What Norman Saw in the West
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Title: What Norman Saw in the West
Author: Anonymous
Release Date: September 6, 2018 [eBook #57854]
Language: English
Character set encoding: UTF-8
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No. 666.
THE FALLS OF MINNEHAHA.
WHAT NORMAN SAW
IN
THE WEST.
CONTENTS.
| CHAPTER | PAGE | |
|---|---|---|
| I. | On the Railway | 9 |
| II. | Two Days at Niagara | 17 |
| III. | Children made happy | 27 |
| IV. | The Queen City of the Lake | 40 |
| V. | On the Rock River | 54 |
| VI. | Indian Stories | 65 |
| VII. | Second Day upon the Mississippi | 87 |
| VIII. | Owah-Menah; or the Falling Water | 100 |
| IX. | Down the Mississippi | 115 |
| X. | Fourth Day upon the Mississippi | 124 |
| XI. | A Sunday in Dubuque | 134 |
| XII. | Down the River | 138 |
| XIII. | The Picnic | 151 |
| XIV. | The Camp-meeting | 158 |
| XV. | A Sabbath-day | 168 |
| 6XVI. | On the Rail | 178 |
| XVII. | The Prairies | 190 |
| XVIII. | Chicago, and the Ride thither | 202 |
| XIX. | On the Lakes | 208 |
| XX. | Mackinaw and Lake Huron | 218 |
| XXI. | Collingwood | 240 |
| XXII. | A Sunday in Toronto | 247 |
| XXIII. | Once more at Niagara | 255 |
| XXIV. | Home again | 263 |
Illustrations.
| PAGE | |
|---|---|
| Falls of Minnehaha | 2 |
| New York City | 12 |
| Prairie du Chien | 73 |
| Indians killing a white Family | 79 |
| Maiden’s Rock | 93 |
| Falls of St. Anthony | 103 |
| Western Settler’s first Home | 175 |
| Common Gull | 237 |
CHAPTER I.
ON THE RAILWAY.
“How still Broadway looks so early inthe morning,” said Norman Lester to hismother, as they drove down the street totake the early train.
It was an unusual sight, the long vistaof the beautiful street in deep shadow,peaceful and calm as if it knew no tramplingfootsteps nor jostling vehicles. It10was just waking up from its brief hourof repose. Here and there a market cart,laden with vegetables, was jogging leisurelyon, then a carriage with travelersand trunks hastened onward. A fewwaiters were standing at the doors of thehotels to speed the parting guests, andpedestrians not ignorant of sunrise andits demands were walking on the broadpavement. Soon the swelling tide of lifewould rush through this great channel; theanxious, earnest brow, the sad and troubledcountenances; light and trifling, andbright and joyous faces, would all be bornedown that mighty stream. Business andpleasure, noise, and hurry, and confusionwould come, as the ascending sun chasedaway the shadows of the great thoroughfare,and with them its brief repose.
Norman’s thoughts went beyond Broadwayand its contrast.
No. 666.
NEW YORK CITY
13“I have actually set out on my journeyto the West to see my uncle, a journey Ihave been thinking of for two or threeyears. How I wish you were going withus, Edward,” he said to his tall cousin,whose manliness Norman greatly admired.
“You are to be your mother’s escort to-day,Norman,” replied Edward; “I hopeyou will take good care of her. You aretall enough to make quite a respectableescort, but I have my doubts as to yourcare and thoughtfulness. I think you arerather a heedless boy, but I hope you willcome back greatly improved.”
“There is no saying,” said Norman,“what this journey may do for me.”
“We shall see; but here we are at thedepôt,” was Edward’s reply.
The ferry was crossed, some orangesbought to quiet the noisy demands of theorange woman, seats secured, good-bysaid to Edward, and Norman and hismother were fairly off for a few daysride on the Erie Railroad to Niagara.
14How that terrible, untiring iron horsebore them on; how rapidly was the panoramaof wood and plain, of rock, river,and valley, unrolled before them; how hesnorted and panted, and shot onward,after a short pause now and then to refreshthe mighty giant.
The shifting landscape looked verylovely in the softened lights of that pleasantJune day. The tender green of thefoliage, orchards in full bloom, neat farm-houses,glimpses of the river Passaic, andtheir noble views of a beautiful valley, inthe midst of which rose the spires of PortJervis, lying prettily among the hills, werepresented to the eye and as rapidly withdrawn.Then the scenery became morewild as the train rushed along the highembankment, following the course of theDelaware, and looking down upon itsrapid waters. It is a wild, rugged region;15huge trees, great prostrate trunks, scarredand blackened trophies of the progress ofthe advancing settler wrestling with hisgigantic foes; log-cabins surrounded byunsightly clearings marred with frequentstumps; fields of wheat struggling for existencein the scanty soil; fantastical fencesformed of twisted, gnarled, antler-likeroots. A most picturesque region, whichmight, however, call forth the comment ofthe sturdy Sussex farmer: “Picturesque!I don’t know what you call picturesque;but I say, give me a soil that when youturn it up you have something for yourpains; the fine soil makes the fine country,madam.”
Norman looked with astonishment onthe lofty and massive arches of thebridges over which the railroad crossesthe valley, and had a glimpse of the waterleaping down the ravine at CascadeBridge. A number of men were workingthere on the steep sandy sides of the16cliff, that seemed to afford them a mostperilous
