Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1886-12-10
CROSS PURPOSES.
by LUXE SHARP.

the kaatersville Glove. All ravines are
''cloves" in the Cat kills. Palenvlle is
a scattered httle village, full of board
ing-houses and small hotels. The pre-
tentlous hotels are all on the mountains
tops in the Catskill', while in the Adj
rondacks they are all in the valleys. But
whether mountain hotel is itself high
or low its rates by the day CT the week
are always on the breezy summit The
little mountain inn at which my wife and
were the only que was situated by
the side of the turbulent Kaaterskill.
Across the creek the wooded mountain
rose to dizzy height, while behind the
house the II was so abrupt that it dark
enened all the rear windows. From the
front piazza there was a splendid view
ofsthe woods, climbing tier on tier, and
above all a little strip OF blue sky.
Against this bit Of sky stood out in bold
relief large cross.
As we sat there looking at the cross on
the mountain top, l made the following
entirely unjustitiable remark-a remark
which led to the tragedy that it is my
painful duty to record II suppose
there are ladies in this world who
wouldn't m nd climbing to that cross,
but | never met any of them"
Mrs. Sharp rose with dignity from the
comfortable rocking and said:
81 will be ready i'll ten minutes. In
that time you can find ont which is the
best way you can get to the cross
Here followed my second unjnstifable
remark, which made inevitable the ca
tastrophe that was to follow.
'Oh, it's no use. We will oct up
about quarter of mile and you will
then sit down on falleu tree and say 4
can't go any further, In the words OF
the poet, pve bin thar. "
TO this ill-na'ured assertion the lady
did not think it worth while to reply.
went down to interview the propric-
tor.
eyes, "hc said, 'thcre is good path
to the cross. You can't miss it."
"You do me an injustice" re-
piled. "You little know my genius for
getting on the wrong track"
"Well you can't miss this one, for it's
all marked with red paint If you are
in doubt, look out for the red paint on
the rock. Then you are all right"
"Who put the cross there"
"Oh, lot of young fellows who went
upa while ago. There used to be hotel
on the cliff. A California woman put
10000 on it and lost every cent of it.
The hotel went to ruin and was at last
torn down. To find the path 90 to the
second hou an enter through the front
yard"
BY the time had acquired tbs fund
of information my pa tncr was ready
and we crossed the bridge and sought
the second haule. 1t looked like tres
pass, but we entered the front yard and
found the Path of the Red Mark. 1t ed
up and across the main road and then
into the woods lin. On every promi
neat rock some philanthrupist had
painted a rcd arrow, and with that ycarn-
ing for Immortality which seems to be
latent in every human heart he had here
and there painted his initials. At last
the path reached rough mountain road
that had been long neglected. The
freshets had worn great chasms along it,
and a we assembled higher scmc parts Of
it were washed away. The arrows still
showed Our way to be along tn ever
ascending road. On a row, however,
we missed. 1t pointed up to the noun
tain while we went along the rad. l
felt proud afterwards to think that in
spite of such plain directions l had sue
ceeded in keeping intact my record for
always taking the wrong track The
road we followed was evidently the one
constructed by the unfortunate Califor-
mia woman to lead to her ill-fated hotel.
1t was much longer but much easier
climbed thln the path. 1t was half past
5 when we heard the b )om of quarry
bat in the cliffs aboyeus 1t appeared
that the road also led to a quarry. Two
more turns brought us under eat cliff
OF ! aid rock, and at the top of it we
heard the pound ng of the quarrymen.
hoped that we would pass unnoticed,
but there was no such luck in store for
us. Three men stood on the cliff and
were looking down on us. | thought it
best to be on a friendly footing so l
shouted up:
is this the way to the CROSSE"
"What's that" was shouted down.
"The cross! The mountain top! Is
this the wayG"
ooh yes. Keep right on. Path a
little further up"
Tnring this brief mutual shout, quar-
ryman after quarryman popped up into
sight from behind the cliff, and now a
dozen or more stood out tagainst the dark
mountain background.
"Ths alone is worth coming up the
mountain to. see. It's a scene from Rip
Va1 Winklo with the real Catskills as
the stage setting. Those are not quar-
! rymen, they are Heinrich Hudsons men
the gnomes of the mountains"
So sid my partner as she leaned on
her alpenstock and looked with an ad
miration at the stage effect before us.
thought would rather meet the gnomes
than a lot of rough, lawless quarrymerL
in the lonesome mountains, with night
falling several miles from civilization.
"Scc here, said, "let's go down,
I'm tired out"
"No, sir. No, sir. I'm going up to
that cross"
at will be dark before we reach it.
There will be nothing to see."
''lf it is midnight before l reach there
I'm going to that cross"