Middletown transcript., 1896-07-04

| @IH HesCiins olnon
4 The lofty noun
tainswhich separate northern New
Hampshire from the Dominion of Can
ada. The sun shone with that spark
| ling brilliancy which seems peculiar t
those northern ATTITUDES and the win
| blew softly from the south, laden wit
the delicio is odor of mountain bal
sans.
81 say, Tom,n y exclaimed Alec Bun
dy to his companion, Tom Powers
.this is too fine day to spend hang
ing around the village. We've used
up about all our fireworks except th'
liant crackers, and we don't want t
be in hurry about setting them off
Let IS take tramp in the woods.o
"All right" replied Tom eagerly,
But where shall We gu?"
"Let's climb old Balltop"
| .tHurrahl-Ibal : The ideal And say
Alec, let's take the giant frecrackeI!
along and wake The echoes from thu
old peak"
'Good for you'll cried Alec. That's
just what we'll do"
Itwas early in the afternoon the boys
started for Baldtop mountain. They
| were soon in the woods at the noun
tain's base, where the giant frs seemed
to extend their arms in welcome and
the pines to whisper friendly greetings.
Both boys sang and whistled merrily.
1t was SO pleasant to have holiday in
the grand old woods.
Soon the ascent began in earnest.
There was no well defined path up the
mountain, and Tom and Alec had to
pick out their own course, drawing them
selves up in the steepest places by means
of the dropping limbs and protruding
roots of the trees. Now and then they
came to an open space and rested for a
moment, viewing the beautiful scene
spread out before them hills stretch
ing away on every side, clothed to
their very SUBMITS with evergreens.
while here and there in the Valley a
little lake or pond nestled like silver
island in an emerald sea.
Finally they came to dim footpath
leading off to the left along narrow
ridge of land. Alec turned to Tom.
s'Suppose you sit down here for a
few minutes and wait for me-" be said.
81 want to see where this path goes to.
Then, If should get lost, your shouts
will guide me back"
Tom was ths less sturdy lad of the
two and was glad enough of chance
to rest while his companion explored
the mysterious path.
Alec had not gone far along the
rocky ridge before the path tarEed
sharply and plunged down through a
dense clump of frs into deep ravine.
Alec scrambled down among the rocks
'.This is getting rather interesting,n
he muttered to himself. I wonder
what can have made this path. Pm
going to follow it little further
any way"
Narrower and darker grew the pass
and higher and sleeper its sides as the
boy advanced, until, suddenly round
ing large projecting rock, he found
himself in the presence of four rough
looking men seated about campfire.
In an instant, but too late for retreat
it flashed over him that this was the
famous Smuggler's notch, rocky
mountain pass between northern New
Hampshire and Canada, and that these
rough characters before him were
smugglers engaged in one of their Sc
cret expeditions between Canada and
the States. He would have drawn
back quickly out Of sight, but the
men had already seen him, and with
shout they surrounded him and made
him their prisoner.
Meanwhile Tom was getting restless
and somewhat anxious at Alec's pro-
longed absence. He began to shout
with all the power of his lungs. but
bis voice died away in the silence,
bringing no answer. 81 am afrai,i
something has happened to Alec.n be
thought. 81 must go and hunt him
up.n
Taking the bunch of giant firecrack-
ers in his hand, he started along the
faint path. Finally he came to The
place where The trail turned sharply
into the rayine, and here his fears in
creased fourfold. What il Alec had
fallen from the cliff, or been attacked
by some animal in this deserted glen?
Tom, however pushed on brayely, and
rapidly, hoping every minute to over
take his friend or discover some sign
that he had passed that way. Awed
by the gloom and silence of the great
ravine, he had almost inyoluntarily
ceased to shout, but his eyes scanned
every inch of the pathway and over
hanging rocks.
Suddenly he stopped, his heart beat
ing like trip hammer. The sound of |
Iphd gruf voices came to his ears, and |
then another, HITTER voice. Could it
be Alec's? Creeping fnward to the |
great rock which inttrd across the |
path Tom slowly aid carefully climbed
up its sleping side and reeped over.
Sure enough, there stood Alec in the
midst of a groupsof fierce looking men
who were talking and gesticulating
wildly. Tom took 10 the situation
Instantly. These men were smugglers
whose hiding place Alec had unwit-