Evening star., 1898-08-15
WAY UP IN VERMONT,
Beauty and Charm of Mapchester-A
spectral Lake-Buckwheat in Bloom


DORSET, VT, August 13 1895
Before speaking of an entrancing visit TO
Lake George, must tell you something of
Manchester. There are two Marchesters-
Manchester proper and Manchester Center
BY the way, they have a singular way of
naming places here-t may be common
elsewhere, but do not know of it, There
are Dorset Village East Dorset, North Dor
set-and the towns are. miles apart 1t does
seem that the first settlers were rather
devoid of imagination or they could have
found some more descriptive names for
their beautiful towns. One afternoon last
week we started between and to visit
Manchester proper. We anticipated a gIor-
lous sunset, as 1t never shone brighter than
when we left our door. The village was
reached all right, and a more beautiful cne
L am sure cannot be found. 1t is built on
one street, about one and a half miles i'm
length, 1 should think. Quaint capacious
houses are on either side, with lawns beau
tifully kept, scarcely one blade of grass
longer than the other; it looked like the
blue Kentucky grass, smooth as yelye-:
marble porches, steps and sidewalks all of
marble, as extensive quarries surround it,
There is but one store in the place and
that is as well appointed as all the other
houses. But there is not even an ice cream
saloon. Manchester Center the commercial
town, being SO accessible. it scanned such
good taste not to disturb the quiet beauty
anu iepOSt, WHICH marked everything, by
any evidence of mundane necessities The
houses are owned, we learned, at least
most OF them, by wealthy city men, who
Keep them as summer resorts-many from
New York city.
Just beyond the town lies a lovely "citv
of the Dead SO beautifully located and SO
beautifully kept-monuments of every size
and description, some Of ante-revolutionary
days, and all, at that twilight hour so
quiet, undisturbed by human sound we
could almost fancy the disenlbodied spirits
fitting through the dropping shrubbery
holding converse with each other and MAX
ing US busy mortals content to lie there.
But, presto! there was rumbling thunder
and whisperings of storm, and before we
were well out of the cemetery the rain came
in torrentS-a veritable downpour as can
only be looked for in this high region. I
must not forget to tell of the wonderful
SPECTRAL illusion which blessed our eyes for
a good part of the way home. had the seat
of honor next the driver, although it was
equally witnessed by all. The driver as
sured US that "he guessed it be over thir-
ty year he had been on that road day ami
night. and never see anything like it be-
fore" They make good use of the verb
ito be" here. l wish l had power to de-
scribe what we saw. The rain had quite
ceased, the sky was gray and cloudless-it
ought to have been moonlight by right but
it wasn't. All at once We saw before US
extending in every direction, glorious
;e..--c, filled apparently with small islands
and boats, debris of all kinds all SO real il
the shore. No turn of the carriage changed
1t or dispelled the illusion. We could think
OF no possible solution and longed for some
one to give it. Had there been color in the
sky we would have known 1t due to re-
fiection. but there was none. It became
suddenly very cold and We were Obliged TO
resort to the lap robes for shawls; yet all
the colors ever seen on earth or sky lay i'm
evident beauty before us. That night must
stand alone in the memory of each of as
'sThe germ of beauty ripened at once to
maturity" The mountain flowers in this
region are very beautiful and abundant
vine bearing flower something like the