Such was the state of things within twelve years. To-day it is different. The settler will take a quarter section, bark the trees to find the desired kind, cut them down, and leave for another section.[108] Rich companies came in, and began to devastate5 the forests to make charcoal6, until the State had to make a law that only a certain number of acres in the hundred may be cut.
In some few cases women will go with their husbands, and sometimes one woman will find herself miles and miles away from another. I visited one such house; and while the good woman was getting the dinner ready, I strolled about and took notes. On the rude mantel-shelf, I saw some skulls7, and asked what kind of an animal they belonged to. She said,—
"Oh! them's beavers8' skulls. My! I wish we had some beavers here now; I would make you some beaver-tail soup."
"Why, did you have them here since you came?"
"Oh, yes! plenty of them. When I got lonesome—and that was pretty much every day—I used to go and watch them build their dams. I don't know how they did it; but I have seen them sink a log so that it would stay put, and not[109] come up. I tried it dozens of times, but could not do it. I had lots of time, nothing to read, and the nearest town fifteen miles away. I used to think I should go mad sometimes, and even a land-hunter coming from outside was a godsend. Indeed, I remember one coming here, and he took sick, and died in spite of all we could do. We had neither boards nor planks9, nothing but logs. So we slipped two flour-barrels over him, and he looked real nice. We buried a little boy too. I keep the graves clear of weeds, and plant flowers about them, and often sit there with my work and think of those early days."
"How long ago was that?" I asked.
"Four years ago! Why, you know there wan't no railway then; but now,—why, I got Zeke to cut down the trees, and I can see the trains go by with parlor10 cars and sleepers11. There'll be one pretty soon if it is on time." And sure enough, in a few minutes a long train thundered by.
[110]Sometimes a train stopped near us, and hundreds of men from the south of Ohio came with their dogs, guns, and men-servants, and went hunting and fishing; and, strange as it may seem, you can find ten times as many deer to-day as you could forty years ago. The settling of new lands has driven them into closer quarters, and the game-law does much good. The State fish-hatcheries supply the streams with fry; and at times the men sent out to stock the streams get misled by the settlers, who show them the different streams, and only too late they find they have put the whole stock of young fry into the same stream. The average conscience is not yet fine enough to see anything but a joke in this.
But to the building of our village. Often at first no house has more than one room. The men are making their homes, and will stop to cut out a piece of the log, and make a place for a little child's doll. Cupboards, too, are made in the same way.
[111]Water is one of the indispensable necessities; and, as a rule, the town will be built on a stream, or near a spring. Sometimes wells have to be dug over a hundred feet deep. Arrow-heads, and implements12 of the chase, and bones of men and extinct races of animals, turn up.
In one town I visited, before the wells were dug, the water for drinking was brought in barrels on flat cars, while melted snow answered for washing.
"But what did you do when that was gone?" I asked.
"Well, the maple-sap begun to run, and then the birch, which was better; but lor! you couldn't iron nothin'."
I passed a little log house standing13 out of line with the street; and I thought it was a chicken-coop, and asked why it was built that way.
"My!" said the woman with a laugh, "that ain't a chicken-coop; that's our first meeting-house. Us women built that. We had one or two old men to help, and the children; and we women did the rest.[112] We were quite proud of it too. It cost fourteen dollars complete. For the minister's chair we cut down a barrel, and covered it with green baize."
A minister writes, "My room is one end of the garret of a log house, where I can barely stand erect14 under the ridgepole. My study-table and bookcase I made from rough boards. As I sit writing, I look forth15 from a window two by three, upon a field dotted with stumps16, log huts, and charcoal kilns17, and skirted with dense forests."
While I was visiting this section, a woman showed me her hands cracked with the frost. The tears came to her eyes as she said, "I tell ye it's pretty hard lines to have to milk cows when it is forty below zero." No man can imagine the arduous18 work and the awfulness of life in a northern winter. What is a joy to the well-dressed, well-fed man, with his warm house and the comforts of a civilized19 community, is often death to the poor minute-man and settler[113] on the frontier. I have sat by the side of the minute-man, and heard from him a story that would bring tears to the eyes of the most cynical20.
One man I shall never forget, a good hardy21 Scotchman, with a brave little wife and four children. His field was near Lake Superior; his flock poor homesteaders and Indians. The winters have a hundred and fifty days' sleighing; the frost sometimes reaches 50° below zero, and is often for days together 30° below; so that when it suddenly rises to zero, one can hardly believe it is freezing. Here is his story:—
"We were twelve miles from a doctor; and towards spring two of our children complained of sore throats. It proved to be diphtheria. We used all the remedies we had, and also some herbs given us by an old squaw; but the children grew worse, and we determined22 to go back to the old settlement. My wife carried the youngest, and I the next one. The other children walked[114] behind, their little legs getting scratched with the briers. We had twelve miles to go to reach the steamer. When we got there, one of the little ones died; and before we reached home the other expired. We buried our two treasures among the friends in the cemetery23; and after a while I said to my wife,—
"'Shall we go back to the field? Ought we to go?'
"Her answer was, 'Yes.'
"We went back. Our old parishioners were delighted to see us; and soon we were hard at work again. Winter came on, and God gave us another little one. You may be sure he had a double welcome; but as the cold became intense, our little lamb showed signs of following his brothers. I tried to keep my wife's spirits up, while I went about my work dazed. At last the little fellow's eyes seemed so large for his face, and he would look at us so pitifully, that I would break down in spite of myself.
"He died; and the ground was frozen[115] over six feet deep, and we had to bury him in a deep snow-bank that nearly covered our little shanty24. My wife would go out nights when she could hear the wolves howling, and stand with an old Paisley shawl over her head, while I was miles away preaching to a handful of settlers in a log cabin; and when I would return I would find her there keeping watch, and sometimes I would have hard work to get her into the house. Pardon these tears, my brother, but come they will."
He need not have said it; my own were running, though my head was turned away.
Yes, we weep, and hold on to our money, while brave men and women, with their little ones, suffer for the lack of it, and lay down their lives for those who come after them. How men and women can live in fine homes, and spend ten times as much on luxuries as they give to the Lord, and still sing they love his kingdom, is more than I can understand[116] —except it be they don't mean what they sing.
The first thing one notices after passing the great iron dock are the odd names on some of the signs. There is the "Golden Rule" livery stable, with its attendant saloon. On its left, quaintly25 linking the past with the present, is an old log house, built in past century style, with its logs hewn, tongued, and grooved26, but used at present as a printing-office, with the latest style of presses. One can easily imagine the time when beside its huge fireplace the half-breed and the Indian squatted27, smoked their pipes, and told their stories; for it is not four years since that was so. Outside, nailed to the logs, is a coon-skin, and underneath28 it the legend, "Hard Cider." From this primitive29 place issues the democratic Free Press. A little farther on, and we notice "Dr. ——, horse doctor and saloon keeper." A very few more steps brings us to the Home Saloon, the Mansion30 House, the Clarendon, and the Young Canadian.
[117]Besides these, there are twenty other saloons, with and without names; you will not be surprised when I tell you that, on my first visit here, I found a poor man had cut his throat after a heavy spree. The shame he felt at the thought of meeting wife and children (who were on their way, expecting to find a home) was too much for him, and hence suicide. So when wife and little ones arrived they found only a dying husband and father.
Not long after this a young man, the only support of his parents, went out into the dark night from a dance, dazed with drink. He fell on the track, and the morning express crushed him to death. Brother Newberry, going to condole31 with the parents, found the poor father bedridden by an accident, and the mother, who was furious with drink, held by two men. Down on the dock, one evening, a poor man fell into the lake. He had been drinking to drown his sorrows (a man having run away with his wife). The bystanders, among whom was[118] his own son, seemed stupidly indifferent to his fate; and when they did arouse themselves it was only to bring up his dead body. This they laid in the freight shed, while the son went coolly to work on a vessel32 close by, and brutal33 men made jests of the misery34 of the dead man's married life.
To give you an idea of the zest35 with which the liquor traffic is carried on, let me say that three days after the ferry-boat "Algomah" was stuck fast in the ice-drift, and while it was yet dangerous to cross the strait by sleigh, a saloon was built on the ice about a mile from shore to catch the teamsters as they passed with freight. When I saw it five days later, it had been removed nearer the shore; so that it was built and taken down and put up again all within a week.
But come with me out of so baneful36 an atmosphere. Let us cross the Strait of Mackinaw on the ice by moonlight. What a scene! It is a wild midnight, the moon[119] at the full, a light snow falling; and although it is here only six miles to the other side, you cannot see the shore, as the snow thickens. There are miles upon miles of ice, driven by the fierce gale37, sometimes into the depths, again mounting the crest38 of some mighty39 billow, groaning40 and cracking up into all shapes and sizes, swirling41 as if in some giant whirlpool, transfixed and left in all its awful confusion. It is glittering with beauty to-night; yet so wild, so weird42, so awfully43 grand and solemn, that we involuntarily repeat, "Lord, what is man that thou art mindful of him?"
The sleighs look, in the distance, like a little dog-train. Now you are gliding44 over a mile of ice, smooth as glass, while all around it is heap upon heap; then you pass through gaps cut by the road-makers, who have left little pine-trees to guide you; and though the ice in places is packed thirty feet deep, you feel a sense of comfort and safety as you pass from the bleak45 sweep of the wind into[120] the thick cedars46 on the shore, and nestle down as if in the shadow of His wing.
The next crossing is by early morn. The sun comes cheerily up from out a great cloud of orange and vermilion, while here and there are crimson47 clots48 and deep indigo-colored clouds rolling off to follow the night. I cannot describe the beauty of this scene; that needs a poet; but I can tell you of the odd side. Away we go behind two Indian ponies49, snorting and prancing50 as if they, too, enjoyed the beauty of the scene. But look! not forty yards away is the "Algomah." After being resurrected from the ice with dynamite51, she has begun her regular trips. Bravely she ploughs through two feet of blue ice; and when she comes to the high ridges52 backs up and charges them again and again. After hours of faithful work, she makes St. Ignace after sundown, seven miles from the spot she left at sunrise.
You will not be surprised, perhaps, to find your missionary53 from Northern Michigan turning up at Olivet, Southern Michigan[121] where the Lord graciously baptized the meetings with his Holy Spirit. I collected seventy-two dollars towards a little church, to be called Olivet Chapel54; and, better still, quite a number decided55 to be Christians57. Best of all, thirteen young Christian56 students gave themselves to God, and will be ready when the time comes for the work of Christian missions.
At Ann Harbor I was most cordially welcomed by Brother Ryder and his church, and received from them hopeful assurance of help for our church at Sugar Island; so the time was not thrown away in going South. At Newberry, Brother Curry58 has been offered the use of the new church built by Mrs. Newberry of Detroit. So the Lord is opening the way. If we could only get one or two of those ministers who were seen "out West" sitting on the four posts of the newly surveyed town, waiting to build churches, we could furnish parishes already inhabited. Seney, Grand Marais, Point Detour59,[122] Drummond Island, and many more, are growing, with no churches.
The last time I visited Detour, a large mill had been finished and was running. The owners would give a lot, and help build a church. There are some good people living there. They gave me a cordial welcome and the best bed. I was very tired the first night and slept soundly; so I was surprised in the morning when the lady asked me if I was disturbed. On my saying "No," she said that on account of the rats her husband had to pull up the ladder, as they were sleeping on shakedowns; but she was glad I was not disturbed. The next night they kindly60 lent me a little black-and-tan terrier; so I slept, was refreshed, and started for home, promising61 I would send a missionary as soon as possible.
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1
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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virgin
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| n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的 | |
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walnuts
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| 胡桃（树）( walnut的名词复数 )； 胡桃木 | |
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veneer
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| n.(墙上的)饰面，虚饰 | |
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devastate
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| v.使荒芜，破坏，压倒 | |
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charcoal
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| n.炭，木炭，生物炭 | |
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skulls
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| 颅骨( skull的名词复数 )； 脑袋； 脑子； 脑瓜 | |
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beavers
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| 海狸( beaver的名词复数 )； 海狸皮毛； 棕灰色； 拼命工作的人 | |
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planks
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| （厚）木板( plank的名词复数 )； 政纲条目，政策要点 | |
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parlor
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| n.店铺，营业室；会客室，客厅 | |
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sleepers
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| n.卧铺（通常以复数形式出现）；卧车( sleeper的名词复数 )；轨枕；睡觉（呈某种状态）的人；小耳环 | |
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implements
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| n.工具( implement的名词复数 )；家具；手段；[法律]履行（契约等）v.实现( implement的第三人称单数 )；执行；贯彻；使生效 | |
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13
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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stumps
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| （被砍下的树的）树桩( stump的名词复数 )； 残肢； （板球三柱门的）柱； 残余部分 | |
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kilns
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| n.窑( kiln的名词复数 )；烧窑工人 | |
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arduous
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| adj.艰苦的，费力的，陡峭的 | |
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civilized
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| a.有教养的，文雅的 | |
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cynical
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| adj.(对人性或动机)怀疑的，不信世道向善的 | |
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hardy
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| adj.勇敢的，果断的，吃苦的；耐寒的 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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cemetery
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| n.坟墓，墓地，坟场 | |
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shanty
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| n.小屋，棚屋；船工号子 | |
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quaintly
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| adv.古怪离奇地 | |
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grooved
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| v.沟( groove的过去式和过去分词 )；槽；老一套；（某种）音乐节奏 | |
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27
squatted
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| v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的过去式和过去分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。 | |
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underneath
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| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
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primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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mansion
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| n.大厦，大楼；宅第 | |
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condole
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| v.同情；慰问 | |
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vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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brutal
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| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
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misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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zest
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| n.乐趣；滋味，风味；兴趣 | |
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baneful
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| adj.有害的 | |
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gale
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| n.大风，强风，一阵闹声（尤指笑声等） | |
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crest
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| n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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groaning
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| adj. 呜咽的, 呻吟的 动词groan的现在分词形式 | |
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swirling
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| v.旋转，打旋( swirl的现在分词 ) | |
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42
weird
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| adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的 | |
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awfully
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| adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地 | |
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gliding
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| v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的 | |
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45
bleak
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| adj.(天气)阴冷的；凄凉的；暗淡的 | |
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46
cedars
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| 雪松，西洋杉( cedar的名词复数 ) | |
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47
crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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48
clots
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| n.凝块( clot的名词复数 )；血块；蠢人；傻瓜v.凝固( clot的第三人称单数 ) | |
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49
ponies
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| 矮种马，小型马( pony的名词复数 )； ￡25 25 英镑 | |
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50
prancing
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| v.（马）腾跃( prance的现在分词 ) | |
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51
dynamite
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| n./vt.(用)炸药(爆破) | |
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52
ridges
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| n.脊( ridge的名词复数 )；山脊；脊状突起；大气层的)高压脊 | |
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53
missionary
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| adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士 | |
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54
chapel
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| n.小教堂，殡仪馆 | |
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55
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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56
Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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Christians
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| n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 ) | |
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58
curry
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| n.咖哩粉，咖哩饭菜；v.用咖哩粉调味，用马栉梳，制革 | |
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59
detour
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| n.绕行的路，迂回路；v.迂回，绕道 | |
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60
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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promising
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| adj.有希望的，有前途的 | |
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