No greater variety of character exists on the frontier than elsewhere, but peculiar1 cases come to the surface oftener. Those women living in the woods, who belonged to the "Church of God," are good illustrations. They had some peculiar ideas about the Scriptures3, but it was much more refreshing4 to the missionary5 to find peculiar views than none at all. I often introduced myself to them with a text of Scripture2, and tried hard to induce them to move into the next village for their[286] children's sake. It was a much better place morally, although but a mile distant. But the influence of an organized church, with a good building and Sunday-school, made a greater difference than the distance would seem to warrant. One day, as I was passing their home, I shouted out, "Up, get you out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city!" The next day I was off on my way to the other side of the State. As my journey well illustrates6 the difficulties of travel in a new country, I will describe it.
At my first change of cars, I found that my train was delayed by a fire along the track, so that I could not make my next connection with a cross-country train. This troubled me, as it was Friday, and the young minister whom I was about to visit was doing manual work on his church building, and would probably be ill-prepared to preach himself. I telegraphed him, and was just turning away when my eye caught sight of a map, and I noticed that the road I was on and the road he[287] was on, although a hundred miles apart where I was then, gradually approached until within thirteen miles of each other, one hundred miles north. Remembering that a stage crossed at this point, I started on the late train, which, like a human being, seldom makes up for lost time, and was dropped into the pitch darkness about eleven P.M. The red lights of the train were soon lost in the black forest; I felt like Goldsmith's last man.
Two or three little lights twinkled from some log cabins. A small boy, with a dilapidated mail-bag and a dirty lantern, stood near me. I asked him if there was a hotel in town.
He said, "Yep."
Would he guide me to it?
"Yep."
I next inquired whether the stage made connections with the train on the other road.
"Wal, yes, it gineraley does."
"Why, does it not to-morrow?"
"Guess not."
[288]"Why?"
"Cos' of the ternado."
"Tornado7?"
"Yes; didn't ye know we had a ternado?"
"No."
"Well, we did, ye know; tore the trees up hullsale, and just played Ned. Rain cum down like suds."
"Well, can I get a buggy or wagon8?"
"Guess not; both out in the woods; can't git home."
I felt sick at hearing this; for how to get across with two grips filled with books, theological books too, troubled me. I slept little. My room was bare; the rain pattering on the roof, the mosquitoes inside, and my own thoughts, routed me out early Saturday morning. I was pleased to find that the man had returned with the wagon, and after much persuasion9, I engaged him for five dollars to take me across.
We started off with an axe10. The old settlers laughed at our attempt, but we[289] were young. Over the fallen trees we went bumping along; but, alas11, we tried too big a maple12, and out came the reach-pole and left us balanced on the tree. After a tiring walk through the "shin-tangles"—that is, ground hemlock—we reached the road, and mounted bareback. We met some commercial travellers cutting their way through, with a settler's help, passed a horse and buggy (minus a driver), with a bottle of whiskey in the bottom. We then had the good fortune to borrow a single wagon of a minister, who lived near on a farm. Our horses had to walk in the water by the edge of the lake, and the leeches13 fastened on them by the dozen. Finally we met the stage, and knew our way was clear. We were drenched14 with the rain, but it was clearing, and so we cheered up.
I asked the stage-driver whether I could catch the train.
He said, "Well, if ye drive, ye can."
The emphasis he put into the drive made us whip up. Presently the village[290] could be seen, a half-mile away. The engine was on the turntable. How fast it went around! I was getting nervous. I asked the man to get my grips out, while I got my ticket; and rushing into the office, I snapped out, "Ticket for ——!"
The man turned his head with a jerk, and stared at me so intently that I thought something was wrong. So I said, "What time does the train start?"
"In about an hour."
You could have knocked me over with a feather. I felt like Sir Francis Drake, when his vessel15 seemed to be going over in the Thames. "What! have I sailed the ocean," said he, "to be drowned in a ditch?" So, I thought, "Have I come a hundred miles out of my way, to miss the train?"
I boarded the cars, cleaned my valises, and found the color running from my book-covers. My boots were like brown paper, so sodden16 were they. I dried myself by the stove; but my troubles were not over. The train-boy called out the station[291] at the water-tank. The rain was pouring down; I was in for it again; so I walked down between the freight cars, went to the hotel and dried myself again, and, after dancing around the room on one foot to get my boots on, I started off to find my man.
He was out of town! Expected home with a funeral soon. I was foolish enough to make myself known as soon as he got off the cars, and he coaxed17 me into taking charge of the funeral. Then for the third time I was soaked, as we stood in the new cemetery18, while a hymn19 of six verses was rendered. But what flattened20 me worse than all was that the young man had not received my second telegram, which I sent to relieve his supposed excited feelings, and had not been troubled in the least, but was going to make Fred. Robertson ("who being dead yet speaketh") do duty for him. Tired out, I flung myself on a bed, and slept in spite of—well never mind what. I had to change quarters next night, for I was not so sleepy.
[292]I received a letter from the student who had taken my charge, saying, "—— is burnt to the ground, and all north of the railway." In an instant there flashed on my mind the words of the woman: "Up, get you out," etc. The same words came home to the women as they saw their homes going up in smoke.
"What did the elder say?" said they to one another.
The excitement of the fire brought on brain fever in the case of the youngest child.
On my return, while trying to comfort the little one (who we thought was dying), and telling her about heaven, she cried out in her feebleness, "I don't want to go to heaven! I want to go to Injeanny."
And, sure enough, she got well, and did go to "Injeanny."
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1
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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2
scripture
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| n.经文，圣书，手稿；Scripture:(常用复数)《圣经》，《圣经》中的一段 | |
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3
scriptures
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| 经文，圣典( scripture的名词复数 )； 经典 | |
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4
refreshing
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| adj.使精神振作的，使人清爽的，使人喜欢的 | |
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5
missionary
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| adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士 | |
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6
illustrates
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| 给…加插图( illustrate的第三人称单数 )； 说明； 表明； （用示例、图画等）说明 | |
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7
tornado
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| n.飓风，龙卷风 | |
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8
wagon
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| n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车 | |
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9
persuasion
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| n.劝说；说服；持有某种信仰的宗派 | |
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10
axe
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| n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减 | |
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11
alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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12
maple
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| n.槭树，枫树，槭木 | |
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13
leeches
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| n.水蛭( leech的名词复数 )；蚂蟥；榨取他人脂膏者；医生 | |
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14
drenched
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| adj.湿透的；充满的v.使湿透( drench的过去式和过去分词 )；在某人（某物）上大量使用（某液体） | |
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15
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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sodden
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| adj.浑身湿透的；v.使浸透；使呆头呆脑 | |
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17
coaxed
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| v.哄，用好话劝说( coax的过去式和过去分词 )；巧言骗取；哄劝，劝诱 | |
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18
cemetery
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| n.坟墓，墓地，坟场 | |
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19
hymn
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| n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌 | |
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20
flattened
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| [医]（水）平扁的，弄平的 | |
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