Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1857-07-16
Rambles in the Country.
STUMP FENCES.

A@oAAO1eS IN Cne country.
STUMP FENCES.
10 an individual who has been accustomed
to city life, and the tame scenery of the Nee
England Atlantic coast, Inc wild, grand. and
picturesque landscape of northern Vermont Fl lis
him with wonder and admiration.
We took drive the otherr day through this
portion of the State. Our road lay through the
deep gorges and mountain passes, winding its
course among the hills, along the brink of prec-
pices and beside the gurglng brooks. The
heavy rains of the previous week had made sad
work OF these mountain paths, for from their
narrowness they are scarcely entitled to be called
roads.
Deep gallies and bitches we're washed out on
the sides, and occasionly in the center, making
it exceedingly difficult to find enongh of terra
trma for the wheels to run upon to say nothing
OF the deep pits and FOOTBALLS for horse. But
our beast was, we judge from his cautious step
and knowing look used 10 such roadside
brought us safely over bitches, chasms, pools,
rocks, and mud bottoms macadamized with rot
ten logs. At length we came up, over, and
out upon plane land, where we could get a
grand view of the country. The first thing
which attracted cur attention was the stump
fence. Il any of your readers Mr. Editor,
have seen one, they will comprehend how ii
looks but lest some of them should be as
green " in this matter as we were, let us say
word by way of imperfect description.
The stump fence, to our eye, is one of the
most beautiful we ever saw or imagined. Fan
cy-work wire fences, ornamental iron ones, and
architectural wooden ones are nothing to it.
There is as much difference between these
Amade-up things, these whitfield out Yankee
fllagree fences and the real, natural wild
confused, tangled, Gordon knotted harun-scarum
stump Notifications, as there is between mill
dam and Niagara
These stump fences! Why, nothing on
earth, or under the earth, could ever got over,
through, or around one. We would advise all
persons who believe in the personal bodily
identity Of his satanic majesty, and have any
!, any fears of visit from him, to get their inclo-
ttsafes sutlouniss! VI ! Aiuilp Al oa-eg We
have reaS that this same parsonage was a mighty
walker, but he must also be mighty climber
to eetove stump fence
Fl. AT first we began TO compute this kind OF
life guard by the rod, then by The mile, but as
we drew nearer to the land of everlasting hills
, and nterminable forests, we could reckon only
, by the acre. Stump fence lined the road on
, either side. Stump fence chased and frighten-
, ed stump fence across the green meadows, up the
brown hills, and over the steep cliffs and even
5 stretched itself in ragged gigantic beauty in
front of the country church
, How is it made, says one! Really we
should think it would have taken all the grand.
, papas and great-grand papas since the time OF
Noah, with all their oxen, chains, and boys to
> pull up, hall out and drag in a row all the
stumps we saw i, for some of them from theiI
r bleacheh appearance looked as if they might
: have lain in their present position for severa
, generations before stump puIler was though
q Of Stump fences There is enough in tia
thought to write volume of sermons upon
b These footprints Of the giants of the forests
!, they seem like record of past ages. o how
:, are the mighty fallen, and what long jagged
. line of ancestral history have they stereotyped
for c. ming generations On them is engraven
the toll and trust, the hope and fear, the per-
severance and activity, the bone and sinew, the
indomitable frmness and go-aheadiliveness Of
the pioneer pilgrims of New England. | can
only look on stump fence as line in history
to be reverenced and read The stumps there
they lay in their last resting place, side by side
their fraternal arms locked in an eternal en-.
brace, or towering toward heaven as if bidding
y defiance to man, or calling down vengence upon
him.
On some sections, which we passed, III,
stumps lay with their great mouths pointing
into the road like so many guns from the port
holes Of man-of-war. With this idea upper
most, it required some nerve to ride calml,
through the ranks of such a host What
they should fire sauLe But on we weni
leaving The grand stump fence for the meel
t. simple plain, broad one of country civiiz,
n, lion, till the the beautiful Lamoils River opene
Ia to our view