第 4 节
作者:痛罚      更新:2024-04-07 11:54      字数:9321
  together like children。  She had wonderful toys for
  me; and pictures and books; but the thing I loved
  best of all and played with for hours was a little
  stuffed hen which she told me had been her dearest
  treasure when she was a child at home。  She had
  also a stuffed puppy; and she once mentioned that
  those two things alone were left of her life as
  a little girl。  Besides the toys and books and pic…
  tures; she gave me ice…cream and cake; and told me
  fairy…tales。  She had a wonderful understanding of
  what a child likes。  There were half a dozen women
  in the house with her; but I saw none of them nor
  any of the men who came。
  Once; when we had become very good friends
  indeed and my early shyness had departed; I
  found courage to ask her where the ghost was
  the ghost that haunted her house。  I can still see
  the look in her eyes as they met mine。  She told
  me the ghost lived in her heart; and that she did
  not like to talk about it; and that we must not
  speak of it again。  After that I never mentioned it;
  but I was more deeply interested than ever; for a
  ghost that lived in a heart was a new kind of ghost
  to me at that time; though I have met many of
  them since then。  During all our intercourse my
  mother never entered the house next door; nor did
  my mysterious lady enter our home; but she con…
  stantly sent my mother secret gifts for the poor and
  the sick of the neighborhood; and she was always
  the first to offer help for those who were in trouble。
  Many years afterward mother told me she was the
  most generous woman she had ever known; and
  that she had a rarely beautiful nature。  Our depart…
  ure for Michigan broke up the friendship; but I have
  never forgotten her; and whenever; in my later
  work as minister; physician; and suffragist; I have
  been able to help women of the class to which she
  belonged; I have mentally offered that help for credit
  in the tragic ledger of her life; in which the clean and
  the blotted pages were so strange a contrast。
  One more incident of Lawrence I must describe
  before I leave that city behind me; as we left it for
  ever in 1859。  While we were still there a number of
  Lawrence men decided to go West; and amid great
  public excitement they departed in a body for Kansas;
  where they founded the town of Lawrence in that
  state。  I recall distinctly the public interest which
  attended their going; and the feeling every one
  seemed to have that they were passing forever out
  of the civilized world。  Their farewells to their
  friends were eternal; no one expected to see them
  again; and my small brain grew dizzy as I tried to
  imagine a place so remote as their destination。  It
  was; I finally decided; at the uttermost ends of the
  earth; and it seemed quite possible that the brave
  adventurers who reached it might then drop off into
  space。  Fifty years later I was talking to a Cali…
  fornia girl who complained lightly of the monotony
  of a climate where the sun shone and the flowers
  bloomed all the year around。  ‘‘But I had a de…
  lightful change last year;'' she added; with anima…
  tion。  ‘‘I went East for the winter。''
  ‘‘To New York?'' I asked。
  ‘‘No;'' corrected the California girl; easily; ‘‘to
  Lawrence; Kansas。''
  Nothing; I think; has ever made me feel quite so
  old as that remark。  That in my life; not yet; to me
  at least; a long one; I should see such an arc de…
  scribed seemed actually oppressive until I realized
  that; after all; the arc was merely a rainbow of time
  showing how gloriously realized were the hopes of
  the Lawrence pioneers。
  The move to Michigan meant a complete up…
  heaval in our lives。  In Lawrence we had around us
  the fine flower of New England civilization。  We
  children went to school; our parents; though they
  were in very humble circumstances; were associated
  with the leading spirits and the big movements of
  the day。  When we went to Michigan we went to
  the wilderness; to the wild pioneer life of those times;
  and we were all old enough to keenly feel the change。
  My father was one of a number of Englishmen who
  took up tracts in the northern forests of Michigan;
  with the old dream of establishing a colony there。
  None of these men had the least practical knowledge
  of farming。  They were city men or followers of
  trades which had no connection with farm life。
  They went straight into the thick timber…land; in…
  stead of going to the rich and waiting prairies; and
  they crowned this initial mistake by cutting down
  the splendid timber instead of letting it stand。
  Thus bird's…eye maple and other beautiful woods
  were used as fire…wood and in the construction of
  rude cabins; and the greatest asset of the pioneers
  was ignored。
  Father preceded us to the Michigan woods; and
  there; with his oldest son; James; took up a claim。
  They cleared a space in the wilderness just large
  enough for a log cabin; and put up the bare walls
  of the cabin itself。  Then father returned to Law…
  rence and his work; leaving James behind。  A few
  months later (this was in 1859); my mother; my two
  sisters; Eleanor and Mary; my youngest brother;
  Henry; eight years of age; and I; then twelve; went
  to Michigan to work on and hold down the claim
  while father; for eighteen months longer; stayed on
  in Lawrence; sending us such remittances as he could。
  His second and third sons; John and Thomas; re…
  mained in the East with him。
  Every detail of our journey through the wilder…
  ness is clear in my mind。  At that time the railroad
  terminated at Grand Rapids; Michigan; and we
  covered the remaining distanceabout one hundred
  milesby wagon; riding through a dense and often
  trackless forest。  My brother James met us at
  Grand Rapids with what; in those days; was called
  a lumber…wagon; but which had a horrible resem…
  blance to a vehicle from the health department。
  My sisters and I gave it one cold look and turned
  from it; we were so pained by its appearance that
  we refused to ride in it through the town。  Instead;
  we started off on foot; trying to look as if we had no
  association with it; and we climbed into the un…
  wieldy vehicle only when the city streets were far
  behind us。  Every available inch of space in the
  wagon was filled with bedding and provisions。  As
  yet we had no furniture; we were to make that for
  ourselves when we reached our cabin; and there
  was so little room for us to ride that we children
  walked by turns; while James; from the beginning
  of the journey to its end; seven days later; led our
  weary horses。
  To my mother; who was never strong; the whole
  experience must have been a nightmare of suffering
  and stoical endurance。  For us children there were
  compensations。  The expedition took on the char…
  acter of a high adventure; in which we sometimes
  had shelter and sometimes failed to find it; some…
  times were fed; but often went hungry。  We forded
  innumerable streams; the wheels of the heavy wagon
  sinking so deeply into the stream…beds that we often
  had to empty our load before we could get them out
  again。  Fallen trees lay across our paths; rivers
  caused long detours; while again and again we lost
  our way or were turned aside by impenetrable forest
  tangles。
  Our first day's journey covered less than eight
  miles; and that night we stopped at a farm…house
  which was the last bit of civilization we saw。  Early
  the next morning we were off again; making the slow
  progress due to the rough roads and our heavy load。
  At night we stopped at a place called Thomas's
  Inn; only to be told by the woman who kept it that
  there was nothing in the house to eat。  Her hus…
  band; she said; had gone ‘‘outside'' (to Grand
  Rapids) to get some flour; and had not returned
  but she added that we could spend the night; if
  we chose; and enjoy shelter; if not food。  We had
  provisions in our wagon; so we wearily entered; after
  my brother had got out some of our pork and
  opened a barrel of flour。  With this help the woman
  made some biscuits; which were so green that my
  poor mother could not eat them。  She had admitted
  to us that the one thing she had in the house was
  saleratus; and she had used this ingredient with an
  unsparing hand。  When the meal was eaten she
  broke the further news that there were no beds。
  ‘‘The old woman can sleep with me;'' she sug…
  gested; ‘‘and the girls can sleep on the floor。  The
  boys will have to go to the barn。''
  She and her bed were not especially attractive;
  and mother decided to lie on the floor with us。  We
  had taken our bedding from the wagon; and we slept
  very well; but though she was usually superior to
  small annoyances; I think my mother resented being
  called an ‘‘old woman。''  She must have felt like
  one that night; but she was only about forty…eight
  years of age。
  At dawn the next morning we resumed our jour…
  ney; and every day after that we were able to cover
  the distance