Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-04-02
CHAPTER XVI.

MR., BARNES DlSCON EltS ALI Ablsf- LIZ ".
Immediately after the wedding Mr..
Mitchell and his bride started west, in
tending to spend their honeymoon in the
Yosemite valley, having promised Mrs
Remsen and Dora, however, 10 join
them in the White mountains before the
end of the season. About the lst Of
July the Remsens and the Van Rawl-
stons went to jefferson, n. h, small
town along the base of the Pliny range
of mountains, from whiA, a magnificent
view Of the Presidential range, only ten
miles away, is to be obtained. About
the middle Of the month Mr.. Randolph
determined to visit the same place and
was intensely disgusted on aliRhting
from the stage, which reaches the
Waumbeck hotel about o'clock at
night, to be greeted familiarly by Mr..
Alphonse Thauret. 1t was evident that
his rival did not intend TO lose any
chance to win the hand of Dora Remsen.
II one has anything OF the artistic In
bis nature, he could scarcely fail to en-
Joy himself at Jefferson. The town is
practically single road, we'll up the
side Of the mountain range. Thus the
hotels all look out over long and beau
tiful valley. From the piazza of the
Waumbeck, on a clear day, no less than
80 mountain peaks can be easily count
ed, the Green mountains over in Yer
mont being visible as distant line Of
blue and not In the total
OF course the most conspicuous and
most admired peak is Mount Washing
ton. One who has not visited the region
might suppose that he would soon be-
come sated with the sight Of the same
mountains day after day. This Is great
error. All the mountains, and especially
Mount Washington, are ever presenting
new aspects. All changes Of atmosphere
produce corresponding variations The
shadows of passing clouds, the effects at
sunrise or at sunset. the moonlight, the
partly cloudy weather when the top OF
the mountain Is hidden, the mists and
the rain, all offer such totally different
coloring and picturesque effects that the
artistic eye Ia never tired.
Dora was an artist In every fiber OF
her being, as one would know who lis
tened to her talking to Mr.. Randolph
half an hour after his arrival, as they
sat together ON the piazza. In his de-
light to be with her and to hear her, he
would have forgotten the very existence
Of Mr.. Thauret were 1t not that he sat
near them in the rotunda at the end OF
the piazza, and so shared the entertain
ment that she offered
What pity" she was saying, that
you did net come up yesterday. You
have missed the grandest sights that
mortal ever behold suppose on your
trip up you saw nothing beautiful In
the rainstorm that we had this after
noonI"
Nothing whatever, said Mr.. Ran
dolph. However 1t may have been here
among the mountains, the rain did pot
mako the valleys more attractive. In
deed I thought II simply o beastly day. "
"What mistal1 20 that you were pot
here instead Of in the horrid cars Why,
I tell you that haven't words with
which to describe tho magnificent pio-
lures that have enjoyed. Yet ] nm
about to try, You must not loee It oil,
you know May I tell you about iti"
"Aspredly, shall be delighted"
We'll, then, to begin. Look out over
tho valley. What do you seer
Tho moonlight shedding beautiful
ray over the lake i"
Exactly, said Dora, laughing heart
lily. "That Is just the funny mistake !
thought you would make. That is not
lake at all 1t Is mist, or clouds rather.
In the morning, II had not told you,
you would bate been astonishod TO find
that your lake Is all trees and meadcwa
To begip. then. About 4 o'clock it be
gan TO cloud up. That was very inter
esting. The sun was shining brightly
here, but we could SEQ that 1t was rain
ing hard over in the direction Of Ian
caster Slowly It began to come toward
US Some Of the boys made wngers rs to
how soon II would rain here Then one
OF the proprietors came cut and sur
prised us all by saying that 1t won Id
probably rain over On tho Presidential
range before 1t did here. This seemed
extraordinary to us, you know, because
why should 1t skip right over us and 90
TO tho big mountainsr'
well. did itf 1t does seem impossi-
ble."
THAT Ia exactly what occurred. You
soc, 1t is like this; Whenever storm
comes from Lancaster way, tho clouds
when they got mere arc divided by the
Plny range and pass on either side,
leaving nd dry, Then they strike against
the sides Of the Presidential range and
roll baok into our valley. IL was u curl
Gus sight. assure you. to SEQ tho clouds
flying In e1notly opposite directions. "
We'll, but, ofter all. there could not
have beep any great beauty In the rain.
II must have blottod out ull the view" "
"Yeg, but think how odd II was to
dnd all these tremendous peaks sudden
ly gope. Not a mountain in sight III
any direction. But, thon, the thunder
OBJ. that was grand The way IT rolls
about pnd rovorberatcs givos ono good
Idea Of o great battle. There was some
thing afterward that carried out this
similarity, too. which l wish / could
describe. II was after tho storm had
passed and the bright setting sun shono
forth. Try to 500 tho picture. Imagine
yourself sitting Just whore l am now.
and looking toward tho Presidential
range, tho sun setting red behind us.
Mount Washington had shaken the
clouds from his head and was oncircled
by gorgeous halo. In tho form Of
brilliant double rainbow. Ono end Of 1t
seemed TO como up right out Of tho val
10y thero, while the other disappeared
behind Starr King mountain. Tho fly
ing clouds, still black and hoavy, whirled
swiftly along, hanging low. and, with
tho sun approaching the horizon, made
shifting shadow ncroEs the bnso Of
Mount Washington, while between tho
Iifts tho rod rays Of the sun striking diff
ferent parts snndo bcautoous tintings
among tho green and the brown Of trees
and rock. Oh, II an artist could only
have seen that But then IL would have
been useless, for tho hand Of man could
not paint such grandeur. 1t was In the
foreground that the resemblance to the
bnttlehelds wns to bo seen again Every
hero and there stray bits Of cluuds dis
entnngled themselves from tho tree toph
and rose up smokoliko till one could i'm
agiuo them to DO from thousands Of
Il II