Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1896-06-04
CHAPTER XVI.


Remsen and Dora, however, to 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 which 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 alighting
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 Rensen.
If one has anything Of the artistic in
his nature, he could scarcely fail to en-
joy himself at Jefferson. The town is
practically single road, well 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 a 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, oil offer such totally different
coloring and picturesque effects that the
artistic eye is 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 it 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 not come up yesterday. You
have missed the grandest sights that
mortal ever beheld. suppose on your
trip up you saw nothing beautiful in
the rainstorm that we had this after
noon?'
Nothing whatever" said Mr.. Ran
dolph. However it may have been here
among the mountains, the rain did not
make the valleys more attractive. In
deed l thought it simply beastly day" "
"What mistake that you were not
here instead of in the horrid cars. Why,
l tell you that haven't words with
which to describe the magnificent pic
lures that | have enjoyed. Yet am
abont to try. You must not lose it all,
yen know. May tell you about it?"
"Assuredly shall be delighted
''Well, then, to begin. Look out over
the valley. What do you see?'
"The moonlight shedding beautiful
ray over the lake. "
Exactly, said Dora laughing heart
lily. "That is just the funny mistake l |
thought you would make. That is not a |
lake at all. 1t is mist, Or clouds rather. |
In the morning, if had not told you,
you would have been astonished to find |
that your lake is all trees and meadows |
To begin, then. About o'clock it be-
gan to cloud up That was very inter
esting. The sun was shining brightly |
here, but we could see that it was rain
ing hard over in the direction of Ian |
caster. Slowly it began to come toward |
us. Some of the boys made wagers as to
how soon it would rain here. Then one |
OF the proprietors came ont and sur
prised us all by saying that it would
probably rain over on the Presidential |
range before it did here. This seemed
extraordinary to US, you know, because ,
why should it skip right over us and go
TO the big mountains?"
"Well, did it? 1t does seem impossi-
BILE. "
"That is exactly what occurred You
see, il is like this: Whenever a storm |
comes from Lancaster way, the clouds !
when they get here are divided by the |
Pliny range and pass on either side, |
leaving us dry. Then they strike against |
the sides of the Presidential range and |
roll back into cur valley. 1t was curl |
bus sight, l assure you, to see the clouds |
flying i'll exactly opposite directions.
"Well, but after ALL there could not |
have been any great beauty in the rain. |
1t must have hlotted out all the view"
eyes, but think how odd it was to
find all these tremendous peaks sudden
ly gone Not a mountain i'll sight i'll
any direction. But, then, the thunder.
Oh, that was grand! The way it rolls
about and reverberates gives one good
idea Of a great battle, There was some
thing afterward that carried out this
similarity, too which | wish | could
describe. 1t was after the storm had
passed and the bright setting sun shone
forth. Try to see the picture. Imagine
yourself sitting just where | am now,
and looking toward the Presidential
range, the sun setting red behind us.
Mount Washington had shaken the
clouds from his head and was encircled
by gorgeous halo, in the form of
brilliant double rainbow. One end Of 1t
seemed to come up right out of the val
ley there, while the other disappeared
behind Starr King mountain. The fly
ing Clouds still black and heavy, whirled
swiftly along, hanging low, and. with
the sun approaching the horizon, made
shifting shadow across the base Of
Mount Washington. while between the
Children Crv for