Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1894-09-17
mystery was solved.


| banks of the river. The musical
| sounds continued. Finally, while we
stood discussing the matter, hap
pened to glance far up the mountain
Something riveted my attention. The
whole surface of the mountain seem
into the valley.
"See!" cried, pointing upward at
the strange sight; ''what do you call
hat?"
Shading his eyes he looked long and
steadily at the strange phenomena,
and then blurted out, "Sheep!"
And that was what they we're
Merino sheep. Acres are solidly pack
ed and numbering into the thousands
moving down the side of the noun
tain. AS they slowly approached we
saw the shepherd behind them. At last
the shepard dog was deserted as he
circled around the flock and kept
tn EN- together. Attached to the necks
of hundreds of those sheep were little
bells, each tuned on different key,
and the notes of which if not loud
could be distinguished for a long dis
lance. By means of those bells the
shepherd kept his flock together. Each
night he rounded those sheep up and
corraled them near the river and then
at break of day would drive them far
up into the mountains, again. Like
the shepherds of the Judean hills he
lived with his flock and attended to
them as in the days of old. The music
we had heard was the tinkling of
those little bells rendered deceptive
by our strange surroundings and the
right condition of the atmosphere.
Steamboat Springs is natural and
Interesting curiosity situated some
twelve miles south of Reno in the di-
rection of Carson City. I visited them
in company of VIM. B. Twombly and
various members of his family and
passed a very enjoyable day. While
friend Twombley knocked over few
jack rabbits with a double barreled
shotgun, the rest Of us boiled eggs in
one of Natures boiling caldrons,
lunched, and otherwise enjoyed our
selves examining the wonderful
grounds. Those grounds contained a
succession of boiling springs situated
on top of a round-topped hill the
shape of a sugarloaf. The hill was
chalky white, without a shrub or any
kind of vegetation growing upon it,
and was two acres or more in circum-
ference. In it were numerous assures
or cavities, some Of them are dry,
others filled with boiling water, a
part of which boiled in the cavity
alone while many of them shot the
waters into the air after the manner
of geysers. Over them rose vast vol
ume of steam that was discernible
for long distance. The whole hill, if
such it could be called, was merely a
crust formed from the exudations
forced up by the subterranean fires
below. This crust, which seemed to be
a composition Of birthstone, lime and
other Ingredients, was only a few feet
in thickness, and in many places was
so extremely thin that the crust
sounded hollow as you walked over
it. Far down in the earth below the
crust was continuous rumbling
sound which told Of the agitations
that were going on below. In one
great seam which extended across the
hill, and out of which in many places
poured an almost fire heat, you could
drop stone and heard it rattle for
several seconds as it tumbled down
ward. The fumes from this seam was
with birthstone. Glanc
ing down into the seam at one spot,
discovered below the crust and
growing upon a narrow shelf of rock,
three beautifully colored flowers. AT
Ter series of troubles arising from
5he heat and fumes of the birthstone
succeeded in bringing to the surface.
They were shaped similar to the pan
~, only smaller the outer edge of the
petals being bright purple which
shaded into a yellow in the center.
Portions of the flower was coated
over with very thin and transparent
coating of birthstone as was also the
stem and leaves. The leaves upon the
stem were dark green in color and
small. I intended to have
ent the flowers home; but in less
han five minutes after exposing them
% the atmosphere they melted away
md only left the stem remaining in
ny hand. 1t was curious place for
lower-down in that birthstone cav
ty, and it seems that it was a flower