Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-01-14

We met but one traveller upon these remote
bride paths. He was the purchasing scout,
afoot. OF an eastern carriage factory, buying
hickory trees for stumpage. Approaching
Nicholas the roads gave signs Of more frequent
travel, being lined at intervals with wagons
loaded. fast in mud and abandoned until hot
weather should restore the roadway. Keeping
a little mountain inn we found a man who was
formerly prominent physician in Cincinnati
with large income and practice, but who, be-
coming an inebriate. took the heroic treatment
Of exile in the Alleghanies. He had horses and
servants and was literally monarch of all he
surveyed. No home could be more delightful
than his in summer, nor more rigorous in
winter.
Gradually the mountaineers are learning that
the timber on their mountains is valuable and
they are more retentive of it. A native told US
that be had cleared and fenced ten acres. which
he sold readily TO a stranger for 81. ZOO. The
purchaser shipped the fence rails which were
of black walnut, to furniture factory, and
had not since set foot upon his possessions. The
mountalneer then learned for the 6rst time that
black walnut was valuable for other use than
fences.
As a rule the people in the Alleghanies live
comfortably. They have remarkably strong.
feet horses. A group OF their animals about a
cabin where merrymaking is in progress is a
picture more spirited than Bonheur's Horse
Fair" Beyond the difficulty attending the
work of the carrier it is oftentime accompanied
by serious danger, and superhuman efforts
must be made 10 avoid fines for DELINQUENCY
When the rich Lamartine mines in Colorado
were opened the writer ordered to that
point in midwinter. Without q guide. and fol-
lowing verbal directions, / rode from Freeland
and to save time turned my horse into the bed
of a mountain stream, thinking to ascend it
would be the surest way to the mines
IL saved some time. but proved to be
poor economy. for returning We descended
by the same route. In winter the sun
sets very early in the Rockies-about 8 O'Clock
in places. Approaching Freeland we
found the stream turned into thin ice
on the rocks. which made it hard for Q horse to
get footing. 1t had also grown quite dark
tried to keep my horse going, but he became
nervous, and reaching q wide place in the
stream, where all feet were at once on ice, he
stumbled, fell headlong, and struggling to rise
rolled completely out of the bed Of the stream
into a ravine, the bottom Of which could not
be seen In the darkness. Uninjured picked
my way cautiously 10 Freeland and remained
there all night, going on to Idaho Springs by
oaynght On nv way we met the mail carrier
coming slowly up the mountains. He was try
ing hard to keep up the service afoot having
lost two mules by their falling from the narrow
paths. as the people at the mines were clamor-
ing for letters from home.
lnnumerabie examples could be added to
show the UNIFORM. persistent effort Of the gov
ernment to furnish mail facilities for all people
under all circumstances Indeed il almost
seems that II the cliff dwellers Whose deserted
domIciles found high in the sides of the
mountain lodges, thousand feet in air) were
10 reinhabit their elevated villages their pet,-
tion for post Office would hardly be denied
and am certain that many of our hardy mail
contractors would cheerfuily undertake to per-
form service with celebrity. certainty and Sc
| curity between the lofty settlements and the
earth.