"Above the joining of Fishkill and Hudson, the Catskills
appeared. Betsy’s spirits lifted at the sight. Bearing the sloop on its back, the
Hudson poured green water against the bow. Farms, orchards, forests, all were
lush and green, high summer all around. Along the shores, people bathed and
boated. In the early morning, deer drank. Betsy saw it all as she walked back
and forth, carrying Johnny, querulous and delicate, in her arms.
It was cooler now. Betsy felt better at once in spite of the
strain of traveling with a sick child. The nursemaid had all she could do to
keep track of Jamie, who raced up and down the deck, in constant danger of
falling overboard. The wind blew from the north, so they tacked back and forth,
slowly making their way upriver.
Cool at last and
fresh, cold mornings! The cabin was close, but once on deck, it was another
world. The shimmering, stinking streets of Philadelphia were only a dreary
memory.
At the first sight of the red brick house up the bank, of
green lawn and orchards spilling toward the water, Betsy felt her heart leap,
in spite of the ache of missing Alexander.
As they tied up at the quay, she saw dark towers crowding
ominously in the west. Maybe there would be a storm this evening, a big one...."
~~Juliet Waldron
Excerpt from:
A MASTER PASSION
Images: Schuyler Mansion Historic Site, Albany, NY, View from the upstairs Great Room, by Kathy Fischer-Brown
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