Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1869-08-12

as he knew, in the enjoyment of goot
health, and it would be impossible to sc
lect any who gave promise of early death
A Visit TO "Spruce Knob" in Wild
dletown.
After completing a business engage
ment at Middletown, on Wednesday af
ternoon of last week, we informed oul
friend Hoyt, of the Valley Hotel, tina,
we desired on the next day to climb the
mountain known as Spruce Knob, stu
ated In the extreme northern part of the
town, and inquired of him if he could fur
nish a conveyance. He replied that he
could, and inquired, How would you
like straw ride z" Not knowing what
he meant by ''straw ride" and not wish
ing to expose our ignorance ON that sub
ject, we replied that we should like it
much, feeling that it would BE- safe to
trust him as to the mode Of CONVEYANCE.
We were notified to be in readiness at Q
o'clock a M
at the hour appointed We were at the
hotel, and after standing five minutes
upon the front steps. Mr.. Hnyt, accom-
panied by A. W. Gray, appeared with a
splendid pair of horses. attached to far
mer's wagon, on which WAS hay-rigging
filled with new-made clover hay. Some
twelve ladies and gentlemen, guests of
the hotel, in gleeful mood, made their APP
pearance, and seated themselves in the
wagon. By this time we were enlight-
ened as to the meaning of STRAW ride"
The company had nearly filled the wagon,
but there was place for one more, and
Mr.. Hoyt bid me to take it, and we were
on our way to "Old Knob
l soon found that l had very comfort
able seat, indeed, and would not have ex-
changed it for seat in the gayest car
riage in the land, and found too that our
mode of conveyance was wonderfully
promotive of the social feelings Our
company, made up of ladies and gentle
men from New York, Albany, Cleveland,
and other places far away, were at once
as familiar as old acquaintances OF
course | would not concede that we were
rude, but we became unusually commune
cative, and for old men and women, as
some Of US may be called, were quite
merry, lively, and witty, as we all tried to
be. A ride of three miles brought us to
the end of the road. We opened gate,
passed through, and went with our team
perhaps quarter of mile farther in the
open field in the direction of the noun
tain. We then alighted, and, with the
exception of two or three invalids who
were obliged to remain at the wagon,
commenced our ascent of the mountain on
the south side. or rather of steep hill
occupied as a pasture, and on which the
mountain seems to rest After we had
assembled this hill and arrived at the base
of the mountain, full half mile from
where our team was left, and being very
steep in the ascent, a part of our company
became exhausted and could go no far
Their. After few minutes rest, Mr..
Gray, myself, two ladies, and two little
girls, started on amid bushes, briars, and |
weeds, and over rocks and stones, in our
way upward. In this way we toiled on
like heroes until we had reached point
perhaps forty or fifty rods below the sum-
NIT, when one of the little girls, whose
mother was along, sat down, giddy, pale,
and trembling. 1t was evident she could
go no further. The two ladies were
hardly less exhausted. We had now
reached point from which western,
southern, and eastern view, as far north
as Killington, was as good, or nearly SO,
as from the summit. The ladies who had
started with determination to reach the
top, now concluded that prudence die
lated that they should go no further, but
enjoy the view from where they were.
NJ. Gray and myself hsstened to tho
Top. aa $50 sa |,
spepoe Knob. to speak Of it taniliarly,