Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1883-12-14
THE LEGEND or KETTLE ISLE.


Bay, there is fatal strip of grazing land
some two miles in length by less than half a
mile in width, concerning which some singu.
lar facts are related.
Skirting the rocky coast from the Cha5m
Cliffs to CobblestOne beach, near which lies
the Island, the few farmers of the neighbor-
hood have found it a convenient pasturage
during long years and it is remarkable that
cattle and sheep grazing its rich grasses and
herbage, thrive for time, but in the course
of few months invariably lose appetite
grow weaker and weaker aud IL not removed
at once, death ends their misery. Six weeks
removal to contiguous land, sufiices to bring
them up again, after which they are good for
another grazing term OF five or six months
upon the fatal field and even sickly animals
from other pastures here gain vigor for a
time growing sleek and fat. II is also sing
ular that horses are entirely exempt from the
mysterious fatality attending horned animals
keeping in good condition for any length of
time. These are facts well known to far.
mers and fishermen living in the pretty viii
lage OF Kettle Cove, and will be vouched for
hundred years or more ago, the Island
was peninsula extending from the Point, as
it is now called, far out into the sea, making
the cove much larger in area than at the pres
ent time, and protecting it upon all sides
htNt u lub SOuluhbbl. LUIS ueep huu Smell
tered bay was known to early navigators as
safe barbor, and from its singular shape came
to be known as THE Kettle" from which
we now have Kettle Cove and Kettle Island
The fishermen tell a story of buried treas
ures-in an iron pot-near the saddle of
the Island and some have connected the above
names with this tale, but l think they are
mistaken. At all events, if you will take the
chart, and after filling with pencil portion
Of Crescent beach, where the water has en-
croached upon the low sandy shore, draw a
curved line outward from David's rock across
to the breakwater, The Kettle" will appear
most plainly.
The rocky bar is readily seen when sailing
over it, aud there are persons now living in
the village who remember we'll of hearing
their parents tell of crossing it at low tide, in
childhood. At the time Of the opening of
the story, it was a narrow, sandy strip of
land, though high enough to afford dry pas
sage at all tides The Island too, has
changed, for the older fishermen remember
when it was covered with dense growth of
trees upon its western portion, while to-day
the whole area is as barren as a heath. These
are the simple facts, and this the legend.
In those early days there stood upon the
western side of what is now Kettle Isle, q
low thatched hut, in which lived an old wom-
an aud fair young girl. 1t cluDg upon a
pretty slope, where the south winds played
around it through the long summer days, and
the sun loved to linger and from its door
way, looking through the shrubby hemocks,
one could see the ocean rolling far below, un-
der the cliffs Behind the hut rose a ragged
hillock, considerably higher than the crumb-
ling old stone chimney 1t overshadowed, and
farther back grove of birches sheltered il
from the chilling blasts Of the north and east
Situated in a wild spot-though in plain
view of the ocean approach-it was hidden
on the land side, and few had dared to fol
low the tangled zig-zag path leading to it,
and fewer still had stood beneath its shadow
The bent old woman was well known by
reputation for miles around, but none cared
for a near acquaintance, as twas whispered
she dealt in witchcraft. As for the girl, there
were few who had not heard of her rare beau
| ty, and some who had seen her. Twas ever
whispered, too, that she might be an associ-
ate in the practice of the black art, her faii
face covering the features of hag more evil
| than the other one.
Upon the mainland, or as we now speak oi
| it, the Point, lived a thriving farmer, fol
those days, who was blessed with a daughter
and two sons. His farm covered the Who'll,
Point and strip of wild unbroken land
extending along the coast from Cobbleston,
beach to the Chasm Cliff served as pasturagt
for sheep and cattle, and for a small flock 0
sheep belonging to the old woman.
The girl was a shy, timid creature, tall
1.-the and graceful, with sunny hair, and soft
peach like skin, her brown expressive eye
beaming with tenderness and love. The oil
woman claimed that the girl was of her owl
blood, and while there we're those who doubt
ed it, no one was sufficiently concerned to sif
the matter and lind out the truth but what
ever might have been the views of people il
that region the farmers daughter Ruth, ant
his eldest son, William, knew she was swee
and lovable.
Free as bird, joyous and happy, she wa
a welcome visitor at the farm house, and eve
found delight in the company of Ruth an
William. 1t is not strange, then, as she gre'
TO beauteOus womanhood, that William foun
out one day that he loved her madly-despel
ately but when he walked the sandy beac
that night with her, driving across the narro'
bar old granny sheep, and spoke his love
her, she only gazed at him and answere
nothing
Another day they met; her face was full c
sunshine and there was music and laughte
in her heart and eyes. Again the boy too
her hand in his, as they stood there upon th
narrow neck of land, in the gathering tw
light, and again he told her he had loved he
long and fondly-but she only looked ava
from him, far, far, across the waste of wi
ters, aud spoke of the coming darkness. An
a third time, when she seemed more kin
than she had ever seemed before-for so
thought-and he was looking down into he
soft brown eyes, signing, he told her ono
again how deep and pure was the love he fe
/ for her, and she, tossing her bright cur
backward from her face, smiled, but answe
ed him still nothing.
And then to Ruth he told the story of b
loye-which she had known even longer tha
, her brother-implOring her assistance, tel
ing her he knew not how to win mai
who was so fair, so lovely, and so tender
Indifferent. The sister was the wiser of th
two, and promising to aid him, dropped
d slight hint that the girl might be untutored
% the ways of love, or worse, perhaps, mig
I | not even know what the sweet word mean
4 SO the boy sought from day to day to teaC
2 her loye-ehoosing the fairest flowers for he
the brightest pebbles, or the prettest shel
o strewn upon the sandy beach, Aud he wou
Z look into her soft eyes by the hour, talkiI
of nothing, while he held her hand as tn
- sat upon the rocks together Or he wou
n tell her that the sea. birds all were mated, al
that never wild rose bloomed but that a fair
h one blushed soon beside it, famed by 4
n same soft breeze-kissed by the same brig
J.. sunbeam. But each night, as he called
mind how tired she grew, forgetting all
mirth and JOY when he spoke much OF loN
h he felt he was drifting farther and farth
At from his hopes.
h About this time old granny sought the Il
I, mer, and talked to him long time of the 81
At and spoke of his son William; aud thou
c. no one knew what it meant, there seemed
!, be some kind OF an understanding, for 80
t twas said that William and Elsie were pledg
a. to each other and some day would be mi
u ried. But Elsie would not have it so, plei
ID ing she did not know how to loVe-whate'
o. it might be.
70 One sunny afternoon the maiden strayed
b the edge of the cliff, and climbing down
r. steep and narrow path that ran like crew
D. sheer to the water, stepped out upon lc