Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1878-10-17

| i'm pre- ssion of distant GOODNESS ard reserve
until later, when meesiiShh warm
of these close suffered, lilac guarded
houses. On we come, past Old Orchard Beach
with its roomy, pleasant looking hotels its Gotta
| ges and terts, its expanse oSyelow sand and
cleaning blue sea, past the marsh meadows with
piles driven down, here and there. past Portland
Junction past pine woods and farms. and stump
fences that look like the beacLod skeleton
| of extinct animals and stone walls that
| seem like the relics Of a vanished race, gay with
the yellow plumes of the golden rod AMI the red
| pompons Of the sumach, and along the current of
the noble kennebec, into Augusta.
We have only time to see that the city Is built
on high irregular terraces on either side Of the
river, and to glance up the soping streets TO the
tree emhowered heights above, when the train
starts again. But in the meantime we catch a
glimpse of a well known name, The Kennebec
Journal" on a brick huding IA square from the
depot All the rest is new To us, bat this j. IA
miliar the face of friend. II has been a wei
come weekly visitor in our western home for sew
eral years. Now we glide onward, by the broad
clear river. watching the steep opposite bank,
clothed with rreens, mirrored in the stream,
and the diff ing logs that keep 10 the right and
the left. leaving middle passage open for boats.
We have seen many noble rivers in the west. hut
none more beautiful than the kenuehec, The
vegetation, from the stately hemlocks aud grace
ful hirches. to the red lilies that glow among the
ferns along the railroad track, the charm of
novelty. Only the maples look familiar Here
and there, IN piacid pOols, We eaten GllmpFes OF
water lilies. the first we have ever seen, and
eager as children to gather them At Nassalhoro'
leave the tran and take the stage for China.
We rumble up hill and down through groves that
breathe resuous olors upon rs, past b. Yields and
farm houses-.omc of the honses are painted
white and have green shutters, some are time
stained and weathcr-worn, and lichens have gath
cred thickly on their unpanted sill and roof;
through the shady streets OF two villages. North
and East Nassalhoro', past granite b0alders and
laAs apHm p nd sfO .haa
and after ride of ten miles in sight of
China Lake. on whose borders destined to
spend mary happy summer days. Imagine two
lakes, each three miles long, and a mile wide, "
ing side bv side, separated only by a narrow wedge
of land then imagine a strait connecting these
two lakes, at the point Of the wedge, and in reali
ty making them one aud YOU have fair idea of
the outline Of Ctiua lake.
There are several houses on the Neck, az the
narrow wedge Of land is called and so inter woven
are the people, by ties of kin and friendship and
the memory of JOYS and SORROWS shared together.
that they seem almost ike members of one fami-
". They call each Other by their first names with
afectionate familiarity, and there forms of
empty ceremony in their social life. They have
exchanged a thousand neighbOrv accommoda-
tions. they have reioced together, they have
mourned together, they have walked in company
TO the little graveyard on the hillside that slopes
to the clear lake and laid to rest near and dear
ones of each family and thew are knit together in
kindly feeling and mutual dependence few
neghh0rhoods are. Ea h farm has a lake shore in
front and another behind and each has its proper
ton of hay field, richard, pasture and woodland.
In the back pond" As the western lake is called
there is one island owned by Mr.. Bradley of East
Vas'aboro. The proprietor has improved its nat
utal advantages aud made ii an attractive spot.
To the native growth of trees and shruhhf ry,
flowers and other trees have been added and the
whole arranged with taste and care A kitchen
and dining room, for the ace ,nmoda,ion of pcnic
and chowder parties bave been erected, and there
are besides, ladies dressing room, bowling
alley, croquet ground and a swing.
This is a favorte place Of resort in summer Mr..
Bradley brings out parties IN his boat from East
Nas-abrro give- them an opportunity to fish as
long a. they please, then extends the
Inequalities of the islands to them Ia
the front pond there are four .land-. Three
of these are covered thcklv wi'h hemlocks
| ami brchcs and an underground OF fern., club
| moses, spicy, fragrant checkerberry leaves and
| scarlet bunchherres. The fourth and larges one
| i about five acres in extent. 1t has only fringe
| of trees around the edge. The centre has been
cleared and sown with grass and Is used
pasture in summer The cows and sheep are
taken 10 boats from the mainland. The smallest
island is covered thicklv with white birches and
even cloudy dav these trees to have
sunshine on them. Tins island wa, formerly used
a a buryiug ground by the Kennebec Indians,
and many weapons and relies have been dug up
here. Most OF the mounds were opened a num-
Der of years ago, by man who hoped to find god
III them. His wife, who was Spiti'ualist, claimed
to have had communication from the spirit
world informing her that gold could be found 10
these islands. But the desecrsted graves revealed
none of the precious metal White perch, yellow
perch, and horned-pout abound in the lake.
Pickere weighing from two to four pounds are
sometimes caught. Why has no sung the
praise of fish ch0wder Baked beans, brown
bread and pumpkin pie are said to reach perfec-
ton nowhere outside of New England aud one
New England poet, Barlow by pame, inspired by
the "meek drab-skrled muse mentioned by
Whittier, has sung the praise of "Hssty Pudding"
(mush, we call it out West) but nowhere in prose
or verse have seen an appropriate eulogy of
fish chowder. When one has been out on the
lake long rainy forenoon. and comes back to
the house, damp and ravenously hungry, bringing
a string of fish with him, then he sniils, in i'm.
aginaton, the steaning chowder to which he sits
down, little later, and were it pot that no mortal
composes poetry when he Is hungry, he might
then and tn write ode TO that most savorv
most delicious Of New England dishes. Blessed
be the man OF woman who first invented fish
chowder.
The ridge between the lakes rises two or three
hundred feet, aad from the highest knoll, the
view is wide and beautiful. Far oil to the north
west res Mt Blue, fifty miles away, and on either
side of it stretch violet ranges, whose soft, vet
| distinct outlines seem printed the sky Near
| at hand the land slopes westward to thick woods
| of pine, BIRCH hemlock and maple that border the
| western lake, or back pond" across the water
Redeemed at evening with the glow of sunset the
| shows above the elms. Eastward the land slopes
| more abruptly, the soft tints of the hay-felds
clothing it like gray green velvet, to the eastern
lake, and on the opposite side it rises again 10
smooth swell which is divided into fields by stone
walls dotted with orchard trees or graceful elms
| and crowned with clusters of farm buildings gray
with age. Sometimes when watching the sunset
| psgeants from this knoll we heard strange, mel
| ancholy cries overhead, and looking upward saw
a solitary loon flying across from one lake to the
other, its figure "darkly painted the crimson
| sky" 10 our sailing and fishing excursions we
often looms On the lake but were never able to
| get near them. They hoated buoyantly on the
water, turning their bright eyes upon US wary,
| then when within few rods, down they would
| go, reappearing in a few minutes nearly a quar-
| ter of a mile away.
We found looms nest one day on an island
| Two brownish gray speckled eggs, about the SIZE
| of goose eggs, lay IN a hollow of wet sand near
| the waters edge. 1t is said that looms cannot
| walk on land, which may account for the proxim-
ty oil the nest TO the water. l. {. J.
Political.
| Hon. Lewis Tillmsn, recently nominated for
| Governor by the National Greenback party of
| Tennessee, has retired from what he considers q