The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1885-07-24
NO. 26.

lady 5 soaking washtubs, sat down among
the stones in the uncertain sunshine and fin
ished my supply of bread and ham. After
resting awhile again swung my knapsack
ON my shoulders and made another start
No path could find except an occasional
vexationsly misleading sheep track. there
fore my course was devious over the sue
ceeding ridges which arose one after an
other with their broken. hillocky surfaces.
steep places. heather bushes and. worst of
all. those soft, boggy places covered witha
sort of moss. Ii is wise to be wary Of
them too, as bad one would take trav-
eler in for good and all The strangest
feature in the case is that such soil is often
found on hillsdes having a sharp incline
1t seems impossible to entirely remedy the
matter by drainage. though it may he much
improved thereby In many places the
fronts of the hills are traversed by frequent
little bitches cut about six inches wide. the
blocks of soil removed being placed in rows
along the side of the drain.
Unlocking forthe best way naturally tray
elled further than was necessary great
part of the distance being over the yielding
moss. my feet sinking about two inches at
every step. The last ridge was finally at
tanned, and away to the right could be seen
portion of Loeb Cohn with stone farm
house near it, said house forming one side
of square of which the stone stables formed
Al,
sage way between the dwelling of the
bipeds and that of the quadrupeds, the
whole structure having probably been
erected during the old days of feudal raid
ing when every mans house had to be his
castle indeed Further on a broad, white
well-kept road lay ribbon-like under the
dark hills All around was hill. moor and
moss, the small farm being the only arabic
land visible, and the house named the only
habitation. \ narrow gate in poor repair
gave admittance to large walled enclos-
ure around the buildings From two men
at work in the garden learned that
Stronaclachar Hotel was about two and
half miles away with good road the en-
tire distance, which Intelligence was far
from sad to my tired self-yes. tired heap.
\ short interview with the presiding
deity of the housekeeping department end
ed in my walking into the stone-hoored
kitchen and sitting down OH a heavy. awk-
ward old wooden chair very unsightly and
common, but serupulonsly clean. The
two tables may be similarly described
Ny knapsack and stick reposed on the
pavement and looked ashamed of them
selves when so closely contrasted with its
often secured surface. In the fire place
was an odd sort of cooking range having
an open coal CRATE in the middle. Over
the CRATE a large pot was suspended from
an iron crane fitted with crank and stop
piece for lifting and lowering the heavy
vessel without strain or risk-the twelfth
century and the nineteenth joining hands
in the production of kitchen appliances
In one corner solemn century-old clock
licked portentiously. Opposite the range
We're some shelves away mp near where the
ceiling would be in a modern house On
the shelves were standing in prim array
the family supply Of everyday def articles,
those most frequently needed being of
course on the top shelf, SO that in order to
get pitcher for the milk requested the
deity had to climb on chair and stretch
up considerably before it could be safely re-
moved from its lofty perch near the heavy,
smoke blackened beams AS a mark of
special honor glass tumbler was brought
terly faded and unused best room. of
which a glimpse could be had from my
sitting place When brought the glass
was placed in the centre of plate over
which it domineered in grand style \
large loaf of bread. a heaped-up dish Of
scottish oat meal cakes. and another of
''hieland scenes kind of round. thin
dough cake cut into quarter sections, We're
placed along with the glass aud milk
pitcher on one of the tables. now covered
with distressingly clean white cloth.
was tired heated, hungry and, above all,
thirsty. Things didn't become any more
plentiful OH that table during the next fif-
teen minutes How much?" with pocket
book in hand. Whatever pleases your
self. sir | rendered shilling. Glow
will that do?'' Its great plenty, sir.
and a CLEAN of satisfaction lighted up the
deity's eountenanee as she carefully de-
posted it in a convenient drawer Nay, so
potent was its silvery eloquence that she
walked down to the gate and held it open
while ] passed through, giving meanwhile
such painfully elaborate directions how to
get to Stronaclachar, that If the road had
not been broad turnpike, with no posi-
BILE chAfice for getting ont Of it on a differ
ent one, would inevitably have lost my
waY.
Along the broad white road, through life
less region Of treeless hills and dark, lonely
moorland. now and then solitary bird,
no other living thing-not house or a
smoke or sound Of man or beast--over
all the shadows of the gray, cloudy even
ing. | looked across toward the way |
had come and behold! there was that sui
len old brute of a Ben I.omond with the
mists yet heavy ON his topmost crest, hut
with all his secrets revealed, for his rayines,