Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-11-27

Looking across it we saw the lootpath
winding up the summit of Mt. Canon, aud
strong desire possessed us to explore the rugged
way. We stood now by the basin, noting the
oyerarching rock contrasting with the trans
parent green of the waters below, and watch
ing the rain drops as they fell in the emerald
liquid contained in the rocky chalice
When we found ourselves at the Pool so
engaged had we been in keeping our
footing on the logs and fallen trees
intended as assistance TO the Tayeleron his
way thithcr, that we had not noticed that
the high wind had swept the sky of the heavy
rain clouds, and was driving the heecy rem
nants over the clear blue. We looked down into
the depths, then descended the perlous wooden
stairs and gazed up at the walls of perpcndicu-
lar rocks which rose high above our head. 1t
was hard to imagine this solitude far away in
the heart Of the mountains, surrounded by the
sober brown and grey Of the advanced autumn,
invaded rs it is, in summer time by hosts of
people. Prof. Merrill had gone with the Others,
his boat was turned upside down on the ocks,
and his peculiar chirography and photography
spoke mutely but eloquently Of his vagaries.
We next bent our steps towards the Flumc'
When we arrived at the mountain stream which
comes umbling over the rocks from the Pool
We found the planks taken from the bridge, eav,
ing three immense beams spanning the water
dozen or twenty feet above the surface We
were not to be daunted, however, and Uncle
John toC k us in turn and led us safely across. We
walked up the rocky floor washed smooth by
thenow narrow brook, which came down from the
Flume. The wooden walk leading up to the sus'
pended boulder was also minus the planks, which
were piled near the now deserted Photographic
establishment. We went on up the Flume step
ping from cleat to cleat, as if walking on rail
road ties. The way was toilsome and not free
from peril, especially in descending, as sudden
splash and subdued exclamation Indicated As
we looked above us, we were oyerawed at the
thought of the tremendous powers of nature,
that must have been at work to wrench apart
the solid rock. We felt our own littleness and
half trembled lest those awful walls should shut
us in and hide forever from our eyes the glad
light of day. We emerged from the Fiume to
find the sky again overcast with duh leaden
clouds. The wind whsted cold and dreary
through the branches of the trees, whrling the
brown leaves uOWH TO the ground,
We had a good view Of the Old Man of the
Mountain as we returned, cold, wrinkled and
grey, doomed always to remain in mid-air
while the rain and snow, sleet and hail of win
ter deepensEthe seams and burrows of his hard
visage.
We desired to ascend Mt. Lafayette, but the
ponies usually to be had at the stables of the
Profile house had been sent away several weeks
before The return through the Notch was
more expeditions than our entrance, for we
rolled rapidly down the hill, we had so labori-
ously climbed the night before. AS we passed
| Echo lake the clouds "fulflled their mute and
| ominous prophecy" and "zigzag wavering to
and fro, crossed and recrossed the winged
snow"
Our plan had been TO spend the night at the
village of Franconia, but it looked so lOrlon,
with its unworked iron foundry and tenement
houses, that we decided to pres on to Littleton.
| The level road along the banks of the river in
vited us but the arrow on the guide post point
cd reentcssly over the hill And what Il hill
that was! As it heightened into miles, and the
wind searched lis with severity suggestive of
| December, Uncle John muttcred that this could
not be the right road, and threatened to sue the
sclectmen for allowing such misgudng sign
post to direct people from the level road of the
valley over such hill as that. Pressing on thus
in uncertainty, we at last begun to descend and
saw the lights of the village Pickering and
twinllling in the valley.
Littleton is noted for rum and democracy, said
Uncle John, sententiously, "and we must be
careful where we put up" We had now crossed
the bridge and was in the main street OF the vii
lage looking for the hotels, fearful lest we
should stumble on the rum and democracy"
"Can you direct us to a hotel," quered Uncle
John, as he reined up by the sidewalk. A voice
| ofHibernan accent, replied out Of the darkness,
"Yell find two where We see the big lights down
yonder." (Which is the temperance hotel"
| pursued Uncle John. "Mister - is the most
importance" was the response as Pat departed.
We passed by the bright, cheerful parlors of the
first and found 'the most temperance hotel"
dark and uuinyiting, and concluding that Pat
must have been misinformed we turned back to
the other. As we gathered around the glowing
CRATE fire in the parlOr, while waiting for our
rooms, we agreed that we should not advise any
one to visit the mountains after the twentieth of
| October. S. C. p.