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

Union. The days were long, but full of
the interest that extended rambles and
sylvan discoveries confer A fine
stream in which one could wade or
battle to hearts content, kept up its
ceaseless conversation. like the hum of
near and far voices. How beautiful in
the early morning was the light falling
on the ranks of giant redwoods; and
surely there never was bluer,
purer sky than that bent above it all!
Amy Desart, book in hand, sauntered
down leafy path on which faint rays
of light from the far sky sifted down
through the redwoods' odorous branches,
glinted on their SCARED trunks, and fell
like silver arrows into the rich shade of
the forest. The book she carried was a
pretext The day was for dreaming, and
what printed page could charm the eye,
when there were thousand distractions
tempting the curiosity and challenging
the admiration of a healthy nature? If
bumbling bee, a vagrant bird, clump
of yellow violets, or a broad golden
back" were enough to speak to a poetic
SOUL or charm an artists eye, who could
tire of watching the grander beauties of
a redwood forest, or weary of the sud
den glimpses through opened boughs of
the sublime blue mountains? So book
was quite useless thing to Miss Amy
Desart but at the same time her
habitual companion.
She was aroused from her lazy dream
ing by loud halloo. Indeed, she was
not Immediately aroused, for the hal
looing had been going on for quite a
respectable length of time before her
drowsy consciousness stirred to the eff
feet of something unusual; for halloo-
ing, save for owls, was by no means
common in those silent depths. Once
aroused from her summary stupor, she
listened with growing interest.
The calls continued at intervals, paus-
ing seemingly in expectation or hope
of some reply. Miss Desart concluded,
as she heard no responsive halloo from
any other part of the forest, that the
call was from some one lost in the will
derness. AS soon as her half somnolent
brain had formed this conclusion, her
voice took up the idea, and when an
other desperate and far away shout came
to her ear, she answered with musical
call from her vigorous young lungs, al
the same time going in the evident di-
rection of the sound.
She was heard for a responsive cal
came in slightly louder tones, SO she
knew that, whoever it was, he was APP
preaching her voice. Making a trumpet
of her hands, she cried, LOST"
The answer came quite distinctly, evil
IDENTIFY trumpeted in the same manner
"Yes."
She lost all her languor. Here wa:
something Of lively interest to occupy
her time. "Who are you?" she called.
John Westwood," came the answer
"Of San Francisco" he continued.
Unhesitatingly she plunged into the un
dergrowth and trackless wayof the woods
her guide the voice, which kept up {
rather one-sided conversational tina
can be called conversation-as she only
answered occasionally to show him thai
she was coming. She had no fear Of
being lost herself, for she had, time anC
again, roamed in the deepest and wildes
parts of the forest, which was full Of
landmarks for her.
"Out hunting-and-lost-m came
slowly and detachedly to her ears.
She stopped and said to herself: "Pv,
mind to leave him to his fate. TIL,
idea of desecrating this sacred plac,
with shot-gun!"
However, she proceeded to the rescue
determining to give Mr.. John Westwooc
a caustic piece of her mind, when ono
she had discovered him. ct is safe t,
say here, in parenthesis, that she forgo
her cruel intention long before she cam
up to him. She picked and crashed he
way through the bushes for a mile, i
seemed to her, but distances are decep
tive when you have to work your way.
AT last, he, waiting, gave a halo
which sounded absurdly loud, whel
right on the heels of it the bushes parted
and radiant wood-nymph, to be sure
in becoming costume of buff lawn
the soft, loose draperies of which sh
had caught up to protect them from tn
brambes, revealing thereby the stif EN-
broidered rutiies of an immaculate skirt
and faultless feet shod in neat Frenc
walking boots. But her cheeks wer
flushed, her eyes were dazzling, and
cloud of shining hair rested lightly o
her white forehead, Her wide hal
pushed far back on her head by som
saucy branch, served as frame to bt
t witching face.
, She beheld a tall young man i
, hunters buckskin, leaning on a riff,
His brown eyes were shade softer tina
, usual, from their WEAKNESS, perhaps
His face was clearly cut, and dar
moustache adorned his firm lip.
5 For more than a moment they gaze
into each others eyes, then laughed an
bowed. After thanking her Ell
Enthusiastically, he said: 81 ha
no idea of compelling a youn
to my rescue. l thought it was a DO
5 who answered me, and fully expected I
= see barefoot boy, with cheeks of tan
g instead of -" he hesitated.
I, you will see no barefoot boys aroun
here" she said, hastily. There is to
I. great fear of rattlesnakes.
a 81 have not seen any"
Maybe not, for they are not fearful