Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1899-04-07

ssAASS SIfs NJ priately given to
- WY * that hollow, which
~" was happy in fact
as in name, where, in company with
my boyhood's boon companion, Plato
"a great ugly brindle cur dog, as true
and faithful as dumb brute ever was
I have had many an exciting boyish
romp and ramble in the days long
gone.
One morning in the early fall of
1851, while Plato and | were out for
a rabbit hunt in the upper end of the
Hollow, l had an experience which [
am in no danger of forgetting until
life itself is forgotten. 1t was my
fourteenth birthday, and my father
had presented me that morning with
Il long treasure in the form of
shotgun. 1t was single barrel.
muZzle-loader concern, and would
doubtless be considered quite anti
quated by boy friends of this advanced
age of the breechloader and the ham
merless. At all events, it was entirely
up to date then, and l am able to re-
call few prouder, happier moments of
my life than when that gum have it
yet-tirst came into my possession.
On the morning in question 1 had it
on my shoulder, feeling like verit-
able Napoleon Bonaparte going forth
to conquer the world.
The rabbits must have heard the
news, however, for, hunt as he would,
old Plato could not start single one
OF them. They were ordinarily plenti.
full enough.
At length, weary with walking, ]
sat down at the very foot of the
mountain, which formed an almost
perpendicular wall above my head.
just to the right of me was the
dreaded Danger Line" of the noun
tain range-a rocky, barren, desolate
stretch or belt across the mountain
with here and there cave sunk in OF
a huge rock jutting out. When al
the rest of the mountain sides were
clad in the green garments Of spring
time, or the russell robes of autumn
this stretch of sterile, untimbere(
land showed, naked and glaring, like
an ugly frown on natures face. |
was some unpleasant freak in the con
struction of the mountains that Inevel
knew the reason for, but | know tina
danger Line" was UNIVERSAL,
avoided, by white and colored alike
the latter declaring that it was
''hanted," aud the former that there
were rattlesnakes, and even wors,
things, to be encountered there. NJ,
mother had positively forbidden M
ever to 60 into that part of the noun
tains, and hitherto I had seen it onl,
from a distance, curiously.
/ had sat there under the shado7
of the mountain in the sweet autumn
stiffness for perhaps ten minutes
tired, half dreaming, half wishing my
aroused to life and interest by fur
Gus. excited barking far up the eli
above me and slightly to my RICH
At first 1 doubted my ears. [ ha
never known Plato to cross int
Danger Line" by so much as on
plCp DClOICs hlkt l. W an dD u tOSS
account for it. And yet that VIZ
Plato's well-knovn voice I hear(
there could be no mistaking it wit
me. There was something strang,
romantic, about it all, and [ was burr
ing with desire to see what manner {
game he could have freed up there
I remembered my mothers warning
and faltered 1t has been my exper
ence that when boy falters in ii
face of duty, disobedience has score
point and trouble is near at hand
There was my new gun, as yet III
tried, except at lifeless targets, an
after all, perhaps it was only squi
rel. In short, my thirst for adventu
got the better of me, and my deterI
nation to follow Plato was fixed II
next thing to be decided was how
get there. could tell by his ba
that Plato was considerable distan
above me, and the height was we,
nigh inaccessible. But I was youn
strong and active, as mountain DO
are apt to be; and I have sometim
thought that if u fcurteen-year- @
boy determined to climb sunbes
he could almost accomplish the tas
The mountain side was covered wi
small underground, and with the q
of this I determined to make t
ascent Holding the gun with o
hand, slowly and laboriously pull
myself up from bush to bush with t
other, guiding my course by t
ceaseless barking of Plato up abe
me. At the end of about an hour
such toll reached the top of the fl
bluff, where, for width of somethi
more than hundred yards was lie
ground, reaching to the foot of
next bluff, and, with no climbing IL
to do, it was the work of but f
moments to reach Plato.
Coming up to him I found him S
toned at the end of huge holl
log, and baying with more animal
than 1 had ever known him to do