Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1885-10-19
Karl.

of the Brunig Pass to the well-kept,
level road, which runs through the
valley of the Aar. While the impe-
tus of the coach is still forcing the
horses to gallop, firm pull upon the
reins and sharp application of the
brake bring the vehicle to a sudden
halt Immediately in front of the post
Office at Meiringen.
The little village is built almost
wholly along the main road which
runs through the valley.
Perhaps thirty OF forty frail, wood
en-, unpainted cottages stand near
each other on either side of the road.
The old hotel is among them; but
the new grand one, built for the ac-
ommodation of tourists, stands far
enough away from the highway to
leave room in front for an attractive
lawn. Behind rise the hills, and,
from their top, sparkling waterfall
comes down the rugged hillside,
bounding from rock to rock, now
breaking into spray, and now lashed
into foam until it rea ches the valley,
where it is soon lost in the waters Of
the Aar.
The little cottages which form the
village are not unattractive. They
are all built in that peculiar Swiss
style of architecture which pictures
have made somewhat familiar to us,
| but which still has charm for all
travellers in Switzerland. Almost
every house has a store for the sale
of wood carvings. There is a wheel
wright's shop and doctors shop, a
grocery store, dry-goods store, and
a jewellers establishment, and three
or four beer saloons; but they sell
wood carvings at the jewellers and
the grocery store and the dry-goods
shop, and mayhap at the saloons also.
In fact, almost all the men in the
village are carvers of the ornaments
with which civilized communities
have long since become possessed.
|
| There are few side streets which
run out of the main road, but they
are of hut little consequence. Some
of them start out boldly, but fade
away into fields, leaving no sign by
which they can be traced further,
while others scarcely leave the high
way before they begin to turn and
twist in their earnest efforts to get
back to it. At the end of the village,
| just where the main road makes a
sudden turn, there is apparently a
street of an ambitious kind. 1t looks
as if Meiringen had risen in its might,
and, determining to have future,
had laid out street wide and grand
enough for London or Paris. Per-
haps Meiringen's ambition 'erleaped
itself, or the Meiringeners had not
sufficient patience. At all events,
the grand avenue has sunk back SO
nearly to its original state that only
its outlines are discernlble.
| However, at the place where the
avenue reaches the hills, which face
the front of the hotel, is cascade
not so large, perhaps, as that which
falls from the hills behind the hotel
but it tumbles from higher hill ant
through more romantic defile thar
its rival. Up the hillside and along
the gorge through which the waters
come, some one has made narrow
and tortuous pathway; and, highe
still, narrow bridge has been thrown
across the gorge, through which th'
cascade flows. 1t is frail structure
formed of single plank. Crotchet
sticks fastened at the ends supper
the hand-rails, made of light poles.
Turning back from this street o
the future into the main road, we no
ticed house which, not unlike it
| fellows, seemed more neat and at
tractive than the cottages whicl
stood near it. In it's window Woo
carvings were displayed; and we de
termined to visit its show room. AS
cending flight of stairs on the out
side, we reached long piazza on tn
side of the house which led to door
This opened upon short flight o
stairs inside the house, and brough
us to the showroom.
1t was a sort of children's fairy
land: every kind of artistic wood
work, from trifiing toy to the mos
J elaborate carving, were spread ou
a for exhibition. If one fancled
e knick- -knack for child, he could fin
it there and, if one desired an ez
quisitely carved souvenir for his lad
love, his only difficulty would be i
} determining what to select.
e AS we entered the room, we wei
met by woman who bowed wit
;. grave courtesy. There was somethin
q peculiar about her; and, uncor
sciously, we scrutlnized her sharply
y She had evidently lived through be
b fortieth year, was tall and slight
: built, and possessed those cas-,
graceful movements which those WI
y do not accumulate flesh retain eve
l. when their first youth has passe
away. She was not beautiful, fl
e, her features were irregular, the chez
=. =, bones high, and her complexion sa
y, low; but there was softness in h,
I large brown eyes, sweet expressio
k, to her mouth, and a gentleness in b.
~ ways, which made us forget that tin