CHAPTER I
In a small town in the northwestern part of Pennsylvania, named DuBois, lives the author of this story.
On the day of August 25, 1920, was the happiest day of my life, because
my father, mother and I started on our trip for the Pacific Coast. At
first I was glad, but when we came about to leave I felt very sad of
being thousands of miles from my brothers and sisters, but at last I
made up courage enough to go. We left for Pittsburgh on the 12:55 and
arrived there at 5 P. M. and our train left for Chicago. We wandered
downtown until we came to a Chinese Restaurant for a sandwich and a cup
of coffee. On arriving at the station we met the Taylor and Lowe
families on their way to Los Angeles, Cal. After going through a lot of
confusion we got ready and got on. the train. After seeing very little
of the Chicago Stock Yards in the morning from the train we met
Sergeant Maynard who worked on the farm a few months ago. We arrived
there at 9 A. M. It was only a few minutes until the train left for
Fort Sheridan, the camp where Bill was staying. He took us over to
Chicago Northwestern Railroad. The fort is about 28 miles from Chicago.
It took us about two hours to get there, but I soon fell asleep and did
not know anything until we got there. He took us to a place to get
something to eat because it was almost 2 P. M. and we had a fine
dinner. He took us up to see his house or camp and his wife Alphonsine.
We left mother with her while dad, Bill and I went to see where he had
his men working. He showed us one house of the captain which had 22
rooms and he was having it papered and painted which it did not need. I
just now forget how much it was costing him but it was a great sum.
Next he took us over to the warehouse where they have oil pipe fittings
and all sorts of equipment, rotting and rusting. They had stoves piled
up to the ceiling. We went back to the camp and told mother to meet us
downtown at 4:30. He took us back to his dining room and got some pie
and ice cream. By this time mother and Alphonsine were walking down the
road. It was almost time to go back to Chicago. Well, we left and bade
them good-bye. We left them saying we would stop and see them on our
way back. Our train left for St. Paul at 6 o'clock. The Pioneer Limited
was the name of it. We rode all night through Illinois and got to St.
Paul at 12 o'clock August 27. They had just finished building most of
the Union depot when we got there. We went to the Northern Pacific
building to see Mr. Wilson, who is vice president of the Northern
Pacific Railroad.
He invited us to have dinner at the Minnesota Club. Mrs. Wilson, Bill,
Jr., and Ed. were there. We had wild rice, split pike for dinner.
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