Smyrna times., 1886-09-29
WHOLE NO. l,627.
For the Smyrna Times
A Stage Journey Across the
Green Mountains.

"Ye crags and peaks, I am with you once again.
call to you with all my voice"
So said l, as stepped from the cars
at the pleasant little town of Manches-
ter, situated on the Western side of the
Green mountains. All along on the
right of us are the mOuntains-One
green wall extending in either direc-
ton as far as the eye could reach.
Here and there among the general
mass of greenness, the Equinox, EOlus
and the Hog Stack reared their lofty
heads, the Equinox being much higher
than the rest.
After brief stop at Manchester we
took q stage for a twenty ride
right over the Green Mountain Range.
The stage was a sort of a compromise
between regular stage and an ex-
press wagon, it being a long, narrow
box on wheels with a canopy top. A
charming vehicle for a clear day, but a
most distressing arrangement in the
rain at least found it so to my sOr-
row. The driver of this sO-called stage
was regular Yankee of the most in
quisitive type, whose first of many
questions was, "Where be you going?"
After having satisfied him on this all
important question he said galang"
to pair of rather bOny horses who
looked about as sharp and inauisitive
as their master, we started off at a
round trot. The only other passenger
was an old lady with any quantity of
bundles and small packages, which she
| watched with the most Vigilant care.
| After having ridden several miles
right towards the mountains as if
we were going to hurl ourselves to
pieces on them, we began to ascend.
The road at first was quite wide and
hard, but fearfully dusty. Soon, how
| ever, the road was much rougher, and
the pitches to climb were much higher.
The scenery, too, was much wilder and
grander, and the houses began to be
few and far between. Nor were they
the nicely-painted cottages of the val
ley below, but were tumble-dOwn and
forsaken looking, all intimating that
the people living in them had a hard
time to wrench living from the stOne-
hearted mountain. Finally they
stopped altogether, and there was
nothing living on the scene but the
stage tOiling slowly up the mountain.
After a good deal of jolting, bouncing
and rattling over the stones and ruts,
much to the distress of the old lady,
who was continually worrying about
something, we neared the top. 1t had
been cloudy for some time and the
driver said it looked "kind of catch
ing" meaning it looked like rain. 1t
soon grew very dark and up came one
OF those terrific thunder showers which
frequent mountain districts. Without
much warning it began to pour, while
the lightning seemed to shoot from
mountain to mountain and from peak
to peak. 1t was one of the aWfulest
but at the same time one of the most
sublime sights l ever saw. l was so
much absorbed with the sight that l
did not much mind the rain which
beat in from the sides and front of the
vehicle; nor did l mind the extreme
uneasiness of the old lady, who may
have had fit then for all l knew or
cared. At last, during all the rain, we
had reached the top and had begun to
go down the other side at a gallon.
when Il perfectly grand sight met our
view. Where we were it was raining
hard but right below US in the valley
the sun was shining as brightly as an
afternoon sun can shine on a clear and
uCABhtluA lduuSCtpos we cOului WIFI
the help of a glass sec the farmers har-
vesting their grain. Soon we left the
rainy district altogether, and the road
was as dry and dusty as it was before
we met the shower. Down we went
at furious gallOp. The driver seemed
determined to make up for his slow
ness in the ascent, by racing down as if
his very life depended on it. He had
his ardOr somewhat dampened by the
fact that he came very near running
over a twO-year-old child who was
playing in the dust of the roadside.
We rolled through the unimportant
towns of Peru and Clarksville, stop
ping only to change the mail and to
drop the old lady, which we did at
Peru, much to my comfort and delight.
After a great deal more of rolling about
and climbing up and down small hills,
we at last gallOped into Londonderry,
the place of my destination, where l
!, will bid a kind adieu to my readers,
who are doubtless as tired mentally as
1 was physically of my journey.
w. p. NJ.
Londonderry, w., Sept. 14th, 1886.