Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-09-03
For the Free Press ard Times.
The Interior OF Pennsylvania.
THE XUSCY HILLS.

New Englanders, and We are perhaps tho
only people in Burlington who have spent
q week among the Muncy Hills. Bald
Eagle Mountain stretches for a hundred |
miles westward from Muncy. AT Muncy II /
i low and narrow. leaving the plain 40
rup,ly. but with Il gentle slope. IL lies |
there. like Il stranded leviathan. and, at
the eastern cad. that nigh. be the tail OF
the creature. folds round on itself, making
noble gorge where it torches the body OF
the mountains Around this proihontory
curves the Susq johanna, hugging the noun
tain both on the north and south. Between
Bald Eagle and the river, and again beyond
between the river and the hills, lie thou
sands Of acres Of farmland, broken up by
lines, c!ainps, and groves of trees En-
closing all, leaving only the narrow passes
for the river, spreads the vast circle Of the
Nancy Hills. These hills are like nothing
one sees here. They swell and roll into
each other, like the suriaces Of crossing
waves. They battle the attemp; to count
them. When add, that the river has its
boats and bridges and is emphasized by a
canal, and that i railroad sweeps round the
mountain. | think it mus be seen that here
is material for MANI exquisite combinations.
Day after day We went like Ba,ak and
BALKAN, to view the scene from thence and
from hence; AMI could never decide where
it was loyeiiesi.
0ne ride Of twenty iaies or 50 among the
hits We remember well. We we're visiting
- well, say Aunt Betsoy TrotVcod, for
81 the irreverent youngsters Of the tribe
denote her. Tae family OF which Aunt
Betsey is 4 noted member have owned for
generations great deal Of the Land here
abouts, and have sort of feudal relation
ship 70 the peasantry of the hills. These
last, being Dutch AID not Irish, remain
peasantry a. they were at home.
One of Aunt Brtsey'~ - donkeys and
she has several, but no more than she Is CO
tircd It's au umhr-llI. She viii not
carry one. or suffer one who shares her
seat To do ~o She t,.- a great bag VITA
water proofs nj ponchos instead, and 80
braves the eiemca,~ Her house stand- du-
der tho mountain ~ ,be end of 4 .r,s.t
er,vr 1T cbestnut.. oak. and ash Lray-
Ing the grove. We rode awhile among corn
fields and then turned north toward tae
hills Up and down We went. TIL, after
sudden rise. We had TercnpIorY order -
look behind u The scene Na> d. typical
one for that reg q hills rolling tpwa t.
the rich riytr-b,tt1m. patches OF oats, corr,
wheat. OK stubbic cuycrin- them AMI the
valley, with here sud there a bat ~ isr.st,
the great ridge Of Bad Etele eating mt
the heart Of the river. Muncy and other
villages nesting where they ciu.d One
DAY Aunt Betsy stopped there with
friend. and an old man came anziea~ly uut
OF the fed to offer help. They assured
him there was nothing wr1rE,-thc7 were
only looking Bat that seeming e. hlm
plainly incredible, he slowly "a p,c;,l
the hur-o and the harness. " NJ, th'r,
wash { nothing wrong with TIL critrrr uar
with the fiE. not a. ha could Sr- Bar
sill they stopped. and the poIr u.l 'rilow
wa at his Wit end. lnen AGa. J. tS,y
explained in Dutch-English. OF which She
j. mistress that they were seeing what 10
heap of farms and houses they c1ai seq.
he forsook the rig and the cr.tter aud ir0k-
ed about hir. aud -lil. - !; Wa "a .-'t
though re . .l1ol 'nefe L ., p ~. ~" s-il
ne never Yen "a ".1i. "u'
was oh'y 4i'"e 'ole'u9'''
An accident chancei When gong 1'"A
hill, steep even for Murty. which. since u
dad net cost Us our neeks, gave Us q glimpse
OF indoor lie III tins queer region. We
stopped Tor repairs at q sai;tuy' Wac, by
the way, they would lake no I@y lroh
Aunt Bctsey, and while the men "eTe AZ
work, We visited with the mistress % tho
I house. There wa, sort vt irow-y urit
about ihe kitchen ami TIE milk-hgg-t ana
the hce-ai7e-, -cyeryihin@ tumo.ed about.
yet "ell-i1-do. Eat the itt'Ae par-'r Wa
trim 20 i degree. II contained very ne"
rag carpet, three chairs anu 'aoit- lue'e
was row OF photographs On the wall
a. all Of thcm dead. tue hostess eAe,riu.'f
told ~. There wesc tao iutiaorial pc
lures, duplicates, oi mare lh'n-nen ais
capped VITA uf:S "a a uAe@ s1'ti.' ID.
sag WIN -'.o., - -, ~ nm .'' -.
-n- az 80 % - III
'lon VSINn.u 'n1t 'i'o ''V..., 80
ma; ln'' - 7i'.
.iH1 oeei' t., '.'e .i'a. ~, -
lu- As 'u1 'i'. ~. - '.''', -.
t'eu u, a'.N' - -
lu''-,'e '1'HS N''U- a. ID E'''
sAou4-A oe "1e'
TIE Was meudci, w started again for
the Growing view OF all Aunt B,t~ey
calls lh.- " lhe Heart of the Andes 80 De-,
cause. without the height, there i in lt the
same flee. e. in the famous picture. Of re-
cedi1g ioi after told INTO the AIRY distance.
all ;ac idnl N1"Inc, IN VAST waves, .a'u
central gorge This day We were favored
with a XIV tall ot wel.-ichCel aui angry
clouds. gNipg to the scene majesty
which rolling l..r.n-lari- are hardly bY ma
ture entitled To- We were Oh the highest
point. boxing down the gorge, piunsinE
hills 90 oil sides, ieow, the valley. the
curve Of tha river. .he oL.ruliuE mour-
tain. further on. IN opuasluy crow! ol hlli-.
The variety of crops sprink.ed with wl1i-
gay. every shade ri green. and s,ya-t was
the extent. that they all melted oH latu the
soitest blue. Reluctantly We drove away.
turning back again and again till the mills
closed On u. shutting out the vision.
A. ,bi,,.,iys min, va n,w N.rt,,.-
III, 3SsJ,nsd .l.-' :, ~, ,,,cv,iorea