Wanderings of French EdRené, J. Adelard (Joseph Adelard)
History
Wanderings of French Ed
René, J. Adelard (Joseph Adelard)
French Canadians -- Fiction; United States -- History -- 19th century -- Fiction
Try as he might he could not revive in his soul the old dreams for
the future, and when night came, stretched on the hard benches of the
second class coach, he slept just long enough to dream of his mother
and his village. Once he woke up, thinking he held the quivering hand
of his blue-eyed sweetheart.
After a restless night, morning found him aching in every limb in his
body, but glad that he was nearing his destination. Worcester, Mass.,
was the city where he expected to first walk upon American soil, and
after searching in vain upon the yellow time-table to find the exact
time he would arrive, he turned to a fellow-passenger, a big fat
fellow, whom he addressed in French, saying: "A quelle heure
arriverons nous a Wor-ces-ter?"
The big fellow look puzzled at first, then smiling, he said: "Talk
United States."
Edward failed to understand the meaning of "talking United States,"
but answered "thank you," trying to look satisfied with the answer.
About two hours later the conductor came in and said: "Worster!
Worster!" and shortly after the train stopped in a large depot.
Almost everyone stepped out except Edward, who had no idea that
"Worster," as the conductor called it, and "Worcester" were the same
place. "Don't you want to get off here?" asked the conductor.
"No, I am going to Worcester," answered the French lad, but the
conductor picked up some of his things and smilingly informed him
that he was at the end of his trip.
After finding his way out of the station, Edward stopped an instant
to look around and immediately he was surrounded by a lot of cabmen
yelling, gesticulating and wanting to take hold of some of the boy's
parcels. Surprised and almost scared he tried to make them understand
something in French, but failed, and he was getting in a rather
embarrassing situation, when an old gentleman, who had witnessed the
proceedings, stepped up to him and asked him in broken French where
he wanted to go. "God bless you!" thought Edward as he looked up into
the kind old gentleman's face, and told him where he wanted to be
directed to.
The old gentleman walked part way with him, and then gave him
directions to find a hotel kept by a Frenchman, where he said Edward
would be well treated. After a few minutes Edward found himself in
front of a cheap-looking boarding house, bearing the name "Hotel de
Montreal," and he walked in. Every one in the place spoke French, and
he felt at once like a new man. His face brightened up and his
old-time courage came back as he told the proprietor that we wanted to
stop there for a few days.
The remainder of that day was spent in sight-seeing and in gathering
information about addresses given him by his father and friends of
some compatriots in business in that city, from whom Edward expected
to receive employment and get his start in American life.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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