The Beatrice Daily Express

THE MODERN WAY OF MOVING.

Some of its Features as Noted by a Suburbanite Just Moved Into Town.

I cannot forget," said the man who moved from the suburbs, "the vans we moved in nor the men who moved us. The whole household was active early that morning waiting for the vans. The main road by which they would approach ran parallel to the street in which we lived and in plain sight. Soon after 7 o'clock we saw them coming, three of them, each drawn by four horses, and all well closed up, a decidedly orderly and business-looking procession. They swung around through a cross street and down our street and halted near the house at 7:10. They had told us at the office that the vans would be there at 7 o'clock. Inasmuch as they had had 12 miles to come and it had rained the night before, 7:10 didn't seem like a half bad bluff at it.

"A man came down and located the house, and then the two head vans came and backed up to the walk in front. At one side of the house there was a driveway which ran back past the rear of the house, with a loop there around a little oval grass plat. There was none too much room in this driveway, which was not designed for four-horse teams, but when the rear van came down the driver swung his leaders and came in at it with the large confidence of a man who has a good team and knows how to handle it. He rounded the oval and halted with his team headed toward the street and the rear end of the van on a line with the rear of the house. When the vans were all in position, the horses were blanketed, and then the men were ready.

"There were six men altogether, and they were all powerful, able-bodied men. The house was a 2 1/2 story Queen Anne. The men stripped it in two hours and without any fuss or commotion whatever. At 9:20 the last padlock snapped on the last van door, and the drivers mounted to their seats and hauled out into the road again, once more in line. Then all hands settled down in their seats, and everything was ready for the start. The great arks were very heavy now, and it was no light work to move them. There was a little picturesque plunging at the start, but they were good teams, every one, and they soon had the vans in motion, and after that they walked off with them as though they were shoeboxes on wheels. A few moments later we saw them once more out on the main road, moving now toward the city.

"Four hours later we caught sight of them again. We were then on the train bound for the city and approaching near it. We saw the vans on a road at some little distance from the railroad. They were as well closed up as a wagon train would be under escort in an enemy's country and moving forward.

"Not very long afterward we stood on the steps in the land of brick and mortar and saw the procession, still well closed up, appear around the corner. They came up at a trot. It took a little more time to unload than to load, but not much. Soon we heard the last padlock snap again, this time on the last of the empty vans. Once more the procession lined up, moved off and disappeared.

"And left us to settle. It is something of a job to settle, as those who have tried it know, but if anything could make that work seem lighter it would be the exhilaration of moving in the modern way." -New York Sun.

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