Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1885-04-24

can | De Ike tnat NJ cape wrath"
" should think not, sir"
:" dare say If lived in the town, and
bad my club, and knew people, il might he
different; and my daughter seems to get d.
through the time well enough but young
folks are easily, amused; Say, now, about
this salmon fishing in the north You don't
know when it begins 2''
" No sir ~
You haven't seen anybody going yet
with a bundle of rods i'
e. No, sir, not this yearyet."
Hope they haven't been playing ii on
mel was told / could begin on the
eleventh But 1t don't signify much SO
longs get out of that inferenal cut-throat
atmosphere of London"
At this point the train began to slow
into Rugby station, and the conductor left
to attend to his duties and by the time
they were moving out again and on their
way TO the far north, Mr.. Hodson had
mixed and drank his nightly potion, and,
partially undressed. was wrapped up in
the thick and warm coverings of the
sleeping berth, where. whether owing to
the bromide Of potassium or the jog trot
rattle of the wheels, he was soon plunged
In profound slumber.
Well. If part of his design in thus ven.
turing upon n journey to the north in
midwinter was to get away from the mon
otoDous mists of London, the next morn
ing showed him that so far he had been
abundantly successful. The day breaking
caused him TO open his eyes, and instinct
lively he turned TO the window. There
before him was strange, and unusual,
and welcome sight. No more dismal
grays, and the gathering down of a hope
less dusk but the clear, glad light of the
morning-a band Of flashing gold all along
the eastern horizon. behind the jet-black
stems and branches of the leatiess trees;
and over that the heavens were all of
pale and luminous lilac, with clouds hang
ing here and there--clouds that were dark
and almost thupderous in their purple
look. but that really meant nothing but
beauty. as they lay there soft and motion
less in the glowing and mystical dawn.
Quickly he got up. The windows were
thrown open And this air that rushed in
SO fresh, so sweet, so full Of all kinds of mel
low and fragrant messages from the hills
and the pine woods. and the wide-ying
straths-did il not bring strange kind OF
JOY and surprise with it,
"A beautiful morning, sir we are get
ting near to Perth now" the conductor
said, when he made his appearance.
. Are we on time ?"
Yes, in very good time"
And no hurry about breakfast 8"
NO. sir you don't start again till nine
o'clock
wide stone platforms and resounding arch
was II the white light that filed it, or
the fresh air that blew through it, that
made it quite a cheerful place He was
charmed with the accent OF the timld
handmaiden who brought him his break.
fast in the refreshment room, and who
waited on him in such friendly, half .anX-
lous. shy fashion, and he wondered whether
he would dare to offer 50 pretty and we'll
hammered young lady anything over the
customary charge in token OF his gratitude
! TO her for her gentle ways Perth itself
we'll. there had been rain in the night, and
| the streets near the station were full of
| mud : but then the cart ruts in the mud
were cleaning lines OF gold, and the
beautiful sky hung over the slowly rising
smoke Of the houses, and the air was ev.
erywhere SO sweet and welcome He had
got into new world altogether; the
weight Of the London atmosphere was
lifted from him he whistled Aud Lang
Syne"-which was the only Scotch air he
knew-and the lugubrlous tune sounded
quite pleasant on so joyous morning.
Moreover, these were but first and com
monplace experiences. For by.and by,
when he had again taken his seat to prose
cute his journey-and he found himself
the sole occupant of the carriage-the sun
rise had widened into the full splendor Of
a sun.lit day and as the train sped away
to the north. he. sitting at the window
there and having nothing to do but TO ex'
anime the new country he was entering,
was wholly amazed at the intensity and
brilliancy Of the coorng around and at
the extraordinary vividnesS of the light
The wide stretches Of the Tay shone like
FURNISHED silver; there were yellow
straths and fields, and beech hedges of II
| rich russell red. and tir woods of a deep
fresh green. and still further away low
lying hills Of a soft and ruddy purple
touched sharp here and there with patches
of snow, and over all these n blue sky AS
of summer. The moist, warm air that
blew in at the window seemed laden with
pine odors; the country women at the
small stations had fresh pink color in
| their cheeks everywh here Il new and glad
and wholesome life seemed to be abroad
nnd cheertulness, and rich hues and sun
light
This is good enough" he said TO him
self This is something like what ship
ped for
Aud so they sped on through the SOFT
widestretching woods Of Murthly. and
Birnam, and Dunkeld through the
shadow and sudden CLEANS of Killie
craukie's Pass on by Blair Atholl and the
banks of the Garry, until, with slow and
laboring breath, the train began TO force
it's way up the heights of the Grampians,
ia the lone neigh borhoOd of the Drumuoch.
ter Forest. The air was keener here :;
the patches of snow were nearer at hand {;
indeed in some places the line had evi.
dently been cleared, and large snow banks
heaped up on each side. But byand-b by
the motion of the train seemed to become
easier, and soon it was apparent that the
descent had begun. Presently they were
rafting away down into the wide and
shining valley of Strathspey and far over
there on the west and north, and keeping
guard over the plain, as 1t were, rose the
giant masses OF the Cairngorm hills, the
snow sparkling here and there on their
shoulders and peaks.
II was not until half past four in the
afternoon that the long railway journey
came TO an end ; and during that time he
had come upon many scene OF historical
interest and pictorial beauty. He had
been within q short distance Of the mourn.
full "haughs OF Cromdale" :; he had eros
sed Culloden Moor Nearing Forres, he
had come within sight of the Northern
Sea and thereafter had skirted the blue
ruffled waters Of the Moray and Cromarty
and Dornoch firths But even when he
had got TO Lairg, a little hamlet at the
loot Of Loeb Shin, his travelling for the day
wac not nearly over there still remained
Q drive OF four-and-twepty miles and al
though il was now dusk. and the weather
threatened a change, he preferred to push
on that night. Travelling did not seem to
tire him much no doubt he was familiar
with immeasurably greater distances In