TWO WEEKS ON THE MISSOURI BORDER. 
297 
state, and its institutions are more desirable. Many people in 
Kentucky are of the same mind.” 
The rudder of the boat was slightly damaged by running into 
the bank in the fog of the morning, and, becoming more dense 
every moment, it was impossible to keep the boat under way. 
Hence, when we reached Leavenworth, the stage had gone to Law¬ 
rence. The next day was Sunday, and it rained heavily, and all 
the morning of Monday, but an acquaintance was over from Law¬ 
rence, and “ if I would risk getting a drenching,” he said, “ we 
would start.” I was enough of a water-fowl not to mind rain, 
and, to the surprise of the pleasant Kentucky family with whom 
I stopped, I appeared all ready for a drive when the little blue 
bit of sky was continually varying from the size of one’s hand to 
that of a yard square, and the sun was playing “ hide-and-seek ” 
with the dark clouds. Save the driving out of our way at one 
time, and the slippery state of the roads, we had a pleasant ride 
through the beautiful Delaware country. It needs only some 
pleasant houses, grouped among the clumps of trees, to give it the 
look of a long-settled country. 
Leavenworth, situated on the Missouri, has the finest landing 
for many miles. The site of the town is broken with small hills, 
and some fine swells in the distance invite residences. Tasteful 
hands prepared the town-site, and left many trees and shrubs 
standing. The advantage Leavenworth has over the other settle¬ 
ments, in procuring pine lumber directly from St. Louis, shows 
itself in the good-sized dwellings built with porticos and piaz¬ 
zas, and yards neatly fenced. There are, at present, no large 
public buildings. Thirty stores stand near the levee, and have 
done a large business. The present state of things in the terri¬ 
tory has produced a general depression in trade, and none feel it 
more than people at Leavenworth. The majority of the settlers 
are free-state people, mostly from Pennsylvania. Owing to its 
nearness to Missouri, and ease of access to the border men, they 
have come over in crowds, and, uniting with the few “ fire-eaters ” 
in and around Leavenworth, have controlled everything, making 
mob-law the rule. Leavenworth must, unavoidably, be a large 
