Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1881-09-16
THE HOUSEHOLD.


Dear Sisters As the heated term brings
in crowd of visitors from the city, ii should
also furnish few days, at least, of rest and
recreation for the tired housekeeper in the
country. Work is a benefcent gift IL not
abused, a promoter of health and happiness
and q safeguard. "For Satan finds some mis-
chief still for idle hands to do" Then let us
be thankful for work and not regard it as an
unmihgated evil transmitted to us with vari-
Gus other ills ON account Of our first parents
Partially for apples. But too much of
good thing is worse than nothing. wish
that every careworn house mother in the land
might have at least one week "of' each
summer for change of air and scene II Fate
had endowed me with Fortunatus purse.
might have written you letter descriptive of
my appreciation of a summer spent by the
sounding sea-" or trip across the cont.
nent to the portals of the Golden Gate, or a
sojourn among the Thousand Isles, or a visit
to the White Mountains; but as it has been
denied to me probably for my good-and pos.
sibly yours--I accepted the alternative left
me and visited the White Hill in wardsboro.
On this hill is natural amphitheatre which
once contained three or four houses and a
sawmill-nothing now remains but the ruins
of one house and barn, near which n bear
was shot at the famous hunt last fall.
Our picnic party was composed mostly Of
the descendants of Thomas White, one of
the early settlers of the town, who moved up
from Uxbridge, Mass, when the Vermont
fever ragged much as the Western fever has
since, and glowing accounts went down to
the older colonies of the fertility of this new
country. Here, undisturbed by the warning
elements, after life's itful fever he sleeps
well' beside his faithful wife, with children
and grandchildren to bear him company. In
the nighborhood are the grass grown cellars
of fifteen deserted homes, around whose
hearthstones once gathered good old-fashicn-
ed families often numbering from ~ to 10
children.
From the surrounding hills magnificent
views are to be had in every direction, espe-
cially TO the south. 1t is even said that with
a telescope belonging to members of the U. S.
geodetic survey who had a signal station on
the Col Woods hill, that Boston may be dis
cerned in the distance, though of this we
think there is room for some doubt. The
great system of national triangulation,
which extends the geodetic work, heretofore
confined to the sea coast, across the whole
continent, is in successful operation and con-
templates the establishment of a system of
triangles, connecting those already determin-
ed on the Atlantic with those on the Pacific
coast. -Four ladies of our party climbed up
the hill through the spruces and over the
rocks known as ''the ladder" TO the signal
1000 feet above sea level, as estimated by the
scientific man of the party. From this point
six other signals belonging to the survey, on
distant mountains, can be seen with tele-
scope. There was too much smoke in the at
mosphere at the time of our visit for an ex-
tended view. Stratton mountain doomed up
grandly, but was enveloped for a short time
in passing shower. Monadnock showed in
distinctly, the White Mountains and Ascut-
ney yelled their faces, while Somerset and
| Haystack stood boldly forth.
One other day I spent for pleasure in
an excursion by rail to picnic grounds of
famed resort, in company with our esteemed
correspondent "Stella." You will be glad to
know that she is still in existence. May we
not hope to have from her own pen the as
surance that she is a living, palpable reality ?
"GRANGER's WIFE"