The Portland daily press., 1877-02-10

creased urlVlnS little pellets OF SHOW spiteluily
into our faces. We buttoned our coats closer
about us, and thrustlng our fingers out of
reach of their singing blows, shortly arrived
at the Tip-top House leg-weary and hungry.
Let us hasten over that portion of our
journey that lay between the top of Mount
ashington and the Twin Mountain House.
1t would be of little interest to describe our
walk down the mountain by the side of the
railroad, for the first time in operation that
season. Nor would it reflect much credit
| upon our skill to narrate our attempts at fish
| ing, that afternoon of the descent, when we
supposed ourselves upon trout level and
| only lashed the brooks to find ourselves above
waterfalls that a trout could no more leap
than Nirgara; how, after scaling number of
such falls we unlashed our fishing tackle 10
| find ourselves far in the heart of the primeval
forest and the pebbly bed of the brooks our
easiest road. 1t would scarce be proper to
| tell the condition in which, after hours OF
| wandering among the underbrush we step
into the open road and attemp TO pin togeth-
er our wet and tattered clothing, before pre-
senting ourselves for supper and lodging. But
our joy at finding the proprietor of the
| house at which we presented ourselves an
| old acquaintance of Harding's, and the even
| ing we spent before his open fire, and the
| night we spent upon the floor in front of it.,
wrapped in our blankets, are among the most
comfortable recollections of our journeyings.
In the morning we bade our host farewell,
and accomplished our interrupted journey to
| the Twin Mountain House. Here, thanks
to Harding's fcrethought and generosity, we
were met by three seated mountain wagon
upon the pole of which were two as spanking
specimen of horsefesh as it has been my good
fortune to follow. Perhaps it was owing to our
jaded condition that this capacious wagon
| and willing span assumed so sumptuous a
look. Certainly never enjoyed ride better
| than the twenty mites of that late afternoon
drive.
But we were not alone to monopolize the
| enjoyment Besides the driver, two ladies
friends of Hardng's, who were spending the
summer at his fathers house, had taken the
| ride to meet us. One was an elderly lady of
genteel but comfortable manners; the other,
well, she was not an elderly, but equally gen.
teel and gracious in her bearing. Whether
| they were mother and daughter I could not
| determine from their looks or intercourse, and
| in the ceremony of introduction I had only
heard "Mrs. Edwards sand "Miss May"
Whether or not Harding expected US to under
stand that it was Miss May Edwards or simply
| Miss May, was in doubt. Bradwell how
| ever, in the course of conversation addressed
her unhesitatingly as Miss May. thought
I detected look of gentle surprise as though
he were possibly too familiar, but she after
wards seemed to provoke him to continue
and appeared to enjoy being thus addressed.
Upon this hint spake:
siMiss May" the words had hardly uttered
before I somehow felt that I had made a
blunder, but there was no help for it now,
so with an embarrassed tinge upon my cheek
for was young then, I continued, "You are
early at the mountains this year."
eyes,, she replied in somewhat conde-
scending tone, 81 dislike the noise of crowd
anywhere, and especially do enjoy the COM
pany of these grand old hills alone. And
then the early season is the best, for every
thing is new and fresh. In month from
now all this beautiful green beside
the road will be covered with
dust, and you cannot take a drive ia
any direction of interest without meeting
impatient and dusty travellers, cross with the
heat; and the mountain coaches are bug
bears in the road when lady does her own
driving.''
81 should think so," was all found cour-
age to reply, for my wits had forsaken me.
1 began to imagine that she regarded us as
noisy and confusing crowd, and myself in
particular as an impatient and perhaps i'm
pertinent traveller, for had been praising
the horses more than the scenery, and the
pleased driver was holding them to their best
PAGES; thus passing one or two points OF
view particularly dear to Miss May before she
was aware of their proximity. subsidized into
silence and fell to watching the carriage
| wheel Jump the stones and make its smooth
mark along the road. Bradwell, however,
took up the conversation and made himself
unusually agreeable, it seemed to me, for the
remainder of the ride. The driver was busy
answering Hardng's questions concerning
what had transpired at home, and 1 gradual
ly recovered myself to enter into a discus
sion with Mrs. Edwards of the conve-
niences and inconveniances the DIFF
ferent modes of travelling. I fonnd
her very pleasant and communicative, and by
the time our journey was finished we were
all upon easy terms with each other, and had
more excursions planned for the coming week
than the hours ould accommodate. If after
wards, we did not accomplish all that had
been suggested, we did more than we should
have done had we planned less, and enioyed
ourselves better.
Harding's home was most beautifully stu
ated upon the side of gently sloping hill
and the house spread its broad, hospitaple.
low-hangiDg caves over generous square of
earth, as inviting as mothers wings to her
chickens. The doorway was at the base of a
| pyramid Of windows that rose to the apex OF
the deep gable. Over its brow was hood of
dark woodbine supported upon a substan-
tial trel!is as completely concealed by its
| burden as the frame of lady's bonnet. Di-
| rectly in front was well trimmed lawn sur
| rounded by circular path, the outer rim of
| which touched the broad door-stone before
the door. Here, of course, croquet set was
| established, and from this circle radiated our
various enterprises. 1t was a game of croquet
before going to drive, game Of croquet upon
| returning, croquet before dinner and croquet
after dinner, croquet by daylight, by moon
| light and by lamplight; daylight, moonlight
and lamplight, croquet, two or more suscep-
tible young men, modest, beautiful and
accomplished young lady; it was foregone
conclusion; somebody was going to fall in
love. During our croquet fights a chair was
usually placed for Miss May upon the door
stone in the shade of the overhanging wood
| bine. Here she would await her turn at the
mallet and watch the progress of the game.
Bradwell swore it was the most beautiful
| sight he ever saw to see her there Just as she
returned to her seat, little flush upon her
| cheeks from the excitement and exertion of
L fhn har hn;r w