Springfield is in the midst of the Grand Prairie, and, as we are not to
leave it till the afternoon, we have been exploring the town, and, as
far as we could, the prairie which comes close up to it; but the moment
the plank pavement ceased, it was hopeless to get further, owing to the
dreadfully muddy state of the road. This mud must be a great drawback to
residing in a prairie town, as the streets are rendered impassable for
pedestrians, unless at the plank crossings. On our way back to the
hotel, we accosted a man standing at his door, whose strong Scotch
accent, in reply to a question, told us at once where he came from. He
asked us into his house, and gave us a good deal of information about
the state of the country. He was originally a blacksmith at Inverary,
and had after that pursued his calling in a very humble way in Fife and
in Edinburgh, and came out here penniless twenty-six years ago, when
there were only a few huts in the place; but he has turned his trade to
better account here, for he lives in a comfortable house, and has
_$_50,000, or 10,000_l._ invested in the country. He seemed very pleased
to see us, and talked of the Duke of Argyle's family, as well as of the
Durhams, Bethunes, Anstruthers, &c. Having lived when in Fife, at Largo,
he seemed quite familiar with the Durhams, with the General's little
wife, and with Sir Philip's adventures, from the time of the loss of the
Royal George downwards.
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