Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1886-10-01

III is unnecessary TO dwell on the dis
appointment and surprise of Mr.. West
wood, when in high spirits he set out on
the woodland path, only to find de-
serted house at the end of it. He re-
peated the visit at odd intervals during
the rest of the summer and fall, but
always with the same result, till he
finally gave up in despair, and came
near to believing that he had never been
lost in the redwoods, but had fallen
asleep on an enchanted hill-si las
Grimm's people do) and dreamed the
whole thing.
1t was late in September of the follow
ing year before John Westwood felt able
to take his annual vacation from bust
ness cares. But the days grew so warm
that he determined to break away from
the hot pavements and ceaseless noise of
the city, for week in the mountains.
But where? There were mountains
north of him, mountains east of him,
mountains south of him. He had only
to choose. The mountains to the north
were the Marin county branch of the
Coast range, of which Tamalpais is the
most prominent feature. But Tamalpais
is visible from the city, so they wouldn't
do. The same fault attached to the
mountains to the east, that rise from the
arid San Joaquin plains. Mount Diablo
was their great feature, and his internal
majesty was plainly visible from the city.
To the south were the Santa Cruz noun
| tains, in whose depths his short-lived
romance of year ago was enacted. tits
not strange that ignoring the charms of
Mendocino redwoods, which necessitated
a day or two of steamboat travel and
steeling his heart against Bonner lake
and the snowy Sierras (Which were
rather far off into the bargain), he de-
cided to seek the bracing mountain air
in the Santa Cruz range. F was
only few hours distant from the city,
and yet the place was wild, untrodden
wilderness-a wilderness possessing the
great advantage of accessibility. One
had only to strike out from the station
at F. in any direction to lose himself
as he had once proved-in a virgin
and primeval forest.
He had no hope of meeting his quon-
dam acquaintance again. If they had
been down at all, he felt sure they had
flown before that. He assured himself
that he would not have wished to meet
them, for they had treated him shah
billy. 1t was most contradictory i'm
pulse, then, that drew him the very first
day of his arrival past the redwood
cabin. If he had hoped for any sign OF
his will'o-the- wisp friends, however, he
was disappointed. No sign of life wa;
about the place, and he avoided it in his
future rambles.
The large streams that flowed through
the forest were famous for trout, and tC
trout-fshing he devoted himself, a:
offering fewer opportunities for getting
lost than hunting the wary deer. 81
with rod and line, plentiful supply o.
light literature, and sportsman's luncl
/, basket well filled, he would start out fol
the day.
t He was impartial in his choice o
streams, and often angled in the on,
that flowed near Hepsidam. He choose
, that one to-day, and made his way W
the stream for a long distance by leapins
} from stone to stone, or by walking tn,
mighty length of the redwood trees tina
) lay, as they had fallen, in and across TIN
+ stream in every direction, and by wad
ing with his water-defying boots in tin
2 beautiful smooth stretches of water.
, At last he reached place he judged
favorable alike for angling and for read
ing. 1t was redwood trunk, soft witt
= messy growths, hid among might,
boulders; and from this shelter hi
= line could play on smooth peb
g bly, pool that promised lots of trout
D Here he ensconsed himself comfortably
, baited his hook, flung his line out int
1 the stream, propped the pole up nea
Y at hand (Which may be scientific wa,
4 to fish, but was quite in the way of
| lazy young man, stretched himself a
1 full length on his broad divan, chose tn
a most conversational novel his poke
n bore, and was soon deep in its pages.
/ Behind him rose an absolutely perpen
! dicular cliff, many feet in hight, dotte,
!, from top to bottom with waving "fiv
: finger" ferns. They were of such dens
: and large growth that no portion of tn
e rocky wall was visible, and dow
d through the tops of the redwoods hun
e dreds of feet above, and over the Twin
=, green curtain, the sun sent his flicker
s ing rays. The trout were wary, an
e gave him plenty of time to get inter
j, ested in his book, which, being livel
\, summer novel, caused him soon to fol
i get the shyness of the denizens of tn
: stream. So in turning a page it acte
: quite like shock to his nervous syster
o when he saw his pole bend, and sue
y denly show symptoms of falling head
Y long into the stream. He caught
}, with the mental ejaculation, 1T mus
Y be a big one to pull like that" an
It stralghtway his book was forgotten. II
lifted the pole and carefully began t
V draw in the line, at the same time &C
d vancing to the edge of his nook to sc
s his game.
?, An exclamation of pain greeted HI
h effort to tauten his line and there on
IS rock in the brook he beheld his catcl
S He gazed in CONSERVATION at the sight {
IS girl seated on the rock, and bendin
d over a rosy bare foot, which bore in til
l. pink ball of tiny toe cruel black fist