The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1896-06-10
VERMONT In MAY.
As SEEN BY IN ACCOMPLISHED
LADY FROM THE NATIONS
CAPITAL.
Interesting Bits of History Regarding Some
Washington County Towns-A Charm
ing Word Picture.


needs 10 description, as Vermont's
beautiful capital is well known. TAX
ing what is called "over the hills" road
toward our objective point (Calais)
we journeyed, attracted on every hand
by the evidence of new birth of
nature, in the odor of the lilac bios
SONS, now rusty, dark maroon, which,
like summer millinery, will have their
full opening in the merry month of
June. The mountain sides, white with
plum blossoms, hummed over by the
busy bees, reminds us of springtimes
of lang syne. The road was we'll
named, for the valleys that connect
those hills are so narrow they are
hardly worth speaking of, had not the
great God of nature who made the
hearts of his children poetical and their
eyes to turn toward the beautiful, like
the needle to the magnet, caused to
blossom by the sides of the little brooks
and in the marshy places beds of yell
low cowslips above the dark rich green
leaves which support them. AS we
passed over sparsely wooded bills we
saw little chipmucks, and squirrels out
accommodating, and frequently in cross
ing rustic bridge that spanned mar
row, rock-filled brook we would see
what should be called the orchids of
the water - beautiful little speckled
trout. They pause for half second,
not fin moving, then they are gonel
but oil my readers know how that is,
and the number of fish stories each
one could tell about those little darting
beauties is probably legion. How time
changes our sentiments! l remember
when-I was very young them have
longed to take the little speckled Great.
ures off the forked stick upon which
they were painting and, putting them
back in their native waters, cay as did
some one once to fly, ego, little fish,
there is room enough in this great
world for both thee and me-" Now it
seems more natural to look upon them
as only animated brook moss, or seeds
and buds that blow from the wild flow-
ers upon the surface of the stream they
inhabit, and to think of their rich
meat as Colored and favored from the
pollen of the beautiful white lilies, and
our sympathies are with the catcher
rather than with the caught.
We are fifteen miles now from our
starting point, having passed through
but one small hamlet-East Montpel-
Ter Center. Birds are twittering, tree
toads chirping a low, sweet accom-
paniment to the setting sun, as we ap-
proach the place where we are to pass
the night. Calais has no hotel. A
member of the family who shelters
for recompense-those whom night
and hunger overtake within its limits,
told us that years ago there was fine
hosiery there, but that the advent of
the iron horse closed its doors, by
crowding from the field of traffic the
four and six-horse coaches and ex-
presses that used to help keep down
the grass in its streets.
AS the shades of evening settled
over us, we did not feel as persons do
tricts of South America, that they are
among people who are at least two
hundred years behind the times" In
aLswer to our inquiries as to the origin
Of the name of this town, our host
told us it was named Careless" ow-
ing to an accident which occurred
about the time the township was sur
veyed, and that it had "just drifted u
to Calais. Within the township are
North and East Calais, West Calais, or
Sodom, and South Calais, or No. 10.
He also gave US a description of two
very interesting collections owned by
near neighbors of his. One was of
guns, pistols and powder horns, some
of them manufactured as early as the
seventeenth century. The other COL
lection was of birds, many of them
rare, and the plumage and natural
shape of all beautifully preserved by
knowledge gained from reading alone.
Retiring for the night, tired nature
made the bed upon which we reposed
seem downy, while little brook per-
haps yard wide, with fall of seventy
feet over rocks, sang US to sleep and
early next morning above the voice of
that brook we heard the sweet songs of
the robins.
Again on our journey, we notice the
advancement heavy dew and the few
} hours of the night have made in veg
citation. In a climate where the grow
ing season is so short, with spy-glass,
/ really think one could see the leaves
unfold and the flowers open their petals,
We were to stop at Cabot, the other side
of mountain. for dinner.
o, the bracing air we found in going
overl Had we not been clothed in
heavy wraps 1 fear it would have
braced US 10 our death. How people
who have grown up in this invigorating
atmosphere and now reside in cities
must long "once more to tread their
own free hills, once more to breathe the
mountain air." Our road lay part OF
the way on the edge of a ravine, whose
tall treetops reached line with oui
horses feet, and their inclination to
feel funny about 1t caused me to feel
, quite the reverse. Anon our way would
lay through thicklywooded sections
whose leaves and branches, thus early,
formed a canopy above us. Often on one
side it would be down hundreds of feet,
and on the other side Of us up as many
more, with the serpentine roots of the
trees exposed to view, from sloughine
off of the ground in the spring thaws
The ferns yesterday were just little
wads above the moss and mould; this
morning they were nearly unrolled and