A girl's life eighty years ago : $b Selections from the letters of Eliza Southgate BowneBowne, Eliza Southgate
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A girl's life eighty years ago : $b Selections from the letters of Eliza Southgate Bowne
Bowne, Eliza Southgate
Bowne, Eliza Southgate, 1783-1809; United States -- Social life and customs -- 1783-1865
pressure, and I was obliged to carry my mighty self through the snow
which almost buried me. Such a time, I never shall forget it! My
great-grandmother never told any of her youthful adventures to equal it.
The storm continued till Monday, and I was obliged to stay; but Monday I
insisted if there was any possibility of getting to Sister’s to set out.
The horse and sleigh were soon at the door, and again I sallied forth to
brave the tempestuous weather (for it still snowed) and surmount the
many obstacles I had to meet with. We rode on a few rods, when coming
directly upon a large drift, we stuck fast. We could neither get forward
nor turn round. After waiting till I was most frozen we got out, and
with the help of a truckman the sleigh was lifted up and turned towards
a cross street that led to Federal Street. We again went on; at the
corner we found it impossible to turn up or turn, but must go down and
begin where we first started, and take a new course; but suddenly
turning the corner we came full upon a pair of trucks, heavily laden;
the drift on one side was so large that it left a very narrow passage
between that and the corner house, indeed we were obliged to go so near
that the post grazed my bonnet. What was to be done? Our horses’ heads
touched before we saw them. I jump’t out, the sleigh was unfastened and
lifted round, and we again measured back our old steps. At length we
arrived at Sister Boyd’s door, and the drift before it was the greatest
we had met with; the horse was so exhausted that he sunk down, and we
really thought him dead. ’Twas some distance from the gate and no path.
The gentleman took me up in his arms and carried me till my weight
pressed him so far into the snow that he had no power to move his feet.
I rolled out of his arms and wallowed till I reached the gate; then
rising to shake off the snow, I turned and beheld my beau fixed and
immoveable; he could not get his feet out to take another step. At
length, making a great exertion to spring his whole length forward, he
made out to reach the poor horse, who lay in a worse condition than his
master. By this time all the family had gathered to the window, indeed
they saw the whole frolic; but ’twas not yet ended, for, unluckily, in
pulling off Miss Weeks’ bonnet to send to the sleigh to be carried back,
I pulled off my wig and left my head bare. I was perfectly convulsed
with laughter. Think what a ludicrous figure I must have been, still
standing at the gate, my bonnet halfway to the sleigh and my wig in my
hand. However, I hurried it on, for they were all laughing at the
window, and made the best of my way into the house. The horse was
unhitched and again set out, and left me to ponder on the incidents of
the morning. I have since heard of several events that took place that
Assembly night much more amusing than mine,—nay, Don Quixote’s most
ludicrous adventures compared with some of them will appear like the
common events of the day.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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