al.lled .
.
a lpring Course of about six weeks, open to any student On the :pa;ym.ent
ot $ 20 .. oo•
ds thereabouts. There were lectures and quizzes a.nd demon-
strations and the opportunity to do extra dissecting, !or the usual
consideration.
Now the Spring Course al¥raya reminded me o! thase
Circus 6oncerts, not that the Spring Course was a deliberate effort
to catch our money on a take, as the Concerta 110st certainly were 1
but the Spring course of about six weeks
supplied only 3econ~ate
lecturer,e1 shorter hours and a general spirit of letdown. There were
'..;
only a few ot the men who took these courses but Fatmr
thou~ht
I bet-
ter improTe my time and I was willing enough to do it • .Five months of
idleness was rather a-p-alling, even to .me and no youth thought
•
ing thro the
~er
or
work
unless he had to.
But I did get a lot
tram dissecting those extra parts.
only a few fellows a.t work t1lere
o..~d
There
we~
much of the ti":ne I was alone as
I preferred to work in the a.ttemoon to CO!lling in to the ci t7 at night,
Thare was only one drawback.
7uxaxxa
As the weather grew -.arm mag-
got.a al)peured in the cadaver, tho I kept the part well wrappod UAJ iD
,.-
camp olothoo and, as the weather
srew wamer i't was nip anct
~uck as &
io whether the woma ot I would gat there first. .But the:r wore innocent looking tellcwa and created ver.~ 11ttle tmpleo.oantnoua.
in eoma
VIa:/ or other
·
I
thq? For,
~ had
·:tl.:r¥ should
trained themselves to liveI
pretty muoh1 on zinc oblor1de1 All in all the Sprins term woa wor'th
while and I believe I took 1 t between both terms.
'ihen ·the S:;>ring
home.
~er.n
was OYer I tried to read up on Jmatmq at
Dq atter da;r I would seat m:rselr 1n a steamer chai.r on
poa:rch at t.bs
~
Yar house and at.a1; to read
'G~'.
th~
llut the wazm
air and the quie' aurroundinga o.:1d too craat oomtort 1n that reclining chair
•
/v-v...t~
.
too soothing and Grq had a ver:; aopori.tiq effect. so •
before 1 cmg, I wa.a dozing peaoef'ully.
T he aocond year a~1ahaemann waa unwentf'ul ucept it at.traotgd
me mightily to Dr. 711lliam 3. VaDLennep who lectured on ?atholog;r.
l:Ie waa a ,-oung surgeon, a brUliont lecturer who had an odd wey o.t .
drawing 1n his chin at tho ond
o~
a sentanco and :hank and I had manjr
and argument a:s to tho relative herita ot'Va.n' tmd snothoJ; Prof. I
atudied
that year and worked hard, not ~orcetting thu.t lilstoloc;y
experience and
gotti.~s
a Tiew
o~
the aeriouaneaa o! tho work be£ors
me.
Frmlk Sll"d I went to a atudent•a boarding houao
ot which I remember an& e:nomoua dish
or
tor our dinners
gravy tllat was aenea at
ner.y dinner. It. was a noisy crowd at the table but the ,_ Lundl~
who
alY~tJ
:proaidod kept the tun within bouncis and ti:.e 1f'1ll.k to and
~
tl'O!!l and the broak in the da;y' a routine and- the hot meals were a.ll
-.
helptul.
:Jxm:ln come along.
~r.
Van Lennep tlllst have had aa before hiLl
an hour or more and took me thro
•~•
intraciciea ot the
~a.tholog
io liver that I never heard ot before but I ouessed ~ ritht and
r.
llG.
scored a hundred. But 1 t was not all guessing tor I had studied hard
and Ve:i!a questions called tor reasoning and deductions te.ther than
mere book knowledge.,al tho my lack in IIistology made Path very hard.
Some exams were oral and a
orterow aboTe the otherl' it was dit':ticul t not to see what the
man below
7ou putting on his paper. and it was Juat as difticul t :tor the prof.
in aharge to detect 1 t.
Ct course 1 t waa aaaumed that m.en
studying
medicine were tar aboTe auch things aa cheating D:t and they ought to ·
••
haTe been but ~were Just like any. other grop ot students, good,
bad and indifferent and some tellowa copied the othcufrellow' a pa_,er
(.
almost vcaJto.tim.
And ao,a Senior.
Pioraon and I had decided t.bat 1 t would be better i.f we could
liTe in the Gi ty Senior year as there waa a good deal ot night work
and we had to attend at least one child delivery o.nd ve wanted to
atud7 hard. S!llle,if" you will, you youths and :::&aidtms or this modern
day when 7ou rend that two young tellaws wanted to,live in the city
in order that they might study more:
did.
Frnnl: had been living in the city bef'ore und we decided to zet
a roon together if we could.
ot tho college, Broad
4~wn
~~d
~other
and I searched the nei;jhborhood
Race ( The college I attended has been torn
to make way tor the big lloapi tal while the Colleae ia now in
the hoap1 tal building
••
-7ell it's true and study we
or
m::l day.)
on the aeaond tloor
front room. in~a I:Ieohanics ll&
~·.
t)ot 1421 Vine ;ye found a. nice
home. a
;{r.
liern, room and board.
~
~5.JO
per yeok: and there :?ra.n!c nnd I lived thnt winter of' 1890 - 9l,very
c~ortab~
an~
ha??Y indeed •
As
hours
o~r ~eal~hdid
not
eorre~~ond ~1tb
those of the ta!'llily ::rtJ. ;!om, who 1'-..ad not been married very lon;:;,
ga.Te us our
~eal!.l
at the tioes that suited us a.."ld :•rank and I lived
in state rcr;- ::ra.lr tried hnrd to i)leaae and she was a very good cooz:.
Senior Ye$,r at Bahbemann.
•
· 3 .A.ll'.
Senior Year was the
~deat
PG.117.
- ............ ,. ..
_...
,..
.....
117.
, "' ..
-.
.., ... - ....
ani the most interestillg- ot. the-whole
oourse. 7e had more practical work than
I
Jill
otheJ' yea.rs but it was- very
litte as~ared to Senior 7ears in the modern!mecical college. In
addition to the practical work
. Medica, Therapeutics, IJractice,
had to grind and grind we did.
IJVt,J-
't1l5a
such difticul t subjects as Jaateria
Clini~~~ry: &c.
""'
.
7/e
.
Frank had had a college education and
a good mindand was quiet and studious and set me a good example.
-~e
studied late, had breakfast about nine and went to our first lecture
at ten/ bT.lt
that was much easier thannthe mode%!1 grind.
Along in the year we did minor operations tnx our surgical course
Th!) were Tery minor indeed and when _Jt.iy t"U%n cmne the Greek on the
table turned to tha doctor who was conducting the clinic and said with
••••
\,
!
!ear in his eyes and voice, "Doctah! Doctah! Don't let the little boy·
'
do it! ·and that in spite.o! my burnsides and moustaoh~l (The operation
assigned to me waa to ,ass a catheterl)
Not long a!'ter mid."ligh(of a dark winter .morning I was called to
go to my obstetric case.
~
r
Jr.T long round blaCk leather bag had
tor weeks a..'ld"rushed into
~een
read'
my clothes and hurried t!own to Ninth and
~
Tine and turned into a Sl'!lall court there. That was and is a fine neigh-borhood to prowl a.round in in the •wee sea hours' but Drs were never
bothered nor were nurses in
uni!o~.
A.littla
~o
story, three room
house held my patient. It was the fifth or sixth child and the large
neshy 'lady' on the bed knew a lot more about the proceedure than I it
did.! think no one el~e was there but I got cut my antiseptics and
brand new instrmrtente, put on a surgical ga?m a.."ld tried to look very
•
important tl:.o I certainly saw my patient sm.iling rt1.ther broadly. "Jas
'nice little boy'under her breath? I
aha
sayL~g,
8lld
still young
eve11
~as
~enty
years old
tor that adT:mced age! Eefore I was fully .ready'
. t. a baby slid into the worldtdtout as easUy as a -;>arcel comes down a
i.
. ... -118.
3 .A.Jl. Pg.ll8.
•••
chute end causing Just about as much excitement in the patient-altho·
the accouCheur was sutfeciently nervous.
I 41d the
necesaar,y-~or
-the
baby very scrupulously and put a binder on the patient with care and
· tenderness in spite ot that amused smile I
then returned to my roa.M.
at~ed
around a while and-
Elapsed ttme, leas than tour hours, I'm s
nre.
The next dq I oalled, some neighbor was helping out and all O.K•
The second day I took.my patient same white grapes which Bhe accapted
w
a.a usual,
as a curoisit7 but hardl7 usetul and the third da7 I ent inAwithout
knocking and upstairs to the little bed room.
The bed was empty!
·taken away?
Horrors! IIad she died o! haemorrhage and bem
'Vhat had happened?
"Doctor: called a Toice :trom doWll
staifs,'Is that you?n That voice sounded rather familiar.
and there was 'f!JJ' patient.
c· •
•sure Docther,I was out in:1the yard
Och1 It's all right. I always gets up· the third day-.
Docthar, Dear an don't bother about me me.
d~
hangi~
•:aut, Jlra.------,
out clothes and niTer heard ye, at all, at all."
ft
I went
Don!t ye worry
II
I'M all right.
so ended
my well planned after treatment But I had successfully cmiDUCTED m7
'obstetric case•.
Frank and I slept in a double bed and one night, contrary to
customs he went to bed quite early.
I was sitting studying when,
su~
denly Frank bounced out of bed and picked up his pillow and carried
1 t to
wash stand with considerable prof' ani ey-,. which was something ner
tor Frank. umankety- blankety- blank!" sputtered ;,,rank."Wha.t on •
earth 18 the matter'?" "The darn bed bug 'hit me on the forehead'' and !:e
I
tlipped
samet~ing
into the waste bowl.
As I said I!rs. Hern was very
clean but in some way the pests had come in.
/
:!'erhaps we brought 'them
but our Landlady had them cleaned out the next day and that was the
1 ast we saw of them..
I was feeling rather punk that Saturday when I went home. Yy jaw
~ .A.li.
was stiff and
~onday
J.
119.
Pg.ll9.
\Tas feverish and went over to see Dr.Powell
.
ttQo homo and eat a pickle and if it mel: as your parotid glands aoho
ata.7 home and let
~e k110'W'."
A.."ld. th did and there I
w~a
with the
I~um_ps
:Febuary of" my Senior yeart .ti.nd •.va.a it only one gland that became in-
flamed ? Ona
aublin~..talt
~t
a time/{:;rthe infla.-nna.tiun slCTYly cre_pt fit-s't to· a
·
then the other and tinall7 to the other parotid. Three
•olid w-eeks out of the last part of ::cr tinal. year!
:But the hard work ot: that yee.r carried
I l)a.saed 71th an 84
!18
I rennber.
an audienoe assembled in 'The Aeadem;J o!
~ito
noon a5 we 7ere called to the
Dector of
of
20
platt~em
the special
na"ld by
~edecine
~usia'·
'
~·-·;.v
one af'ter
and received our degrees of
1n me invested, Doctor
~ower,
:Jedeeine' and so, there I was a reall;r truly Doctor,...
• ~
...
liO!leto~a.thio
~ yecr~
and seven
the
collece ;rear
n~xt
tr..ro the finals and
~e
old!
month~
be~an
7orta~ately,
and
\
2f
2l before
I was not required to repeat
t~errore
~
the third year, ;;.. s one :-nan in
I would be
~e
class had to.
State law
r~el'\
a Man to be 21 before he could pe..ra.atioe nedecine.
There
that
not State
eanily
~~s
quired
~~s
Y"a
examinin~
ncc~plished
we!"e tree to
ha"'l~
Board out we had to register and
end as there
out our
~a3
shL~$1es
no
ho~~ital
service re-
with ti-10 whole 0.3. befor:i
us.
I bact been nore end nore attrt>.cted to Dr. Von Lennep t1nd wanted
to be his
aosistr~t
very bndly and made
He replied tho.t he lw.d a nunber
the
I
e~in~tion
~~edicr..
fo: Intern for
':.'ha oxar.:inar, :)r.
pr:.tl':.ic p::7d. ~i~
and while !
'.Ttlll
:l."1.c!
or
applica~ion
tor that
~osition.
6.,!):tJ11cations and each man must take
Eahn~~.
Th~
he
~ould
choose.
~\las,
was the "ld school ty.,e of Ecmoeo~~~~
laid ,;reat ntress ·on~he 1.ru~ ~:x1Jo6:c~,,·tol-agyr.:/
::iddla~on
not !Strong on
knew the leading a~t~s.
~hg.t
T~eee
brrmch ! had used a 'aor.Ipend ond
-l
I s~r1~1ed in wit~ plan~~ of ~e X
J.A.M. page 120.
·120
aympto::ns to:mnon to every drug and so made a great showing or symptoms,
'!'his was the kind or :.!a.teria Medica that ever,. old stll.fe homoeopath ..
lOTed. I finished my paper before
"-
an~ther
man in the room altho there
were some of the boat men in the olass there and I waa not. considered
na
anything bttt just one o£ the coDD!lon head.
t,).
:
•
man who made the highest
...
··. .....
>:~.erage in our cla,al(was taking the exa.:n tor the hospital and mart7 were
,
·the astonished eyes as I walked out with the air ot one to whom that
exam was so easy it .waa quite a Joke.
But I.waa rather more than surprised when I :round
:
Dr. Middleton in his soft spot and hit him hard.
that I had hit
He waa eo enthusiastic
abou-t the'splendid paper' I had handed in that he almost put. •• in the
hospital whether or no but I did not want the hoapi tal appointment
I 11'tm'ted to help Dr. Van. I won
a~
appointment but
aomet~g
much more
to my liking intervened, so IIa:bntm1an did not hs.ve zy valued service
tor
year or more later.
£
:But I must turn back
•~er
tor a while to tell something
deys and vacations aa I seem best to
~ollow
or
the· ha.ppy
my school and col-
lege days thuo with out these side tri~s.
I do not recall the dates of moat
does it make
~difference
est enJoyment.
or
these vacation trips nor
!or they were vivid and !ull or the keen-
.
ent
It's certainl:r tmusual that not one of the c:lif"ferJ£:13lm
trips was a t&ilure ot a
diaaapoin~ent.
either at
the·t~e
or as
I remember thtmt. To attempt details would be wea.risom but a ramble
along those dGlighttul da.ye
or
the loug ago will amuse me and I hope
ne 1r0rth Y"OUr reading, my dear Children.
There Y&s the camp on the
I
Zlliott anc I
e~~ed
called Rustic Lodge.
ating
~pper
tn tents a hal!
Saranac when
~ile
~othdr,Halena,
Roy
or so !ron Jess Coreys place
It Yaa on the shores o! a tiny cove with a. facin-
li~tls point ~n one side w~a.~ put up raised wood platfo~a
!or a large wall tent for :!other a.'ld Helen and a smaller one tor
Roy· and me. There waa a dining shanty or ny and a kitchen further bo.c ..
- 3 .A.:l. page 121.
121..
tor the shOre a wera too :rocky to -pu~ tho whole c~ along the lake.
We went to Coreya ror dinner but got. the othor moal.~ pu:foelvoa a1 tho
we had no· guicltt.
roy nliot.t. who was cmgaged to llale::w.,
Yood.amn.n and I thought I
...-~
prott7
~air
a.t that. m;rselt'.
1fhole Yiuter in the J.dircn~a. perlw.ps a
j"G&r
1l1i.a
n sood s
Eoy spent a
ror hia lunge •ore
con~
sidered 'weal:' end. with a gaido ho 11Yed in. a 11tUe ca.bing
1n .th8.1rQ,ods
.
'
... ··<._,
lie own sci a 11 tUe 12
rt.
Adiranda.ck boat, we of the -aeeteat. little
oratt lor camping I cvor.x saw. and n rente4 a.lit.tl.e larger boat tl:la.t
:t uaect. ·Jhat ha.p117 t.imf.tu ,o ·did ha:ve u1w1ng it herefo.nd 'there on· the
·- ·lake• Ro:r and lielena.• in the anenth heavGD.
of'~urna
um1 :.£other and
/
I. enJoying ner.r minute tor she was such an eitthusiu.at.
I imagine I was about 17, but whether or not. I oou.ld pack EOJt(a
'boat whioh waa a 11 ttl e lightu tllan m.ine,acros.a a. two mile carry
I
without :tuch
.•
tr~ble
and I
ifa.8
strong a."ld fit. Sa .-e. could take aida
trips to nearby lok3s 8l'!d I remember hmr zothar
cau~t.
pic:larel. on a
troll and nearly Jtt:t&'ed out ct' the boat when c. big tollow broke loose
.just aa she was about tc lend hi:l.
. to try ood catch bl!!t
On
]lad a.
I thoue;ht. she was iiOinb overboard
~~in.
.motl:or little covo,near'by but. out o:r alJht ::r. :.:aatlllas,hl!J
~
o:l f'un. too. ::J.aia w::.a abo--..tt
Te.ill
! l j 0\T%1
a.go9 a.
g~ldon
blond
Yi th vivid coloeL1:! but not zo ~:retty. But we ao•>n wor-. good friends
tho ht)r'papa' watahed hor :;Jratt7 close '£tJr ho did not know me. Still
I took lUuis tor a. row now and then and •• all went tor pic:1ias t.o;Jeth-
•
u
c.o.s -the
phctoe~
or
~t
a·.::.1 1er tlhcr.wr, nnd it was not long before I
t.b.ous,."lt I t.:J.ought a whole lo't o! .:::lsie. fto she warned me not to
'soft'.
sarviao
those photoes will be !ot.md a. group taken at. a
A~on,;
o~
our
si~ting sid~
~oint ~,d
at the baak vill oa
beside. looking
a~en
nertiQ
ue
5un~
~1d ~sio
~!ous.indaed •• Cloae e~nation
or
pl:.oto. ho1rner, rill utte1·l:r to.il to 3hair :znore than one honu rnl
tbat
r
•... 122 •.
Elaie' a and, strange to say, only one
o~
:Bert' • hands is_ to. be found.
~~d ther,e been an accident and each of these D.- two. yotDlg people
lost a hand 1n the prime of thet_. youth'Z
Row sad1 Ro? But .where. then, ...
They were not missing, much! Bas sure
wera those missing hands?
... ,
ot that ·
tor. :Bert, the young rascal. had whispered to Elsie and had slipped his
hm.td behind his baCk and Clasped
•an ouTer.
Elaie'~h met hia
~
by tha same
And there they aat, d.emurel.7 enough. while the .Episcopal.
·service was read by Ur. Yatthias and Roy, their two t"ree hands being
used to hold a prayer book. moat inno-cently.
:tb.le serrtca, but all too ahori.
That certaillly was a
It. l:lad a spiritual. quality', to'-ltheae
two conepiritors that was moat unuaual altho not altogether diTine.
:But the great nent o! that aummer camp wa.a a two clq boat trip
.
After considerable persuasion I got llother to inmhe !!atthiases to
le~
--
Elsie go too as I had !'oom. 111 'lJ1.Y' boat, the larger
one. and ao, one fine moming we sot out. Roy and Helaua and Elsie,
!!other and I.
I cannot remem.ber the route and
it makas uo di.t:terence,
'hllt •• :-tn.Telled. a.ll that dq tho dif"ferent small lakas and streams,
once lJassing thrc a Taat patch of' water lUliea. some et them d.ecidedlT pinJt in color and "Very beautUul.
Late ~te%lloon found us 1n a
tai.r sized la.lta where we were to find a. two mile carry to J,ong Lake
end our stoppin.s place
~or
the night..
to where we expected to tine the traU.
and
:But,
we
Al1 had gone like c:lock work
had made .-re.ey- torn and l)icked up rter7 trail without e. miss.
alaa and alack, when we reached the shore there was no trail.,
Juat untrod
•
so wa rowed contidentl.Jr across
YUd~esat
ile
tried another coTe. No luck.
·va took our
'bearings and 1Sompared instructions and that first coTe ought to be
Ead ~e gotten on the wrong lake and liable to wander 0 f an}~here?
the place but 1 t wa.s'nt~._'keantir.:.e the sumt was gettl.n~ lower and we
,
had nothing to make camp snd no toed but a little ohocolata. Looked
rath•r uneomtortable.
one
or
Roy went oue way and I another and after a tme
us found the trail and we landed in haste. I took the larger
u
page 123.
boat as Roy had a light l'&ck ot the extra coats &o.
123.
~.A.Y.
~
The girls help-,
eel us get the boats on our shoulders as that la about the hardest part
•
ot it, that swing from a low stoop
by the side of- the boat. raising
1 t and . at the same time turning it Up8ide down.
Roy started on tho
the rapidl7 darkening Yoods and I took a .step end.--.!;;;1crs.sh
!t
came
cion with the bnat on top ot me. Ro7 came hurrying back at Yother• a a
ca11 Yhila she· called'Alm you hurt?
Ia 7our lleck all right~
That waa
the gr~at danger in a fall like that,. a broken or badly h11rt neck. tor
-.
aa I haTe mentioned betore. the yokes
o~
wooa sometimes ga.ve the neck
an ugly twist if' the bearer did not get out ot the ,-oke quiokl.7 enough.·
.
li'outtmatel;r I escal)ed and the boa.t was not inJured at all. An
accident would have been pretty serious right. thera &l1d with night. com-
••
ing on for the Adirondacks were almorl a wilderness at that ti:ae. Get-
ting my boat on my sbouldera we sr.mg along em our tiro-mile tramp to
Long Lake. It was soon TelT dark but the tr;;J.U was well cut out and.
with Lena walking ahead a.s -pa.thl"inder we had little trouble but it did
seem a Te'r7 long two miles.
The lake at la.-st!
How good. that lighter gl.!=er seemed as, it be-
gan to s.b.ow thro the trees.
7e bad quite a row before we reached the
little forest hotel and pulled in fer the niGht.
so=~he~e
naar ten
oclock I remenber, tired aor:lo la.o.e and arl\1117 hungry 1 3ut wha.t a tine
~a-t
day-now ta we were ha:pp:r nnd well tad.
I had rowed continuously all
~-tJ--A... '
~ three
day with the e.xee-'9tion ·o! the carr;;s. carried
or four miles
and was not done out yet. My sturd:r. sons please take notice.
Dad nn-er had :rour heft ()r height or beef", ei.thert --:/a.s I tired?
•
wh7 bring that
Your
Now.
up, just at this time?
The next day we went on thro long :take and the Raquette River
and then a short carry back to Coreys and our good little eacp, and
ri th thi"s
hap~7
memory tucked away to give pleasure ma.ny ti!nes after-
ward &a it does now as I write it.
1.A.~.
page 124.
124.
I had to leave before the rest of' tbe part:r tor school began .
•
I
beg~o
early in· September but '"the hard wood trees were
brilliant tall colors and tho air was full
/)l
said godbye to Elsie.
or
snap.
.
ahatr their
ReltictanUT I
She was a. sensible nice girl and • • • had been
good f'rienda but thp.t was the last 1 aver saw of her and a.1 tho we had
write to each other I cannot remember that we a
probaball:r promised to
ever did and so a lonely youth returned to hie home.
I ••• f'rom 1liY' old a1 bum that the camping at Tim Jond• in lla.ine
must have hap:pened be:tore that camp near Core7JS.
~or
It was Tery eTent!"Ul
m.e and Helena seems to have had another young man at that. time.·
,Don't think she was
C::.Atwa.ter waa the
&
:t'Hrl but times and girla minda change. 7Ul1am
h~p7
ma that 7ear and with Mot!ler Helena and I made ·
up the Pe.rtT with liJ.7 brother Hs.n:rt there a })art of' the ti:ne.
'··
Tom Pond was one of those oampa wl:era
7011
lived in one of' a group
of' cabins and took your m.eal.s at the central dining 1:oom.
.
.
It vas an"-
~·
en miles :f"rom ::;ustiee by a. totes road. baggage b;y buckboard,m6lked and
IC'.
women rode horse ·back at a. walK.
'Ve had e. two room cabin,. built
ot
.logs snd as the weather was rain7 at first. end we were not too well
pleased we nm:1ed our cabin. Cm:Ip Ard-en• sO!!leone having found the quo)
tation "
·so
this is the
tores~ o~
Arden? Aye, now are we in Arden.
":Then we ;:rere at home we were in a better place but travellers must b e
content."
But with clearer skies and gettin[S acquainted with our neigh-
bors m1d good fishing we had a good time after all;7fe 1nmt. by row boats to the md or the lake a. mile or two_,
•
fiytishing and seldom clid they fail us.
man
I
~~d
~ort
I was her
~~ide
~or
Mother was a. tireless fisher-
and we eould both fish at once so it was great
tor ye often caught
~o
end sam.etines three fish at a
ageing a. quarter to a half ponnd e.1)ieee.
The boats
~ere
ti~e,aver
rathsr tippy
and Atwater going to help Lena with a tan;lecl line_, upset her !or she
was sitting on
to~
of the bow block and oTer she went. He staid in
~~e
....
Z.A.~.
the boat. Nother md I were near
pg. 125.
~ and
'125.
other boats not tar awq end
-
Helena bobed up betide the ttoat in a moment altho aha oould not swim. It
h&Pl)ened 89 quietly that I think we were all rather dazed.
But Jlalena ·
waa not Tery well and !!other was so proToked at poor At.water. 1'1rst 1'or
UJ)aetting her and then
~or
not going in af'ter her a.t once that 1 t waa
aome time bet'ore· she 1'orga.Te hiM.
cn'courae. tiro
peop~e
1n one end o£ a.
· ora.Dk7 lJoat are prett)" sure to get a ducking• onl7 Atwater did•nt. That.
ae~ed
-
to be the unforgiveable.
One day I went out alone to 1'1sh• inx itaeU'• quite unusual.,. and
whUe rolrlng the mile or two to the best place I thought I might aa well %.
troll as I went along.
&
leg 'but I did •nt bother
trolling.
to
go very alcnr as one generally does when
'
.
:?copla seldom trolled 1n !1m Pond £or they thought they wa.a
no use in doing it.
1. •
The rod was proped em the seat and wedged under
nut I might as well and the rod bent
g~tly
w1th
the weight of' th_e l'ine aa we YGDt al.ong. we? Yss. the boat and I.
~
I
know that a fish pole
I had almost
tor fiy casting is
torgot~en
ll:w-L~
oa.ll.ed
&
You
pole but a. ?.CD.
I was trolling when the line pTe a J ark and
thro
the rell nctual.l:r scret1!!1ed as the line tore ntxwt the g'.tides. I grabbed
the rod. J'i!!l!!lLVZ J'U))iter!! Tbata either a log I hit or a·whale! rhen,
Joy, et joy! there
ca~e
the thrill along tha.line,that 11ttl• quiver with
a Jerk or two that tells the angler he has hooked• no sunken log,but a.
~
real live tiah and in thia oa.ae he certa.i]Jr wa.aA.~a.at to l(i,m.innow1
And
ncnr· began the battle.
._
.
:Back and torth the trout
rushed;~owa.rd
tha
boat to try: and get al ck line and aha.ke loose the hook 1 then a straight
.
~
away rush to break the tackle.
•
But I waa no novice at that game and the .
line abd leader and fiias were good, hther aaw to. that and the txliea I
had tied(that is ~ada ) ~self.
how was I to lo.nd him'?
Attar s~me t~e the !ian grew tired and
:}enerally some. other person did that, the guide
~
.
tou had one. Thout are not fioJJped oTer ....the boat as in ba.i t ti ahing. Tho
tackle is all too light tor that. They must be brought to the side of
~
il~
/.
Z.A.K. page 126 •
•
tlie,-
Ret
126.
lae brcn1gs:t to t~• aiti:e o~ the boat and thea landed with a
dip net, eaay enough tor two but uot so eaay
~or
one in a
tippT~boat
tor, the rod muat be manipulated in the lett band -and the net held in %:b.
the right. Then the line must be just the proper length; tha rod held
Just. so. to 1:! 1 t is allowe.l. to get in a wrong poai tion 70u will 'breq
as sure as f'ate. The tip is the
the tip,~ the end piece ot. the rod anM:~uch thicker than a match
etick .at the end. llow
'brought in gently
ao1 t
o~t
to
il\
addition to tar fa detaUa the fish must be
avoid scarinJJ him and ila.king him thrash about or
on a na run, or tear loose when the line ia tense and it is
quite important tllat the anglu should not
ting'1d.,t1sh that ~·
~et
so interested in net- ·
a~ torgetShe is in a boat and ao tumble~S~oTer
into water, as he reaches oTer the aide to
net~~.
Simple enough at times but not ao eaq tor a. strippling ;youth.
who: was keyed up to the top notch by the aight or the biggist trout
.,.
he had ner •••• tor then he wast
clear water •
.Ancl llOY to 11et
111m:
~lain
enough near the boat in the
Jfardly daring to breath und.er the intense
. etrailt,I slowly- reach out with the net. 41ttle further and I'll have
him, an inch more! D,n,_ 1 tl !lle side ot the boat ie nearly under water!
nearer!
He • a got to be brought ••a r ,11oTe the 1 eft arm further back$. Turn
"""'*
the body· a little to the left tor the ar.n won't go back any farther.
Slowly, alcnrl7, eaq, here he comes! The net• s almost under him, a:a..
~
:I:B:oh more.~ the net goes under and as I quicklt bring in ~ the boat I
roll back !%om that dangerous low tilde.
•
J'upi terl 7hat a !ish! No more
fishing tor me that day. I want to tell the whole world and show them
my 'Prise 1ld and weigh him before he shrinks and the aaales a.re at
camp. I certainly %:lade that boat hum as I rushed back to the landin[;
and called to Ifother and lielena and Atwater to come and see 1!J.Y ,riza.
A pound and a halt, with no pebbles inside to boost the weight, the bi ··
gist trout caught that ;year and tor many others.
Pooh! Only a pound
ud a
.•
:r.A.:J..
hal~
page 127.
ot
and all. that .tuaa I u~e
~u rtJIJ:I'
aq.
12'1.
'h'u.e cough.
uot auoh a 'big tiah bu.'t a 'big trout. T&rJ bi; 1:ndeed. tor Tim :Pond,.
aud I can't remember one that gave me a greater thrUl to ltmd him.
ODe em the. Reatigoucha Riv:er in 1l'a !ll'tmsrick waa nearly' aa much
but
tha~
la another sto%7•
It you
40D~
look at. the photo in '147 Album. llo.l,
'bel.lan 'that
and~·
waa
a big
tun
~ish
him with the atrtng
o~ trout that IIu.rry and Atwatu' are holding• and::~• he looks
'blger than a :pound and a
bu't
~
~t• a
aa I remember 1 t._
lian7 aud I 11'81lt. deer hunting getting J'olm Day' tor our gttida.
Te went out the tote road
~
Ialan4 Lake• aomo aaven t.tilea
reaohed. thU"a and attar
·-
rmother group oE cabins at .B13
rlJI'Iiq.
J"olm
tume4
a~ Dilaa we
of~ betoze we :at.
om:1e to a ltlall atrtiWI
which had. been dmmed by beavers who were atill. working 'there and
It was tho first U:te I bad aeen tD.eir
.
1r0rk 9 outside or a zoo,and , . looked at the trees they had cut and
ilad made qui ta a pond.
the dm:s and a bavez house ri th geat. intareat.
It looked liXo ra.1l1 and we l'Ut up a ahel.ter tent tlult
made 9 tollo-zint; the directions in soma book on
ure 1 t looked tine but when put
UJ;>
~1ng.
v~ had
In tr..a -pict-
it aea:1ad inclined to
f·.!JD
!l~·
I'l' DID. For t.!le r..1.in co::1e along end altho our tent lw.d. been carctull7 water proofed. the slulpe va.a all. vrong.
lons lean-to and the tlat roar
o~f\ha
a
did. 1 ll~ he.Ta
It.
W"a:J
made. lili:e a
slope enough to ca:rrJ
vater ta.st enough. It ga.t.here4 1D l)oo1a at the low end end
e.ttori to
'hi at' the oloth tram the inaide onlY l:W.de a Sl>O't 't.lJ:o
which atreas o! that un-,leaaant bedf'ellow os:me running Joyously
I
in. ·:'le llnd n. moot uncomfortable night.• It was close nnd
~· '!U.~ea
~
and moaqui toos were fierce and ve ~ sogzy.
I'"J'rt
=tur~
~.aer~
waa no
use hun tin~ .tor t!:.e.re was ·:planty ot 'fiUter ertUjvhere &.."ld tl"A de or
would ·not·. come clOWD t,o the str-eam. ·:;e were m;;;hty glaD. to
~ull
out
the next :l.O.nli.ng and go on to L1g Island ~..tt for all the discomtort
I
J .A.ll.
Ve wen glad. to
~
128
page 128.
to a real cabi11 and
cU7 out and get a good.
alaep and to have a dq or two with the Big Ialand trout which were
nea,
one m.om1Dg, brigh~ ad ear17,w• were ou our YfJ:I' along
o14 tote road toward Tim Pcmd bu~ inten.dms to brmtch
art
the
to another
lake atte.r a few .Uea. In aome wa:r we 1ta4 got-tell et.rung out along the
the road after •• l:Jad gcma a mile or two,with J'ol:m. Dq abea4,J:Ia.n7 f'U'Q' ,-arcta or eo beh.1Dd h1Dl and I lan of' all about the acme cliataaoe
-
ud on• 'barr.U loaded w1 th buck ahot• 1a0re aa a -.tter of toxa thaD
\
Y1 th
~
Just
&
real boll•
o~
aee!Dg a dec. fha aun waa bright aucl the air llwi
bit ot sno.p that. llllda it a real delight Just·--= be 1n tbe woods.
SUddenly I heard a twig snap 1D the woods to m:liett! I stopped.
,•
in 1147 t.n.oka. on the !natan-t.
A1l4 tilm•
&
b7 20 or 30 yards awq. 1'here was a aort
larca
or:
~or walked alovly
hol• in the brueh back
ot which I 11&4 a. kind of' pan-p.n:a Tiow of tho deer• tirs't the haad,
tl18l 'the
"bod7 alow1y moveiDg ·07.Duti>Jxttaco;cma I waa ao u.atonio.hcd
I almost bad 'buok tCJYer aa tho idea slov}7 l)eroolated tlu-o my ntitlbed. .
'brain 'that Ula.t, waa real~ a. deer, a ..Ud deer wandering ~· t.hro
d_.f.
.
the forest and ti::e I 7AS lirei'TDIG :n::J'Jll li&.atJ.].y throwing my gun to
1113 shoulder I dru dOYn until I amr tha red and 1'1red.1 The hcayY
p.To "JfJ'¥ shoulder a Ticiou.a punch but
~t
~go
cU.d not prncnt r:r:1 aeeing
that deer kick high in .the air• like a. Ucklllad mul.o and plunge f.l:ila:/
while the woods seemed tull
•
o~
deer Z'Um1ing here and there.
lia.r%7 yelledr:that' a the 'l!!.&t.ter"?
':)on't. know. I hit h1::lI wre'.
tul.l run a.'ld l.!arl7 tvo.
aeen the deer •
'!.
deer'. 'Did you get, lW:l'?
E:f tbat time .Tolm bad ctn:1e back on tho
''.1hero waa ha''l
7e
wa:h:ed
~or I hw1 been at.ancling in tha
road•
•
in to where
:r
ln&i
raembering tho
adTice not to Nah in when you t.bink ,-ou baTe lait a doer tor 11" you
I
i
!
I
II
!
page
~.A.~.
wait a bit bleeding or,other
,..
129.
reasons~
. 129.
::preTeny' him from getting up
. at all. *Guess yu missed him. '.Tolm. said and liO' heart sank
blood." Which
wa:r did he
&
mila. z
I showed them •Jolm moTed
"Ain't
110
1~~
bushes a bit and then shouted, "N'o. Yu hit him and hit him
go? •
.And then af'ter a minute more he yelled •Rere he iat" and there
J!illllad."
he 1&1' or rather she for I regret to aq 1 t 1raa a big Doe and I tear
that the other deer I saw dashing here and there nre the fawnrs,Je
.
•
persuaded ourselTea th·=rt the fawns, tor there were certainly two of
them, were big enough to oare tor themselTes but I wish I bad not shot
That is I clo now
that deer.
an~
baTe often in. the pa!.t ;rears when
I happened to think about. 1 t but 7ou can be aura tl:lat a. banier or
prouder boy nner liTed that I was just then as I gazed at my .i'IP.ST
deer. In·:tact I was quite overcome and a.aid a. little prayer ot
thanks.-~
giTing, outloud,. right then and then. which made Harry laugh, tho
not unpleasantly.
Jolm soon
~
the deer skinned and dressed 'OUT' as he said: and
on his suggestion we decided that I should take a quarter back to !1."'!1
I wanted to do tl:lat, and the rest John would tote to the J31g Island·
camp, ao that none would be wasted.
saCk to which shoulder straps had
So a hind· quarter was put in a.
be~
fastened and I started on my
long hike alone. The pack did not tit very well !or it bad been made
man and I was considerably ~ler than that but, as
to~ ~
awa7
~
r· swung
it did not seem so hea"f7 and I tel t like a real 'Old !imer' bring
1ng in his kill. Harry and Jolm would try tor another deer tha.t night
at the pond
••
hea.ded tor when I aaw the deer.
~were
So I swung along,
•
~a
trail was the tote road so there was no
danger
or
lunch
a.bout midday and l'l17 sloulders were eo'!:le sore w1 th thett pres-
going wrong and there was not a soul on it.
sure o! the straps.
I had sO!!le
I bad quite a. •ay to go before I reaehed the lake
and as the a:ttemoon wore on that pack dragged unmeci!ul.l7 and o!
couz.e it seamed about ten times as haaT,T
Jac:ks always gain weight
t~t
.
aa~it
did when- I- started.
wa.;r, eapeoiall:y onz a tendert"~ot but - .
J'ha,ve read that old timers, like Stewal"t Edward m1i te, confess to the
aam.e exp eri enaa.
Aa
the afternoon wore on and the sun began to get low the road
ae•ed interminable.
I began to wonder it I had gotten on some other
old ~oad but that
not posaibl.e.
going to an4
p.
lt'a.S
tzom
:Big Island.
This road was used too much in
.
V"
I did not knOW' how much !ather I had to
at
\
I knew' that the;r generall7 kept a boa.t
the upper end ot Tim
Pond and that would save me three milea more Y&llting end
toting~Il'
th• boat Yaa there.I was tempted to bang the eack in a tree and hustle
on but pride preTented that. and I struggled on.
There was a littl.e hill and quite a dip Just bdore til& 7011 oame
to the lake and every ti::ne there Yas a hill to go dcnm I 1n1a aura that
it led to the lake,
.•
At last I began to go down hill in"'eameat and
wa.a hun':11ng as taat aa ponible when there Yaa a ten"U'io roez· 1"ight
'b7 m:r side! I nearly te'l flat.
I was sure
knOY that "J'!CT hair stood straight on end.
ba afraid
as
an:r
o~.
~re
m:r heart
atopl'ed and I
I launr there waa nothing \o
ware no wUd anima.l.s to bother but I
Ya.&
lonel7
one will be when t!ley are in tha big woo4s alone .and not used. to
it.
~
I had gathered
grouse on a limb
o~
.r scattered wits
a tree not ten
I aar a partridge.a ruffed
~eet away
animal that had nearly scared me to death,
and thatnwas the :errible
~or
when they are scared
suddenly they. take wing whith a. truly astonishing beating of their wing!Z
It is hare! to understand ho1r thq os.n make ao much noise. llot a little
•
shaken. I
~~stled
on as !aat as ?Ossible and it was still down hill
ft.nd a.a Cle light began to glimmer thro the trees I knew tbat the lake
was near, at last. But the boat?
XxKxs z%
~stretching
Yea,there 1A was. Hurrah! and soon
and resting my wear,r.musclea !or rowing, with-
out that faartul drag on m7 back. seemed ver.y e&a7 indeed.
/.
:page 131•
131.
- · . It was adrtsabl.e to approach camp with aome circumspection. ror~ .A.ll.
-
.
l
.
one never could tell wheter fiYery one in efroup like that under_stood
and believed in the law ot' the woods which was that moderate killing
ot 4eer waa to be allcnt'ed. for food purposes,
aome
•IR£ might
and
*'-
beAore I reached camp and
got 1 t atter
dark.
ur.
:tew~who lnmg on the tale ot t
~~~./,~ ...
~
O:tcourse one me-t
.
that waa
so·l!
h~my
meat up 111
Lambert, who ran the cramp
w~ &
:But ~ our cabin there waa a group o~ a aele.ct-
nth
.
reat hunter with breathl.ess ·inter-
-a+ 9.' ·
eat. ~ ~ ·
.
1n close season.
complain uen: tho they would eat tla Tenison when 1 t
waa served on the ta..le as 'Mountain sheep'.
& ~•
eTCl
~~_:_~"%~
I. . / .
f
tJ
·
all ld.llda of people .in a camp like tllat and
w.bT we trl ed to have our own eamp
in later 7eara. A thron in
I
thenside of all the others at Tim Pond that :rear
lfaS
an old grizzeled
protessor,whoae n&"ne I have quite forgotten altho I can recall his
taoe Tery cl earl7.
He 'thought he waa the last. word in all questions
as tc flY tiahing and did 11ot hesitate
to aq ao. '!he proteaeor was
ao peeTed at 'lZf3' big catch that he passed the word around
lt&ll Do-t rea.ll.y soientU'io fishing but. was almost
that uolling
the same ·as BA.IT tish-
blg which flVeJ:T fly caster regarded as the last stage in opiscator-
lal degradation.
one or the abominations or this man was his practice of eating
tmloked herring !or brea.k!ast every morning, and that in spite o! the
fact that the finest table fish in the ..-orld, brook trout, wen to be
had a.t eve'r7 meal,if' wa.nte4.
Now .-rery one knows that a smoked her-
ring is odorous enough just oold but the profea. insisted in broiling
them OTer an dcohol lamp on his table a sc !Uling the dtlneing room
'
with noxious fumes that some of the ladies could hardly keep their food
in
it~roper
and alloted placs.
morning·when one could have
~agine! eati~g smok~d herring
broo~
trout :tor the asking!
ever,r
7ell, as I
said, all in all we hs.d a good time but we never went back to 1:im. Pond.
-----------------------------------------, Karch
a,
:r .A.U.
1934.
. 132.
J)&ge, 132.
Father baaght a membership in a club that had been organized to
fish and :tnmt in northern Maine and Ce.nada. It was called the- )qa:
Jlegantic :Fish and tsame Preserve and controlled hundreds
or
Lake '!Iegantio in southern Canada there was a fairl;y large
.
t
acres~
on
house
clu~
and from it trails led in many directions to dif!eren camps. where
·'the7 bad cabins or leantos. · It was a fine coUDtey and a :tiDe l&)"out and
we went there every s'llm:llar tor some )"eqs. As fathe-r grew older and
-
married again his wi:te thought that country much too wild and poor
:Cather could not enjo)" it aa he might have doneJfor mat17 7eara.
He -
· of:t'ered to give me his ·membership but Icoul.d not afford to keep 'lp the
dues and there was small chance for me tO go there because
or
expense
and time. b~t hmr the ta.mil7 would han enjoyed 1 t!
•
One of the best camps on 'the Presen-e' • as we alwqa called 1 t
was at &haiD
or 'onds
• aa four good sized lakes all connected with
~d.thowough-tares were call. SnOY motmta1non:aa rose :!rom. th~ very shores
of' o!le lake and the countr,-- was rlld and beauti:!ul. altho it bad been
logged ,-ears before.
On
a. small hilly peninsula juttifout from the
· shore or Third b:n Pond were six or eight log oabina perched on the
aide o! the hill with the cook house and dinAing cabin at the top.
Here, ~othar, Eelena, 3oy
ot Ours of whom we were
~liatt
Perks, a frien
Th~ trip in was by narrow ga.ugap rail
road , buckboard and horse baCk
~or
the women.
Then a Steamer tript
It wa.a a nat t.ot~ scow with a stern wheel and
quite a large and nice pilot
•
~rs.
al! very f'ond/ spent sO?lle weeks, probaball;r
arter the Adirondack cam!}.
but such a steamert
and I with a
~nse.
Logs were still sent down tram the
uv.per oount.r:y in the spring and the steamer waa at.ill ke':/ to tow them
thro the Chain. 'Je reached. Firat Pond about dark and as there was no.X
-
telephone to let them know weae coming the)" had to get steL"!l up after
~
we arrived but 1 t did not take so Teey long at that and •• were choocowing our wa:r
U}'
the lake. The engine exh&uated direct.l)" int• the
c
3 • .A..ll.
133.
pg.l33.
the air and 70u cou14 hear the steam •scaping, tirst trom. one cylin/.,
der the tr0:1 the other, a :nile nay.
"1hen a ot>uple
or
miles trom
camp tbe Captain, red headed :Bob, 1'Jln three long blasta on the
t-o
whistl~
let them know he waa coming and toll owed with on" short toot tor
'
each guest ao that auppcr could be gotten reaq tor them tor 1 t waa
quite -dark by that time.
There were lots
or
boat trips
~rom
I think I shot a- deer, a yearling a.ltho
'bu~
1t
oeri~
that the maua.ger
or
the camp, aome fishing and
r- cannot
re:sem.bsr Just how
the camp tho the;y 4id not dignity
1
lWa with tLat t.i tle. dried a tear akin aome distance trom. camp and
that I took 1 t homo and bad 1 t tanned
b)"
a tunney old man whose shop
waa down on 7illow street, a hole ln the wall
•
That.. akin
a~ng
the rail road.
waa on the :tloor ot my room at Bryn llawr for many years.
One mide of the lakff not ta:r away- tram camp waa a atee!l rocky trall,
but wdl yooded and with mossy ledges and tenaaes.
vi tlt aai)lings
~d
ao mounted the aides
~or
I bull t ladders
twenty or thirty teet. It
was a ooay :place, vi th a tine T18W' ot the ·lake and I sus:peot Roy and
Melena apent nany a happy hour there.
sm~u.rthlng
I always wanted to '::!lake ·
when I .had time on r:r:1 hwlda.
:Jcr.1e twelTe miles !or::l'..eha Chain' by- good trail wa.a the Club
Rausa and we w&n ted 't» take tlle tra:np tor tha.t was the only way to
get there trom the Jlaine aide. but l!rs ?erka waa a ra·ther
woman and 1 t
was a
qu~ustion
1£ ahe could. do 1 t.
frail
She waa anxious to
U7 &11d rather afraid to sta;y alone at the camp tho there wa.a not the
ali~~test
danger and people
alw~s
there.
A Dr.
Biaho~,
a Boston
J:.D. was aeoretary ot the olub and at the Chain for a while and en•
coUXll.ged. :r.ra. :P •. to go ao
orr
768
lata in getting ready alid
'!lOt
gone mc.ny miles bo.fore
we atarted.,- our party and nr.3.
80
~s.?.
delayed tlle whole ?flrty and
began to wear out.
lie
W'O
r..ad
-.1e were too
t3r tG go bac3c Wld want slowly with frequent rests. Urs. ?erka heels
134.
were blistered so ...,.. lla.d to help her along, one on each aide. It sot
to ba :pitch dark a:1d about :tour
~iles !'rom the Club liOU$8 Dr. Bishop
said it would be shorter 1!' we took an old tote road he knn o!'.
But
he took the wrong road and be:tore long •• were actuall7 loat :tor' the
roacl
J:$%1
ill to a path and tha path soon became a trail·z and the trail.
ran up a. tree and into a
~squirrel
hole, as an old woodsman,
ll
wzoote inx his book. l!rs Perks was game a1 tho suttering muoh pa1!1 ad
:~:eallT
soared.· She had nner been camp'tng or tramping be.to:re.
. ~·
tilue waa
a telephone :trom the Cba1n to the Club and they were •
.xpe.ning ua ao we began to shou-t and :tire a gun.
lights th" the woods and heard calla.
•
Soon a rescues part7 appeared
among 'Ulem. a big natin, ·a regulu giant.
He- picked Mrs.~. u-p as one
would. a baby with the reruu-k, 'I J es ae ao0!1 lug
at the Club in
At~•r
&
After a time we saw
Yu.
as not' and Ye were
short time.
a fn d.qa tishiftg there/ the question arose how to get Urs.
Perks back to the Chain. The Doctor eaid that was easy :tor there were
&
series o! small ponds connected b7 a :small atrenm loading to .i'nurth
Pond and as these were da::med for logging Bnd he hac! a. light boe.t at :t
this end 1ra could take ns.P right thro without her walking a atep,.
!or 'by ra.ising the gates there would be plent;y
along.
or
water to carry
U!S
So 1 t was decided that the ·Doctor and I should take her and
we started after lunch aa -we could 'l:Sake auch good. ti::c, 'he said..
A
~
buCkboard took us to the tlrat pond and the Doctors boat proved to be
A
A
a beautit'ul. Rushton, finished in the natural 1r0od.
lferr117 we slipped
do1m the f'irst little pond and raised the gates and went on the tL'1Y
.
til
stream, ha-p-py in the bright sunshine and the wild beauty of' the tore:!t.
Alter s~• milea we cnme to the second pond an« thro it but A9rrors!
the gates were opcm and the water low! ·;;e could not return tnr tho
strea:m we had come down was too ni.tt and the head of' watsr mght give
out an any t:b.e.
'l'bJr water that had brou.ght us do1t11 was already thro.
L_
am1d by any menna. It hurt me to think wllat
~
lni.S hap~oning
to the bot-
tom ot that beautU'Ul bca.t. »ut :Bishop was a tine sport and
1leTar
gr01rled exee,t at tl::.a fool man that had opened the gates. .1Ira. Perks
Juat sa.t and never
,e~,ad.
came. 7a had no supper tor ••
Dark:nsss
were going to make sueh'good time' !. 'Be at the Chain
It
bec~e
a oase ot''main strength and
~or
Jm
aupper., easy'
Biahopt pulling at
cuaaedn~ss8
the bow and I, ahoTing at the stern for all. wa were worth rcr i't was a.l- ·
moet travelling on dry land except that every now &.nd then we'd go into
a hole ftearly to ottr arm pits.
'Whiskey
back to me.
wa.!t~d
hitting 1 t bard. I
it had happened.
.or
As time wore eft I noticed ·the odor
or
'!I)'! Oh! I thcught, The ::Coc is certainly
h•'ll not get teo t'ul.2. It 7a.a rumored that lm
~ a. ~, -z;:;:::_. ~c::;;-, ~
Again that odor,Again TifT !eara. Finally a!t~r miles
dragging ~e saw
ho~e
&
lighter gli.mm.er 111 the skY a..."ld tl1en into tho Lake
but not berorfe had thre&ded our wq thro a regttls.r labyrinth or hum-
mocks
aild·
tiny islands tl'lat ls.JT in that upper end or the Fourth Pend.
Bishop gu.ided the boa.t without a. alip and Just.
~ b~ll
41J
of !ird
a~~eared so~e
little
~s
we were nearly out·
way orr. A :rill o' t.he
wi 81)'
'Uarsh
·~
tire I . t..'lought !or it seemed to bob ubtlut in the moat mysterious way
/
&
I asked The Doc a~out it. 'O, ttat's cnly ao~e-
and re~lly was erie.
one J aeking he said. Cur sudden a.nd frequent turnings had :nade the
light appear to
u~
r- -
tr~vel
3o at the Ctm;>
•
r~--
,...,_ ./'A..
,...._.,,
J -
•
~
rron place to place with auch amazing rapidity.
a~ain
;..'.
-- .........._
and dead tired? ::Tell I gues!! but n.ona
i? -;~
·"f'-.-, ~
..:2.. ~_..c;..c,Jl_. /l..-{...(..~
·..7
~
/.~:~.
tl~e
J.A.~.
Dr.EiahoJ)'a boat
~as
page 136.
a sight when we
saw
it the next
morni~g.
It·
It looked as tho it had been drswn oTer a field harrow tor a week. The
bottom was gouged and shredded and the wonder was that holes bad not
been tom clear thro it. It was more than enough to make any
mall
crazy
mad but :Bishop was a gentleman and a sport and what ever he. mq haTe
~~
.
aa.id to hima~ he on1T smiled when we commiserated with him • passed
it ott as ot
DO
~~~4--.:,.;.~~v4
cp:.s.eJuence.A.rc-e ::;=a_~~~~:Y:A
-~ ~W~~;~ and ~t-""N~tZhe n= =~·~:·:;g~~u:OD a· sign board in front
o~
the pilot house of the a teamer. waa a -rre-
queni Tiai tor at the eamp dodt and I got well acquainted with him and
was quite often taken em tri"pa up the lakes when he ha.:p:;-ened to be
going that wrq.
••
On dq he inTi ted me to go along and I was just de-
lighted to do it.
~e
went up to the head ot the l'ourth :Pond and
Bob shoTed the square nose of t:he scow against the bank. I was in the
./
l)ilot house, .for ther4.waa no cabin and paaaengers all rode there, and
ae I stood lookin_g out three men with lu:.np;r packs c&Je out of the
woods and oa:me aboard but not to the uppe: deck.
Bob had been rather
Tague as to the reason tor our trip but I thought little about it, just
some na.tiTes on some errand I thought, and as soon as· Bob had backed
o~r
and turned the
'Tould I?
below..
ate~er
about he
asksd.i~
I'd like to steer & while.
-:'Tell yes and then acme! So Eob gave m.e the wheel and went
It wa.s a11 clear water till we got to the %horoughf'::J.re which
which waa quite a distance avr3J and things were going :tine. The old
llatanis yent coo-chewing along and I was a happ;r yo-.mgste:r.
'But I eoon
t"otmd that the craft JJlewed a.bomibl7 for it was !lat bottom and had
4lt
no keel a.nd the first thing I knew she began to wa.nder ott on her own
.hook.
I put the wheel over but etill she went off •
Then tbe other
vra:r and she started to slew cle3..r e.roung. About that ti:ne Bob came
rushillg in to see wha.t waa the matter and at:J:aighten us out.
r&
I explain·
the troble and he laughed and gave me a tevr pointers a.nd ott he went.
()
~
~-r:~
3 .A.:S..
.
0
:pg. 13!,~.. ~.
1
~ ow ~ ~ ""114- ~ ~- ~ r._-,_._~~~<.
1m:r this time he hw1 a bottle o~ w~ske,- 1n his
·'·
'RaTe a drlnlcl' It's good. a~r. the 'boya
Just.
~
hand
137 •
• · •
""/.~~
ana a tin ~·
brought it ner.• I
\banked h1rl but told h1:s I nner d.rmlk and attar a=e good. l:Ul.tux'ed urge-
.!Ds lie wez:rt
fJ:llfq.
Then it dawned on me tllat I. vas steering soma whiskey
amugslers thro the waters
~t Ma1no.rock
bottom prohibition atate. •DRY
Onl¥ ·a mile o..-two .tram when n had landed n.a the
u a lKXUE1 •
Caaada border, we went up there one dq ao ••• the line and the iron
alcmlt 1 t. and these tellowa packs
J~Uken
WU'8
tul1
or
bootleg and
I was • aicliDg and abetting'. I thought 1t waa no place to atazt a. re~~~
·~~~
.tom aoYemct.'QiOWwer. in t'ac:t/'0. 1~ tie extrecel7 wiae n•tt!o know
IIIQ"UWlg
about it and. I never peeped until we wen well out or the
State and. on our
V1ll;1
l:IQ::le. That
m.ueberriea have
:I
al~s
1raa ~
tim.e I wna ever a ~~~mlggliiZ".
been m;p: :f'uvorite smu.Jl :f'l"Uit and aUll
are and tllQ"e were Taat cr..umtitiaa o:f' tha
ill~••
Cuc.o.while ridins
alcmg on a 'hog back' tor milas.! tha clr1Ter 'told mo the the berries
grw ao thick. in .tho little Talleys on each aide that the
u•od Un di-ppers to pick them.
o~
the buahea and nearly-
some
o~
~Ula4
~ickera
They 871'Ullg the dipper along the to-ps
it with a ain&te rReep.
Mter
the berr:r :Patches. I can well believe that. stor:r is true. nut
ot the
the Te:r:f tineat berries I ever tasted we tound on top ot soao
low mountains about tho Chain.
hip_
The~
bushes were only eight or ten i.nc.hea
but tha berries were quite large• blue au the sky abO'Ye thera snd
llad a .flavor and aroma ao exquisite
the~ muat
tl"OJa the hea.Tena above the olouda.
But ala.a md al.ackS. It waa too much
ot a olimb
I
aeein~
ror
at the Chain.
have dra:am aomo of it
even me to go to, them more than once in the til:le we ll:ld
Zbere are no pictures o~ our Co.::ap at tlle C.h&in.
'!'here is &.llother amusing incident a.t one of our
tho 1 t waa exoi Ung enough at tha time.
Oa:ct?&/
'l'hia was in the Ad.1rondack3
whcm Ro7 3l.l1ott, Al IJ"\tguet and I were nlone without a guide.
Lon
Cora," had hel;>ed U.S in;tuing the dufne 1n his beat while wo went in
r.
Ro7' a. . 7e cae up f'rom- Saranac as •• did on our fir at
trlp~l th
Dr.
!Iiller until we came to Tup:Per Lake but we would not go to 1!art ltoodya
lfot much1 llo hotels, lodges campa or })eople tor us!
Instead we went
to a small ialand, a m.ile of two from Uoodya and went to all the trou-
ble
or making
oamp Just to atq one night.
took our trip to the Adirondacks , .
S&1F
'ihen ::.tother• llerl aud I
that island• across tha lake
tor the Tlllage ot 1!ood7 and it appeared unharmed b7 civU1:ation as
T.he next morning we went to the
the l)hoto will show.
opposite d1de of the lake, oTer be-
701'14 the laland, a three to tour mile
oar17,no horses; a real
grun~
8IMI.
. .eat a:ad lug carey. to Long Pond
and then a across the lake and a very
ahort
carr:~
to Jleasant
wais real17 o1'117 a
~e
which
little pond. I'l!
glad I cant go back there tor tlla m.e.p shows that a horrid, disgusting
.rail road runs near our old oamp and is called, such deaech.tion. Pleasant Lake at i.t.s ata.tion there!
'Jell there was no railroad tor a htmd:recl ~les or more when we •
came to an old logging shant7 • the root burnt. ott in the trout but the
log walla still standing and well
roo~ed
over the back halt where the
bunk was. We had oasched all ax t.he extra storea that 'We cotml.d not
o~
in one trip. on the shore ot Tupper ed Lon carried over Roy'a
)I
'boat. leaTing his with the cache. The next day he went back to Coreya
•
where he lived and we were on our own. It was very wild and we tal t
a lo,way tro!!l everything and we thoroughl.J"' enjoyed it.
·Je climbed
a mountain and tiahed and tried to get a deer butn without success.
Across_ the lake same large O'Wls 'l!t'Uat have had a roost for every eveni: ·
Just at dusk they would ata.rt a regular concert and tor a half hour
they !airl7 doubled us
UJ)
•1 th the wierd sounds that. ca::1e to
ll•·
n:tue
Z.A.!l..
pg. 1:59 •
l~P •
tm.ca.
thel"e waa not a great 4~ or "'&ZietT in their
~~·
The
ent1rel7 'rihoo whoo ha-wllooa whoo whoo ha-whoo aaah' 'but.
Supne tllat ao
•1bl••
DO
aoncs were
one could
m.m17 1ntleot1ona ad TD.rieties o~ whoo were at all poa-
Thq amuae
ouz- evening chorietora
a lot
bu~
Al.tbtl we GOUld see
DO
and •• gr• to
reel
quite
~imcll7 with •
•• aner saw cnw of tlle:a.
4oer when n wc'l Jac1dJl6 we o.ttfiD
11a1t
.a
\
hedgehog, quUl-ltiP the.r7 wore called low]¥. aa thq came out. on a
I
~ aull:ttarged los along ~ ahon.
act we watched the
~aedins
7lla7 414 uot · · -to mind tho 11p't
but after a time
~7
sra
natleaa, per-
hap• at our wh!apen. and alowl7 tumecl. anclweat into the wood.a~- 0\a
failure t.o
8hoo~
~
one bt.lt
:t'reah meat. made
1l'tt
were no quite
WI l!.UNL't
~t,
hur&P7 aDd we W'4l.n tenpt.ed. to a
hlmS%7, - - - 7et.
"'a all alep't aide lq' aide on the buDk at. t.he 'back
where
a
~- .:"Oor
too~ ad
gone
an~
a balr aquan but there waa no selah 1n it aDd it. helped to
d~d
J:lOt need that. aa the ca.b1D,w1tlll:.c.l.r
uo door, waa about. like a leanio.
al:Kau~
bean.'rherel liear ~~
thtmlp• thtmlp or slow t'oo't
aounds like a. good ai:ed
could hear the tht:mp.
••n
ot
heaT.Y tlnalpl'
We
f'alla quite noa.r t..he
W'8.3.
V~
the door • 70U thro the 11G}lt
back
0%1·
IC'3 CLD!BDG U211
teet OYer our haada.
- -
the rUle waa passed to Al. and. I k
t:1ow9 1t he comee "thru
l:Um and Al 70\1. shoot. Gnd U :fOU do not
:Bert givo hi:t the buekfJllot! '
ot the cabin now, righ-t at
the lopl
oomns nearer,-
:1
GaUtloual7. under a 'blanket, we lit. tho
had the shot. gun while Roy lulnQed the lantern.
atop hJ..l:4
out.aid.o anll lla
·;;e liatened. o.nd we
liatened. I!c seamed to be
lmtem and kept tho light h1dda.
.
tha roor
the cabin. '"'~us~ be e. baar.. '!lothin~ else would t:lr>i.;e that
7"•.;. - - he eurel.7
I
or
One night r»:q mroke A1 Dntl
•• and whiiJl)ored. 'ntor• e some animal b'm:lping
the back
the en-bin
was and up under the peaked roo.t wa.a a lit.tle W'indOYI
tho we
Tent~ate
o~
The
en~
tlla back wall1
Up
waa riJht nOLi.l:'
t.ll.~
:Je hoard. llia cl:l73 on
t.o that. little window only two or tn1·,
-i:/e drew 801:18 rmll
c~o:-t
as we realized no la::..:
Z.A.lt. pg.140
bear ooul4 get. thro
ths.t 11'1Ddow but theae...chmra soeaed mrtu1 oloae aa
we heard the:~ ao plainl~ Just a
the los wull.
· 140.
t • inches
ot
f1!J187 on the other oida
7/e did'nt get out ot the buzJk because we were atra.ld
1" would scare ll1m but• all the awne• I'll bet C1YU7 rellow wiahed.
womatldng would. scare hi:n ad at CNC3.
•
:&e•a almost at tho windowS 7e almost bel.cl our breath aa •• gazed
at \he a11shtl7 litv square that allowed. in the cabin S].oom. The outlines of a.
~·head
aPl)ee.red 1n the d.1:m 11gb.t1 EZab•a••
I swear,
lt seemed to ma he could .hardl.y get that :bead 1D tl:tcl wind.owS
1laok the 'blnDkn and t.he light allowed. a big paw
al.lnsbla
(
•.
am Y1 th
to the
az1dtong
.no,- tb:nnr
o.riel ·olara
the head abcmt tll4111 •.
I p-eaa •• "&JUe startled• quite .ameJ ~or bat"ora we could get our
aan•
up and f'ira the hu.d. 41uPl)eared and a. tramaa~u'l cl~ sounded
as he JUt tlla ground and zuahod.t m::aabi:ng &md cxn.ckling 'U1ro tho wooda.
Ye nshet\&ut and ri th the lan'tun looked. ~or Uacka and went a. 11t.Uo
wa:r
in the woodsJ a Ter./.Li tUe VlflY indeed.
7e had lost a. bear bu:t,- -
'Hll J ve did not come up there to hunt 'bear FJJr3 wq. Tllat los 1nl11 e.t
our backs secod inTi tins and tho 'bl.mlketa TerJ cos:r.
last
1!1lm
as we tiled lm.ck to wm::IP?
7e 1um'nt really f'rlghtanud •.
anc1 never
»ea.rs
itho
Wl.la
I dont know but I'll bet I
the
waa•u~.
ttere Tory sca.:r:ctr ~d TfiZY lu.':..'r::Jlens
t.o an occu;>ied omp lmd pauthora woro cona yeara
Cat:1tJ
ae."''.
tor such a thing o.s thio to ~p:;>w.
Ari.YYla:!• ho's gone and ilc would'n~ see hi::1 ~ tho wa ::U.~t nee t,r~c.::~ ..
All was quietJ J.J. amd. I had dozed ort bat Eoy did not, cot to
'but - - - 1 t Just wna•nt custO!ll.\.U":f
alaep aa
ea.a~
1n a minu•e:
11hen an a.l.moat.
':Bonl ID':J Co:.a:TG
abother matter.
some treah :aaat?
7e stood., or
Coming back.
~1'
whisper broUGht ua wide
~e
:1e11- aa.y; tlm:t'e quito
Is it possible he aelled us and wonts
bring hi:: back n.!tar a t;ood scz;.ru?
1 c.o t e:r :s ";t&.IJ
reclined to ~ aca.in. J.\.QJ.in the 1Cf1Ei''t11 XQl lich:-.-
·;:;}:tat else would
r-~ther
ed. Againg t.he hca"'l" thu::lpa
. back wal.l.
ho~ied
a~proachittg.
Again ha c=es
tcnrtlr~
tho
:But 1nrlead o~ olmbins the wa.l*a goes alow].y around.
'
..•
~ '-
z.A.v. pg.l41.
141.
aroUDd the wall toward the door•w83' wher,there la no doorl
DUt bef'ore
. he came to the hole where the door once huDg he ato:pa and the scratching
o~
his cl-aws -tells ua he ia climbing the wall at the comter. Again
Ua.\ bz'ea.Ullesa tension while we
.
l~stan
to his al01f and heaT.Y progress,
You remember there _ia llO toot oTer that. part of the: old cabin and the
ak7 U.OWs :faintly e;ray aboTe the darker walla. Along t.hat
.
gr~
line
a head a~eaza agaiD as the creature pauses to inTea-tigate. ThateTer
· 1 t is ou blood is up and we• u
Jlot TeJ7
gcoat. tor
nad7 tor the tight. flle 1ight waa
a rifle allot ao Ro7 whiaperac:l tor me to w'"w•t let
h1Dl haTe it with the buck shot. U I clid'nt kill him at tirat A1 had t:·.
rif'le and I the other barrel ot buck.
,.
!he lantern tlashed and I
tired.
88.11'
'the qea blink aa I ci.r-. down and
Under the low root oTer our hee.da the gun roarsd like a cann :·
'but we heard a he&T7 flop and then abaolutrillence.
did not ruah out at onoe
to aee
what. had happaed..
well. Tersed in oa::rp oratt to do that.
You me.7 be aure ·
:re were al1 t=o
Instead we aat and listened.
'B'ot a sound. Had he jumped and made off before the •eport
_had psased.? 71G could not be sure.
're~!
or
the g.m
So,atter a time-. with guns held , ,__
we ca.utioual:r stole thro the door and toward the side o! tl:c
oa.bin.
'Je were near t..'le comer. Listen: All. was stUl. 71th le.nt::'
and guns cooked
at arms length"we peeked. abound the comer and there, daad aa the
the rocks
beside
him•
.
.
How
we
l~q
~
lattghed laughed. and kidded each other and accuae_d ea.ch o'7.>
ot beiDg' scared ailly'b7 a
•
the biggist
bear? no hedgehog I ner sew.
.
~UILL
PiaJ ' 'J!he old fellow was salt cr:bzy
.
and he smelled 1 t a::10ng our stores and that i.h-7 he wollld eome bacL
the second time •
7e were meat hungry. aa I said and the nash of tlla pig looked
prett7 nice when I
c~t
into it the next morning ao we had
am:~.e
!or
c~
ner.tllaxawxt lTot 'badS A bit sprucy but not bad at aJ.l, ;;raa the Terdic··
7e had some
~ore
tor su;r!)er, cooked another wa7, all our cooking was ::·
·,
:·-·
Z.A.lt. :pg.l42.
au
OT~
01'erl ~ire.
in t'ront ot the cabin and, as usual, I waa. the cook.
~
Sq li'ellowo. this is stronger
had 1 t-.
':!onder
14-2.
1~
spruce that 1 t was the :tirst time we- .
o~
1 t ge'ts stronger as it gets older?
7/ec ate some but
there· ns considerable le~t. but the next. day~ at dilnutzo, hedgehi:a·g pork
waa a drug bn the market •. we sim:Pb' could'nt go- that taat.a
o~
apruce
ftllln and we never ate quUl pig again •
.A.boUt flY~ ten
dqs
we made tha trip over to Tup»er Lake where
·1re tta.ohed or extra supplies, just pUed Ml the ground w:i th
..,.~
them. end. neTer
~ouad
about 'b7 the hedgehogs.
traaip back 1r1th those
wa.M we thc;ught ot'
&. Can'1raSS
them diaturbe4 1n an7 way, not. even tumblei
7e hated to start on tlmt trip with the long
heaT.r load.s lmt 1t was
it aa all a part
t~t
or stane and a!ter-
the tun.
o~
P.oy had to return to business bef'on A1 and I ha.~o go so we all
••
went dam to the UP11U Saranac together and there Al and I camped on
a littl• 1ala4 a mile
.
~or
~rom
Corey-s.. 7e had to go over to th& mainland
cb'inking water but it. was onl.7 a littla
'YU7 &tUact~.Te.
Thera ·are BOllS f'ine
1
ws:r and the island waa
l*8 Tina
or
that
4amp
in 11J7
'1}2 &l.bllllh
'
'Jhile wa were there we sot
~e
Faye~'te
J!ood7 to take us deer hunti:..'lg ..
went light, aleeping out or under the up-tnrned boo.t
ltum'ber or l1tUe ponds but without auccesa.
and went to a.
J'ust at aunriae we put
out on Whey Pond. Smtething 1n the watar·l!tada 1t. look just like whey
auci betore the tlrat rqa of" the
17 out
011
the water.
8lll1
came OYer the hill we slipped
It we.a perfectlT atill.
quie~·
Thue was not. a note trm:
a angle bird. !he akT brightened. A sunbeam tell across the tops of"
•
the higher S"prttoes.
A bird oalle4.
The 81llllight began to creep a.orosa
the smooth surface of the lake end then, like a great chorous, !rom
nary side of" the shores,
song.
. rr
a thousand
birds burst into f'ull and joyous
..vonde.rtul 1 and bea.utif'u.l 1. and soul 11.tting beyond belief' .In all
camping trips I h&Te never heard anything li1te it and haTe always
143.
'been proromtdl7 thz.:lktul. for that marTeloua exper,enoa.
··•
'!'hen Fqette whispered, "Don't moTe!There•s a deer! ?/e bad almost
passed him as h«a atood in the water in a 11 ttle cove, almost behind us.
R01f J'qette aver got that boat around without scaraing the deer is a
JQ'ata%'7.
:But. he did and aa the boat slowl7 nung around Al and I saw
.
• a the yearling buck in epite o'f the napa ot mia.t
~rom.
the water.
It was
Al~a
tha~
were rising
tum to shoot and he 1f8.e in the bow ot
the canoe aa we stole oTer the glass like surface o-r the water. Nearer
and nearer, but Ohl ao alowl:r. Down would go the deer's head and we
W'Ould move :toreward. Up it came to gaze about as he chewed a 11117 pad
Then. rithout warning , the
ud. •• aat rij.id, eTery muscle tense.
deer started out and Al. tired but. the distance was long
lmck ree.ched the wooded ahara he whistled. and
knew he wa.s unhurt.
That Yas the end
o~
atampe~
and
when the
aroWld and we
our l:m:nting that season and
1n a !etr daYs ·we st&rted !or home.
It was in the earl)" sll.'!!'m1er ot 1890 that it was decided that I
should go to the Paoi:tic coast. to Tisit
~
brother Harry who waa 1n
...,.boom town 1n the at'l.te ot Yaehington erecting a saw mi11.
thou~t
Harry
he could make money as a stock broker, a:rter he had worked in
ths tacbwry a while. Father had started tn the chocolate business in
1884, the year Harry graduated and
~
.
Earr.r
started in there but decided
he liked tim somthing elseA. Association with P..o;y Elliott led to the
atock brockera.ge and ?ather. with his uaual kindness ga.Te or lent him
money to start.
Idon't
mow how
I
long Harry lasted but he was cleaned
out. s.nd something took him to that bocm town called GraYs P'.arbor City •
I
. The town was on Grays Harbor, the only deep water har'bor between San
Francisco and ?uget Sound and it waa. to be the
ot
easte~ ~ashington.
o! hi& Grea.t !Jorthern
~ames
J.Hill
~rea.t
r~d ~scided
R.n. to that point
Sa so
&S
p1rt. tor the whea:;
to build an extension
to ship this wheat
without the longer haUl to Seattle and the long run through Puget Sound.
.
;r.A.U.
A townsite
&
144.•
l'g• 144.
. was orgBDiZed and a
o~any
~raot
ot Tirgin. toroat. ·
mil. a or more by hal4 a !111 a had been ela8hed 9 atreeb laitl out. and.
cleared and later ,lanked and a
was built tor the
out hom tho mud tlat ahores.the
on •
'booa. waa
a quarter !:1Ue long. at least
Y~
.
Shlelda b:r name,
·
Ean7 was aaaociated"an4.. elderl.7_mm"'cnd his aon about middle
.
~
ap and a rather ner-do-well brother
o~
pne ot his Glasa matea
a~
· .Amherst College. All had mone,- in the aa:i mill and Tisiona ot the
p-eat lllills a.t Ta.ooma glowed in tholr mincle.
,rOUDd n.ocr and thiDgs looked
T8'r7
They wera ill Oll the
bright il'ldeed aa reporla ~ H1ll' D
progress were magnitied and !!!fllt.1pl1ed aa t.her- ~aa&e4 from
mouth.
l9Uth
to
Altho most. ot the t01111site wa.a simply a tangle o~ fallen logs
sprea4 over the aides o-t a rather steep ridge and tha valle;r behind
1 t, building lots
ot 100
by 200ft were selling at CZ>OO or more and
. olwlgeing hands rapidb'.
so,
one night ,tather
cw:~.e
home with m:1 ticket to Seattle and x
r•~· ~a of pa~ atripa, grumbling at the expaao, $139 i t I
. remember right17• and
some
$20 gold- pe1oes which mother awed into
the waistband o~ !IY trownra. and I was a:n;:r on my long trip• I was
n.ine'teen years old. but rather a. kid t'or all t..~t and ver.~ th%1llod at
the -,roa1)ect o~ rea.J.ly going 7est.
1ould th.a tra.in robbers, which
were quite trequent 8X;)er1onces in tlrs'wild and wolly' !lnd
when
~ey
went thra the ::uuaem.gers'l
later, who cnrried her
•
!nOD87
I heard o! a
r:r:r
wa.oan 1 ao~e
gold
years
\
I
1
under a l)oroua plnst•r on her back, in
tact• Mother L~d I both knew hor. ~eedloas to say she carried her
atreet
~ tar~
in a more convenien-t
~lace •
Alone in Chicago where I had to S',?end tl:.o da7 wa.i tin(; tor a tru.i~
to carry r1e on. I:ta.gino auoh a Taste
or
were not as trequent tl:.en by ~~ny aeans.
~· to see the
ti':!le no·• a du.js b•.1t tnln:J x
Yo plans had been.~· tor
oit7 betore I le!t and I did not know & aoul thero. 3o
-·
J • .A.'Lt. 145.
I· wandered.
There is a l)eculie.r sensation 1n being alone in a big
-
city, tu from home for the tirat time.when you do not know a. aoul.
!o a y9ung fellow oomea a sense
13 as
J'OU
or
treed~
and the right to do utter-
please, within t.he 1&11', ofcourse, but likely enough outaido
the moral lmr.
I llllat oon!'eas there waa a temptation to aee some show
that I would . hardly think about at
or to do aome things below
~·
JJI¥ etandarda. There waa no one to knowJ there was no one who would tell
•• do no %ealize the great proteot1Ye tntluence ot righteous aurroundf.Dga 110~ the Taat help in attaining a decent lUa tha.~ co.m.ea b'om high
standards baaed. on the teaching o~ Christ; whether Be ia aclal.owiedged
er no"t.
•'
.•.
Certain 1 t tha.t with these intluencea remoyed. there waa a
real temptation to"lfard evnl.
w:r
:Sut rq religion waa ra.ell.y aincore Md
standards not too nims:y, tllaftks to a Godly mothet: whose loTe ever
surrounded ha aona,and the allure
ot the tlSDJ.ng signa was quite easily
rea1ated.
Ky wanderings too~ me past Libb;y
remo~ed
tram
Ric~ond
Virginia snd set
the war, that is the Rebellion. ·1e
at that time.
.Prison which I ha.:i read had been
~
alw~a
in Chicago as a museum
or
called the Rebellion 'The Jar;
especlal.l;:r
Tha i)riaon was very intereut.ing"-as I r.ad. read a. story
about tlle prison life written by a !riend of !a.ther a."ld :rother• a. In
the cellar wa.a the hole in the wall and tho beginning o! the tunnel
~
thro which those aix or eight men eso«;l.ped. It wa.s rea.ll;r thrilling.
Dq
atter day on the sa-lle train,a.tter I la.!t st.ra.ul: night atter
Dight on ti1e same slee:;>e:r:
m.llea and miles and more mlles of smnrbx
landscape: hills and valle:rs
4lt
a..~d
plains. rivers and da;;s
the constant, 1.ns1sta.."lt winds or or the
D~ota.s;
or
sage bruah;
the centle airs of
the toot hills:the atill cold ot the mountain plateaus: Towns. cities
and ranch houses:
old
what a country!
li'--'::RAH !or America. and the t;;tood
u.s.%.
I was traTelling on the ~orthern ?ac1f'1c
a.."lr.l the
diner went alon;;
-~
.•
·.
all the wa.y,worse luck: for the tood waa vuy poor and as
waa di.recU,- in front of" rrq aleepel!' I often
RW
tl:la~
oar
the cooks at. work,.
dirty white men and the sigh\ 0$ them did ttot help
.
~
appetite. :But
.
' of all . the lJOOr food the oonoootion they called chocolate. t.o f;lrink,
waa the lim! t.
On tO})
ot this brew was a. hal.£ inch o-r clear oU tloat-
1ug on a. mudey. almost blaCk fluid and taatemg lilcs swee'bnd greu,At least I imagine mud
aud slightly navored with poor chocolate.
..a
could not taste worse.
and was not Ye%7 hungr.y
I 1ived thro 1 t aDd was none the worse
a:o:swa:r umg
cooped
tor tour or f'ive d&l"S
11})
in one car.
:la:turall,- I waa out at WU'7 ataUon which,. tho not so cloae
••
to each
othe~
were mads tl:z.a. ocoaaion for a. real rest tor
~
tired
l.ooomotiTe. At one place I waa atca)t strooling allong the palt!orm
when I saw three c.owboya.- in cha-ps and sombreros and siX guns, lounge-
1ng against the railing.
I Yaa wearing
&
blaau oi clark blue ad
whit.e atripes and a. little tennis oap to matob.
It seemed a Tery fittin
costU.tle !or a college man on a. long trip and that. rig tras ao commoa
\
in the Ea.st as to cause no comment a.t all..
~
X:s X lmr1:
c namnt u
The co'l'lboys were the first I had seen near to and were very inter-
esting and 1 SU1'"Pose I looked at them })retty hard. Fill t
~riendly
and
was thinking of a~eaking to them b'.lt. on the aeoond or third time I
I
passed the::n I noticed they were watohing me cloael.J' and. laughing and
I caught considarable strong la:nguap. The nut time I passed them
I caught aome remark with still more 'Yiolent emphasis and then it
•
dawned tha.t they did•nt like 1Jl7 oo&t and cap a little bit .. in :ta.ct
the:r yere no*lea.aed with me at all. "iith tto"'ldel~ a.t a.ll I l:l&de for
the
11!
arest s-teps and boarded the trdin nor did I
by looking a.t. them thro the windaw 9
'been that the train
lra.S
back
would haTe shot th.e.t cap
Of
o!~ '!!13'
I reall;y
t~t
beli~ve
?rov1denae
that had it not
me and only a foot or two UtJ.7 thay
head and there was mighty 11 ttle cap
Z .A.lt. pg.l41f.
above my skull snd I had no desire to ba.va that skull ventilated b7
•
Of'course,I knew that they would not shoot at ..
a bullet hole or two.
1117 head right a.t the rail road station but they might have made me
a
. 4anoe to the tune of six-guns· wJ:lile l took off my e\7ea.ter and cap •
.
Talk about a red nag to a bulll Those tallows were certainly mad,
'Shore!' An~ it was. ~.~Pratt,- raw c01mtry in 1890.
~
!he Western to1t'l1 amused me greatly with their !alse f'ronts and
pretentious
signs.
A li tUe shack with a. peeked roof' would lla.ve _a
trout or just boards. maybe t\To atoriea high so
at it from the ground. and square in
·building.
:aut,
trcn~1t
~~at
1!' you looked
would look like quite a
or course 1t fooled no one. and ths waste
wAere lumbe.r was ex_penaiT" and scarce seemed rediculo•ls.
••
'
pictures o! Grays liarbor City show'this same
ty
or
af!~ct
but
ot good lumber
some of my
~ere
was plen-
lumber there •
s•ts
Oa thia false front
indeed• :?ara.dlse,_Saloon 9 or
Ultra Dance Hall.
'fould be painted, uometi.'Ilea very crudel7
The
:;py'
~olden
Palace,"" The Ne Jlus 71Ntt•ar
It the Golden Palace had a· single ch&ir that waa
.
) .
not made by tbe proprietor out od nail kega or packing boxes it was
a wonder.
~-;t-i
Then the names ot the tinyeat
addition to the -ver-.f :gri.'"Ili tiva
R.~.
,: . _
/"5.._J;·.,;·!- ~v;""•,
Tilt.gas
~~re re~rkaole.
If, in
station a..1d the Yra.ter tank, there
wore three or rour houses, three or tour saloons with their hitching
racks in
front~
and a general Store, then that waa always a
~
CITY; .
Plains CITf, or Caw Horn CI1Y, or 3ed Bill City or some equally attract·
1Te
n~e.
There were the cyuses with their steady
boys just like Buf!alo Bills Vild west only not
~
s~
lo~e
and the cow-
flashy and much
mora duety, a eo~-girl. n~w and ther/but in worn rlenim or calico.
Indian~.
\
jus_t'eettin' most.unattraotive. no 'noble red man at all
and I alwaps stood up ror the Indian eYer since I got a lOC !or &
composition at echoo·l, :ln the':.ae:rican India.:1t.
I lla.d Jus-t :'sad a.
14,:
'Young Peo!)lesa Rlstory ot the Indian' and I was primed to the lmi t.
It is a a1ng-.1lar
aa~ebrush, '11th
to be riding thro miles end milea of .&
sen~tion
ne;rer a atrcntt and never a tree and no green thirlg but. ·
tho apology tor green which the tsage otters; dust and heat and p:&actica.l*
1/desert. 1
the cluat . sUting. into the earn and over ner)rthing 1nap1te
o-r t1ghtl7 closed double windows;
p.rd.tm
~
then. auddeal7 come into a
Tfti tibl
apot with trees and hBt!ge3. nowe,-s and graas and cool. air. That
ls wbat ltJ8Y llappen.,. n01r and therl,aa 70u went on ..-eatward, in 1890.
Bere and thereJ around some ·station, there would be irrigation
abundant well drilled to
~ly
~rom
the
Perhapa it was a tlOtr1ng
the engines.
well bllt whether or no it made 'the desert blosaol!l like the rose' in
Ter:f truth. It o:ra.s a.
won.de~.ll.
ex_;,•ricmce indeed• but ver.Y, vory n.re.
!e.coes at la:!t! 3eattle Tns onl.7 a aere
•
upstu~
then and Ta.co.."'la
by
!"ar, the larger nnd moat i:!lporta."tt pln~e, ?hat a chage ha.a Siaken pla.ce
since then. 17 the 1 ast census. Tacoma bas 96000 while Seattle has
315.000. 1'111le 'rac.oma. had
was
ao:na;rha~
&
la.rge and well appointed hotel the service
doubt!ul. ! t -n.s told on good author! ty tbat shortly be-
fore ! stayed there oTor a week end a guest 'lnUlted an eXtra. platqt"or
so~ethirts
or ather and asked the waiter to bring one.• You'l wait till
h--- treezea over bafore I'll bring & plate' was the reply to his request.
Another gueat had a plate thrown at his head tor aona tancied
tailure. to
recogn~zs
tree and equall'
the great .american principle, 'All men are created
But it was all o.k. when I was there.
I had to lay over Suaday at Tacoma
there. It
I
trip and. so
or
to me that
~eems
Mct~er
~d
a rriend of Mother's 11Ted
and Father
~d
taken the Alaskan
'!!r:f. Sta.e:r but I wa:: mtc.htT g,.ad to -present my letter
~et
1ntroductton after churCh that morning 4or ! was lonely and felt
/
a· TeJ7 long way from hom4.
Bi~•
I
!!ra. Sta.c7 took m.e
ho~e
to di!'lner and her
house waa bright and cheery and her )'oung people Ter:t kind. I -.ent
••
149.
J .A.ll. - pg.l49.
reoite~he pledge together.
•
l!onday" morning found me on
m:r
•
wa"f to Gr8.1'a Harbor and to see Har-
ry at the end of the long j ourne7, and I would be mighty glad to aee
hila tor I was getting Just a bit homesick.
uce pennies
01'1
I trad been warned not to
the Coast, that is the Pacific coast.
17 refered to in that way.
Diokel was the smallest
~or
it lf&a general- _
Pennies were not used at that time tor a
OQiD
in circulaticn and there was a great deal
more gold in circulation than in the Eaat.
They ssid,in Seattle, that
i t 70u gave a streetcar conductor five permies he would go to the ba.ck
4ocrr
o~
the horae car and tbrow them into the street and that 1 t actU&l.-
l:J bappened.
"Two b1 ta"was a ne'W' one to· me and when someone gave that
as the price e-! ·something I handed out \Yo 'ten cent peicea. onl.7 to
••
'be told that two bits was a qUa.Jtter an.d t'our bits, fifty cents and
aix
bits~
seveaty five •
A tl&t bottom, stern wheeled river steamer on which our trip began, wa.a f'illed with a 'Pretty rough png and •• had lUI%
the
wlla~
hardly left %
l;,efore the smoking room wa.s full ot card games, all with
•onq on the ta.bl ea, silver and some gold. I DID !TOT PLAY! I never
plqed!'or money anyway and as I still had a considerable sum and those
gold piecea sf:l{ed in m7 waist band I waa dete:r:rlned that no one should
-lmo• of my•grea.t wealtht and would not ha.Ta taken a cllance with those
professional gamblers for anything.
l'hey all looked like proitessiona.l
gamblers tG my eyes, !resh from the'eftete Raat• tho after my summer
in that oountr.T I rewlized the7 were Just the usual crowd one sa1r in
. .
•
c
the. rougher !Sa&tions with plenty of good .fellows among them. So de/
t~rmined was I not to let· anyone know I had any money that when a.
.
a hard !aced chap came along flipping a
~enty
dollar gold peice in
the air and asked me 1! I could change 1 t I said a. hurried kx 'llo1'
and went to
~other
part
o~
the boat.
-:fe made a !w stops. at Olympia !or ttne, and 1 t was there that
•
• "'-.'f-
Ba~er.tord •
.tlo/34.
J .A.K. pg.l50.
150.
.that 1 was astonished to aee the wharf teD or t.elTe feet out ot water.
PeoJhe going ashore had to go up ou the cabin root to reach the gang ..
.
.
'
plank. . Then I learned that the water rose and f'ell with eaah tide, ten
or more t"erl, not only in PUget Bound but. all. along the Pacific coast
iJhen ye let't the steamer a fevr hours later the lower deck was allnost
lnel. with the dock.
. A. narrow
-
tro.ra
gaute l.ogging railroad took ua aoroas t1IZ the tar meanderb
blga o'f P*get SOund to ilom.e riTer• the tik Chehalis J. think .. that ran D:t
built tor
·
into
· CJa't
Gr~a
Harbor. Altho the road Y&s a:l\logging the toreeta had not been
a10Jlg the tracks and were rild and beautU'ul and .tbe trees lntgh aa
oompazed with m.u Eastern ideas%.
Another riT~teamer &t Chehalis
••
\owns and I wa.a on the laat leg
o~
or Centra.lia•
the Joume7 t'r0l1l
both h'ontier lumber
T~oma..
It
lr8.S
no-t
ao l.ong in miles but the oha:nges and the slow transportation took almost all day. Do1m the river stopping
at Aberdeen, then Hoquiam or,fhich
I waa to see a good deal be-fore the summer 11as cn-er and then out into
u
the bq as 1 t widened out toward the Pacific. Almost at once I aaw the five or six miles away.
•t Gre3'a H&rbor,Ci tyA or Grays Harbor as the residen-ts genercalled it. It was nearly a m11e long tor while, the channel. was
long wharl
ally
~
4eep enough tor. tair sized steamships it was about"' the center of the b&7
aDd black mud flats were bared at each low tide almost to the deep
water.
As we came along side ot the dock there waa 1Iar17. l.ook1ng juat
about as rough as mT f'ellow passengers. I still wore city togB but no
blaaer ooat end oap you lll&Y' be sure.
A.a I came_ down the gangway Harry
-must haTe seen signa of loDlinesa and relief" and joy at a familiar face •.
•
and the dange= ot an oncoming demonstration t"o~ with hardl7 a word.;he ~
gt'abbed my hand and pulled me into the freight house a ! n t'eet away
and there suffered me to kiss him but with no great nidence of pleasure 'btlt he ga"''e me a W&rm welcome otherwise.
You see , Harry knew moat
~•rJone 1n town and
•
tor a man to kiss a maa was oonsidered Just about
the 11m1 t. of aisQneaa.
·so. for
-
1!J3 ealca aa much as his own he wanted
. - &ft7 demonstration of a.tfection to be striotl7 })rivate.
·~·'
'Ue otten. laugh-
ed about _it afterward tor I had'nt the slightest idea why he rushed me
...<._
I
.
.
into the warehouse and did'nt lmovr what.it 1ras all about.
lJp t.he hUl ot !!aiD street to t1te SU!'llmi t. Hotel tor sUJ)per attar
oleaniDg up in our romm.a iz oTer· & store nan door. Sea album :&o.s.
!he orowd was even rougher in appe~moe that those
OB
the steam.-
pd as we waited ill the 'Office' the onl7 aooial room. 1n the
~oat
hotel· I waa mtzoduced to the'1Laztager• J'im.• a ·rmr boned, black ha.ized
Irisllman with a big blaokt drooping moustache.
A door opened at the bac
ot the roq and another 'big Iriahman. red haired and plump with a
•
white apron, a tapped iD and bellowed •Tum tmt loose,
the
ua~
wq o"! telling us the grub was aen-ed.
.rs.m•
which was
The hotel was kept
b7 a motherl7: Irish womaut her two eons and a daughter who wa.a the
waitress and ,-ou. had to be on time or
aezt meal.
llO
food would you get till the
It was quite an mmeces8az7 precaution Judgeing by the
wq that crowd rushed into
wh&t startled, next
t~e
m.oming~
dining
rGOlll
and tell to.
when the waiuesa oame
I waa aome-
;t)mxKBX1!;
•
"" .... and demanded •11lat wq wiil 7e haTe 7er aigs cooked:"
srax!ltq
¥'did not
eat eggs, in tact I dispiaed eggs but it se~ed eTident I waa expected
to eat them and f'earing that apparition
o~ red
haired :Bob perhaps I
41d.
'Me ata.rted for tha td.U, a ha.l.t mile a11t&7 down the hill on the
•
aide of t.he ridge from the wharf and were aoon laboring with hughe
elots or yell01r clay that atuck to our feet. It was the rainy season
and rained some almost. aTery day for the first month I was there and
that sticky mud a burden hard to bet borne.
or
Little !1\ore than the trr.me
the mill was up tor the machiner.y had not arriTed tho expected every
steamer.
It
YaS
hard to kUl time and some days we would be housed
~ .A.ll.
••
})g• 152.
housed all d&J" and pl&l" ca.rda and w3.1lder abdut in our rain coats tho·
not very !a;r.
I would ·not plq even Pemtl"
gust and Harr.r
tho~ght
anv,
much to Frank's dis-·
! was a. 11 ttle too stit! but I :had never played
cuds tor money and had very positive views about that and ao I Juat
would'nt.
l7rmJk.Y.I he was the brother or lfarry's college& chum, ,-ou
remember m!d one
or
the
partners,~
got nasty in his
r1~1cule
but Jial'TT
called him dcnm be:tore we came to a fight. l'rank had been sent out to ·
ll.ar2y because he was no. ggod in the :n:a.st. and hie b:ro.ther thought Harry
eould pull Frank aro1md but he was no good there either. J~ protae
u
toull. mothed COtltemptible cad. I disliked him intensely but he was
there and I made the best
o~
1 t tor liany' s sake and there wa.a no open
Z1ll)ture duritlg the three months I was there.
lian7 and I nearly fell out, though.
e.
I
au~o~•
&Dd the ermui had a01!'lething to do with it and I
the bad •eather
!ear~
also, that I was
inclined to be aomewhat of' a religious prig. "J'e had some argumen-t abOut
something being wrong, I don't remember just what and finally- e.ctuall7
oame to blows about 1 t but not man,-.
per and I put
O!l
It was in the eventng after sup-
old clothes, tor we of'ten put on •secont best' tar
that meal. and went out Tmring I would not return.
I
bad .seen a sign
'Ken
. to work on the R.R. construction quite a distance away.'transportation
f'umished. I stood hesitant outside the otfice.Then I decided ltd walk
a little and think it OTer. I
was~
not &!raid
a rather sh.Y about the CJnnrd ot rough
Job.
•
ne~
o~
the work but I was
tllat were sure to be on the
The longer I wDJ.ked the less I like4 to sign
for a while anywrq.
u~
and close retreat
Perhaps I began to !eel I was partly wrong in the
~uarrel
but anyway I went oack to our rooms. Harry who had a very hot
t~er,
had cooled off and we were soon
brothe~s a~in.
Harry was 11retty tired o! the hotel tood and it Yas a tad to
tramp back u
JCIIIJE
!rom the
mill,a~
noon. t1l' hill all the 'flay, and I
153.
•
wanted something to do so 1 t was decided tlla'\ we 'batch 1 t •
as
tho7
called it when men liYed b7 themaelTes and did their cnm house work •
-
I
'Ye built a rough cabin across the creak or little tido water stream.
tbat brought the lo&a to the mill, but 1-t was distinctly' specified,
et1pulated and agreed that I waa to do the coOking and.eapecially.that
I
was to
' .
do the anltilq di ahwashing without Harr;( s hell) as he l1ated.
I
. I
' l
!
.
· that Job. E"f'en tho I worked in t.he mill it was to !Dake no. clUf'erence I • •
WU
!2. Ya.ah
,th~ishes and UO favors aakec!. ira liTed up to that agree-
and I lleTU asked help altho Rar17 otten helped
11ltmt
Juat
the a81d. ·
·•1th another man to help I put up a ~~bin, 14 x 20
or
rough
lumber and later coyered it ri th spruce bark. I had to girdle the trees . ''
,
to get the bark and, otaoune the,- c11ed
••
the moatea\. t.hiDg we had..
wt
what odds?
Suoh waa\e ae•s crblinal
~•••
!la1f.
were
We had. a
porch in trout, a gnat. luxur,r, a tireplaoe with a mantel and ce•ar
:Pillars ancl altogether it
1raa
considered quit.a
'tin J'AYS' partly because o! the great num.ber
~lne,
Te oalled it
ot blue jays all about us
ad- partl.7 because that ia what we at7led ourselves occa.aional.ly.
A bunk ran aloag one end and I was Te'Z7' lJZ"Oucl
aall wild cherry
l)Ol. es
that made a
VOJ:3"
or
the aprinp I invented,
col:lfortable bed when the spruce
b01n1 were properly laid in above them. :then we were buildinz;tl'oa Eob
Clark,. our amryer at. tho mUl. said"Yu got to have a !ire place. !hoy's
11othin like a tire place 'o set by and Sl)it 111\o."
. It waa a great day' when the mill began to hum and the saws to buz.
:Bob Clark and his helper rolled the first log on the
••
i
:.
i :
carr~age
and Bob
aent it along till the saws rang out their peculiar cry while the whisUe
or
the mUl acrea:ned out the word that the first industry o! Gray!!
/fta.rbor City Jnal had begun operation.
As a s-,ecia.l -privelego I was
given a Job 1n the :rard stacking lumber but a fa. days or that and I
just
COuldnt
hold
Ul)
JtJ7 end.
1.!7 ,hand
8
were blistered
and
that wet
green tir weigh~ a ton to. th-~.1are toot. I trie
l ,
:pg
154.
gueaa 1 begged
so, ·aa
o~t.
a~
apeaial. :priTClege, I waa giva
un dangerous pieoo
the Job ot rmming the'cut-otf''aaw, the
eel
or
the .Ul. 1\ came dOWJl a~~ nlla to the other en
Thue rolla wore tumed b7 power &1ld
·111111.
a
a"OIIS ou•
the
As the board or plank was cut. troJ::l the log a.t cma
in the 11111.
~
J"UUllrq
saw,
16
'lhia rap1dl7
unprotected except tor a hoop •••4 ot iron t.ba\
~ tbe
operator ad he lJacl to
that his l:umd or am or cloWDg 41d not. hi*- 1\ or it would
alioe that unluoq memb.c with cieriliah
kt~Q
the
bchee 1n dlm:tetor waa &n'&'Dgad to •1q aoroaa
1raa uaed tor a bandle to pull 1\
~
or
C1d ot the line
11eaz the
and ou-t ott the ur1eve1 ead ot the lumber.
~C't'Ol"'iDZ-.. was
watoh
ot •chin-
his ranoq oleaa
110
a
a
~1dt7.
'lha opemtor llad. \o
the aaater would not haTe to
wa1' 'be-
tore ha a11cec1 o~ another plank.and. it kapt ... Jur.a;lin&• :ra wua all
OD \ha Jump tor l3ob Ol.ark the a&W7U and ~or.:m.D ot t.ha mill waa a
JmaUer when at work ad narr :san waa U:r1ns to ge\ out. as much lt1.':11Mr aa poas1blef tluae had bean so 11.r.um 4elq 1n getting tha mill
rtmn.1q. Goodness
mow wllat l7:r&nk 7
ll'aS
do1Dg1 Louing :cost likoly
and telling ovor.rone how it ought t.o be clone.
Ea:n7 -.ua here and .:t:
there and ne:r;rwhere, tro::J. moming to nis;ht.
The Ilill houra wuo lon.g, proba.ballT tro::a 7 to
hour
~or
o with o.
0
noon. Aa son as we ahu't d.cnm. a" Digh't I llwi to huatl• over
.~
to our aback and/?;t supper. we bad a cold. lunch aat
..
aoup,mea~
and de
~
en~ each d.a;y.
r7 hel'ed more of'ten tr..an not.
.
Earry wanted
It waa eome huaU.e and whc
ins time omae I wu nearl7 aalee-p.
•
lmlf'
:Bu~
l'~d.
1\ was clone and u
di~
I said
:uar-
•hen 1\ was done I c::ould Just
about pull ott m:1 shoes. tmbuckla "«7 belt and crawl into the blo...-uets
tor I tu1ver used
1n camp,
there or
tor a long
ti:.lo.
P.
t
CC:~ a - l ~ ceJ ~ ~ 'Q'
~~t;:t:_~.3..~~.
..·
paJ~
tl~ 4~ ~.e.~
ellsew~...ere.
"
~•r
J .A.:J. pg.155.
•• . , . _
l.~G.
l!oqulaa.waa a v112l bwsUins little toa• three m.llo up the bq 'b7
-··
road.at the mouth ot the noquiam nver. 0\U" litUo creek ran 1nto that
·stream and we called lt the Little Hoquiam.
t14e 'but
It waa uearl7 dr3 a\. low
or t1Ye teat deep a\ high ami •• oou14
)zt ~our
to. the 1aAer riYer. and eo to the tcm1
nlclemess. bu'l Te%7
at~1T•
so
40WJl 1'
bT water. It n.a a1x mila
to ua with otd:
tllrough
lm ot the~~
wu a real.l7 aatoniahiDg\7 uice hotel at Eoquiaa and Eal:'l:7 m• aoae
Jd.oe
peopla,r:l!llln"ied f"olk, than.
.
'
aa .. he4 rentecl a oazao•
4q aDd
.
....,_ - -
111 tbat.
~
~-·
-
'.
. ....-
which I waa
•
1t was agreed. tl:Ja' •• would
naz
proud lin
aa
J ~ct I
ao
1JOUlcl do the paddlillg I
·au UDd.anhirl abo'n·, &Dlth; :rest ~
ooat. I
=•
to Suadq cUmler
. .
4oa
I d.ntlsed. lD 'f/17 beat, wl:doh inoluded a loag taned. ooat
~
.,_
pt n
1'hq 1J:n1ted u
mew
fll¥
o~
oal7
cloths 1D a watu ~~
there wen woocta near tom where I ooul4 ahitt into 'l!.TJ'
'"Miled shirt' i.e. a .ut':t bosoa atarohed ~. b1~ collar and tail
coat. ·:e a11d along ea.&U7 ·and lande4 at *he patoh ot wood.a,
Jte~
atx miles h'O!II halu. I stepped out ancl took tho
...•.
.. .- .... ,
·-
but hap:;)cmed to look 1n lletore I went to
...
•
...
<
414 not •••
UJ.oro wa.a
~
a;Jz;r;sS
ooa.t S.X
m:t torest dressing roc:m1. I
rshirt. I lookeo asa11t tm4 -a.ptn, more cantu117, and tit
sll1rl111 ~ix mile h'o:1 homeJ to dine in a dre::sra hotel
JJq
110
w1 th ladiea and ner,yth!ng up to the minute in ths lo.toat :::aatem styl o
I was tor S:Oiaa home at onoe but Iiarry would not hear
ed li'O SBL~l
et 1t
and thought
it a tre.'1fmdoua Joke 'bu-t I oould'nt see it. ·1hon he
n a,hal break in our roup
Blons tm4 ha n.a aure he cauld.
aaw bow Torr badl7 I felt, tor. it was w
hu'4
wonins
liTes. ho said to ooae
'borrow a ahirl l'rom. cma of t.be men. I p t !nto \he hotel with coat
I
collar tWmod up about
'!!'q
terribl7 naked teallng throat and one o~
our guests cm:te out bursting with laughter. and I wa.a soon fixed up
aa. he was Just
w:r
lad • t a tlatmel
I waa u:rull
=··
aiae. Jlut it .a.
110t
a 'boUed 8hirt' he oould
~ all thought it uema4ouals tuml7 btl't
eenbarressecl but. 1 t. did no' ~oU "1:17 a;JpeU te. I ;uea•
Z.A.!I.. -pg.l56.
156.
it was that forgotten shirt, more than anything elao tba.t got me
-~-
BD
111Titat ion to go on a canoe trip w1 th those men somo weeks later and
· that prOTed to be one ot the outstanding Joys
o~
tllat atmenar.
l!ut the story or the shirt was too good to keep and the local
-
paper came out with big aoare heads and ga.Ye-a't'ull account.• For aome
time· I waa k'ldded about it and was apt to be geeted with "Hey kid.
pt. -rer shirt on toda;y?• or. "Bey Kid• "Jhar•s ;rer shirt•?
The big t1r trees were cut aix or eight feet above g1"0und to -
aYOid the pitch in the lOW'er end.
-
· · -d
in the picture
or
The
tr~es
were enormous aa
oazt
be
~
Ot18
ot thent in album tilJ::aa, where Rarr.1 lies
atretched out !'ull length on one ot them and only c&?ers about hal£
••
or
the distance across.
.
It was always a marTel hatr thsr woodsmem cut
them :tor they would cut notches in the tree alld place plank in those
notches and atanding there would first cut a large notch on aa.ch aide.·
Then, with Terr long emrs would aall' the rest o! the tree9 working
""·
'!o get rid ot :t
.three or 1:1ore
sttm111ts a hole would be bored down from the top and"'other holes !rom
al1 the time on thoeo narro plank way &boTe g:rotmd.
the aides to
r~eet
the center one.
The side holes would be enlarged
a 11ttle and in them a f'ire ..oltld be
as a chimney.
built~
the center hole acting
The highly resinous wood •ould bum a long time and
graclually bu:m up the stunp, it all went well. But other things hapchL"tney
pened some time tor the ~ s0!!1etimea would throw out big sparks
•
'the.~
frequentl;r aet fire to tho halt burned logg and emal.l wood near-
'bT.
So~
the 'town sight' waa generally burning aomnhera all the time
arter the rains ceased.
Yo body !>aid. much attention to it unles11 1 t
vas driven b7 the wind toward the built up part o! town and then 1 t
-L~.......~
was beat em out as 1 t was easily controlled as a r.1la. 9
a..~ ~ ~ t- ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~.:c._--c;:.... .. _.,
I. ~t one· day. t!:e wind '1l~s rather hi:F and b·.lcwing directly
~ ~~~ ~ ~ ~
i.i
tc;·;a.r'~
c-e.-, .fr-v-a:-,.;-.., .-:::-Ly a.. d~
~y
The Jays." 1e ,aid 11 tt!e attention until' the ~oke beca.n to get. pret;-
·thick as we
wat~ed fro~
across the •reek at the mill. The !ire was
J .A.:t. pg.15?.
15'7.
lazoser than ull\181 aad be.tore we reall:ecl 1 t 1t had reached the
edge
ot
•....,-, moat ot thea :boll ow almost to the top and the tire z•a•• 1111 en•
teriDg holes at the roots. raced
a4 poppina like rnolTU
-a..;::,
I
upA interior• ~
allots~ aa
.
tho .reaiua exploded •
We were helpless amd aou14 not get our
so•
waa upon us .. Ifa.n'7 and I
.
like a hmaoe
into scmo
sre•
atut'~
out 'bctcmt the tin
U::iber• 70UII4·ohen'7 thlck-
·~·•""SDd w:xpecte4 to aee ouica'bln ao 8ZJ7 m!nute. •• were too kr hoa
· tile creek to .tom a 'buck-' llne aDd. 1~ waa ao llllWJua1. to tak• tho"
tcnmalte
•·
~ina
aarioual7 .... were oaugh\ qui'k oU our &UQret.
Almon aa aoa as tt .... lt . . . put. 'buming
atutt
.
but paasms the cabbl without cla::mge.
'bum1ng ot a tine l)unk wood
•
the.
tlneat p12Dk tor
artu the worat waa
ataudina
~
'%7 £nat.ea loea was the
he.l.r wq to the epri::lg• thAt. tuzniah-
ends••• I %CU'J:lber that. 801Ulfma lzat1 ~
ton Juat beton .... went OYer t.o the oabiD and
OUl:'
'brought the mail 1'rm:l
nub,
~light
muzo"
OT&r
I 1q 'beh'n4 a grem
lo~
with. the amold.ng
UMa all about.. and ~884 a· letter trora one o£ the sJ..rla bu.ok .le.et.
l!U"'tl the cabins on tireS .Ean:Y 7c)ted in the 21d4le
.
.t~t.L
It aee,., ao aa I tucbled ou.t
or 'f!JY.
bUDk• soon attor wo ha.d
o~
the nigh-t.
DOTed in.
-
told ua that U ... built. our .tin ph.ce and. cb1mq or reti oewu- pl.ank
1t WOU14 not btm1 after 1t got chared. So our tint sa.~ night. ••
ha4 a pod 1:1re Md
vat a pot o·t beau.a on to cook alnl7 Wl110mi.Da.
lhlt the ahSmnq Vzttlllh&wd'Had'D.t got cbared•
•
11kel:r \o bum
tQ the
a~a.reat17
Cld aeaed
whole }'lace. A tw buckeb of' water !'rom tJ:ua
apring soon quieted it and we went back to bed.
Tr.at ba.;tpened two
or three ti::t; later and then the aili::!lc:! settled dcwrs to quiet respeeti1>111 t7 •
:But thoae p-eat btlrning oadara kept up their racket
tme. a torch lQf'
~i.Pt
tor a loDG
ODd a plllar or amok• b7 d.a;T and· nobody bothered
1 .A.~. pg 158.
There were six of us vho lett the long wharf and started across
•
aD
arm ot the bay early one morning. Pete Anance, a rrench Cena.dian,a
mixed blood no doubt s.nd two ot the men from. Hoquiam, in ene canpe and
another Hoquiam man and I with Bob as guide 1n the other canoe. ( It
would seem that all the men were named :Bob but ao it happened with
thoae I have mentioned.)
Pete was an expert canpe man end 1rhile Eob
'
was tall and strong he was a local man at'ld not aa much at home in canoe
as in a lumber boat. We had a light camping outfit and provisions and
our fi7 rods.
lietore long we entered the mouth ot ·the/ Humptulips River flowing
thro an almost trackless forest and with no tawas and
reww
attelers
in ell the mUes we travelled. I wanted to paddle or pole as th,heed
·-
&l:'Oae and whUe they eaid 1 t was not necessary I liked_ it and so help-
ed along all the
wa:r.
I think 1 t made Pete ratle r sore tor neither
of his men hardly l1:tted a. padcUe and Pete did not like to have Bob
have the easy end_. and the current grew stronger aa we went on,up
stream, !or two dais.
And gl.oriou3 days they
rainy
sea~on
it also
~ad
w~re.
If wester41\
&he finest kind of
~ashington
a~er,
had a mee.n
ideal for camping.
The scenery- gre-:r wilder and more beautiful a.s we went on, nearer the
Cascade mountains with each turnp tor this was no
tid~vater
backup
but a cold mountain river, fed by the glaciers and almost unmarked by
Time at"ter time, we passed high brown gravel banks, towering 30
from ton to bott~
or 40 feet above some quiet pool• with the whole side dra.ped with the
man~
moat e.xqu1s1 te Maidenhair fern. Maidenhair. rem did not mean a.s much
to me then aa they do now but Jdid not fail to appreciate their beauty
~
·ror all that. !he river was deep enough
tor us to ;aaele
~ost
of the
to pole up some rapid and one place made
'a alJort carry around a tiny water !all. too high to ascend. And <1n ~
t~e
but-now and again we
~
r~d
r-ock 4dk.that little fall hangs a. tale. a.lso some canoe paint. ~
~
.. - -J.
-
~~~~
..
-:·
159.
7a:r U!t the ri Ter we C811le to a few log cabins cluatered
a tiny settlement and went aal"..ore to stretch our legs.
to~ather
in
'rhe larger
oue was the 'HOtel'! and aboTe the door was & piece oC board lettered
-:fast '!furphy't PriTate
F.n•.
lfr. l!urpl'J1' Juat what it
Considerably
~st1t'1ed.
-we entered and asked
meant. •o, just priva.te inn,'
ny
to whicb he replied• "En or ID,
s~ua
tr3
l3u.t -~
'SD.'1
terms, ayno.(lous terms. • :i'o.nq;
a man who could uz~ :J)'!l01!,1!1'1oue correctl;r and did no~ know the di!terence
between en, 111. and innt
'3n'.
7e did not ato-p at the
'rhe trout tlahing was tine and as we camped tor the night ot the
tirst
d~
I put on
hi~
boots and
cl~bed
our
to get a better ce.at &t the pool below.
ahead and I
-·
1F8JJ-
to the
to~
ot a pointed rock
canoe had gotten well
buey casting when Pete and the other _canoe came along.
He ran his canoe between the rock and the shore and a.s he went by he he gave me a push nth his paddle that upset me on m7 precarious perch
and sent me into the water. I.llc:kU:r. I mmaged
my long boots
~ere
drenohed. It w:as
tilled
j~3t
to d%7 out and I was
angry I thoug'.ht he
to
t~
land on '!'!7 teet but
the top and all m7 lower clothing was
at n1g..'lt and I had to ohange with small chance
~ad
~ould
and let Pete haTe !'f3
kn!!e !te and whon I
o~1D1on.
in~isted
!Ie got so
1n
r~ading
"testl!"'!e!lt by the rtre11~!lt, 'before turninz in ~~t naat;r about
ridiculing tte until one ot thtt
old~r ~en
ey
U;;.l ...
called hi:-3 dnwn. There ·ruJ.s
certa1nl;r a nasty streak in Pete but he tought me to make fine .ronny
cake and we had no tnrther trottbl e.
The •ccond day' we came to a
•
ns.rro~
~rge
where the r1ver tumbled thro a
de!"11 e, !3-r too t!W'i!t nnd steep tor anj" boat.
:rore we !otmd,
rJuch to our diea-,-,oinhe!!t. another .,arty c.a.m,ed on the :rJall nat balaw,
~ro~~ec~ors,
there own affairs
or
t1~ber
~d a3
the hint a1 tho we had to
cr11sers who seemed
they were all big
Ca=f?
~Ch
hush~.
q•.t: te near them.
inclinod to 3ind
bearded men wo took
.Set ora we were
next r.torning they were gone and we neTer t!a'lf tha--:t a~1n.
U't)
the
z.A.ll.
pg.l60.
A# ... oli!'lbed the steep trail
•
160.
al.ona the side
0~
\he sorgo the·
next aoming we were raardecl with so•• ~ter acen o~ ragged beaut.T.
-.ater tall s and rapids a abatterecl rooks aud tumbled bouldore tf1 th m.aanen
or
ot water boil:btg and haming c:tODg theu uaiden bair
tlowerw tueked 1D
nen.
to ctl1ng.
ner:~
e.r•• aoroes the :tiTer& a placa
~
exquisite rild b.aauq. Among the photographs that oae
cm t.ha~ trip, all JIIOuntecl •
On
o~
and wild
nook and cramt7 where th.fQ" could. set a oh&mce
aw1denl.7. a. -.alle.r gozge with a. little
before our wcmderiq
treaeund monc
~em
auea:a opeued
eaobalttmat &l'.ld
o~
the
DeD
took
I oould Jtot put t.ha 1D an allau::l but ai.ill.
oillen• 1• ae ot thia li1D.iture 1\1 t ot lOTliBaaa.
the back or: tl:at phote I &'tempted a
4eacn~tiou o~
1ta !acination.
!bat -.as written lODg age; eo I wtll ut- V7 to ~t lt -~ ~·
-·
ehe:na ot 1 ta
b~
aome mtrancin«
Ve
~uld
er tlowed
O!l
dow stream.
out
~1'ort
Y1s1cma
o~
atill lingen like tho half" raabued. tan07
o~
craaa.
aot atq' to take our boa.ta abcmt the gorge where the rl·;·
quietly aga.Sn
and the aattemooa round us oa our
W'iJ.Y'
With the ounen• with ua •• 811,pad. alcm& all:loet vi
and It tor one waa glad. \o be quiet, and ruol ap.in in t:.:. ~
Yr.at. we had •ea.
.A.Jld
~~·••
q.
-~:~·:.:··;
••
:_;.·
caa• to 'tthat little lf&.tc.-,L...
\
Pete was ahead and • • t dOWD the pi tOll 1n ·tin• sllap•• a1 tho 1 t wa3
a t1cke11!Jh
~lace;not
eo much
o~
a dip but then n.a a large rock
'Ute Terr center the\ apli t. tha curnnt
~
:t:~
l3o'b waa attmding in
two.
the atem with his aet pole and we atalrted clam. Properl7 handled
was enough wa.ter at the rook to tum Ute oanoe
the
I
JUUt
~el~
~...
to one aide 1m ';
Yi th ua ,.elled aoaething• :Bob sot h1s pole hard dOWJl and q:
~~·4,.,
quioker tbazl a wi.Dk \he oaoe tumed......a.oroea the rock• rolled on a 3i . .
u:n.der water, filled and helc1 there ln denger ot b•ea.k1ng i!l two c·r·"
aecond. ?orttma.tel.7 the "ft.ter waa onl.Y to our
~3
7e.1sts
a.~d
!
lmew 'that U' the boat stayed there urttU 1 t tUled entirely t.ha
ou.:~:··
rent would emaah it like a atzur. I had the \ow pullillg one w;q
&.'1.il
J .A.M. pg. 161.
e
and l3ob, who was as strong as an ox, had the stern pulling in the
'
~~
opposite way. The water was swirling and rushing against us~ and how
'
we managed to keep our feet is still amyster.y.
I suppose i t we had
'\
stopped to think about it we would have been swept down the 11 ttle xa
water fall to tll deep water below.
Bob' a tre.rmmdoua strength got the
boat loose and I waa some hnsley' in those days so we escaped without
the canoe buckling up in the center or breaking ott at the bows. In-
. L
dee• no serious damage was done.
Oddly enough, the current waa ao
atrong and so directly into the canoe that our duf'fie did not waah- ·
out and9 while the canTas bags helped to keep it from the water a little we were a Tery wet party when Ye Joined the other canoe a little
way- down the river.
They were coming back to see what l::ad happened.
Altho 1t was only m.ida.!ternoon we made camp ·at once and. we proceeded
to dry out and were aoon laughing at our troubles. Pete rigged Bob
umnerci:tul.l.y and thought 1 t was a big joke on all of us but it was
not Bob's fault entirely tor if the other.man in our boat had not called out to 'Stop
~·
waited
he~'
&
we would have gone down all right.
while at the mouth ot the riTer for the wind to go
down on the bay and then, in the lowg soft twilight, paddled home.
That tri9 was the big event ot a most interesting and happy summer
and my companions called me 'The Kid that Likes to Work.t ever afterward.
-
T.he absence of a church at Grays Harbor troubled me for, as
70u knew,
••
i
waa very tond of church and Sunday school, yctmg peoples
societies and ala that and there was ·nothing like that a:.t in that
raw little town 9 nor did anyane seem to mise it. That is net quite
exact for the motm r ot tlt
hotel boys, Bob and Joe, was a protestantr
north Ireland I suppose, and she did have a sort of prayer meeting
Sunday.
There was an old fellow, Scotch surely who attended
re~~arly
and always led in prayer, quoting scripture freely, somewhat altered
--.
l.AY. pg.l62.
according to his idea
or
or
tl:a meaning
11
162
the passage. /t. mere band£ul
.
. attended these meeting, a t n women, there were n: ma.ny in the whole'~
.
'cit7'• and fewer men tor they were not the type of religious meotings
to attract *he real he-mau~
It was
aD
entirely new kind
to me, tho orthodox enou~ no doubt, but 1 t grated on
ot religion
m:r
aens1 bili tics
ftill I .. attended fai thtully until we moTed. down to the mill and then
th• long climb up that hill and
Ulat
lQ"
11r7 wea%7 muscles proTided an excuse
conscience was quite· read7 to ok.
I tried to auggeat to the
good. Irish woman, I catmot ramember her name, who was holdillg the
meetings and'doing her duty' as she saw itt some changes and some ways
I thought would attrack men bu~e imz:lediately· st artecl in on the book
et'DE-s.!ll-lin dear to the .Old Count:ey heart.. I knew nothing about
••
the Book of
DiscipliD~and
gaTe it up.
Theeler. in
~~~
na.aty way, ridi-
cu.lee :me tor going with the sa.inta, old women and doddering men until ·
lian7 rt:x•ll> made hin slmt up •. I thi.nir Ifarry even went with me once
and I could not blame hi:l !or not finding spiritual help there.
Any
7oting man who attended wa.a thought to be a. milksop or a tool or worse.
Th6aa. serTicea may have dispensed the 1 s1l!cere milk or tho Word' but
~
.
what was need was • atrong mea.t' •
l!ttt atmmter was oTer t'Jld I mus.t return. the trip East was uneven t-
except that I went to Cheyenne on my- way to DenTer and bad an hour or
two to Yait.
'Ja.ndering to the outskirts ot that little town I saw
001rbo7s wllangl.ing cows not tar
&
•
aw~
in the sagebrush. I wanted to get
nearer Tiew but did not care to take chances with tl:s rattlesnakeaJ
and possibly
&
lariat around '11J7 shoulders.! was too green to think of
the dB.l'lger ot the'cowa' a.ttacking a man on toot as they were almost
sure to do.
The train to Denver was crowded and I rode on t.he :pl:.1. t-
!or.m all the _way and was j1:Z.st one greY' hombre covered wi til dust when
I got there.{Please note how these Western teros will crop out.)
our old triend. r...rrs. Perks was on the :R<:.noh of her no-phew near
:r.A.K. pg.l63
·163.
]lenver and I wanted to Tisi t a real ranch, lspeciall;y as the nephew
Eut 1 t happened that they the;y were away
was a boy friend of mine.
and aa I was headed for home and those girls, I wa.s'rareing to go'.
I clid not ·-wait tor their return and so missed tbt oAlY' cnance to to
Yisit a ranch I eTer had. At Kansas City I had to wait tor my trunk
ta
to catch up with me, 1 t haTing missed connection and they would not
recheck oD the the check I had.
tct travel in 1890
1lO
It was c·onsiderably more trouble
than it is now. I had
&
whole dS.,. there and knew
oae and did not want to spend money at a hotel ao took a trolly
to the end of the line and saw one ot the most remarkable sights ot
. , travels.
The trolly line ended at a public park,quite prtmiti•e,
aad as I 1&7 en top
o~
a .bluf't' overlooking the Jlissouri River I saw
clouds OJ? DUS'l' blowing d01m the riTer and n01rhere else!
There were
a nUl'lber ot long loops in 'big muddy' tar below me and numeros bars
•
and the duet riaeing. high in the air
YO~ollaw
the curna and bends
as perfectly aa a sail boat. It certainlY' was a ramerkable sight.
And, ao 1 home: so glad to be back, so glad tor all the new and
happy enperiences.
I remem.ber, very clearly, that atter a while with Uother and
8
Helena I hurried over to aee my boy and girl friends especially the
latter,i! you must insist on the whole tnth,!inding them all at a
ball game in Humpl:lriese tield which was Just about opposite the
moTie theatre on the }tike,
There was a row of cherrt trees running
along one side to the rail road and 1n their shade the girls were 3
ga~"'lered
while the boys struggled
tor glory betore them. But there
was one girl that was not there and the other girls cast knowing
glances as they saw my questioning looks.
she was
~t
~
Eut I would not ask where
t=ied to seem at ease and hfde my restlessness until
Florence Humphreys said, 'l3ert, There's Maud over there. 1 Yaud1 I
looked and there at the fence of tbe railroad station yard was the gtx
~.A.M.
girl I longed to see.
•
pg.l64.
IL64
I wanted to run to her at once but, instead. I
casually asked the other girls to excuse me. the,y were all giggling
knowingly, and sauntered over and said Rullo l!'aud.
All .in white with
a bit ot color at her throat She stood behind the piCket renee w&th
the goldenrod blooming above her tair h&ir, a picture ot lov•lineas
to· JQ' htmgry eyea.
Otcourse, I ahould have· Ta.ul ted tha.t
tenc~d,
well, the goldenrod was Te%7 tall/-d I haTe ot'ten wondered why I did
not but I .talt a dozen pairs
~r
girla eyes boreing into mT back . ..a
.:lo, af"ter a tew casual remarks she tumed and went to her homa in the
atatiou _building tor she waa the agent's daughter.and I returned
across the tield reeling entirely inadequate.
Wh&t became ot the '.1ays'and the %.erminal lUll?
•
Rather a sad
aequal. The story goes tlla Hill tailed to get his aecuri tits to Chicago b7 one day and so could not finance the utentdon to Gray' a
Jtarbor. !he railroad nner came and the town went flat and the Uill
company tailed and I gness Harry lost the mona,., Father• s,he had put
into i't.
Betore
he
finally came ll:ast to go into the chocolate bwsia
11esa again he went to the JaTS
a:sr bl
and our little cabin was a. wreck.
but. trees h.e.d fallen on the roof'
The dream or Tacoz:ta'o great rival
had ended. A recent artie).) in the 'Geogra-,hia' shows a. wondertul
bouleTard thro the 6ascades and that region and Grays Harbor City
is still on the map but I-don't belieTe th&t city lots are selling
tor $2500 per rront toot.
ADd now begins one
or
the happieat and moat buoyant periods
ot m$ lif"e. that following my graduation.
applied !or the
~
~osition
You recall that I had
of assistant to Dr. Van Lennep and after
Prank Pierson and I had gone to so~e office at %kzxs Independanca
Iiall and .sholt'n our diplomas B:fld registered we wra full !1 ed.;;ed doctor3
ready to practice.
i~ations
A few days after I had taken the hospital exam-
I had a letter rrom Dr. Van as we affectionately called
hi~.
165.
Z .A.M. pg.l65. ·
asking me to come in and see him the following evening •. Promptl7 on
'~··
the hour,
tn my new dress suit, I rang tho bell at 1421 Spruce at./
I
.r.heart pounding at to possibilities o! that interview. The Doctor
and hie wife were in his office, for they were good pals and u.rs.Van
often sat 'there in the evenings, and received me cordiall;r.
of
&
\Ve talk-
the work he would require of me. JAY -plans and I suppose he gave me
good
~
~oing oTerJ:'i t
·.
on1y made me the more anxious to work 11'1 th him •.
There was one difficul t7. I had made such a fine pa~er 1n l{a.teria
·.
)(edica in my examination that Dr. Middleton. the
examiner/ 1Bsiated
.
on haTeing me as an intern at l!almematm cnd Van did'nt mow aa he could
get lliddleton to give me up.
Hm!Hm1 Hml
some proud boy1 Ofcourae,
oontinued nr.van, I have other men who bave apJ'lied and I ha.'Ye not
seen them all but I'll let you know in a d&7 or two~
•
I am quite sure
](other went with me· that night but Just wh7 I c....,ot remember. :sut
I learned afterward that she waa a factor in his choioe .,nd ao was the
d%ess eui tJI
and so was Jlra. Van who tully apprOTed.
da.ya another 1 etter came with the 1421 address.
it o-pen.How I did want that jobl
-
For in a few
I could hardly get
And here it waa"You m.a:y report"&c.
7ow1 I, I, reallyYas VanLenneps assistant. The moat coveted position
open to a.ny young medical man.
So it was that within a couple of weeks
inof graduation I was'placed' and being inducted to the manifold duties
of the. assi stan&.
The Doctor,at once gaTe me a book on Anaesthetics to master tor
that was one of my duties.It was tar from the science 1 t iu nol/f'or
.
ether waft used almost entirely, Chloroform occasionally, cocaine quite
I
often and the inhale!'s were simplicity. often onlY a rolled towel
with paper folded in and a wad of cotton at the top. Oxygen was
prac~
tically unlrnown,clo.sed inhalers, never and ni tros oxide by dentists
often with unsatisfactory results.
I was given a reprint on the VAN
. . .. - . 166.
LS'Nli~ OP3RA!IlfG :BAG~ au lS inch ~cabin bag' holding
!!!
the :P~apba· ·
nalla. except basin a; :pitchers &c, tor doing a major operation in a
.
..
home where the maJority o't operations Yere thera per:romed. 1'hat bag
,was a marTel ot com~leteneaa and compactDess~ It contained tha tn~•
instruments, dressings, sutures, a lamp -ror boi11ng the inatram.enta
i-
- ..... ·--..--~
'before the operation, ether. a bppo and stimulant•• Kell.J"
lmmediatel~
Pad_•
toua~in
syringe,
~andage~
and adheasiTe, mops ana. aterUized
drets ainga. m2d two pans· one acting as a. coTer tor the other in which
the instruments were 'boiled and then to hold them as 1natDlent
tra:;s.
It weighed a ton: I ought. to lmow tor I. c: arried it mann a block
generally
.
tor I wa.al\sent ahead• an hour bei'o_re the operation, to ge.t things
•
ter there
ready altho, sometimes we want tQgether 1n the carriage
were no auto ea.
special
_gs.exally ~plo7ed
Ani:rtng at the house we fotmd"the nurse..J:Iad had some room.
clea.red o! !Urni ture md carpeta and well cleaned; a table,gererally
tha
kitchen ta.bl e I covered with a blaDket aiid sheet well tacked on;
'
two other table'S, sheet covered. 'for basina and inatrumen ts. &l'ld I :k
took· charge.
First tle instruments were put to
boi~
with a. little
soda bicarb to keep them :rrom rusting. The folding etlB r cone wa.a
.......
wra.pped in a. towel and pinned, the aat'ety pins were part ot the kit;
biellloride tablets were put in pitchera and basins and and
per ·a::1ount
o~
'
•
nea~
pro-
boiled wat.Dr,which had been oooled, poure4 in and the
ether canst 4 oza. each ,. put to one aide welf away trOll.
lamp.
~
~e
\
burning
BUt one tim•• when th Doctor was with me• we opened a can too
the flame and had a tire immediatel.7.
ered. 1 t before any da:mge W'&s done.
:But f'ortunately we smoth-
l3;T that time the Doctor arrived,
looked over everything, and I am proud to say. Tery seldom found
anything lacking or had to ·make any changes. I thought so much o!
Dr. Va.D that 1 t Yas almost a sa.erenumt to have everything Just .as
he wanted 1 t.
- . - ... - --167
Zt.A.U. pg. 167.
I
Frequently I would~ give the otl:e.:r buraomettmes the attending
- doctor or tm.
81)8Cial
nurse would do
SO
and f would assist with the
operation, keeping a Tig&J.ent eye on the anaeathetizer and the~
.
patient' a condition.
flhen we operated at· the hospital I almost alw
ways aaai sted, especially atter I had been with Van sometime and
leamed his wa:ya.
AD instinct seemed
a
to tell me jcfst what the Doctor
was going to do next and just what he woUld want to do it with and
the instrument, suture or what not was ready to his hand.
our personal preparations tor an operation were ~uita atmple.
~&l"ing aside coat and Teat, collar -and tiel( we acrubbed our banda
with tincture of green soap, soap
.-.
and
brush from the bag, and then
soaked th«D in a solution o~ b1chlor1ed
rn minutes: scrubbed
lorid~,
bing.
or
mercur.r~ 1-1000 tor a
again mildlY" and then kept tlr:rm wet with 'bich-
the 3lls having been cleaned care!ulll"
beror~the
first scrub-
Clean but not sterile white gowns tna that wonderful bag
were put on the ~urse holding and fastening them ror we now guarded
_our hands as a Rajah guards his jewels.
U by- any chance or car•*•
~
lessnesa we touched ailything no sterile all the scrubbing bad to be_
repeated. For a while it was the "t'l>gue to scrub, then
in :potassium perma.nga.nate until well stained.
imlnerse~ hands
Arter that they went
into a strong solution of Oxalic a.cid !rom which they cm:1e pink and
Te_ry
attra.ctiTS and fairly exudeing surgical safety •
Bichloride
was hard enough on t~e hands making them roughsnd hard to keep clean
still it was tolerable but that permanganata acid treatment fairly
¢..~
••
took the skin off,i! you had to do,it otten,and..t;t. did not last long
to our great relief.
And so, the operation was an. Iodoform gauze
was applied to the vo~d after iodoform powder had been well dusted
on. otter, especially in 'pussy' eases, sterile gauze was wet and XX
wrung out o! bichloride 1-2000 or less and applied over th iodofor.m
-··
:r.A.!l. pg.l6S.
168.
gauze. cotton and bandages being well held bT adheasive plaster,.
Van Lennep being rather
8D
exception to moat surgeons in that for
they relied on safety pins.
We had ver,y, ver,y little infection and
. healing by tirst intention was the rule.
~here
were
s~e
stitch ab-
ecasae~ccasionally but the strong antiseptics prevented general
wound infection and ·they caused 11 ttle more tl:1an an annoyance.
The Doctor lett the house soon after the operation unLess we
were to go together.
.
.
In that case he pitched in and helped get our
kit together. But as a nl.e, I did that, the extra nurse wa.ahing the
instruments while I gathered the tther things and packed them into
the bag.
Then Back to the o!!ice where all -.as unpacked and and
the instruments boiled and cleaned and put in their proper places,
•
Kelly pad washed with biallloride and dried, dressing boxes re:9laced
with new ones; sutures overhauled and replenished; anaeathitizer' a a
case overhauled &e. &e. and the bag repacked with everything but in_..
~-·
atruments. ready tor another case.
It we had had an abdominal case
there was a job I dioliked immensely.
apongea.
Th~e
For that work Van used real
were of' the finest qua.lity.nat, ab011t a hal! inch
thick and as big as a man • s hand.
Even at hospital opera. tiona he
took his cwn sponges,. used only in the abdol!len.
They
woul~
get
tull ot clotted blood
and other debris and it was
get them clean again.
Wash and rub; wash and rub: wash and rub and
I
soak and wash again. Roll I disliked it.
w~s
long job to
'Vhen clean and the Doctor
«·
always inspected them a.t ti.rst,. arJ.Tn:r. theY. were· put
•
\
in
a large jar
ot some clear solution until needed again when they were wrung out
with well cleaned r..a.nds and packed tight in a mna.ller jar and put in
!h!_ bag.
-c-
It was part of my work to see that the 1nsti'Ul:lents were no only
kept clean but well polished also.
They were not in Tery good· shape
J .A.'ll. pg. 169
when I
too~
over and
I~had
end or the last drawer.
169.
plenty of exercise
~etoro
1 reached the
If ,-ou doubt it look at the drawers. ot the
instrument case bt album f}?> and you will aee there were plenty
them.
ot
l!ra. Van supervised the condition or the instruments,. as to
-when-I
~~-~
theirAcaadi'ton and
tine they were.
had finished 1 showed her with·pride how
• •••
~.
II
She caauall7 picked one up and with a bit
or cotton
on a small probe she puahed it along a very small grove and to JAY' horr
ror brought toth
&
quantity of loose dirt,.
dried blood probaballT.
I
It was a Ul tzmann urethratom.e and I had naTer seen one before, I have
lt still tor the Doctor guve it to me before I went to AlaSka. Being
tull ef groves and Joints, unless you knew how1 it wa_a a. terror to
olean and when Yra, Van,
•••
just to teaae me and not to be mean, asked
lo you call that olean I could hardly keep back the tears, I was still
that much or a kid.
But when ahe saw I took it ser1ousl7 she said
~
nice things about my work. She was a Tery simple, una.ftected woman
and we grew to be. graat rriends,
In the nening I wrote up the recorda
trom the Docto::- and wri ttng
my
own account of the opera.tions whtli.
whatever cha...'"'tgea he c..":loose to malce.
would leave !or ey room., a few
tor tha day getting notes
a~eps
About oleven ocloek at night I
awa:;J' at 261 South 16th. a.nd. the
next morning at nine I was on the Job again. That wao !or !ive da,ys
a week tor on saturdays, after clinic in the afternoon, I was· usually
tree to go hO!!'le to Bryn!!awr unti. !fonday.
Van was a.wf'ull;r good about
J)Oat-poning S'Unday- operations. largely on my account. I am aure. and 1 t
was only on rare occasion
I
~~t
I was called in.
It was vohuntary on
his part tor I never asked it and was ready tor aerTice any time and
all the time if he wanted me.
my work and waa Tery
ha~y,
That wa.a part ot the job, and J: loved
for I had not been there long before it
became eTident that I waa giTing satisfaction and that they liked me
and that was everything. I certainly loved thm and before I had to
:--.
•
1.A.U. pg.
t~e· ttp
ho81lital work at Halm.ememl I was treated more like a son than
71hat more could a mothel;" and !ather do than they did
an outsider.
when I
a sever attaCk
had~wmWtwt*is
summer I was there?
~
169.
169.~
o~
bowel trouble the second
Father and Mother and bDrtn; and the rest
.ot my family were away and I was quite sick. It looked as though it
aight be t;yphoid tor a day or two.
So the Vanflenneps insisted that
_I should stay with them and the Doctor and his wire even J!lOTed from
their room on the second
na.
t'l~or
to one next :lkll mine on the third
~d
Van Lennap came in to see 1! I was all right two or three times
that night.
The7 o_ould easily haTe gotten E{nurse to look ~after me.
or sent me to the hoepi tal but no, JLrs. Van must
do~p.i t
was more thaD !orty years ago but you ••e I have not
ministry of love nor am I
eve~
herself'. That
that
forgo~ten
likely to.
IQthe Van Lennep family there was one child. Rebecca. a. girl
or
about nine. rather spoiled but we soon became good friends and ahe
seemed Ter:r tond ot me as til!te wore on. Then there was a nephew,
to
GUstave A. • bom in Turkey,~ the aon of a Congregational missionary,
Van's -father, and
a French mother.
Gus-tave, or Gus had been educated
in Great Barrington, Mass. by another brother
or
the Doctor' a who
had a priTate school there and haTing :t'inished the prep course Doctor
was -putting hbl truro the medical preparatory course a.t the University
of Pennsylvania in 7est Pliladelphia, where he was studying when I
joined the household. Re rowed on the Fresl'lm.en crew and while somewhat
younger than I we soon became f'ast friends, a friendship that has had
_}
.
many a. teet 1n the years ainoe then but which stands the test and en-
•
dures in fUll measure today altho we have seen very little
other in the past
~
clean abd an earnest
o~
few years. :Jus was quiet. studious and
Christi~~
each
relia.~le
altho not active in Church work.
~-
-Then tere was l.!rs. VanLenneps. !ather, Yr. Hart who was an in-
Talid liTeing on the third fioor with a. colored male nurse and whom
J .A.:tt. pg. 170.
we seldom aaw.
For a
t~hort
170. '
time before I went to Alaska llr. Va.rlLenneps
mother· lived there but that was after l!r. Hart died. 1!rs. Van lennep
nearly
Sr .. was a Ne7 :England woman who had a~ent her"~hole li!e in Turkey in
lli saion work with ]e,:·r husband and she wa.s much
intereste~
in
my determin
ation to go into that same kind of' work, indeed ahe rather took me tn
_I was very fond of her.
aa anothe r son also.
~or
while the Doctor
was bitter against the Mission Board tor real. or tMagined-injuatioes to
his father
'
ana
eTen rather a.cofted at Chriatianity,his
mother, feeling
.
that injustice had been done I still hel4 her faith and made excuses
for the Commdsionera. aa the Secretaries
or
that Board were called.
Prett7 promptly at nine in the morning I would come into and
most often found the Doctor at breakfast altho his office hour w•w:t« was
[.>~.•...
: .·
'
·.'
.
su~posed
to lagin
~t
that time •
But he did not linger long at
t~
. , : table. •:ti:k Some of his -:patients I helped get :k!u:a. ready tor treatment
.
or redressed -surgical cases. '1hile tllt Dtrctor aaw others,. I aat in the
e
'back room' a room.. intended for the dining and at the end of' the first.
i'loor hall, immediately in front of the lfitohen, which had been fitted
as a sort of auxilliar.y laboratory and lounge.
woul~
sit and
smok~
Here also the Doctor.
between patients and here, students, an occas-
lonEli~assistant or young M.D. wollld gather sometimes in the evening
to talk 9 exch8nge experiences or discuss amne new operation and to
.
saoke the Doctor's Turkish cigarette, quite a novelty then,and drink
"
his beer of which he consumed rather liberal quanti ties, much to my
regret.
He could neTer get me to taste it, even, and in later days,
zs he more and more thied to get me to
I
up my missionary dream
gi~e
I haTe heard him say to a bartender. when we happenedto be off on a :tx
'~
.
trip together, I give you five dollars if you'll get this
to me,to tkke a drink.
and gave it up.
~~.
,ointin:
But the barkeep cnly looked at me and soiled
It was no credit to VanLennep, that sort of thing
altho he doubtless thought he was doing the best thing for me in try-
.•
·-
--
. Haverford, G/19/19:54.
111.
tr71ng to malaJ me take more interest in his world, the flesh lmt not
.
the deTil, surely• ror ao he thought to wean ma tX'Ol:l tzr.1 detemination
'to
so
1Dto t'orcign mission work.
Dolt I atarted to tell hov we
.
8PGII~
<
our da7· Office hour of'tan
lasted
until
noon and after the laat patient lu:.u1 been aeen we often
.
.
Y8J1't to
linch together. I as his fr.leat, on our wq to
the
hospital
tor an operaticm or clinic. lio would ... his patienta,"I with him 'ti1.1clng
notea writing his orders or redressing UDder his direotJ.ons or hel:p-
111& him ta do so.
Ro saw his ;pustojieratW• opera.tecl patients the
aaae wenil'lg o.f tho operation and 1n seTere caaes I waa l d t o.t tha
lloapi-tal or the room 'to nota ~QmPtoma and report to ld.m.but tl:Bt did
aot ha.JJ;J81l o1"t41D. tt the operation was at hDme we'd be off 1D the
•
oarrtaga, a closed coupe with a s1Dglo lto:rae. plain but
or he would meet me roadY
~or
the
o~eration.
..
1:1 good i"o:c:.
Abo-ut .four n would be
th:ro that. period of work and I wuld get to tlle of'.tice to ~ clco.n
while Van went to his fa1rorite club. the Union Lea.u~e.
up and :re,uck for the next~ Tllen dimler,I waa often c.sked. to atcy' with
ther1 tor that meal but 1! I went to /..gustine and lla.iltistn around
t.h~
corner near m:1 roon I waa back about anen and tiniahed rq chores or
~ar
more often mounted a high stool to the desk a.bobe thG aa.te and wrote
the record of' tho days vork 1n large
car bound
bo~a.
a.
p~e
or moze
to each patient all carefully indexed. '1hlle I was a.t tllat Van moat a
otten studied some operation booked !or the next d:J::T, or the WlD.to:oy
ot tbat region or worked on hia lectur• notes. while ::.Irs. Vu.nlcnnop
oftice
·
eaed near by. There ~ere neningA hours "but not many came. very often
•
uo one at all a.u the Doctor did not care to dovelo7 that a_ide or his
:practice.
Along about' 11 ocloclc I would go to my roor1 and 1 t
a
'\tr..:1
d~;r •
This ,rogra-n was varied. no11 und then by so:::1e cro.ll to sa cr..1t of
'town to opera.te.t, genen.J.ly
lll'1
cargeney and it waa
n rv.sll
to .;et
~ro
as quickly as possible. I remabor once that •• wen on our wa;; to
Ra.rrisbur~ and I SU"P?Ose I waa tired but.~. I 7ent to slee,
wr
J,
'
-
~.A.M.
J)g.l72.
172.
when I awoke aa we were n.earing the station, m7 head was reat-ing oa J:
Eow long 1 t had beaft there I do not know but
Van • s big 'manly cheat.
he had not disturbed me.
That waa the kind ot a. man he was to those
:But don • t think !or aminute that he waa not . a strong, viril,. .
he liked.
maac~lin~ma.n. He was. Over aix feet tall and big in proportiontBig in
body, big in brain and big 1n life he inaplrect wonderful confidence
the moment he entered a sick room.
•
Our trips sometimes tot)k ua into odd placea.
I
forenoQn •• had a hurr.T call to Washington
•~border.
·}'hone told
a town near the north-
llo trains connected direct but the .Bocto;c who called on
uan
that it he aent to Easton and uoTe aome twenty miles
in a. alei'*e could reach there by night.
was not a cold ride.
·e
ll.~.
One cold winter
VIe did that aud JDN"b& it
X
7hen we reached the town we round the hotel man's
daughter Tiolently ill with some &bdo.minal inflammation, eTedently
Jtot appendicitis and. an immediate operation lflla cleoicled en. ·lio hoap•
1 tal was aTailable so a room wa.a prepared and in verr
Ullsatis~a.ctory
aurroundings, with poor light the Doctor went to work. And it was
none
to~
aoon tor he found a. dermoid cyst. twisted on its pedicle
and moveing rapidly toward gangreen. It contained long hair and two or
three teeth• one o! those strange freaks that occasionally occur. As
the girl.waa about twenty and very prett7 indeed I guess we were
~ore
than usually sympathetic, indeed 1 t is mora than probable that I was
an;yway.
"Je went to Trenton by train the next morning and. so home and
I returned.in a de7 or two to redress and look things over. The girl
made an unevmtful reooTery.
•
A cla.as of cases which we both especialll" disliked were dihtheri:;.
cases.
Anti toxin ,-a:s unknown and intuba.tian atter a. tracheotomy was
thought to be the
prope~
treatment in advanced eases where the mem-
brane was shutting o!f the air supply. C:f'course, such patients were
very aiek indeed, almost always ohildren,to be operated in their homes
.- 173
j.A.ll. pg 17:5.
under Tery unfavorable conditions.
•
There was no time tor cleaning x
.
the room. and 1 t was seldom attempted as infection of' the wouund was x
rare. the
tion was
p~tient
~most
erally-taken.
often i l dieing befora it could occur. The opera·
bopelees but it offered a last chance which was genThe air of the room was sickening with the horrible
odor of the disease and the Doctor and I necessaril7 had to bend over
close to the patients mouth and nose.
Often caughing would follow
nen a fevr breaths of' chloroform and pieces of' membrane and mucus
would !17 about. The little :patient struggled !or we dared not push
_a
the ~urgid Tassels bled co~iously,
_
the anest.lt.eti c,~tim kttt"• our neners were worn ragged wi t..i. strain
and
sympath7.~?ortunately•
it did not last long and we could get away.
Then to get into a. smking car or a smoking room and smoke and
•
soak in smoke tor an hour or two for Van believad that tllat was ths
best possible disenfeetant under the circumstances
a~d
that tobacco
smoke preTented infection in our o1rn throats and nasal cavities. When
we returned to the office we washed our hair and applied some disen
tectaat and neither we nor any of the
~
family~contracted
tbs disease.
Eut for days I felt I was just one big hot bed of the terrible
Loef:f'ler
ba.eilli~
4
Elebs~
noriehing mightily •
. When Gustave had finished his first year at the U of ? the Doctor
thought it would be well !or us to have a little vacation.
ColleGe
Hahnemann where Van lectured was over and the sUl!ll:!ler 4ullness· had J::s:g
begun, and he suggested I take Gus with me. I wo.s only too glad to·
clo so tor we were good griends.
to see Helena..
So we went to
~Jorehea.d
City, li .c.
Roy and gone into the lumber business there a.."ld was
operating a small saw mill thers and Helen was delighted to see
•
so~e-
one from home.
Morehead City was a. little towrfnot much more tl"..an a fishing
Tillage on Bogue Sound opposite Beaufort and across the inlet !ram
that larger village. Roy had a'sha.rpie' as the sailboat8 used there
174.
were-oal1ed.
.the
They
we~e
flatbottomed,centerboard boats of all sizes.
larger ones carrying two sails, a sort
or modified
rig that reefed on the mast and very handy and
s~e.
lego 'mutton
Sandbars were ever:
Yhe:re in the sound but these boats would travel on a. heavy dew and not
·tuch ground. We sailed end went bathing in the ocear',.6rossing the Sound
n...
and then a narrow sand f.~trip to •each 1 t. I never saw a finer beach
w1 th a wealth or shells to make 1 t all the more interesting •. sea tood
was delicious and abUJJdant and l'le gorged on it. 'Uatermellons were
small but sweet and fine flavor. and that reminds :me o~ one o! the odd-·
Roy
eat tees I ever hacl. The child. or R~ys foreman Ya.S sick and u asked
Me to see her.
We croaaed the back cbannel in the sharpie and I saw
tle child in her very humble home.
Aa we came out the foreman aa14,
• Doctor, I reckon r don't Inow what yoor charge is but I ltmW I ~' t
~··
pay
it."
take one
:But I got some mighty tine watermellons ou~eah if ~ 7'd
·them?
o~
anything but he
I asmred him I did not en tend kbt to charge him
insi~ted
I have
~
a.
melon.
I sat on the high rail fence
by the melon patch andAselected a melon, craCked it open an.d passed
me the heart. I lave never tnsted ita equal.
Gus &nd I were introduced to the belle of th.e town a.nd about the
r
'
only possible girl there except at the big hotel, probabally. 7e did
~
'
not go thereJ not even look in !or Roy and HelenB did not·se~~ to take
any interest in
spend the
!
s~mer
tt~
?amlliee from a.s ta.r south a.s Georgia came to
there and now doubt it would have been most 1nterestin
to have know them. :BUt our belle was nemed Lillie Bell so :she was tle
after her shyness of' these two men from the'
real thing and we found. her t"ull of" !UnA as we sat on the 'teeter board'
'noth • ha.d ·-worn o-rr
~·
tor the first time. 'Jfe had never seen one bef'ore and nO".'f-a.-da.ys they
call thel!! gliders!
tho hers wae htn!le made and
sil!f?l~
%!lade.
OTer on the east side of the Inlet was & old fort
built
lo~g
ago and served in the Rebellion.
~-e
tr~t
had been
c
went to see it. Heav7
brick wa.l:ls set· among the sand dunes it was not unlike Fortress
~un-
.•
-
~""'.
. JI
;
- .. ·
-~
_"! .A.!f~ . pg4tl75.
' .
.
.
l
"
. l·, '
.
1
:'
•oe at Old Point Comfort, Va_., only ;mtich smaller and with no moat about
.l
it· There was a lone
'
;
...
;
l
·'
_.,::"'.
someone and took_ua pretty
.
-
Sargent ·iii chai-ge and he- was glad to see
color~
'
.
generallt~aver
_,;·;,_
..
.
~:~...-.::·
.
the. whole place. -!he moat
int-eresting place waa the magaz~e--:~or. amal.l arms w!lich did not seem
'
,/
......:.-.;
~- :
.
.
-~- .
\
to ha-ve been cleaned .out since ·Givelt war days and had pistol cartridges
with the powder
.
. .
------
. -_ .· ') >- <-~--~::[;.:~:- -.. . ~-.> \
enolosea~thin, pap~.'
·- ,·. ·-""-. '\
f..\'-,:
~,__
.
_'lhe men caught the. ends
::
--
ot these
-
wttti their t_ee.t!l.· and tore -t:~e'm ·open b~.t'ore Cl'tammtng them into their re•
·.---cY~
_- :.,c
.?,-·
··'
·
volvers •. ··He allowed us to.. 'take some far aouvinirs.
_-'
.-.,~----
~-~ack
-
at the of'nce again we tound the house all tU,ed tor the
i
Carpets were covered. with ltnen. chandiliers,-with cheese
~er.
_ _ _ .... ..__....._.. .• ~
'-
-~:.<>
:i
• '-ot
....
c· _ . . . . _ . . . _
··-~--
"
cloth tor there were no screena in the windows, and Dr._ VanLennep
had
,..
.
\
the first fly swatter I ever aaw, which he kept by his hand at_ his desk
aa he worked.
Mrs. VanLennep and Becky had. gone to the !raymore in
.'
Atla:ptic City where the
~
Doct~
.
ran down !'rom time to time as work would
o•
I
permit. Much of the time I slept on ~ conch at the ~oot
we were
~lone
othe'S'.
his bed as
1n tha house a great deal, Gus being awa-y somewhere· or
·So the summer wore ·on •
.~
.·
·-
~-.
When the Doctor was away I 'took otnce hour' always a rather
trying experianca. The Doctor was a •all man and the ceilings in those
.
'
.
oldet- Philadelphia house were very high. _BetW'8en the oftice and the
waiting room there were tall
s~inging do~s,
I
and •hen I swung one open,
.
in the morning and said 'DrVanLennep !s away ~om the city• those who
had been waiting and had straightened up with a look
pation slumped down with disappointment and when t
••
or
pleased
~dded
antici-
that I would
aee those who desired it there was generally a rather complete exodus.
I could n:ot blame them tor, certainly I was not Dr. VanLennep.
Some of
the patients who kenew be better would come in and I would take care
them. Those patients had one advantage, however.
o~
They did not have to
wait long for I made it a strict rule to be ready at nine oclock sharp.
x bad
1'16.
J.A.M. ·pg.176
some atrange experience• u
aaaf.s'tant to the Doctor and
about the a~angeat waa with a tall b1& aoc1JttT
lD&IllfhO
came :trequent-
- • bich 1fU -•te ,.,,... pa1D.tul. Ihad to coc&iniwe
17 hr treatmen .. •
"~....
.
the par' ror &})out ten Jd.nu.tea then the Doc~or came 1n am1 gave the
_treatment.
.
'fhe pa-t1eut awore ·11k• a ptzaate and u
I ~illed 1n the
·
•o p.aas vm the needed lDA1;raDtenta. I have been with
veatmant rooa .
· · t~
h un and 1n aome pett'J' ~ places bu't I never ll
aoaepre .. #~
.
.
beard such & .n.011 · 0~ varied and apbat1• proranitJ'. I do no't bele11'e
'
--r race
showed . ,
hen• and oerta1D17• ·I made no Yerbal comme11t but
ciaasine.., ~ts·· one
lllOrD1Ds wheD ~- apOl1a1secl to .. T\U7
ecp letelJ' an4_1:mlbl7 and thereatte p1Jmecl and bore 1t .ar cmly al-
l01red himaeU a mild dam.
••
lfaD7 ,.eara lateP I ut him at a meeting ot
the Ch&P1t1es Committe ot the Philadelphia Chamber ot Commerce ot
I waa a member tor a lons time.
He apparentl7 414
DOt; ~e
oavtaou.a aa 'o all and I 41d not reeal tale ..~~ that
atatant.
file cane
o~
hiaa 111Deaa waa J10't
A& I baTe indicated• V&D
OJ18
~ied to make
wh1~
u
tho
IN Vanta aat
'that men car to rememr-
me stYe up
· plana. · so he tr1ed to 1n-tereat . . 1n a ditteent- ld.nd
'f'llT
lld.aa1oJUU7
o~ ~· than
'f1lT
· Pather ·nart-a.r ebtole at BrJn Mawr. AneJt- cona1derable d1f't1CQJ.ty he
persuaded tathez- to
p1t
up the pries
~
membership in the
Bachelo~' a
'.
Ba-ge Club that had a boat house em the Sclm71td.U nor the Pairmoun t
~.
daa and still baa I gueaa.
Be took •• to
tee at the Union League aDd
~course
t_ h1Dg to drink.
I
a large glaaa.
I t ook a lnia
-.e~
the Membership commit-
I waa at once uked to have aome-
Celae lemonade t¥r which they aerTtl
file night waa hot ·and the
dl-~
waa cool and bet'ore I
realised it I had t1n1ahed. '!hen another member uk yt,..at I would have
to drink and 1 took
~ther
Celaer lemonade and betbre we got ...7 I
waa aa nearlT drowD.ed aa I have ever been.
It 1a pretty nre I never
would have gotten in bad ~1~t~n~ot~b~e~e~n~r~or~. .JV~an~'~a___.JJWI.liUI!IlM.IL..Jt:m::........II.......JLILL~..._-.&o_
J.A.M. pg.l77.
177 •
utt&rl7 oat o~ 1t with those men and their aooiety go•s1pJ this mim
and that man• a escapadea 1 men whom I d14 not lalow or care to know. Gus
and I went to the club bowie two or three times &l'1d tou.nd • birch ca-
noe. -.ch to
1IQ1'l
joy. but the proper th!Dg was a •1Dsl•
.
ozt
dou.ble
ahell. We went to the 'Button• a Uttle hoaee owned~ the olub a-t
.
the JtOUth ot the W1aah1okon
~eek and bad au~ but it was no uae • I ·
..
.
..
414'nt dr1Dk and eo I . 414 not 1li1z with the members and that
. olub mem.
berahip wu aoon .over
.
~
. .. .
Va .ade another a-ttempt. Xl1o1r1Dg how aoDd I waa ot ahooting he
persuaded father to put up the price :tor ~ memberahip 1D a Vel-7
·
·
the 'laut1lua
.
ucluaive little olub whioh owned a ehoot1Dg achonep that c:ru.1aect 1n
~Sn
the Cheaapeke and the V'Ug1n1a sounds. '!here were .x2: on1,. a1x or e1gl:t
••
members ·and eo it co•• a prett7 pem17 to keep lt gobig. But as rather
waa opposed
to fllT going 1;o the m1aa1on ftelda he hoped Vanta
plana
.
.
1I'Otl14 succeed.
-
'
.
·~-
.
~-
.
.
.
~
'rbre• or tour
.
~
or 11r7 medical
ten• waa payizlg me $10 per week:.
or
;
.
~
te~ibl7
ue
friends were nq gr1esta on one trip
~he
By
that time the Doc-
weather was bad and we got noth-
mnddy walk on ahore
fUn joaldng and tdddSng.
DO
tar theae
.
. alleged attl.-act1ona:.
to the 1faut1lua that aet me back quite a b1tll.
Ing more that a
.
Van had great respect tar Mother but he had
t'ar tather
except to 1r0rk him
.
..
-·
'
a~tho
we had a good deal.
But aa l did not. drink and •• m7 acrouplc
would not allOW' me to otrer any to my gu.eata the trip coald not be
~·
conaidered
~
auceeas.
!hey had to retu.rn. to their ott1cea but I stay-
ed t'or acme ahoot1ng and wen't oa:t 1n a at$ box the hext moimiDg•my
•
ftrat and I am aure D'17 last experience with i#hoae inventions ot the
·de't'il• now. happil7, against the law.
shaped, wate:rot1ght box with a
a1dea.
~olding
Th1a contrivance 1s a coffin
platform on each end and the
Long betoH daTlight it 1s taken ou.'t a mile or
1JOl'8
b-om the
aOhooner and achcnered in a place thought au1table and then weighted
............
--------------------------------~,~·----------------1'78.
with 1roa
decoJS.
ducks, placed -01'1% the wodea winp tha.:tr rest on the
.
.
water,. at11,.
with the 1tetght ot the
..
S\l'D!l•~"•
\
the
taa. box was tl\tah
with k
. ...
·,
a ilurcnr aD'ip ot sheet. lead being
tumed up
.
.
wat~r.
.
of" the box to keep .&11
I
nugb. wah1".
~ipplea
'
7octct_d~on
~mag
.
the sides
-
out. Of"course 1t oamtot be used in . ··
are plaoed
.
all
Ueuac1
.
.
•o thal the box ap-
~· to be m th• o~,ter: o't the 1ug. flock ot cluoka, ad ia aaaro.e'
l7aooiable.
~
;l
!h• atta~in ~at then
pzmer. elad 1mt . long
co•• 'back to the aehoner,. the
~bber boota rm4 pl•tJ"
-
!
~ •
.,.
ot warm elothiDa,~- .
1Jlg·e11Jdd blto the oottta aad lain 4ft1l,.tull l.asth with a amall pa4
to
!here he 11••• ab1e to aee a little on
illightl7 n.iae his hed.
~ther
aicle BD4 a long way atn.ight ahesd whlle he looks for eYelT"
t1J17 wan to ease splaahing i!lto hia 11ot. too ..tortable 'bed. Someti
tb.ea he pta 111&J'Tel.ous shooting but those 4ucka had ·had experience
~.
tllll.ike their hum.aa ·vothen who ol.ai& to lte so wise. thq learn
.
.
With Jla%"nl.oua r&J)idi~.
.
!'
.
~
!here were
&
lo'\ ot -other aickboxee or bat\
tel••••• the,- are al•o oalled,acattered. all .....~ the bq• 'JUI:IlT farther
: i
4on aad as the duekla t17 up atnaa the7 were allot at. al.l_al.ons the
1.bte.
nan
we~
no
flocka,. . onl7 ai:agle 'bird.a aa4 ·one. started up 1t
.
• • ba11g• bang all
the time.
.
.
111th ner,-
beag
'Ula 4uek tlhif't.ed gear to
. a areat.er ap.eed, UD.tU he waa &CillS like aa aiz:plaue in a Q)eecl race
when he baehed ••·
In proper
tom
I •at. up md tired when "the duck
,... 1D rage but. I ettppose he was a halt' .U.e up the bq when m:1 ah:ot
&D'iTecl wheJ>8 I hoped he would be~
U the duoka llad behaTed
~roperly
'\My would haTe oome in necks and slowed. up to the decoJ'll 81ld just a s
•
they ...re reaq- to drop then SiTe them the right barrel• swing ,-our
the ltox cd liT• th• the
lep ner the side
o~
tor a new tlight.
But thq would not behaTe ed
•~
aa the gather
atter after an hour
tw streaking comets that came along I aignaled to be
I'd had. quite enough. I belirtd the CaptaJ.n took "'li:r place
two at t:a
take nt.
l~t.
-.1 ebo'\ a
r-
d.uoka be1:on tho. Gml
~.3lt. ~.:msn who 'Ulou~
_ . I lza4 plazmed 'to atq a
so~ too
bip
m1d 'tho
tliaht' was
ou&bt- .to so to ,1L!J:ri\A~
tor same dap o.re Dloh bette
tilat ..,. 'a tUP,t•
tn
dlqa
suzmon
the Qaptahl as81U'ed me 'bit-t yq printe op1Jliaa....,. that w!:th 40
~- ·a.q duck soma dqs ~ "be -~uat. ao aad tla othen a pod clea1
won•
11Zl4 I waa :aot ao kee. · l3ea14e. I cU.4 not. t-.1 so po4 IISCl ·that.
~
had quite a bit ot tner.
»mtTsoh
all cwu me aa4l-J.ad.e4 ~-
JlaT• coae to t:be IIIIOker 'bl.lt
~
~alt,
ma. without. delq.
X ~4
too msea ao cot:a. aeat lD the- back
• PJ]lmm aa4 hoped no cm•wou14noUn llf¥ 1Do:caaing pl.mpl.a.
Aft1:ft!Dg 1D
noa tor I
...
tla cift7 l1nllt t4 Dr. VmiLcmapa lalt ODl7 \o the wai.Uq
1f&8
atra1d I ml.sht. spnct ccatasia ancllJAd auap.tcd.oau
Jsa4 • tine attack ~ _ch!ckp pox aae ~ wl2oaa
Gus p
vi~
aoan
are .w.1 witl:t.
•
srea"
o=:P!Ds trip to !Ia.lne. Te lla4
that iri.p was d...U.ad to sin me oae ct t.be moat
Ean7 ancl
h\1 plazmin& it azul
~~·
~
G1T1Jig the Doctor acme ot the 4uaka I lmrrieci haDII azul
8All l)o:.
-,.
ID tlle morrd.ns au. aupUoa appean4
M
.
apuiaacea I
011 a
ft"ft'
ba4.
7or
BOlle
--
zoeaaoa ltothw h&cl
s=e
\o the Club Irouse on Uegazat.lc Lake to 'be Jo1Dcd by' J'atls-r late on.
Sba had wri'ttc mdlcatin& that ahe was mtlax loael7 oo what nicer
~
f"or me to go 1n adTcae ot tlla
~a1•
"bo7a SDd sin her • a1uo:;u:ue
-ror a few dq aa . . _plam:ted to oasp 1n tbat aeneX'Ol. nd,oo.
otr I
•
otle-~
-
-
......n tor our pl-. wve ooar;plete9
and what tu1l
to 'Pl8ll a
f18Z1Pina '\rip tor wnlta 'botore oae SO"• !lla Sound boat. to Boatan,
vam
up
mto YaJ.ne and a little nanow
ga.uge
R.n ••
tha~ Send7 River
road I lan wr1ttll about, to some little place whcml a ataae took&
u
to JTe4
our gldde.
vues
houae 1:1 !'b111ps tor ~ D1~. ~red waa to be
AlaDB about 1n tha attemooa ot the oeoond dq I begozt
-
l.'
1!)'
'
180.
thermometer showed I bad a ccnaiderable f'enr and 7JrT thnat bepn
to teel sore.
ne
'!'hen I lmewJ rolfSIL],t!Iil end on JQ' wq ~o the woodal
rem&dies in the
,ag for emeregeDcies were Juat
tor
what I need
)l
-here was one ot tbOae rare emeargencies to% ,whioh a maa oarli.ea Be4e-
ciJlea all his lite•
---~~
like pistole 1D
'ru:aa'~u
· ottea. but. when 7011 dO>•. J"011n1lee4 the: ~' B7
don't need them · _
~
time I naehe4
the little station where I waa to take the atage I was near17 delirious
'
.
.
.
So . 4ou'bt the dri.
I was
4ruak
- ver thoupt
.
__
~
·M to citT aporta who
aon
•
in
the.~
"
..
he waa acouatoa-
ccmd1t1on. But he was a goocl a
,
atd go-t a blanket. out. ot 'fiJ7 tl"Ul'lk and apred it under ·the aeata
the floor .. 1 t was em• ot" those long three seated wagons. ad I wet.
asleep cml7 to •ake whe!l I reaohed the VUea houae·m Stzatton.
~d
l'recl· VUee who was
-.
~"f'ed
-~ 110 doubt•
to be ou guide and his nice wire wera kindaeaa
~
1 tael~ 1nsp1 ta ot their amal1 aomrhom. I told t.ham to keep e.-q tram ae
!he aext morning, I was so much 'better,no doubt duo to Ilomoeopa-
thT•/-- ,X tal t I oould push
on aa
Jl
later.
I waa clue to mee't the boy-a a !ew da7s
'
l'red took me \o u•tioe in his buckboard where he got me
a
horse
to- ride aa I waa too weak to_ walk• his sgall aon. l3ern1e, going alon g
. -t4 br1Dg tha horse back.
At the lower lake:z o£ The Cllain o! Ponds
tla old llatania took me to the camp where llotber,
~rs.
Perks and party-
had camped some 7eara before and there I stopped tor the night.
~a
bla:aket'a -bl the oabin had not been well aired and the bough were damp
and I did- not sleep w·ell and the next momlng X ··!1.7 throat waa m:lght7
•
sore.
I had a twelTe mile wa.lk ahead o'! me
but that was
no
place
to be sick and dear llotaer waa at the end or the trail and I began to
want her
I
mew
T8%7
oadl7.
So to puah on. The oa.re taker, ltr. Lambert whom
nll took •• :in a row boat to the Upper Lake and I wa,a ott on
a good plain trail tor m7 lone11 stroll.
-
u-A--
---·d +a 1 tmb•r m• un
and
ma,ke JC.7 thro&t better s.nd D
p
I
•
I
Z .A.v..· pg.lSl.
181. {
before long I reached Iaasaohuse~a Jog, about half way feeling in pret-1
...d ahape.
!his place was noted tor_4eer and you could aee one there
and aometimea a moose &lmoat any time.
But as I crept to the bushes at
the edge and peered out there as Just the expanse of grass and little
.
pon4a aud lilly pads and nothing aliTe.
I 414
on.
ao~
\Yith aix mile or more ahead,
watch long and after a bit to eat and a little rest I pushed
!he last miles seemed intermina-le and streohed out in anlcnown
distanoes tor I had only been oTer that trail once before and that was
that Bight when Jlra. Perks waa along and Bishop led us astray.
At k
last, Just aa I had about decided that aomehpw I must haTe gotten on
the wrong trail, that weloome glillllller of light that tells one that a
.clearing is near or a lake, appeared ahead and 1n a tw momenta I en-
••
tered the elub Bouse.
~e
room, you know llotller knew
atill at home.
lteward said llrs. Wilbur was in tla dineing
not~ing
of my coming and thought I waa u
A more aurprized woman you neTer ••• as I walked in
the dineing room and found her eating lunch with a man, the only other
cueat 1D the house.
Ye teased her
~ot
about m7 terrible discoTery.
And then I was sick, cood and hard and It I 4id aot oheer •bther at
least I kept her aind fully occupied tor a 4ay -*z or two and how good
it was to see her dear taoe aboTe me and feel the gentle ainiatry or
her beloTed h.ads.
Before I had to le&Te to aeet the boys we had ttme tor some nioe
ri4ea on the lake and one picnic up Spider RiTer where Jlotllr could
oaat her alloreing tly tor trout and then, tar too aoon, I was orr tor
•d earl:y atart back to 'lhe Cbain. K7 throat waa raw but I was feeling
••
ttretty tit and aade the twelTe ailes 1n 100d time, and aoon was &t tJa e
eampa, this time w1 th a 4!7 bed you _.,. be aure.
'!ramping back toward
••utioe, the next aorning, I kept ay eyea peeled looking tor a ~it
atiek
~Y
the trail with a note in it telltag where to turn to .the Dead
RiTer aearby
~4
helloo tor
~red
Tiles, all •• preTtoualy arranged.
1
l
•
·-
..
l82J
Bote. Al the I took the material a to oontmue thia ato17 to
LaTallette laat aummer. time passed without writing any and 1 t 1a
••• ..Tanu&%'7 9th, 1835 and my children vge u to continue. so - - - •.
J'red J:lad tolc¥ae, aa well •• he eoUld, where te look tor the atick
•4 tho Dote lnlt i t 1• rather hard for a oit7 JDD to noosniae the
'eip' 1D the woe.. a.
CR14e
I ha4 to
~t that
••t trail.
!he Bllllber et mlea from. the Chain wa.a the boat
cu••• at for there are •• aigapeata en a tor-
You J~q l»e nro I kept '11'3 e,-.a Jlued to tho lett hand side
et the nurn path as I lm.rriecl
&lens, wmderillg 1f I had paaa•d the
••te end: aheuld I go ·'back!' !han,- there 1 t 1a1 a peeleel white stick
Yith
epli t at top JDDl ·a 'bit e! p-.er held there. L1ft1Dg .., Toiee in a
I,
,I
"'
,.
I
Ic
!
:
111sht~
eall I sent out a helloo aorod the riTer ud threught the
forest. l'red' a anneriBg about aetmded llighty aood ad aeon we were
laaCk at the camp we were to Houpy with Gv.a ud Bar17. The tbee cabina nre en Ohaae pond, a litUe lake, perhaps a llalt aile lrmg,
ao :PH tty and so quiet en eala
•&Y• ad 1Jl
the naillga, we oalled 1 t
J'red had the oabiJla awept eut and tho -place rid up and
nrror Lake.
part ·•r the npl)liea in so after a 11 ttle • n work n wet down the
nnr in his eanoe to hatia
the 1Je7a that
~md
ao to Ilia liNe ill
S.~n.t.ten
to ... t
•1pt.
'!hey oaae &1.1 right lNt the aut day waa •• :rainy . . it was
.~•olish
atfle
'b atart to caap ~ut the tellowiJlg 4ay found u
~addling 11p
tour aci our
the Dead BiTer t4nra.r4 eaap. Jlred' a oanee waa a
Jl&n'el• auauall:r larpx,
a4 ,-et lliah 1Jl the water. A happier -unch
eeltl.d. ••t be ftnmd. ETa quiet Yred •aught the ontagien but we were
•
»rett7 quiet a._out it for a7ftY a1D11te we -.tght see a 4eer around the
••xt ••. ,.
.
~4.
-
;
J'red Vilea n.a the beat picte I nor bw.
:Jetter educated than
aoat of that •lase lle waa etteeiat, k1Jl4, thoqht:tul ad eheerf'ul
•troll£ ad ~1&,
a p-eat wernr nt weYer ltet.herills er etticioua •
3:·_,·:
.
"
tun
Ee leTed
'
J .A.JI. pg.xaD 18S.
. 183.
and a Joke )ut eould be poa1t1Te i f eecaaicm aeeded it. .
It )lad lMen &rnzlged 'before had
tl:la~
I waa to eook end the oheres
were 41T14ed between· the ethe.ra •• that •• • • .had. much work and to
1fhe
...k waa Juat flul.
.
.
amp that
it•ar.
!
.
.....,___'
'
.
pictures et that uap in album no.3. are atill
:.
•t
.
what laa.ppene~~b while in
; -.. .
\
OD•:, ~~ tile t i d w1Bd ••• atraug acr~·~~the lake and
we tried \o aee whit '-uJ4 pad4le the bia emoe asaJ,Dat the w1114 while
r
I
•
'
,.
••ate4 in' Uie non. !'ltoM WM llaTe had ez:periace 1n oanoeiJlg know
llew 41ttioul t tJiat ia. I ,... the enl7 auoceeatul cme but I
..
U7.
tid llet
Perha:pa 1 t Y&ll
••t threw the ltew
hish
110
~eoauae
I waa lighter weight and ao did
ltut I waa Uqh ad atreag and ehuok
md those leng ailea I :paddlM in 'Ule \feat 4id
bUQ'
au••• J'red
~l
ef
••t ao tor noth-
lag.
J'red had a little houae, elean aa wax with a fine wife at Stratton ad pnerall7 wented te QeDd Jtari
to 4o oho:rea. He would
the
trl~
set
•f a 4.,- there about nery week
wuppliea ad
•rag
$ao:t the ...11.
I liked
4cnm the riTar md b&ek ap.in ad I waated W7 ll&il from :i'lor-
enoe I ~md Kaud
~eial.17
•
I w.t wt 'Ul lWI
ad nearl7 'broke wp ·eur hap:f7 *-P.
~•r
a
••~•
ef tilripa
llan7 4114 aot like te 1M
l~tt
to 4o the work. l!o waat l&Q' ltut he llad -.oemrworking hari. ad it waa
all agreed that I •runald to th-'••kin&· Be I p n ~·• '&ri})l up and
we l1a.d ao lind
~tleasure
a
*kG ~.at
tat eam.p.
A 'tr.ip to aDother lake aou Jlilea awq ahne4 •• a M&Ter houae
/
tnu., al tM •• 11&4 \e ~vJ.ld
u ••• whe •houl4 p !1th :rre4 fer
ad ~ro1:1~t •• aoao fi••
•
th•. ,.~• 4rew leta
4eer and • Tery eaay U.t acler the
,<
'
.
J.aek •reucht 4ft'D a
a ratt to get
7
~1~; b.a .
)ig 4oe. I tel t
'nr"7 '\adl7 about 1t 'but fted aignaled •• te ahoot aa.d \here ahe lay •
~
;.
When ..., JteedA aeat ag&ill Harr;r tried lJut Yi
theut &eee•a ad then
'- --.
•4 l'rW
wat 111'
,·,
'Juk' •
j
u.•
~ for a 4ql1~ shot eDd
!1.an7 aa4 I u see lt we, b7 euraelTe
7inr ne tereDHil te
tMir.....,. fen lePeiaa
GUll
·I
184.
:\t
,f ~
:.•
eould cet a deer at a little
that leok like killing
t-.117 er frinda
- · }h- n
Oil
cam•
~~
abeut half a Bdle from
oamp.~
Doea
for the 1"1111 of 1t? I repeat& aone of our
aray eampblg •r eu'ttng trip uer killed more
oould take eare er ad aeTer killed Juet tor the tun or
ktllbla, or te -.ke a noon. Jreither Ha:rr7 er I ••r &117 one else
~ought
... had llnlch ohaDce of pt.tillg a deer at the bog ad aa Gua,
Jlacl DeTer allot at a d.eer •• nre Dot 'Ye%'7 aure or hia ptting one
•4 lle 414'wt.
Jiar17 and I loafed around after lUDch until Dea.rly aundc:nm and
then atarte4 out to the moat UDunal aTdenture that ner betel ••·
~
Ye had JleTer bee to the 'bog tho l'red toll ua where the uail 'began
•d aa
•••
u
~e
pidea often ocmai4ered a bl1Jld path Uao the wood• to be
plain aa the epa road Harry took
1t0uld
aD
ax to 'blas• a trail so we
return eaail7 if the path waa toe eltaoure.
and it tell to
JQ:
-t.r
We had drawn lots
m'Jtlo the ahootin&, if we were lucky en~ught to get
a allot. J'ly dope wwaa smea.red on eur faoea and banda liberally for
while we did not haTe much bother trom them around camp they were
aure to be fierce at ant bog.
'!'hose boga, 70~ow, are 11 tUe le.kee
&1. tho aom.etimea they are quite large, Yhoee 'bank• are Juat quagmires
ef ••••• pitcher plants and roota, etten grewing out OTer the water
~d
aametimes supported, if that ia the wor4.
4on't aeem to baTe
~my
~
aotteat mud.
. They
bottom for eTen up 'to Ute Tery banke they is
Juet aott oozy mnd,not the aticky kiBd lat. Juat ao aott it otters no
at al~.
w.pport ~o IIZ1)"one who falla m. :But we .m• what they were and were
I
••t htherad about
that. Ya knn well that if a fellow did cet. in
it was aighty hard te ela1r eut tor the
~ottom
feet and the bank wu •• aott that it waa
pTe DO aupport to the
'Y8%7
hard to get aD,Tthing
\a which to hold.
· Ye f•ad the trail ~ertao\17 •lear ad u
we quiatl.7 neared t.he
Ml a 4eer whiatled IIDd w1 th creat eauticm we crawled into t.he fox-
.•
~·--C;
J.A.K. pg.l85.
;}~·.
.·~
'
.
.
'
laurel that arn eloae.
.
~d
.
the water e4ge. the tllea, •
~·
wd4gel ...refterri'bl.e
)Jut
we did
JlOt
,..
.
. .... .. -185.
moaqui toea .. ·
dare to JUke tmY quiU. m.OTement
to triTe th• uay.Very alowl,- and oautieual:r we would bend our heads
~~
• t t l wejoould set our hand llp ltebind the 'buahea and rub
aw&7
frn our .,-ea.
ne
~
peata
dope MlJted a lot 1ntt it Juat oould'nt keep
.,:11 those IIW&l'lla away. 1--su ia *••at with. I waa in frcmt with a 44
nli-..er Wi.Dcheater rifie,f'ull
wha hll7 oharged.
J~&g&Z1J1e/
holdiBg 12 carteidgea Dr*D
Ye clid •ot expeot t.o pt iaere than two ahota at
aoat •• ha4 enly put 6 eartridgea in tha ahaaber. Barry ...... a little
.
~light breeze
~cl •• and"-.a. idJa:Jl . . . ltlowing toward ••• w.,bad •••n to that.
The sun had disappeared 'behilld the aoUDtain; tare waa that lmah
that oomea juat at aunaetathere 414 Bet a-.m to -· a aound •xcept the
1ni'arn&l hum of the insect• about our
uua.
ad 4ap ad Teey uncom!ertablo and the
aeaed.
TOr)".
the 'bog,
ad
I& were cramped nad tense
ebazl•• er a
deer ooming out
small IIJ1YW&Y and lf&a it worth wldlo:'andi then-- right acrose,
zoot
~rda • ..,.. a yearling 'bucl( 'atepped out from
the trees
atood look1J1g this way and 'that ead apparantl:r exaotly at the "Tery
.-pot where we aat like
:But
•tatuea~
u 414 aot ... ••
or wind ua and
began to walk al ...l , alag aear the tree• wmare. Uut cromui waa t&irly
,
fi.m. •non' t ahoot wh1 spered RarZ7 as lle MJa.ked low 4on around in front
•• L/_ (
• ;
~
'T"V'-1- ~
of me to gi.Ye •• a nat for t.la rifle;
the deer' a hlla.d waa d.01f'll
.
&a
.
lh'en 1n the exoietmat I wa.a
le
-~
11/
•
Ofoourae he enly moTed when
'brnaed alo•a eem.ing alH'ly toward ua.
••t to tenae te ••t• his craoe and beauty.
0
.
-Put the aighta to !00 7U'Cla"aaid Jla.rr7.
I
!lie teer ahewed aome signa
•f reatlesme••. Bad some auQieina ao1Dld taeaehM him er aome ,utTer
~
et a tw11 er _ . atray whitt •t
•
ll8Jl- aeeat,•::aetter
,,
aheot,he' • go1Bg eut
'!'he rifle waa already eTer ll.a.rry •hou14er aad I •1chted. lmrrtd.ly and
t1re4. It ••• \he 4qa ef ltlack powder and '\114 mnoke hid eTerything b~.:.
with ao ~upt •r eeunaoieu
pUI'J••• I
ha4 Qnllll '• -..y teet ad as tl.
•:Pke eledn .•a;r \~n •teed the teer ataremc at tha~trup
....
•
t..-.
3 .A.ll. pg.l86.
-
t:'
'·
'
:.-'
!·
•
-186.
•nature that ao auddanly had a:pnmg from •owlJare. Bad he Dot been
••
~=I
and ineXperienced heC\ woJJld baTe leaped to the wooda the next
~ a.o tA.J.. ,... ~
.
aeoon4 wt there he stood mfi,J tierecl again. A leap and there he waa
,.
[
leekiDg at me at hard aa before. It did net aeem:poaaible but aa I fired
\he tbircl time he went straight up iDthe air,head firat,noae pointed
t• the *'/md •• aatoniahingly high. And then he eame tlcnrn i11 a heap
D4 llarry aud I 1 yelling lik.e a&Tagea,ran tcnrar4 him keeping well
~
f:rom the edge ef the 'bog.
Jrad we
Juat Y&lked quietl7 hwd h1a .1 t might liNe been a 41fterent
•t•%7 but who oan tell' 'Per before , . were halt way to the buck he
llad, ao•ehow, wriggled te the water and was ft'imning 1n amall circles
•
rowd and round, near the edge
again, neTer. thinking to
aiaa.
or
the ahore. We a topped and I tired
lower~ aighta
er sake allnancea • .Another .
f
lt7ai t• until we • re en top et him',.ella Harr,- &a we rep! nearer
Tw.uty teet
awe:r
and
b~:
uother Jliaa tor we are both about oruy
._,. Ulia time, 8114 I gueaa tbl yoor teer waa too. The hammer f&lla a
agai.Jl ltut •• nport tell•••.• 'tlw' I had fired the laat eartridge.
!he d.eer Yaa still tnri.mmi.!lg in circles ooming quite near to the
U.n. ETidentl;r he Yae partly p.ral.j:zed but aeemed to be getting s
atronger. Harry had kept hold
er
to him te hit
head u ha oaae near the bank. There
~he
clear
~ ~he
the axe thro 1 t all and I shouted
an 'flana, here and there, where a eort ef hummock at tbe edg,make
1 t poaai~le t• ,et(,l••• te the water ad Barry aa.naged to reach ene
these ad Ya.t.aed hi• axe fer a mshQ'
•
~at
'!he ax 4eoended, the wobbly b.ummeok pTe
aa the 4eer neared him.
·~
and Harry went do1m in
the eoze almost to his neck and the teer o1rcled en. The ax went cl01m
wl\h Ea.rry
-~t•a
P&ll wonder that ha left it there.
••
J.A..K. pc.lS?.
J
8&Y Jlar1"7
el8.1r1Jlg &t tile
-.:s thoughts were on
-~
\~
,.
18'7.
~OQgy lJaDk
•t•u
tleer and I oalle4,
Jsla thnat• Here! yelled Bar17,
•aet •
b7ing to pt eut but
ft'bl out and out
out et Wal
I'• a1Dklns 1D
!hat rather quieted ae ~or tba llCiaent aad ;4-eaobtd wt the
the . .4. •
•t.Hk •f the rtne 11nd hauled hill eut to .ore aollcl sround. !ben,
~
.
*-' •••
take ett 117 haa-,y i:amtlns ahoe11 I lay
,_
nad7 in .,. teeth.
• - a:ac!. ri«gle4 ner \he auah)" edge and anm to t.he &tear. my mite
wt thnt" wa1 tiDg te
·
-rlllntatlDg eut .,- laaa4 H P'&SJ) u
I felt a sllarp llln ad aDd teuad
~ raaor•like
i.
. . ",..
7q
.
head lalee4111g freely. A •low trom
edge et a uot ad aut. a p.sh aoroaa the
ft1'7 ._1& •r 'n%'7 . .rtoua 'but n-q Bmeh of
heard hnr daadl7 were the
»ora or
"
l
ear ad eo throu,hia head 'ba.ok
&
1:.:1,:-:t:-L-
I :bad etten
surprise.
a cleer 'bat I bad aot
~unted
on
Jlia bebsg able to use them in \he 11'&ter. So 1 backed ott a 'bit. ud -.
wa1 tM. 'tor h1la to oome around a.g&in 1n hi a &irole and 4eoid.ed .a
. • n plan
•
er
&.
attack. A• he went lq I sra.bbed. hie ta.ll and lllid onto
)111\.llae~d reached 'forward tor the ea.r again l:nlt, like a lnlcking bron.
t
eo hi • bend went under water azsd I wen oyer hla head. somehow I eaca.p-
M that
nrtng
ho~.r.
It was a Te'Q' close eal.l tor had he struck rq
aicle Jle would haTe rit''Ped •• ope aa a ah114 t.eara a paper lag.
I was pretty nll winded by this t.illle and a..,..r heard.
alsoutbl.& to oeme a.ahore.
Harry
u
W7 :Blood was up Cl4 I wanted ••at and I
watacl it badl7 ad I waa pin£ to laaTe
tail I ••=tee! rq steed again
n.t
Jr&
lt. Ollce •re CJ'&,.bing that
this \1ae 1 k.,t well to the rear
•d pt the ear ad 81aahe4 11.7 bote twioe aoroaa his neak and alid
•
kelt qu1okl7 eyer hi a
J1arr7
4n..cged ... b
JVSp
111' en the • • • u4 I l q pati.Ds. The _deer waa 11
Cll1 te· 4ea.4. tloattng n
Bar~
a
an4, al.aoat playec! eut1 paddled uhore wher.e
the water.
••• tv~ pill£ o•t ac! ..,ties .a. eu-ou ltt.a' t•Jaat .,..
•Mr ••4 atter a fw -...... I ••• ea\
M4 '•-'
•1• ••boMw ADd
•
188 •
BN'l"7 wu tor p1ng eut az:ad pttlDs the •aroaa
4HI' ad I wanted to finiah the Job.
wt
that waa BT
so, atter setting 1%0" breath I
waa wiW.ills wer the J:tO;CJd BUd to ~ we.tjler. 1 took powerful
etrokea with rq ama, k1okad Tiprou11171Nt 414 aot
aea:rer to the 4eer. Von
~tort
•••'l'!l to pt any
end ao •r• proareea.
~hen
I realised
Uta\ Bar17 wu 4oubl e4 up •1 th 1-.usht.er. Attar •tnggl1ng to p t his
ltnath •
..u... "YeV
U ... a tari.
•.:bT -.rBia
....
an nlll aaa.re. Xiek ahtta4 • 11~t.1••
laeaT7 water •oaked aboae . .re kicking ill -\be art
W)"
fd the
~·•"
}M)c
•4 I UutlaPt thq .were 1D water.
But tile
.
..,... out ill ribbons, Ju•"t aa tho aomerme lla4 alaelled the. up ad clown
i
~
It came to me that a• I 11aa riding J!U" deer l he.d to.tt ~
_with a ruor.
aMthbsg •trikblg tho baok or IIY lea. n.ther lipUy •
I» of' or the·
,.psiajured hind
It •a• 'that
atrik1D6 4on. t i lr7 le; lf'&a only barely acra:toh-
~·.:
H ht a-piu. I reallae4 I ba4 bad a T•l7 eloa• oall.lta4 *Y leg botm ~
tbat hoot what it woulcl haTe tleDe
a 11ttie JMa.Mr •
~
$he bii
lU.ood~
n•Ml• lu the "bao'k: ot the leg 1• uot plea.aattt to 'Ulbu about.
~
: ::::::::J::~::::~;a5:: :::::::~~= t
para1J¥ecl oae a14e.
hr - • reaacm
Ban7
•••e4 to tbtJI)c I
:::
~
waa 111 a 1l&d way. 1 •••
*T•rina and ebaki!li tft111lerna tor lt waa'n\ •ld &D4 Harr.r 11la1a
•••
e4 b
.'t
nsb.blg •• be.ck to ..-.:p ad ltet.Yea ltlanketa while 1a pTe •
ao:at~thing bot
w
tlrlnk.
It was'Bt whlakq er liquor tor I would sot .
'..A- .t-+
laaTe ~&ken 1 t lf he bad ottere4,A.I dan\ belift'e there wu A7 1D ~~
ft.- , . told Yre4 &Mut 1'\ 1M eould J:ar4l7 'Mlln• 1t
Jd.a kead. •c!
- -
~d
1u lda ,utet
.-· ···-
~t . . .,
- . .. ... - --- -· _...
anj.
•ok ~
!Japreaa1Te wq • I wt44'at
~
!hen were
110
;r ~-·· pg.
--.:. "189.
1!9.
llad e:t:teota froa·my adventure.
J1Y hand healed. -
'ri thout tnteot10Jl 'tho 1 t bad batm d.rqged thra mud and •oaa and all·
aorta at 'UWlga and I waa Tery proud o:t the aoar which I atill oarry
altho 1 t :la 'Y8r'7 Dl&ll 1unr.
Aa 1D all eampa 1 the aad. tillle •-• when we
auat pack up and refirat pack ..x
tum to work a:r1d we determined tba.t we would trJ2dlla"our l•et day ohock
~
et pod tillea.
full
;.··
In the forenoon we tramped to a lake tor :tiahing
~
acme two er three lllilea away and Iliad lunch and 1n the late a:tterngon
we retuned to the ri..-r bt a 4if:teret trail
llaak ab&tUt 4uak.
~md had
.
aupper en the
Ahtho we waated to giTe Gua a alwt we 4id'nt oare
. .ueh whether he ,et ae ar aot ed apparentl;y Dei ther did he.
so ••
lau.ghed and talked and moked and elattared tin ware and when 1 t was
qu1 te 4U'k lighted our Jack and all fnr lnmdled 1Dto the canoe.
!
I
I
I
Deer were not ao Tery 'thick but would 7ou l»eline
1 t / we llad.
har417
cone
a lnmdred prde before the
high
atanding em the b&nk ahead
or ••·
lack light tell on a big 4oe.
Of eourae we bad all agreed en a
buck and to ahoot nothing alee. So J'red alld the oanoe ner tcnrard
her
the 4ee which atood with :all rump toward u
er
urare
the light at all.
and did
to 'be
ll'ea.rer and Bearer the eanoe alipa along
atil we are aot twenty :teet
aw~y.
There ij ocmaiderablo current in
.,
the rintr and Fred teara .,....ill be 4ri:tted ....,..
-·
110t . .em
How he n-er managed
'to hold that canoe aero a a the eurrent without pushing e11 the bottom
la atill a
1nl
~ater,r.
Se Yrad ahouted, •Ballo,
1'he d.ee quinred u
tho atruek
~,.
~llo,
hallo, Oil Fel-
a beaT7 laln lnlt atill stood
leokiDg blto t.he woods. Then the oaao• •truck a IJ\Ulken log,£ently
h t 'the 4e•, with ane high bound Ya.a i!f 'tha to'reat and &lf&J'.
•
Ye
llawled with J•7 at the beauti.fJtl aight and nung .a dcnm the :riTer •
~
----
,...fer
J'red bad said be! on we tint ata.rted
that -.e would 'nt see any
a -.ile at least ead by &ll the lawa or hunting we ahould not
.
after all the r&U8t
1N . . .de, but ~ra Y&S • • ,
Ul7"&7•
.l
190.
l.A.ll. PG.l90.
•
Strange aa 1 t 1a, we had Dot goae 30 7ards 'before we • • an ether·
'
doe and had a ti11e Tin of her aa aha atood well 1n the light. Shortly
.
after that a 4eer whiatled and eraahe4 aroU114 111 the bushes just out of
alpt. It looked aa U1o they ha4 all eome to aee what all tbe noiae
waa about!
!hen we went quite a piece, perhaps half a mile down the riTer
before •• aaw another. A mapping twig to our right, caught Fred' ts
ear and inatent17 we were all 'tcae and liateniDg aa 11red alGWl;y IIW'lmg
the bow toward ahore.
It is generally belined t.hat a deer will not
aome out ef the bruah to the ll'&ter when the light ia shining 41recU;y
en where he la end, as we clid'nt care much whether we !Ot a 1 hot or not,
Pnd kept the licht steadily on t.he J].aoe where we all heard considerable crackling• 'l'alk about the quiet of t.he'nlght before Chriatmaa• 1
!here certainly, "not e. creature was stirring• except aa the «eer would
•oTe now and then, uneasily.
Wppoae 1 t
A!ter what aeemed a long tble to ••• I
mey haTe been fiTO mi.l1utea, the bushes
a%
the riTer edge
slowly parted and a 7earling buck thrust his head into Tin. It ,... a
hard place to hold the boat, directly aoroaa the current whioh was ·
quite atrong. :But Fred did 1 t en4t.he ray of light neTer left the deer
j'
en instant. If it had the deer would be pne like a flaah.
we could see hi a stubby um9 clearly and his wide,w.ondering eyes
as he looked at what I •uppose he thought was the moon. But if the
•oonit must haTe been nry, Tery•full• indeed ror aeTer clid a . -
j
aoon aeem •o near or to hang •o low eTer the water.
But he waa yo1mg
•d foolish, tho, DO 4oubt,l1ke lll&llY another 7oeg thing, just Tergaing
1Bto manhood, he thought he lmn it al.l.'lhan Tery alowl;y he atepped
•ut and into the water, 41ppillg hia JmSsel a . . .ant., thm lifting his
•
head to look..,at that •illy •oOJl aga.ia. With wonderful akill :F.ced brougl::..
the oemoe alewly and ailently toward the l.eer aa we all aat like atone
191.
J.aa.ae• -aJmre eur thumping hearta,wbioh were Dot of atone, woul4 be
•
l:aaar4 ~7 t.hoae alirt ears. 'l'he t.enaloa was t.err1t1o aa •• al1d ao alow17 and allentl7 tortnrard.
We har41Y 4and 'to ~ath. kJU wise cleer
w.ul4 a ever h&Te taken the ohanoe er ulned_ •• t._o get ao near tor,
"7 -this time Gua,who was aitting ill 'the bft, could al.moat wuch ~e
_1nlok with hia gu11.But this dear was a
)'8llftg
fell ... 'whi laln it &118
•4 oould take oare or ld.aael.t'. berT hail'll n
the 11 the. crao•tul
lte47 was pla1Jll.7 ••• .ne~ aha4ing of recl-t.rnn \o white perfectly
el.•ar· StepplDg 111. .1,- al.eng, hia 4&1.11\7 teet. Just barel7 1B the
water, a 'be&Ut.1tul eight ef pnt.le loi.U.••••· Aad then we nn,four
~lee4 \hirat7 aaTagea,longiJig to killl :But •• 414 aot feel \hat. W&7
tlwn.
Eea4 4nn 1 head up a E7•s atairiDc, aoat.rUa qui vertilg. eara
t.brtnn:l aharpl7 toreward. Hed down, noae nusling around ln the cool
~
water
5
tail
~1-p])iDg
11 ttle so1Dlc!1
baok aDd fo*thl
lie~ quleklY
1llh4id be eatoh aome
:ror ene little' t.lmk' of tlW paddle a
t.ha oaDoe; one
tbl7 auape em the river bottom, one least aot1cm aA4
ao
1D a nash.
oaa aat 1f1 th the ••eked. rtne aoroaa 111•
I pt
1
forak&
m••••
oloae bebinl him
band, ·~•oially wi\h taexperi.noed buntara, that the suide
~~la!Jl nough t.o \ h e - 1D
.o~hien
et the h1pa,
t..he 'llft,aa a Opal wlla t.o llhoot.. Qua
the deer were 11011' tao• to taee and. . t y a tw teet apart and we
tel t the 11u1nr pa••
•
be would
Barry next and :h'ed 1n the stem. It 1• seneral.l7 arranged be-
will give the boat a alicht qu1Ter, Juat a 'ill7
De!
art
btenal,
~•
• ahoot, Cue,
ale~
t.he eea••· h t CJll• A14 Bot 110T8. At\er an
.till iiiDOT&ble, Jlan7 'ook a big ohanee 811d whiJperec!;
Sboot~l Eut
eetbiag happened, Gu• and the 4eer still
•tared em. Then I whiapered, •lhoot.,
Gu••1•,
Shoot• t Still
110
action.
lhlt tM wok oaught a whitt or beard a . . .4 er • • 1Mbi:ad_ \he light
er aoaethias.tor 111.th em• ltil leap he was eat. 1B lhe riTer,
at•aahin~
''
-·
192.
Z .A.ll. 'PI• 192..
aorota md 1nto the woe4a.
A eraah er two ad he waa a q like a
11s1te4 expeeaa .nd all waa still.
Ute~
'
a tew momenta J'red aa14• 1Jl a rather agr1Ted Toioe, tlifl:J;y
tn thuD4er 41d'nt you ahDot?•
•own OTer his forehead,
Gus slowly pushed his slouch hat
tar
aarached his head and: mumbled • 7l:J.T - - '~by
I 414'nt think about t t it."
We almost f'ell out
• 4 as 1 t waa aboU$ midnight and
811
or
the canoe laughi.Dg
earl7 atart before us 1n the -aomini
we aCDlewhat reluctantly turned teward eamp.
'fhat a 4q it had hen, I ~ind in an old 41&17 the menu for the
41llner that day, 1 t wae a apeeial 41Jmer as n· 4id Bot llave laoh in
the woods, it seams. Heres the ltill
••
Lake .a1ne, July 17 1 1893.
•-r
tare, Camp SYeetbriar, JU.rror
eook.
B.E.Wil~r,
Chicken soup, canned style
trout fried in butter, hard tack & anehoTT sauce
Roast Venison, El~.er ae.uce, Eoiled potatoes, a le. Nesr.mck, Green peaa
Stratton brand, New England green com, Ro7al unfermented bread a la
~ook
Bert.
Tinned tea, lime juice, a~rine water.
Pumpki!l pie, Rational style, stewed aprioota,Grallam waj'ara.
Old Dairt cheese ~entm enaekera.
Xaple sugar, au naturel
Coffee & Pipes.
ADd the diary aays 'Then we rested auoh az1d leng:'
!hat certainly was the greatest oamp1ng trip I aver had and we
were all ae sood trienda at the end aa at \ha beginning whiwh d.oes
••t alwaya follow.
On
nr.....,. out I eaw Eob Philips the
came
n.rclen.
You remember
!te waa nnmiwg the oamp,at KiJlg ad 1Sar'Uett lake when we went there
. . d I knn lt1:a yell. I lalew be ha4 "Men.
'
piJ.lc
ap and d.cnm the trail
tntl7 a abort 41•taee fin eur ..., ad I Mid to him. • *ey did 'ilt
,wu eome and ••• ue Eob?•
•s~
;
Youag
~ella•
ke replied,
•r
~•
.
atra14
I·~see horne grow1n straight nt e')"our hea.d. • 'lhat he meant wa:::-
tha\ I had eattm eneugh T411l1Smt te -.ke deera bema CJ'OW' ·iD
'/q
head.
Se b n ft%'1' 11'Wll that we •~r &laughterd •••r ar lLe woul4 laTe lleen
193.
•
OD •• lD a -.blttte.
He lmn we had been getting enough meat to .aup-
'Pl,. our eeeda. when we could• a1 tho my 41&%7 recol'cis man;r da,ys when
we were desperately tired ot BAH. But he
•t~ed
away because he waa
atra14 that lae •lgh't ••• aomttthing that would torce him to take
act loa aad he 41d not waut to 4o that.
~.t
wu
w~le
I ,... with Dr. Van Lennep that Roy Elliott was ao
111 1a llorehaad City. ll.C. ad Dr Van thought I ought to go to wry
aiater at nee. You remember I told about Tiaitillg there with Gua
nt I aad.e mother trip there with J'lorence Humphreya. That waa a
aoat auaual thing t.o ct.o in thoae clays tor we went alone with eo
ehaperonefmd bad to traTel OTernight
••
~ a •teaaboat. Just
hew Kothar
eTer oame to ttOnaent I do aot know for it waa aoat unlike her. iihen
•• got on the boat there waa auch a tough or01rd of man aboard that
I though I ought to keep Florence under
~
direct protection ao I
aimpl7 gaTe her name to the l'uraer without the lfiaa a.nd got connectinG
~1...:~
the
•tate rooms, and 1\.to leaTe Jmx 4oor between lD'lbol ted and to o&ll me
it there wa.a BnY trouble.
~
Ohl Row my atater •td acold ua wben ••
told her about it later. I woDder what she would say to a boy and a
cirl taking a two week auto
tri~
together. It's aimply a
~tter
or
eourae tod83".
I found Roy delll)aratel,- 111 Yi th · - · form
or
f'eTer and two
old, Tery lld lchool 4octon 1D e.ttendaDoe and filling him up with
atipyrine,
I'!
eomparat1Tel7
Dft
mtd much T&Unted remedy for any fever.
Yhat was I to do? Could I assume the responsibility for an entirely
•
Aifterent . . thod
or
treatment/? I had lteen nt of oollege only• a ;yee.r
or two at mollt tmd had no experience in treatment of auch cases and
1laturally Helena 41d 11ot haTe a sreat d.eal ef ecmfidance in me.
I (L
••t haTe 1•1 to l)O!lder the .:ueat1n tor the no011c1 a1ght l\o;y rouse
~rom
apparent .-a1et aleep, n••• raiaed 1lp 1D 'bed and the eTerburden
i
•
..
J .A.ll.. )Jg.l94.
lleari C&T• out •
ftere W'S.Ka no UDdertaker in the Tillage ad we had to haTe a rough
er
ltex aacle and nth pans
ice •• tried to 4o wha.t we could. The aext
l.q waa Smsdq and there was 110 t.raiD to t.he ••areat place where a cas-
ket eould be aecured.
llother Yaa there end we 4eci4ed that we •ould a
JaaTa to eharter the one train en the road eud 10 and pt ene. It was
117 .-17 ride on a apeciel tra.in and I bope I shall 1'18Ter haTe another
lUre 1 t, a
.... •• co
•
engine,
~a.ggage
oar and 4ay ooaoh. Half' tba t01m came to
Ed all 'tba toe to ... t.bll train
""lU'l'l·
l'rier.u!• eeme the.t Dieht ud :prepared the
earl7 Bext •mi12g I atarted
1B Yoo4lada.
•
fe~
Phila4elph1a
ncly ~or
u
the burial and
l q the lOTet1 body
Ye arr1Ted iD :Broad Street about three in the morning
azld it wu a sad and Tery trying time tor ae tor I was ney fcmd o!
Roy and ln1td Helena dearly.
But I wu thaDktul I had not motwrt1QnQr
taken the case tor with the heart alread,y aeTerel:r weakened by the
lntgh 4oaea or the anti-pyretic 1 t ..... already 1\opeleae.
Aa a last attea,1-to keep ae 1n Philadelphia Doctor Van succeeded
in getting me to open and Office ia the City, It wa.a at 1128 lpruce
•treet, atrmgely enough. the a1t7 houe of
tm
.
hguet 1"am1ly,who had
lest their money and 4id not nn it at Ulat. time.
Aa
aother, !ather
)!elena ID'ld Madeline wiahed to lin in the eity that wi.Jlter •ather
took
the "eOBd neor and 1 t was anMgecl that I aheuld ••• the 4ining room
as a wa1 t111r;
J'eCilll
ad a
actjotnbls a:r win4c:nr
1"00111
aa an olfice. Keals
were aent iJl ..,. a oatenr ad 1 t waa fi«Ured we woul4 Bot ••• the 4inblg ro011. wm.eh
~-t
•
.all~.
There was a tiDe lt1c
eotll4 haTe 'ben 41T1c1ed
"':r a
~lor
~ti t1a
b
the tirat no or
ad -.te a Jl!)ltmdicl ottioe
ud wat tin& room but 1 t ooat too waoh ad Yat.her waa aet willing to 4o
tt.
.. w:r
'
,
.
Piagla, a 111-..k UBded alp with Doo\er Wlllnlr iJl pld let-
z.A.x.
pc.lts.
195.
1ettera, the .... aize and at)'le aa Vam'•• of oourae.
I kept hours
tai thtull7 aad .tter a lag tS..e ene patient &CJtual17 •am• in, aent
•
to •• 1t7 Van. Zt waa aot .1•at at hours end aa ahe waited the oaterer
.... and ttepn to 1..,- the tabla •cl ahtl fie4. 1'hat waa the extent
and ~ot.al
,,
-:r
lD
at the
er
rq Philadelphia praetioe~
eft time I worked at 'the College laboratozy,waa anaesthetist
Bo~i tal
and aaaiated Vanlemaep ad kept pretty nay. soae
tiae laetore I had become mtch interested 1D a fine Cirl af tiDe tamily
1n 1Srynl.{awr and 1 t aeeaed to ae tha honera'ble thing to 4o
t,o &ak
her
father if I ooltld ull en her with a 'Yin of ...uiaony• suoh things
lltmm
4aya
were really 4one in those U.. ti'1G Tftr7 rare]$.
so I bearded the lion
in hia cien, dcnrn Dear the taetory, en Qua.%17 atreet and he 'oamly
•
but firmly' said IIJiOl "
The Yerld tumed ar•7· All light h&4 41aa.p-
peared from life. There wae nothing to aupport the pit o!
and in a sort
or
~ etomac~
due I walked the 15 blocks back to the Rospi tal and
aat 1n one of the college windowa with aome ether :M.D •.I aa a parade
went by.
:But I did not aee 1 t.
I , ... aura 1:83 waa Juat t.he girl.
eTeryt.hing pointed direoUy that way. That aha kDn me onl' aa a
p•w:ma
oae o! her
~
41tferenee tor I could
trienda, a olmroh aoquaintanoe, made little
win her.
\faa I •ot »ertk
Wilbur! and ao
this waa the end.
ODe 4ay I aaw • aotiee on the eollege bulletin board that a
B.o. . eopathio
p~aiciiiD
,... waated to take ebarge et the laospi tal at
Si tka,Alaaka • Oar ·Slmday Sebool had aupporte4 a lto7 at the Sitka
JU aaion School tor JUn7 7eara al'ld I had wr1 tten to ldm and we had
•
troa )[ra.Auati.D abeut hbl
reeeiTed ..ay letter
I
it was Just a friends place.
~md it
••emed •• it
It ee. .ed the epen 4eor and it was.
I applied without ·delay, receiTed a-pplioatin blanka, waa 1J1Tited
~· .... to
I.Y. aad ••et the pwera ad eaoeuatered. Tieln.t epposition
J.A.M. (Just About Me) J.A.U. (Just About Us) Volume 1
The autobiography was written by Bertrand K. Wilbur from 1933 to 1939. His granddaughter, Carolyn Wilbur Treadway, wrote the forward and his grandson Clark Maxfield wrote the introduction to the digital edition in 2017. B.K. Wilbur created an extensive table of contents for the entire work, which is included at the beginning of each volume. Volume 1 covers Wilbur's earliest recollections, boyhood in Camden, NJ, and his medical education at Hahnemann Medical College. This volume also includes accounts of family camping trips, trips to Europe, and family genealogy.
Wilbur, Bertrand Kingsbury, 1870-1945 (author)
Treadway, Carolyn Wilbur (contributor)
Maxfield, Clark (contributor)
1939 - 2017
220 pages
reformatted digital
Wilbur_Just_About_Me_vol_1