Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1886-10-08
SUMNER ON CAPE COD.
WEST FALMOUTH. MASS, I
August "a. 1856,

what hook do we all own and take an in
terest in any more than the first landing
place of our Puritan ancestors. Cape
Cod? 1t is this hook that we find so very
delightful. Up and down its shores on
the Massachusetts Bay side and Buzzard's
Bay side are scattered the summer cot
tages some in thickly-built villages
with large hotels and steamboat every
hour. some in quiet hooks where the pic
turesque rather than the artificial a
bounds.
Even the railroad that takes us there
(Old Colony shows us it is no new re-
sort. We are going back to our first land
ing-place, to associations that are now
stripped of their hardships and surround
ed with the halo of poetry and romance.
The city and suburbs we leave behind.
and, riding in a comfortable rattan chair
that the parlOr car affords, we look out
the window to watch the scenery which
grows characteristic and picturesque as
we reach the stations Buzzard's Bay,
Monument Beach, Pocasset, Cataumet
and finally our destination.
This is one of the quiet hooks, and the
excitement of the day is the coming of
the train and mail, so here a crowd of
brown faces meet us. Are they our
friends? The ladies are without collars
and have Tam O'Shanters on their heads,
the gentlemen knickerbockers and fan
mel shirts and how very brown they are ,
Our own toilet accessories never seemed
so conspicuous, but they all look so Jolly
we think we'll like it too.
/ | said the scenery was characteristic
and picturesque. How does it differ from
Vermont: In the first place it is fiat. In
the second place there is an omnipresence
of sand, between the ties of the railway
the meadows. 1t blows into your eyes
for the wind blows all the time: YOU fee
it i'll your teeth and all the dust is clean
white sand The sand hills on the sur
side of Hog Island are white and glisten
ing as marble. The first thing you Sc,
outside the station is the huge swinging
arms of the windmill. This is the
mill where all the corn is ground. The
houses of the inhabitants are built alone
struggling, indefinite streets. They ar,
Imprinted, square wood structures. will
the forerunner of Mansard roof, anc
are shinglcd from the one fat chimney t
the marigolds and sundowers under TIN
windows. The windows are tiny places
and the frames of glass very small in
deed. The weather-vane on house o
barn is generally the correct representa-
ton of the sea-serpent himself with al
his willy folds. y ship in full sail i
common, too. In the door-yard of on
old sea captain we saw curious shrub
with apples growing abruptly on the til
end of green branches that would hay
made tirst-rate whips for a boy of ten
Bright red apples they were, and as
party of Us drove into his yard one da
to be RECALLED on 'raspberry vinegar" Ca
1t was advertised on the shed end of hi
house, we asked him where in his ira,
els around the globe he found those wol
derful bushes. He gave a knowing win
= and said "he calculated he put them al
pies there. 1t was equal to Grandm
Spicer in cape Cod Folks" who pu
eggshells on a barren BUSH This hous
and many Others had large. pink-line
shells on the porch, or perhaps to de,
crate the the top of the gatc-p0st. =,
PocaSSet station was a most elabOraI
fountain built all of sea-shells.
The shore where we were had a Ion
sweep of woodland on the east, with I'll
stretch of salt water to the west. FIT,
eight times in month of thirty days II
tide goes out and leaves the rocks yer
conspicuous and the larbor two-thirC
. sand flats. Fifty-eight times in a mont
. of thirty days the tide comes in, risiu
to height of six feet, covering all Il
q rocks and eel grass. creeping up the >tel
t of the wooden wharf nearly to the foo
This is the time when the bathers cole
l. from all the neighboring cottages al
skip lightly to the wharf; the holder
fold their hands above their heads al
dive from the end of the pier, the mo-
timid to walk down the steps and civ
, little ecstatic screams when the wat
II dashes against them. OF course the cir
It dive off the wharf and the boys wa
down the steps, Isn't that right? n,
}. it is just the other way. What dashiI
and screaming goes on there, while Il
- swimmers swim and the beginners try
swim. All the bathers belong to one
these two classes.
| must not forget the cottages. Th
= one is painted sky-blue inside; rate
visible; piazza around three sides, tv
sides covered, one an open verand;
n where hangs the hammock. The fro
k door faces the water, as do all the other
II and is two rods from the high-tide mar
e Fine green turf lies between, with Il
II tennis court at the left, and "A stone wa