[Wilmington—Tuesday, 26 May 1868]
Tuesday morning rose at 4. Weather perfect cooled by the showers of last evening. Left our little Inn and our kind landlord at ½ past six. The wind blew freshly and as we ascended the mountains Jamie and I jumped out and walked up. The Peabody birds were singing in numbers around us—indeed I heard one from my chamber at Wilmington showing the little town to stand high. It is 800 feet higher than Brattleboro. It would be a pretty place to pass the summer in if the country were to be chosen rather than the shore.
Perfect the day was, and full of perfect life and happiness for us. We came to North Adams at length however.
We rather hoped “we might never come to shore.”
At North Adams we extracted a dinner of strawberries & cream perforce from an unwilling shop-woman who wished them all for “the fire men.” But we thought ourselves as hungry as the firemen were like to be and insisted.
At ½ past one we took train for Pittsfield. How dusty & warm it was in the cars! At Pittsfield everything looked warm & uninviting—so what next we said, we are not yet expected in Stockbridge, where we were going to pay Mrs Allen a visit. “Why to Lebanon” I suggested with delightful memories of cool days there long ago. “How?”—said the train ticket-master—“you must take a carriage if you go from here & drive 8 miles—better go to Canaan which is close by, 20 minutes to Canaan” Alas! for ticket masters—hot, hotter, hotttest, we arrive after an hour at Canaan—“hurry out—quick—into the stage” “Need’nt hurry” said a voice, “stage don’t go this two hours”--
We were not very patient at first but at last all came right.
