Tuesday night- Nov-6th-
Reading edition
We have only counted 17 miles to day although the riding has been much better than for several days past- We stopt in Shippenburgh at noon- The town contains only one street a mile & a half in length & very thickly built- The street is some part of it pleasant, & some part dirty— I saw in it a handsome young gentleman who was both a dutchman & Pennsylvanian, yet in an hour & half I did not hear him make use of a single oath or prophane word- It was a remarkable instance, the only one I have known, & I could not but remark it- Prophanity is the characteristic of a Pennsylvanian—— We are 4 miles from Strasburgh & the mountains, & one of our horses is ill, owing to Erastus giving him too many oats- Erastus is master rather than his father, & will do as he pleases for all any one- He is a stubborn fellow, & so impudent to his mother & sister, that I have no patience with him— We are not as bless'd as the Israelites were, for our shoes wax old & our cloaths wear out— I don't know that mine will last till I get there—— —— —— —— —— ——
Wed- morn- Last night Susan & I went to bed early, as we slept ill the night before- we expected to get good beds & were never so disappointed- We were put in an old garret that had holes in the roof big enough to crawl through- Our bed was on the floor, harder it appear'd to me, than boards could be- & dirty as possible- a dirty feather bed our only covering- After lying an hour or two, we complain'd to Mrs Wolcott who applied to the landlady for a bedstead, but could only obtain leave for us to sleep on one bed with another over us- I slept wretchedly & feel very little like climbing a mountain—Mr & Mrs W could not sleep at all & got up at about eleven oclock— She had good beds in the house or I would not have complained so much>—