Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1883-08-02


his movements Alas His movements
were feeble. and he soon passed TO the
land of the leal. Thus ended my
[ first lesson in natural history.
Not far below St Albn's cove, three
points make out into the river. Pine,
Henderson's and High, are the names
by which they are distinguished.
High point is quite promontory
Once | drove for a mile or more
through the woods, across the
Plains, and came out on High
point. Ii was IN July, and the cool
breeze which came floating off the
+ river seemed very grateful 10 me. !
sat among the fragrant bayberry and
sweet fern bushes Glossy checker
berry and trailing partridge vines nest
led at my feet Tall pines were whis-
pering over my head, and the supple
branches of the young hamlocks
! growing on The steep banks Of the
point were swaying laHly in the
breeze. As | looked off on the river,
! thought the point suitably named,
. One spring since, during search for
the shy trailing arbutus | again visit
ed the point. ! missed the growth
/ back. and found much brush in the
/ wheel-path but the mystery was
/ solved when | found one hundred cords
Of wood piled on the point, ready to be
sent off by gundalows to the brick
yards on the Cobheco. My bayberry
/ bushes and sweet ferns had been
ruthlessly crushed and ! did not
want to see the rubbish lying there,
after the wood was taken away
/ Every thing was so sweet and clean
when | was there before.
Just below this point a bridge has
recently been built across the river.
Earth and stones were carted out and
dumped upon the flats for rods on
each side Of the river, then piles were
driven. and drawmsde in the mid
die of the bridge. Men interested in
gundalow bushes looked on askance
while the draw was being built The
current runs through diagonally, and
the shippers of the freighting crafts
to use great judgment to get their
ports though without humping against
the piles. New Hampshire and
Maine are welded way up and down
the river by such bonds as these
bridges form.
One autumn many years ago. a man
who freighted up and down the river,
came mp as far as High point on one
side and anchored IN the channel He
concluded to stay on board the craft
over night The rest of the crew Went
ashore In the night stiff southeast
wind sprung up and it was as dark as
krebuS The man was awakened by
equivering motion of the boat He
FASTENED out of the "cuddy,' and
found his boat was sinking Hesprang
overheard and swan for the shore in
the darkness After much wandering. T.
he succeeded in finding the road, and /.
reached his home about daybreak. /
The gundalow was loaded deep with .
muscle mud The wind made such a
sea that the boat shipped water and
sunk.
On the Maine side little north Of
the bridge, many years ago, lived an
old man by the name of Hodge He
was wont to 90 To the village and
cOyre home iii a pot-valiant condition,
and spend his valOr ON his defenceless
family. The young men Of the neigh
borhood, remembering how a ladder
riding GAINED the domestic waters of
a citizen living in the northern part
of the town, decided TO administer
some punishment to Hodge Wishing
to be original IN their mode of chas
tiSment, they hunted the thickets
fringing the river, and succeeded in
finding large hornets nest built
in bush. They marked the
spot, and waited for coming events
Not long after this, Hodge made
a Journey to the village and
came home in an upromious state
The signal was given. The nest with
its lively occupants was captured, and
one reformer glided through the low
bedroom window, and carefully placed
the nest in Hodges bed. After the
old Teller had freed his mind, and
frightened his timid wife almost TO
death, he concluded to retire Eager
ly the young men waited for the re-
suit of his retiring Soon. with one
agouiziug yell, he burst through the
window surrounded by q crowd of
enraged hornets. He sped like one
mad over the banks for the river. The
tide was ont. and the channel was
well over ON the New Hampshire side
He plunged ankle deep through the
soft mud ON the flats, aud finally dis
appeared into the water Tradition
sayYit was fine piece of acting, and
that the clocutjou was wonderful,
that the orotund quality was good,
IL