Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1909-08-25
FOR WASHINGTON HEIGHTS.

FOR WASHINGTON HEIGHTS.
Every girl is out of town." moaned
Arabella.
"All the fellows are having a good
time in the country" added l.
We'll" said mother well have a
good time in the city. making small
vacation trips every little while.
There are fun and tan to be had
even If one cannot go to Lake George
or the Catskills or Bar Harbor. I'll
talk It over with Aunt Sue and We'll
see how many times we four can go
a-tripping before and after fathers
two vacation weeks"
Mother and Auntie Sue, according
ly, put their heads together to such
good purpose that yesterday we all
set out-by Broadway subway train
and abundantly provided with lun.
cheon-for Fort Washington Heights
and a royal good time. We got out
at One Hundred and Eighty-first
street and walked toward the West
Side. crossing Broadway and st.
Nicholas avenue-you'd never recog'
nize them. for up here they're like
country roads-and by the low and
rambling wooden church (Holy road
they call it,, against which leans the
old III miles from New York mile.
stone; down hill all the way. by old
and rickety frame mansions and
splendid new granite houses, till we
reached the low fence and the mar
row entrance through which we pass
ed into the thick roads of Fort Wash.
ington Park. We followed the mar
row, winding little path over the
bridge which crosses the deep steep
bella chr:stened it, through which
the Hudson River trains go thunder
Ing by; around and over jagged rocks
and always under tall towering trees
to the very edge OF the crags, where
We could see down into the green
Hudson flowing at our feet. Mother
spread the luncheon on dry fiat rock
and while we sat and ate. Arabella
and rolled stones down the steep
rocks and saw them splash into the
water. and counted the many boats
OF all sorts and sizes that were pass
ing along the stream. Then we
walked down to the Point and as
let us tor the rocks are slippery and
the current swift, and watched the
men and boys padding in the river
and some wee children by-you see
the rocks are followed out to form
a huge smooth and shallow bowl, in
which the tide water is always very
warm, for the sun is on it almost all
the time-while Auntie Sue, who was
with mother resting on one of the
comfortable benches close by, told us
all about the big strong fort that
used to stand here in Washington's
days (aImost directly opposite Fort
Lee on the Jersey s!de) and how the
funny little gallows-like pest on the
extreme end of 1.-The point" is almost
just as it used to be in those days
renewed and streng hened, but not
improved upon-when the red lantern
which served as lighthouse light
swung from 1t to show the Continental
soldiers and sailors the steep and
rocky (and consequently most dan.
gerous) landing place. For a long
time we sat looking about and listen
ing-you couldn't believe big and
noisy New York was only Just round
the corner; we seemed miles and
miles away from almost everything
until It was time to go home. when
We climbed up the mountain path
according to Arabella-and came out
just behind the Hudson river railway
station. where We struck into Depot
lane and up the hill by the tumble
down old mansion where they keep
the ''police dogs" they are training
and which everyone makes such
fuss abodt. We went close to the
heavy iron netting fence-'way up
high-which surrounds the large yard
and looked in and my! how those
dogs did jump about and bark! About
thirty of them; nearly of size and
complexion.
BY the time we had walked up hill
to One Hundred and Eighty-first
street again we were bit tired, but
the long subway trip rested us, and
If you don't believe that we had lots
of fun-Arabella and lon this little
trip you'd just better go yourself and
see how very much enjoyment you
can get out of it.-Helen Hudson. in
the Brooklyn Eagle.