Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1885-06-19
TO MONTPELIER AND RETURN
Written for the HERALD


can give you is from memory. l can
not even recall what kind of morning
it was on which started for the capt.
tai of the Green Mountain State.
could give the day of the week and of
the month, but this would be of no
interest to your readers. On the morn
ing of the day then, whether it was
bright or cloudyit matters not, though
/ fancy it was the latter, we embarked,
four of us, three on official business
and one on pleasure, upon the Gas a.
III. Grand Trunk train for Groveton
Junction. In going over this short
bit of road | felt safe. And why you
may ask. Because Mr.. John T. Thurs
ton held the reins of the old
black horse, and his quarter of CEN
tury's experience with it would not
let him run into the ditch or kick at
the dash aboard. He would keep too
strict watch to allow any such Ca
pers as these, and he would have q too
honest lookout to run against any
snags. Our amusements over this Sec
ton ofroad were various. One found
an old friend with whom to converse
another was buried in book; the
third sought out the smoking car in
which, perhaps, to soothe his nerves,
the fourth perused II newspaper and
studied out the laws of his business.
Conversation on board u rushing and
swiftly-going train is, l often fancy,
very shaky and has to be carried on
like people troubled with the palsy,
so q pipe, book or a paper is often
most congenial. Coming to Groveton
Junction, had not much time to look
about; it was necessary to stand
around the ticket Office to wait for
your turn to buy II ticket for there
was quite crowd, and among them a
number from Canada who grumbed
because the agent discounted their
money five per cent. The agent or
company must make nearly five per
cent. gain ny doing so. as sending the
Canada money home it can be ey-
changed at par for United States
money. On the Boston and Lowell
road saw Guildhall, the place where
Island Pond and Essex county send
their law-breaking citizens. looked
in vain for the place of Incarceration
although pointed out to me. The alti-
tude of the prism of my vision of the
prison was not rightly adjusted prob.
ably. Jails always recall the sad
thought that "why should humanity
make it necessary to require them"
From here we rushed on through Ian
caster, Littleton and other towns, only
stopping long enough to take passen-
gers on board, Littleton seems quite
an active place. Our ride on the
Boston and Lowell road ended at
Wells River. The scenery around this
place is quite picturesque. The high
banks of the stony-bedded river with
its rolling, tumbling and frothy water
would do very well for an artist to
picture. The Wells River road leads
us up and down through as rough
and rugged a strip of country as |
have ever passed over. In some spots
it looks as if some monster antedilu-
Wan feathered bipeds had dropped
their unnecessary eggs in escaI ing
from the waters of the oncoming del.
uge. The oval white boulders seemed
to so thickly cover the ground that
even dynamiter could not raise
very great cloud of dust with his in
fernal explosives. The engineer took
us over apparently at quite rapid
rate through the tortuous, billy and
broken country and sometimes /
wished that Mr.. Thurston held the
throttle of the steam-puffing horse for
the sake of feeling safe. A good leader
is like good general, you feel conf
dence in him and You can march even
to the mouth of the canon; Gt ought
to be'cannon, to read correctly. On
arriving at Montpelier q friend of NV
own cloth met me and separated me
from my company. The visit to the
city did not amount to much as to
sightseeing for business must be at
tended to before pleasure. The capitol
is grand, white old building with the
statue of Ethan Allen standing in mar
BILE upon it's steps. / ain told the citi-
zens of the town are wealthy and they
do not enter very deeply into active
business, and that the reputed Yankee
push is not necessary to be enter
tanned in its vale, secluded with sur
rounding hills. On my return | saw
nothing of note. At Wells River sta
ton the buildings were well plastered
over with snowy posters Of the usual
largest circus in the world. 1t gave a
new color to the place. At Lancaster
we stopped fifty-fve minutes and went
about the town, which is rather
pretty place. On leaving there, we
soon reached Island Pond with its
cool and exalted air, much refreshed
and benefited by the journey. W.