The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1903-07-16

days cruising. Mr.. S. had very
thoughtfully procured team to con-
vey us to the mill three miles away
and as much farther as it would be
practicable to proceed in this way.
Mr.. Palmer and the cruiser preferred
to walk but the doctor, Miss Larkin
and the writer, being something of
"tenderfeet," were not averse to the
"lift" this promised us.
The road from the station to the mill
village of Skibo is made of chips or,
rather, huge shavings prepared in a
machine specially for this purpose and
is really fine for driving so that we
found the way to the settlement all too
short.
The postofice is here, a general store,
a lodging-house, school-building, and
perhaps two dozen dwelling-houses, all
neat little structures and some with
quite pretentious yards, rustic porches,
etc. The mill itself, operated by No.
Ian Bros & Laird, a St. Paul firm, is
quite extensive and is supplied with all
modern conveniences. Its dynamo pro-
vides electric lights for many or all
the dwellings and the lumber yard is
protected from fire by hydrants at each
corner.
At this point the chip roadway ceases
and the succeeding half-mile, more or
less, is surely, the ''rocky road to Dub
lin" At the end of this our driver
left us promising to return at P. NJ,
and we sat down on a log to await the
arrival of our companions who, how
ever, we're but few moments behind
US.
A "blazed" tree marked the entrance
and here began the march over what
to at least two of the quintette was
their first experience Of ':trail.'
We did hope to inject moose or to
have some equally exciting adventure,
for as one of our number was armed
with a rifle we felt prepared for any
emergency. Nothing more formidable
than the occasional track of moose or
deer presented itself but we were
soon SO fully occupied in ''scaling" fall
len trees, scrambling out of DOGGY
depths, disengaging skirts and tresses
from the clutching underbrush, etc.,
that we forgot to be disappointed.
About noon we came upon a half
built log-cabin, evidently the work of
some would-be ''homesteader' who
had probably discovered that these
lands were not subject to such entries,
and soon after our trail led out upon
rather high, wooded ridge, 'horse-
back" with marshes at either side
which afforded really pretty outlook.
Here we found spring and here we
decided to enjoy our MONDAY meal.
Mr.. S. soon had a brisk fire started
in an old pine log, water from the
spring speedily boiling and converted
into tea, and we spread our luncheons
on the pine-strewn sward and ate with
relish born of the ''woodsey" air and
our long tramp. Those only, can ap-
preciate our appetite who have enjoyed
similar repast amid the "murmuring
pines and the hemlocks," birdsongs all
about them and a ':doctor'' and an ''ar-
tist" to enliven the feast with stories
Of boyhood days.
We would like to repeat some of
these tales but minus the droll wit of
the Emerald Isles descendant and the
irresistible mimicry of this son of
Maine, they would lose half their
point.
At the conclusion of our meal the
fragments were gathered in the event
of a possible, future need and we made
our way back to the log-cabin where
the ''girls," feeling that they had seen
enough, agreed to wait while the men
made a more extended cruise.
\ little dog belonging to the hotel
keeper had followed us and he and the
gun were both proffered for protection
but the canine declined to stay and it
was decided that the fowling-piece was
more ''fearfully and wonderfully made"
than any wild beast we were likely to
encounter so we stationed ourselves
upon the ''castle' walls and watched
the departure of our companions, rather
prepared for a long, lonely wait.
Spying from our elevated position
some brilliant, red blossoms in the
marsh, we clambered down and VEN
tured out to investigate, finding them
to belong to the interesting pitcher
plant, the s0rruce11ia pu1purin of b.
tany, sometimes called the huntsman's
cap The curious leaves, containing,
certainly, a gill, were filed with water
and the snowy blossoms browning the
tall, stout stems were very handsome.
1t is easily removed from it's messy bed
and yvp coor1ro1 ooob q ,>1o,+ o,+;,o