New-York tribune., 1902-11-15
IN AMERICAN BYWAYS.
GOSSIP AND PICTURES BY AN EXPERT
ENCED RAMBLER.


trated by Clifton Johnson. l2mo' PIP. XIV ""''
The Macmillan Company.
This book of wayfarng notes is to form one OF
a series of studies of the rural aspects or ma
tional life by an Observant rambler, who mas al
ready given us his impressions among English
hedgerows and along French byways Mr.. John-
son goes out of the beaten track in his travels
He has a way of descending from train at
some out of the way station, in rather wiz
and unvisited country. and finding out AFTER ne
has been left behind in the sparsely settled COM
munity whether he is likely TO succeed IN secur-
ing A lodging for the night. Many Of his expert
ences and acquaintances with country folk be
gin with a request for a drink of water in the
course of a hot and dusty tramp. or by accept
ing an invitation to mount into "A passing
farmers wagon, or in asking directions from
some woodsman trudging through the snow. III
this unprepared and quietly adventurous fash-
ion he has made his visits 20 the mountains OF
New-Hampshire and Vermont, the marshy
stretches of Cape Cod. the woods of the Adiron-
dacks the elm lined streets of Connecticut the
farm lands OF Otsego County, the historic ruins
and country postoffce Of Valley Forge. and vari-
Gus spots from the Juniata 10 Green Harbor'
Where there are historic associations he takes
the reader on a cursory tramp over the ground
Of old battles and scenes of local excitement
often with the addition Of some commentary
from an old resident whose grandfather may
have been a participant. At Fort Tlconderoga'
for example. he quotes this judgment of Ethan
Aliens investment of the place in 1910 from
level headed old farmer:
Nothing was ever more foolhardy. Allen was
completely in the power or the l 6rlIlsn III, NJ
played 'em a trick, and the trick worked, IL was
just luck If he hadn't succeeded wee all say
what crazy notion II was
The old philosopher at Valley Forge, who was
apparently part of the store" and Uncle BuX-
tom TO the postmaster and to the entire caucus
about the stove as we'll tells a story of Wash
ington. which, whether authentic or not was
traditional in Uncle BuxtOn's family:
NV grandfather was with the Vermont troops,
and I've heard him tell, too, how Things was
many a time He said one cold spell Washing
ton appointed a dress parade, ana ne asked tIie
soldiers 10 all put on their pest @ sd AND them
he had all them picked out that was coIilIoIt
able dressed and set 'em 70 work chopping wood
The rest he had stay in their huts 10 Keep warm;
II neonIe was 10 go through the hardships O.
that winter now they'd all die They amt got
the spunk they had then-nowhere near!
There is less of the traditional Yankee dialect
than one might expect in the book and the
author thinks that novelists have rather over
done the thing. though he was partly converted
TO a better faith in our fiction by visit to the
Maine coast An indubitable Yankee he did find
on Long Island who was blockading Sag Har-
Dor street with large buttonball tree he had
tust felled This colloquy with driver Of a load
of brick is recorded:
See here. Uncle Matthew said the new
conner why don't you cut on those Top
branches so teams can go past?'
wal, I'm a-goin' teW.
@But YOU no need TO trim all the brush first"
'cNaow. look a-here. I'm a-dewin' of this job.
amt I? II you're in a hurry, drive along on the
sidewalk same other folks dew"
but got a ton and half o brick on"
That don't make no difrence
It'd smash my wagon all TO flinders; Ill take
hold here and help. and you can make road
through inside o. five minutes"
The man began to pull some of the small limbs
.'Naow, yew Jest stop that airr' exclaimed
Uncle Matthew. Yew're mixin' eVerythln' all
UP. Yew ac' like yew was crazy"
The two were still disputing when left. but
Uncle Matthew was having his way
These glimpses of amusing incidents have the
stamp OF the locality and the freshness of actual
transcripts generally. but one cannot help feel
ing that If the author clings TO historical accu-
racy in ascribing to the daughter OF one OF his
Adirondack hosts the remark on the work Of an
itinerant photographer, history does more than
repeat itself:
'Tt was a good bargain. 1 guess"
'T don't think So" commented Molly What
do you want a picture of your own house for?
If you want to see your house. all you have to
do is TO go out and look at IT.
One Of the sons In this FAMILY, IN clearing up
the mystery of an unfamiliar lake by explaining
that il 'the pond" bore this witness to the
effect Of the summer visitor: "The city people
don't like ponds, and I don't believe there's
pond left in the Adirondacks now" But Mr..
Johnson has the pleasure Of being successful in
discovering many ponds that are still ponds. and
rivers known to people who have passed their
lives on the banks by no less generic name. and
even in the more travelled ways he finds new
points of view or odd bits of rustic genuineness.
The photographs which apt and faithful
illustrations, often have the merit of securing
definition without the sacrifice of the atmOs-
pheric effect characteristic Of the subject
NJ Crosland,s "IInspeakabIe Scot" has called