The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1871-08-03

We sew and read, talk pretty phiioso-
ply. or metaphysics as the mood takes
us. or ST i3ly and 10 silence like three
wise women The Mcrrimac flows ih.
10 the sea two miles away. and ihither
wc 20 fer 4 walk We pick up odd
bits of dnlt.wood and grow sentimen-
tal over them but when the other day
we found a torn hat and some old
water soaked boots, SO suggestive of
poor shipwrcckcd mariners, the practi.
cal dame Of our trio utterly scoiIed at
cypenliug any high emotion on "old
rubbish washed down from Newbury-
port, at night we can see the re-
volying light at the Isle Of Shoals and
row Of cleaning windows at llamp-
ton Beach, FIVE or six miles away.
Last Sunday night there was a storm
with wonderfully vivid lightning No
words can describe the grandeur and
the beauty Of the scene. Ono moment
the blackncss Of darkness brooding
over the face Of the deep, and the next
the whole vast cxpanse oftossing foam
and spray lii Up with dazzling luried
glare, weried supernatural, almost hor.
rible, yet so fascinating that we lin
gered watching until long past mid
night, lost in admiring awe.
Sometimes we ramblc through bean
tifal pine woods, picking blue ferries
and fighting mosquitoes, till we come
TO the old village Of Salisbury the
stllcst, dullost old place it was ever
our fortune to visit. A hundred houses
or more, well painted and with good
fences. but not mortal to be seen.
Blinds all closed. doors shut, cats
asleep on the front door steps, and even
the chickens apparently gone to roost.
Not shop or place Of business, ex-
ccpt two little groceries, with soli-
tary man DOING at each door, Not a
sound Of axe or saw or hammer not
even woman going a visiting. The
station agent locks up the depot door
after train passes; the few passen-
gers who get of are taken into an open
wagon and carried away to the beach ;
the mail bag disappears into ono Of the
little groceries, where letters uncallcd
for are set up in the window with the
address turned outward so that he that
runs may read and silence falls upon
the town again.
How do they liveY we ask. Where
does the ncedful bread and butter come
from? After much speculation we have
decided that the poulation must consist
Of ancient spinsters and sea captains
widows, who have some little annuity
or income and have decided on account
of troublesome beach fiies-of these
more anon TO do their cooking at
night and devote the day to the drowsy
god Having settled this point we
proceeded to the one point Of interest
we have discoI cred in this dead and
gone old town. This is Of course the
grave yard, an ancient stone wall over
grown with briers and vines incloses
this quiet spot. Here and there a
gnarled old apple or cherry tree finds
root among the thickly lying mounds.
The grass and brambles grow long and
rank, and everywhere lean old moss
grown tomb stones some Of them
broken down and almost buried in the
earth others still tolerably erect, but
all tLickly covered with coating Of
dark mould, gray Iitchens and moss.
They are Of slate, roughly hewn on one
side, but on the other smoothed of suf.
licicntly to admit Of some rude carving
aud lettering. Carefully scrlping of
the moss we are amazed to find such
dates as 1895, 1899, 1900, etc. Why,
this is almost equal TO looking at PIym,
outh Rock Here lie the Pilgrim Faith
crs; if not the identical ones who came
over in the May Flower, at least those
who very soon followed them. We
grow rcyercnt and work with rewarded
diligence at removing the thick growth
Of lichcns. Every serious feeling is
dispellcd, however, as We fairly bring
to light the indiscribablc figure head
which surmounts each Of these old
stones. Are they cherubs Or arc they
satyrs What arc they meant to sym.
bolize, and did ever any surviving
friends take pleasure IN gazing at theni
They are all considerably alike, and not
stone is without onea hidcous hu.
man face with wings stretching out OF
either side Take the rudest and
ugliest caricature ola face that you cv-
er saw a school boy draw on bis slate,
draw some curved lines out on botl
sides of il a. uneven and unlike eacl
other as you please, and there you have
these heavenly ch,rubs All II have u
say Il that il our forefatllcs thought
heaven WAS pcopled with such objects
wonder whore they thought its attrae
tons lay ] send you some exact cop
los 81 half a dozen of these images