The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1893-10-21

and carry on routine business without first
becoming proficient in the use of an alpen !.
stock and rope ladder. But there are a few
places would like to speak of. At some
point in either Klickitat or Skamania
county, there is a mountain that has been
futed over with cliffs AID crags until it
seems as if it were satan's washboard. This
appearance is heightened by the gray spots
where waters have dripped and dried for
years much as soap will soil the pristin e
zinc of the family washboard while 1t hangs
in the woodshed between wash days. /
may be accused of holding intimate relation
with hts santanIc majesty, but 1t should be
remembered that he is accredited with
maintaining slide" in Utah, and have
surely as much reason for saying that he
conducts laundry as another could have
for implying that he is addicted to the to-
boggan habit.
Far, far above this cliff girt hill, the
mountains rise ope above another as if they
were officials in a government department.
Beneath overhanging green btughs dap
pied veil of lights and shadows lay over
the Authenticated earth, where herbs and
shrubs and grasses turn into death from the
first breath of the coming winter king
Dark fir trees stand erect above the fallen
oak leaf, scared with frost and yellow like
the stricken finch that futters down to die
h,, fha s;I tha oi.
lent rocks above. the gushing earth sends
streams sheer into the depths of silent
gorge that lies gloomy beneath its canopy
of shadow, which ever and anon gathers the
falling darkness of some drifting cl'nd that
floats on and on to its own solution in
warmer air, as if some silent swan were
bearing message from our peaceful ocean
to the eastern sea. Often while l have
b2en at the work of harvesting my winters
wood from the pine grown sides OF Soar
Dough mountain, have leaned upon my ak
and contemplated the forest about me In
simple amazement. l have probably con
templated more often than l have gather ed
the cheerful backlog. la that way l had
come to regard our mouDtaIp at home as
wonderful creation, but now 1 am COM
pelled to admit that in comparison with
one of the Cascade mountains, old Sour
Dough is scarcely large enough to dig Gel
lar under. There are no monutonous slopes
that stretch away INTO the blue distance to
weary the eye; rough, rocky sleeps rise
straight up like deacon 10 an experience
meeting, until 1t seems it a north bound
thief could not escape the sheriff without
entering the kingdom, of heaven.
a.ked the old mountains how long they
bad been there. The murmuring trees an
svered indefinitely; bat ceased to wonder
that the mountains heads were white, for
they told me OF time before the first oldA
est settler hal his weather predictions
printed in the weekly paper. They were
there before the O's and the Mos inhabited
Ireland, and their feet were washed bv sea
when the ischyo,aurus was the social lion
of Ounalaska
1t is enjoyable to f )at down the bosom OF
tbs stream and view the changing scene. l
liked to see the waves roll away the |
steamer plouged down the sinuous channel, |
and / liked to see the little homemade |
wharf at White Salmon rock on tine beating |
I'D. while the purser tried to use it for
business office, without taking his feet from
the steamers deck. lie was working out
soma commercial problem, aud as the wharf
.ocked toward the shore 1 wondered if his
coat collar would bit the small of his back
j; he held on long enough for his recedIng
iesk to draw him that far through it. But
ny curiosity was not to be gratifed. With
light backward spring he regarned the
leck in time to see one of his customers
irop his cigar holder into the water as he
opened his lips to say goodbye.
F. E. WILMARTH.