The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1886-07-01

self, by reproducing exactly the
scenes with which he was familiar
and through which they were made
to move. This was done with sAch
literalness that the visitors can trace
to-day. on the shores of the lake
almost every stirring incident In the
"Deerslayer," with the added salts
faction that, the scene is Tut little
altered now fron what it was when
Cooper wrote. Local pride and en-
.terprise have marked many of these
spots; and fortGnately the descrfp-
ton areso faithful that they prove
themselves. They story of Deer
slay er," which was published only Il
little more than forty years ago is.
in this way, literally mapped cut.
Til ere have certainly been few in
stances, if any, of this kind in fic-
ton.
The central figure here is always
L+atherstock ing, who seems some
t ms to have gone out of the fash
ions, but whom Thackersy-a good
judga, surely--cslis one of "the
great prizemen" of fiction. better,
perhaps. than any Of SCOTS men ,
and ranks with Uncle Toby, Sir
Roger de Colerly and Falstaff-heroic
figures ALL" 1t is to be hoped that
F.Istaff and Uncle Toby have not
gone out of fashion too. The visitor
goes to see the monument to Leath-
erstocking-as it really is, tho it is
inscribed with Cooper's name which
stands in the beautiful cemetery Of
Lakewood, aud look at it with as
much interest, if not more, than he
finds i'm the plain slab that lies on
Cooper's grave in the graveyard of
the pretty little Episcopal church.
The monument is simple column,
with the figure Of Misunderstanding
at the top, in the act of loading his
gun, and with his faithful hound at
his side. The figure Is quite small,
AMI the general effect Disappointing.
The spot where il stands could not
well be III ore beautiful. The ceme-
terry hill slopes gently to the peace
full exquisite lake. and the scene, in
he soft September afternoon, is one
of sweet repose and solemn beauty.
The cemetery is on the eastern shore
of the lake, and it is on the western
hore that most of the stirring scenes
of the books were enacted. .------ -
At the southern end is the outlet,
the tiny thread that broadens out in
time into the wide shadows of the
Susquehanna. Right here is one OF
the most important land marks in
"Deerslayer. which it is impossible
not to look at with some amusement.
This i the rock comm only called the
Otsego Rock, at which the Serpent
was to meet Deerslayer, and which
was often used to mark the rendez-
vous Of the savages.
Enbar king on the"Natty BumppO"
at the wharf, for tho sail up the lake,
we leave Ceoperstown, with its mass
es of foliage quickly behind. 1t is a
pretty, comfortable village, without
any air of undue smartness. DR..
Oliver Wendell Homes is moved in
one of his papers 10 the profound res
mark,| makes girls" Otsego
county is famous grazing country.
and, by the way of confirming Dr..
Homes mysterious, generalization, is
famous also for its pretty, whole
soma looking girls. These are points
in which middle-aged man may
take a scientific interest. 1t is also
great country for hops. Possible
DR.. Holmes never noticed the con.
nection between girls and hops, and
he is welcome to this suggestion.
But by this time the boat is getting
some distance on it's journey.
To the right, on the eastern shore.
is Mount Vision, celebrated in the
"Pioneer." Leatherst ocking cave is
there, where the old man entrenched
himself against the law, which par
took too much of settlement ways
for him to understand it. This is
not mu CHI of a cave, but rather hol-
low in the mountain. But a novelist
must surely have a'license TO scoop
cut his cave a little il he finds that 1t
won't accom- m odate his characters in
good style. -...-. 49,.
The entire action of "Deerslayer'
passes either upon the lake or its i'm
mediate shore, and this makes it easy
to follow it throughout from the
deck of the little steamer. Two.
Mile Point, as it is prosaically called,
two miles north of Cooperstown, on
the western shore of the lake. Is the
point where Deerslayer and the Big
Serpent landed to rescue Wah-ta-
Wah from the Hurons.
A mile further is Three Mile Point,
where Desrslayer first killed an In,
dian, and the dying savage, in ad-
EIration, bestowed upon him the
name of Hawkeye. This little prom.
ontory is now a site for picnics, with
ample preparation Of benches and
tables and kitchen. Beyond Five
mile Peiat is Hutter's Point, so call
ed after Floating Tom, one OF the new
names taken from the books. Here
Deerslayer first saw the "Glimmer-
glass;" North of here the NEST Of
the exciting scenes Of the book are
laid Out in the center Of the lake
is "a white barrel buoy. This marks
the spot where "Muskrat Castle''
stood-the locality being so carefully
described by the novelist as to leave
no doubt. There is a shoai there,
Il