Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-10-22
Pennsylvania Farms.

The road ran southeast for q few
miles through ricn bottom-iands. Here
and there small. snug farm house was
set In Il space absolutely bare Of trees;
al enormous rooted barn, corn.
cribs, patent bee-hives, smoke houses,
and cider-presses huddled about it in a
bare clayey yard. Outside were great
orchards, dusky and cool in the hot
moonlight, the gnarlel trees soon to
redden with old-fashioned Baldwins aud
Rambos and knotty golden ounces
beyond these the fields of Indian corn
rolled over the low hills, the blades
shining dark and green in the glare; or
fields of oats, the wind sending gray
ripp!es over them, or an ashy, feathery
stretch of buckwheat, mounting up the
hillside. The farmers wife, in her
calico gown, her hair knotted in little
knob back from her sallow face, was
usually in sight some where, and always
at work. She was picking peas in the
garden, or sue was making soap in a
huge smoking caldron hung over u fire
near the we'll, or she was drawing great
loaves of faky bread from an oven in
the yard, while innumerable pans OF
gingerbread or cherry pies waited their
turn. There was the sluggish calm OF
physical luxury, Of rude plenty, every
where. The air was full Of the odOr of
pig-pens and drying meat, mixed with
newmown hay and honey-suckles.
Roses which were delicate nurslings
with town florists ran riot in feverish
crimson over the barns and memories;
the endless lines of hills which walled
in every landscape were colored
with the early chestnut blossoms.
lions of these nuts rot every year
in this State alone,' boosted the Doc
tor. "There are enough chestnuts
wasted in our mountain ranges from
the lakes to Georgia to feed al! famish-
ing India. This is the bestfed country
in the world. and old Pennsylvania is
the best fed State in it,"
Our travellers we're offered boarding
in the hill farm houses ut from three
to five dollars per week. They found
shelter in an old house which lay di-
rectly in gorge between two noun
tains; the creek, which ran brawling
down the gap, swept past on either side
of it, and met again, leaving it on u
little island, accessible only by step
ping-stones, which were always covered
by high water. In all of the seventy
years i'll which its owner had lived in
the house it had not occurred to him to
make bridge of a couple of plauks.
g 1t is place for q murder" declared
Mrs Mulock. The house was gray and
the fences gnawed with age. Old Nit
tany, ragged, stern mountain, mae
cessible except to bears and rattle
snakes, frowned heavily down upon it;
tho stream was full of whispering
voices; IL cold wind blew perpetually
down the gorge. But the Doctor and
Sarah found rs much delight and beauty
in this cut of the hills as if it had been
the Vale of Cashmere. They fished
for trout, or went on law-defyiug hunts
for woodcock; they rode up the nearly
perpendicular wagon-trails left by the
charcoal burners; they made friends on
the few halftiiled patches grouped
about the yellow store aud post sc,
in WHICH the feeble gossip of these
lonely hill farms found universal tongue
aud ears, aud where the proprietor dis
pensad letters, boots, caiicoes. sugar,
and spiritualistic doctrines to all COM
ers. - Hdrper's Magazine.