Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1895-06-10

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to be there, they were all crowded
into. and near the cafes and bath
houses. They were, to judge from
the looks of them, chiefly the hard
working men and women of the city,
many of them with their children.
The fathers and mothers sat back on
the sand,o or against the buildings, and
read, or simply rested, keeping one
| watchful eye, meanwhile, on the
| smaller ones. And what good time
the latter did have! They tramped,
and chased, and dug in the sand, but
chiefly they waded, with much display
of slim white legs, and shrill shrieks
of mock terror, as some higher wave
than usual threatened to make a little
wetter what small amount of clothing
they still had on. Those of the older
ones who had the courage and the
energy to do so, hired bathing suits
and went into the water, and there
were enough of these SO that from the
middle of the forenoon until after
dark there was always company in
the water to furnish sport for those
on shore. Though, SO far as courage
is concerned it doesn't require much
| to go in here, for the beach is level,
and the slope so gradual, that a body
would have to wade half way to Ma
hant to get into water deep enough to
drown. 1t really is too shallow to be
acceptable to good performers in the
| water, as it is almost impossible to
dive safely. One man, last year, who
carelessly dove from a small platform
erected to hang lantern on, which is
surrounded at high tide, struck his
head on the bottom with such force
as to break his neck, and saw fell
low badly hurt last Sunday in the
same way. Half dozen were play
ing "leap frog" in the water, and one
big fellow leaping over another, and
not looking carefully enough to see
how he was going to land, dove his
head into the sand hard enough SO
that he had to be dragged out of the
water and layed down and rubbed
pretty theoretically before he was able
to walk, and even then he carried his
head on one side.
For every other purpose, though,
the beach is very desirable. All thrO'
the winter and spring I found it
charming, for though there might be
ever so much snow and mud else
where, just as soon as the tide went
out, there was left there hard, dry,
level expanse which was perfect for
walking. One thing which has in
terested me is to see what a different
class Of debris each different storm
will cast up. One day the beach will
be as clean as if swept with broom,
the next it will be strewn with tons Of
seaweed, which the farmers for miles
around will be here carting away
for manure. One day there will be mil
lions of shining black mussels, and
the next day not one. One day pick
ed up, without any special effort, a
half bushel of big sea CLAIMS, SO deli
cious when cooked, and in all the time
I have been here I have seen not
more than two or three besides these.
The storm of last Monday drifted in
an immense number of dead fish, all
the same species, and all about eight
inches long. am not familiar enough
with sea fish to know wha t they
are, but the beach was strewn with
them. [ was reminded Of one enter
prising man whom I knew, who lived
in the valley of the Black river, who,
when suckers were running freely,
Melted enough Of them so that he was
able to fertilize his corn by putting
dead sucker in each hill. Any one
who would have taken the trouble to
gather the fish here, this week, could
have fortified more than one acre.
Fortunately the next tide washes them
out again, ELSE the beach would be un-
bearable in hot weather. Speaking of
fish, the proper thing to have, when
one comes down here to spend the
day, is a fish dinner. These are serv-
ed at any of the fifteen or twenty So
called hotels here, though two or three
have a special reputation for them.
At really good place, too, they are
delicious. CLAIMS, fish, ETC., sea food
of all kinds in all shapes. A fish din
uer, though, costs fifty cents, and only
comparatively few people who come
here can afford that. Many bring
their lunches, and others patronize
some of the cheaper places. Sunday,
all of the eating places did rushing
business, too rushing, in fact, for it
was so early in the season that they
had not expected such crowd, and
by evening almost everything on the