No, he was not homesick, only he fain would sleep and dream of home.
First meeting of the N.M.A.C. was held on a board pile near the
depot, to appoint a committee to secure transportation to the location.
The coming of the colony from Pennsylvania had been noised abroad
through the papers, and people were coming from every direction to
secure a home near them, and the best of the land was fast being
claimed by strangers, and the colonists felt anxious to be off on the
morrow.
The day was pleasant, and our people spent it in seeing what was to be
seen in and about Stuart, rendering a unanimous "pleased" in the
evening. Mr. John Skirving kindly gave three comfortable rooms above
his store to the use of the colonists, and the ladies and children with
the husbands went to house-keeping there Friday evening.
_Saturday morning._ Pleasant. All is bustle and stir to get the men
started to the location, and at last with oxen, horses, mules, and
ponies, eight teams in all, attached to wagons and hacks, and loaded
with the big tent and provisions, they were off. While the ladies who
were disappointed at being left behind; merrily waved each load away.
But it proved quite fortunate that we were left behind, as Saturday was
the last of the pleasant days. Sunday was cool, rained some, and that
western wind commenced to blow. We wanted to show that we were keepers
of the Sabbath by attending services at the one church of the town.
But, as the morning was unpleasant, we remained at the colony home and
wrote letters to the dear ones of home, telling of our safe arrival.
Many were the letters sent post haste from Stuart the following day to
anxious ones in the East.
In the afternoon it was pleasant enough for a walk across the prairie,
about a quarter of a mile, to the Elkhorn river. When we reached the
river I looked round and exclaimed: Why! what town is that? completely
turned already and didn't know the town I had just left.
The river has its source about fifteen miles south-west of Stuart, and
is only a brook in width here, yet quite deep and very swift. The water
is a smoky color, but so clear the fish will not be caught with hook
and line, spears and seine are used instead.
Like all the streams we have noticed in Nebraska it is very crooked,
yet we do not wonder that the water does not know where to run, there
is no "up or down" to this country; it is all just over to us; so the
streams cut across here, and wind around there, making angles, loops,
and turns, around which the water rushes, boiling and bubbling,--cross
I guess because it has so many twists and turns to make; don't know
what else would make it flow so swiftly in this level country. But hear
what Prof. Aughey says:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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