1901 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
699 
A Trek to the South. 
Part I. 
“Fred thinks he would like to trek 
it in the Spring to North Carolina.” 
The words were spoken quietly and 
the odd Transvaal term held a ring of 
amused and sorrowful self-importance, 
as they fell from my sister’s lips. To 
me, the littie sentence sounded like the 
crack of doom. 
I knew that the old homestead, bear¬ 
ing for many generations the family 
name, had through no fault of the hus¬ 
band and wife passed from them; that 
they were living on, but no longer own¬ 
ed it; that gradually the decision was 
crystallizing to seek and make a new 
one in a different atmosphere and mild¬ 
er climate. Still, the gentie finality in 
her words found me all unprepared for 
the severing of life-long ties and a 
closer and more dependent intercourse 
than is usualiy given near relatives so 
late in life. 
“Fred thinks he would like to trek it 
in the Spring to North Carolina,” 
might, to those unacquainted with the 
two, sound as if open to discussion. I 
knew too well their perfect unity of 
thought, to doubt for a moment that 
North Carolina was the point of des¬ 
tination, trekking the method of tran¬ 
sit, and Spring the date of departure. 
Yet— 
“Why trekking? Why North Caro¬ 
lina? Why Spring?” 
In the leisure moments that fell on 
us through the busy days that followed 
these rebellious questions found patient 
and painstaking answer. They both 
felt the need of a long rest and change; 
never were away together during their 
17 years of married life, and proposed 
to make this a kind of a silver wedding 
journey. Railroad travel always made 
them ill, and afforded no enjoyment. If 
they took their team, when arrived, 
they could drive about and decide on 
locating better and more independently. 
The expense would be no heavier than 
the railroad charges for themselves and 
team. As for North Carolina, Fred for 
many years had been much interested 
in the State; they “read it up” exhaust¬ 
ively, and believed that they would find, 
in one of its three belts, a congenial 
home and occupation. Spring was the 
season selected for starting to avoid the 
Fall rains, give two or three pleasant 
months for travel, and time at the end 
of the journey to rest and settle before 
cold weather. Lena finally summed up 
the situation in private. 
“I really don’t think, dear Hawk, that 
you need fear but what we will get 
along all right. There are so many 
things that Fred is good at. For in¬ 
stance, his general knowledge of farm¬ 
ing, both as to raising crops and caring 
for stock; then his understanding as he 
does about fruit—the picking, packing, 
grafting, etc. Also he has his tinsmith’s 
trade, and we are thrifty and careful.” 
As she talked there came to me a 
realization of their beautiful, unselfish 
lives and the promise to those who walk 
uprightly, and as time passed, I grew 
more than reconciled to their going. 
By the middle of April the best of their 
furniture and household wares were 
packed and stored, subject to orders, 
and the rest auctioned off with the re¬ 
maining stock. The harnesses were 
then thoroughly repaired and a new 
first-class spring three-seated carriage 
purchased with waterproof curtains 
and a good brake. It was drawn to 
Clovernook’s side door, the two back 
seats taken to the storehouse, and the 
packing began. 
Under the carriage Fred swung the 
“emergency box,” a rather long, shal¬ 
low affair, containing ax, oil can, pin¬ 
cers,, wire, bolts, rope, etc. It is paint¬ 
ed black, like the carriage, and iS very 
clever and complete. Linder the front 
seat were stowed the medicine chest, oil 
stove, box of cooking utensils and tool 
box. Two trunks occupied the back 
end, and bags of oats, meal, box and 
basket of provisions, the intervening 
space, with small hamper of bedding 
and light mattress on top. Valise with 
changes of linen, toilet articles, dusters, 
waterproofs, odds and ends handy; and 
at last all was in, tidily covered with a 
rubber blanket, and ready for depar¬ 
ture; 1,500 pounds in all. Regarding 
the horses, they are of Canadian Mes¬ 
senger and Normandy stock. Owing to 
good care and handling they are very 
young horses for their years; Gray be¬ 
ing 16 and Lady 20. They weigh about 
1,000 pounds each. The last member of 
our trekking party to be mentioned is 
McKinley, a beautiful purebred black 
and tan collie, in the prime of life, and 
one of the best mannered and most in¬ 
telligent of dogs; quite worthy of the 
honored name he bears. Because of our 
cold, rainy weather in May they re¬ 
mained till June 6, at about two o’clock 
in the afternoon, when the carriage 
pulled out of the yard, swung around in¬ 
to the road with its precious burden, 
and in the sweet clear air and sunshine 
—blue overhead and all the soft, tender 
grasses under foot—swiftly they round¬ 
ed the curve and were gone. 
The line of travel planned two points 
for stop-overs; Northfield, Delaware 
Co., N. Y., and Winchester, Va., the 
final destination being Pit'tsboro, N. C. 
Between these points at the start there 
was no very definite route mapped out, 
except to drive somewhat back in the 
Adirondacks (instead of following down 
the lake shore) owing to better roads 
and a more direct line, as the crow files. 
Their plan was to camp out when 
weather and environment were satis¬ 
factory and at other times secure hotel 
or private board. If ever i)eople felt 
the truth of Mr. Holmes’s saying, “The 
world has a thousand roosts for man, 
but only one nest,” they did before their 
journey’s end. It was, especially at the 
start, a rather crowded “nest,” and the 
“roosts”were many and varied; but 
they had each other, and that meant 
“home” to both. 
For the first 16 miles they drove along 
the “State road,” that in the old stag¬ 
ing days connected Albany with Mon¬ 
treal. Over this same road in Septem¬ 
ber, 1812, the “Britishers” marched 
through our little hamlet to join the 
naval force on Lake Champlain, at 
3937 Woman’s Jacket, 
32 to 40 Bust- 
Plattsburgh. And here, on Clovernook’s 
hillside our forebears, intrenched be¬ 
hind breastworks, watched the long line 
of hated redcoats, with hashing bayo¬ 
nets and tossing fiags, sweep like a 
resistless river into their country. And 
here, two days later, they stood boldly 
up and shouted derisively as the same 
long line of men, with “defeat” written 
on drooping heads and trailing fiags, 
wended their way back over the border, 
eight miles distant, into Canada. But 
between those times and these methods 
of travel have changed, and it’s many 
MOTHERS.—^Be sure to uae“Mrs.WinB- 
low’o Soothing Syrup” for your children 
while Teething. It In the Boot. — Aiv. 
a day since the prairie schooner or trek¬ 
king outfits have slipped their burdens 
along over the breast of the old road, 
and little is left of the wild forests with 
their occasional clearings. The Cham¬ 
plain Valley now holds comfortable 
homes and smiling, undulating fields of 
grain or meadow land; with, on the one 
side, the distant tips of the Adiron¬ 
dacks, and (as you travel south) on the 
left, the calm, beautiful lake, and be¬ 
yond, sharp up against the sky, the 
Green Mountains of Vermont. Our trek- 
kers must have felt heartened, as they 
wended their way through the lovely 
scene, and my sister writes: 
“Lots of people stopped us and wish- 
3934 Girl's Costume, 
8 to 14 yrs 
ed us ‘good luck,’ and I feel yet the 
strong, kind clasp of our dear minister’s 
hand. Just after we had left the village 
wo met a lot of gipsies. They were all 
dressed up and their wagons were 
draped with lace curtains. I told Fred 
we must go back and get ours. Fred 
drew down the comers of his mouth and 
said ‘No!’ A shower fell when about 
half way to Plattsburgh, and Fred put 
up the rubber boot and we were safe as 
at home. When it had passed, we got 
out and examined everytning and all 
was right and dry; so it will take a very 
hard rain to hurt us. Just before we 
reached Plattsburgh we caught that 
hard thunderstorm, but drove under a 
shed, had our supper and waited till it 
passed, so when we finally reached town 
the electric lights were swinging, and 
the cars spinning along, and everything 
glittering and wet. 
“McKinley’s thoughts were, ‘My, I 
have had a good time!’ The horses’ 
were, ‘My, but I’m all discouraged!’ 
Fred’s eyes were full of tears and I 
could guess his thoughts, too. Mine 
were, ‘God be with us till we meet 
again,’ so I sat up closer and slipped 
my hand in his. We put up at the hotel 
and next morning had a good time buy¬ 
ing everything we wanted, till at last 
Fred said, ‘I cannot get any more duds 
in the wagon; you must not huy an¬ 
other thing!’ 
“It is fun to see the different ways 
people taKe life. The thing that troub¬ 
led our aunt about our trip was, ‘How 
can you get your washing done?’ I 
tried every way I could think of to 
cheer her up, but could not. At last I 
said, ‘Aunt, we have lots of clothes; 
why Fred has six fiannel shirts.’ Well, 
that calmed her down. If he had all 
that, why he could keep clean for a 
while, anyway. 
“The next morning we started off in 
the cold, and all day watched the moun¬ 
tains get nearer and nearer. I wanted 
to go through Poko-moonshine Gap, and 
Fred said we would. Au Sable is a love¬ 
ly place, and we passed through the 
best part of it. The gardens are on the 
hillside, in the sand, and everything 
growing fine. The river there is also 
lovely, and we drove by its banks a long 
time. At last we reached Keeseville, 
and looking off from the top of a hill, 
what cid we see but our Hotel Cham¬ 
plain and our dear old lake!” p. e. w. 
The Rural Patterns. 
Short jackets are always in style, and 
the model shown has a novel look with 
its applied yoke. It would be appro¬ 
priate either in a suit, or as a separate 
garment. The backs fit snugly to the 
figure, being cut with side backs and 
under-arm gores, but the fronts are loose 
fitting and include single darts only. 
The yoke is applied over the cloth, but 
can be omitted when preferred and the 
little coat left plain, as shown in the 
small cut. The neck is finished with a 
regulation coat collar and lapels, but 
the velvet facing is applied in a novel 
manner, the edge being cut in the van- 
dyke points that appear in the newest 
designs. The sleeves are In bell shape 
and fiare over the hands. To cut this 
jacket for a woman of medium size 2-/^ 
yards of material 44 inches wide, or 2% 
yards 50 inches wide will be required 
when yoke is used; two yards 44 inches 
or 1% yards 50 inches wide when jacket 
is made plain. The pattern No. 3937 is 
cut in sizes for a 32, 34, 36, 38 and 40- 
inch bust measure; price 10 cents. 
The girl’s costume shown, consisting 
of gored skirt and blouse, is made of 
Napoleon blue cheviot with strappings 
of the same, collar of blue velvet and 
chemisette of blue tucked taffeta. The 
blouse is cut with a plain back, drawn 
down snugly at the waist, and slightly 
loose fronts that droop over the belt. 
The neck is finished with a roll-over 
round collar, and the chemisette, or 
shield, renaers it high at the neck. The 
sleeves are in bishop style with narrow 
pointed cuffs. The skirt is cut in five 
gores. The fullness at the back is laid 
in inverted pleats under which the 
placket can be finished, or the pleats 
can be stitched fiat as illustrated, and 
the opening made invisibly at the lett 
front seam. To cut this costume for a 
girl 10 years of age five yards of mater¬ 
ial 27 inches wide, 2% yards 44 inches 
wide or 2% yards 50 inches wide will 
be required. The pattern No. 3934 is cut 
in sizes for girls of 8. 10, 12 and 14 
years of age; price 10 cents. 
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