Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1886-08-06
WTLLOUGHBY LAKE.
A hit OF Switzerland In the Mountains
Of Northern Vermont.

A BIt Of Switzerland In the M Ountains
Of Northern vermont.
aRAssHoppERs AND sTRAwBERRIEs- GOOD
HOTEL MOUNTAINS, CLOUDS AND TREES A
CAMP SUPPER HOW THE HEN WAS CAUGHT.
II was somewhat after noon when Charlie
and myself struck across lots from WIllough-
by hotel think it was Saturday week
won't be sure Of days or dates. Charlie and
self are too well known to need description
to our friends, and others have no interest
therein. Still, 1t did hurt my feelings some
what when Charlie casually remarked that he
was the useful member of the party and
was the ornamental. 1t would have hurt me
more except for his position just after max
| ing the remark which was partly horiz )ntal
and partly on the Tower of Pisa principle
awry. In reply to the query what allied him,
hs said he was catching grasshoppers. 1
| pointed out to him that it was extremely UNI
safe and unsatisfactory TO lie down on hop
| per with that intent. We bad lard pail to
| ill with strawberrits and Auch berries an we
ran across big crimson globes, sprnging
| from the soft, rich MOSES around the old tree
stumps Charles thought it would economic
time # we hunted hoppers and berries stimuli
taneously. | cant say It was success. Gao
sar would have made failure of it. 1t WAS
simply distractng, aud the brain ~ well as
| the body was uear destruction. Any one is
| welcome to try H solution Of this problem, and
| II solid half hour of it don't bring on
first class s., Vtu,'s dance, I'll eat my hat
rat down Quot voluntarily on the edge OF
AN old tree top aud looked around. AT my
feet the hillside slop green aud gray where
the bretz bowed down tue long herdsgrass
fringe of ash and naples hid the brook that
wound among their roots and the bonlders of
a-t IN h.,
hushed in the broad gttering depths Of vii
loughby lake. b You'd the wooded ranges Of
the lar" shores the warm, mellow haze softly
revealed forest and clearing aud range after
range OF hills, growing higher and higher
till crowned by Jay p AK Of the Green NJ run.
tain range; and far of to the north ward,
across the Canadian line, o Fl's Head, that
rises like blue pyramid on the lovely shores
OF MrmphrrmagOg Lake. Hamlets aud cosy
farm buildings nestled like white doves among
the late mown feld' But what words can
describe the pt Guitar feeling inspired by thu
ozone laden air of these mountain lands
WIluughhy lake il about 1900 feet above sea
level. n peculiarly Alp.n, lake set in a cleft
between two rocky precipces that ri4e ali.
rupily over 1000 feet from it, clear, deep wa
ter. Tho lake itself in about 9 miles in length
and in wld,h. Towards the lower end
nestles the littla hamlet OF Westmore, uu.
"
any other provoking mslady. The mail
comes here three times week from Barton
Lind ng. ten mlles distant. The only hotel at
the viIlHg" is the Willoughby house, kept by
ii. Gilman. Mrs. Gilman is a hrst.Tate cook;
the house IL clean possible, and quiet The
lake flows at the foot OF the hotel garden,
and small steamer waits the pleasure of
your company. Mr.. Ruggles Of West Burke
IL the proprietor For fishing parties Of 10
-
larger steamer plies on the lake, owned by
Capt. Averill who makes regular trips to the
Willoughby Lake house at the upper end
His boat II in constant demand for large pic.
mic parties, etc, and none could have a bet.
ter companion than the veteran captain whose
travels have only confirmed his belief that
Wllloughby lake IL the farest spot on earth
The Wllloughhy Like house is a more pre-
tentious summer resort and ia generally well
filled by Boston and New York people.
have stayed at Mr.. Gilman's, Anticipating
of What know-they do all they possibly can
for the stranger within their gates, and
would like to find any one whose experience
of them has been Otherwise
Wioughby lake is full of lunge species
of salmon trout Is. hdmdycusI) Ia May
aud June these fish come along shore and are
caught in large quantities. For the table
would prefer Wllloughby fi-h to any other.
bly, the latter. As summer advances they
may be found in 30 or 20 feet of water To
see Willoughby lake to perfection you must
have shower; then the long gray masses OF
clouds roll up and down ravines and rock
clefts never before imagined, aud little solid
thinking is necessary to realize the height an
depth OF thu Sc walls.
All true born fl ,hermen are happy (piscitur
Hascitar nan .ft, and have more than the av.
erage store of happy memories, and lots OF
these came trooping around me (there we're
no doors or windows to keep them OUT, and
| was climbing the Gallatin pass and thread.
ing AN English meadow knee-dsep in COW.
slips, when heard the Internal whoopiug OF
that boy. That settled it, aud | ambled over
IN the direction of the sounds and they were
unearthy He sail he got scared about me ;
couldn't see me, and 40 he howled. Way
didn't he hunt me up? Too hot to hunt
even strawberries and to this day | don't
see what he did do for three q iariers of au
hour. WHAT cool, deli iJus arcade of shad-
Ows when We struck the woods Cleans OF
sapphire on sky and brook, and gray bouder4
with sweet cold water yelling up around
them and trickilng over miniature dams OF
brush aud moss into golden basins where the
small translucent brook trout love to feed
The woods grow thicker the higher We ascend
the trail. and close in around ia. 1t seems
I'D poSslDle luAt sucn breadth OF hill and
valley should be visible from their borders
Here the wood thrush and swamp robin be-
gin to welcome the cool evening air. A short
descent aud we ind ourselves ut the outlet,
and prepare our supper. Not kettle visible
10 We fill upa lard pail with water, and a
patent-applled-for process g'ts it inside the
stove. As usual. a. a critical moment the
contents are dumped overheard and the pork
| am frying on a pail cover transitions from
creamy white to Munich gray. The fact re-
mains, however, that it is pork, and pork is
good grub, ergo it disappears in company
with cold boiled onions aud fried Eaters Ia
Camp Charles no tea, but good rich milk
aud lots of Strawberries and sugar Then We
went a-fshiug up brook Il turning to the
lake We padded over it as threatened show
er rolled up its black curtain and revealed
ruddy glimpses of the setting sun. The star
poOplod sky was brighter by Jupiter's lustre,
and the stiffness was only broken by the tx
quisite whistle of the hermit thrush, we'll
termed the American nightingale. The fol
lowing day we broke camp in a thunder storm
which drowned everything except the Il Dor
boards, having had a glorious time, including
a genuine brook trout dinner or two.
p. S, forgot to add that when every
thing was packed in pyramidal style ON the
wagon boat, bedI, tin pals, mattresses, etc
I asked Charlie casually if he WAS going to
leave tue two L9ghotn chickens bequeathed
to us by Cheney, French Il Co. "Lordy |
forget them. Sartain / won't leave EN-"
He disappeared in the barn, aud emerged
presently with hen. He gave a brief lee.
ture on contrary hens, aud, hopping the
sweat from his eyes, disappeared after the
other. l believe struggle took place.
don't know, only believe so-snd when he
came FORTH flushed aud ohuckling, he gave
both in my keeping while he hunted up some
Thing to put them in. They were too big for
lard ALL and nothing else was available ex
cept an old basket half full of chips and with
the bottom demorazed. lie proposed put
ting rubber blanket over them, and when
was told to dump them dumped, and 10 to
our horror one jumped outflow, l don't
know-and Charlie was disappearing round
the corner of the house, with the hen making
bee line for Bald Mountain He had no need
TO howl back to me to freeze on to the 9TH |
er one, l secured her and started to carry
Charley home, but before l had gone five
rods lost my pipe and stopped to hunt it,
and was awakened by howl and III sad her
of o great Scott head her of !" ! headed
and 80 did the hen. Charlie, sauntering