At nine o'clock that evening we reached Fairport. It had been raining
hard and the night was dark. We were ready to leave the boat. Jane, the
cabin maid kissed me many times, saying, "Now my dear child try not to
be homesick and we hope to meet you in the spring and take you home with
us." We stepped ashore, it seemed to me the dock was moving from under
us, we had been over a week on the boat. Elizabeth was soon with her
brothers and sisters who had come to meet her. She took my hand saying,
"This is my little friend, Elizabeth Whitney." They gave me a hearty
welcome and I knew I was among friends. We hurried to the hotel kept by
Mrs. Root in Fairport, where we remained all night. Next morning after
breakfast we crossed over the river on the scow ferry, where we were met
by Mr. Crane's carriage and we drove to their home on the Headlands.
There Mrs. Crane was standing in her door to meet her husband and
children. After all had greeted their father and mother, Mrs. Crane with
the rest of the family gave me a kind welcome and I felt quite happy
with them. Their nearest neighbor was Mr. Alexander Snell. He had been
to Beaver Island and knew my parents. Mrs. Snell and everybody was very
kind to the little "Island Girl," as I was called. Her sister, Mrs.
Wright, was our neighbor at home. Mr. Crane's youngest child was a girl
of five years, and a boy named Charley eight, so we children had great
fun hunting hen's eggs in the big barn.
After one week one bright morning Mr. Crane took me in the carriage to
Painesville to my new home. We crossed the Grand river at Fairport, then
took the old plank road to Painesville. How the horses' hoofs did
clatter as we drove on a fast trot! We stopped at the turn of the road,
where Mr. Crane had two sisters living. Their house was on a pretty
knoll on the right as we drove into Painesville. We had dinner with Mrs.
Matthews. The other sister was a maiden lady called by the children
"Aunt Margaret." They were all very kind to me.