Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1910-07-21
The CITY soarder.

The City Boarder.
Although We are seriously assured thai
the city ct this time OF the year is infin-
itely cooler and more comfortable than the
country. still for some unknown reason,
the Green Hills OF Vermont have an invit.
ing sound to city ears and city feet are
Fastening from such elysian spots as are
found on the shady side OF the streets Ia
the hot and dusty by-ways that lead
through grassy fields and Ger wooded
heights.
To the average city person, whose ideas
OF country life and customs are chiefly de-
rived from so reliable 8 source OF inform
alton as the rural drama, Vermont means
a bowling wilderness located somewhere
on the road to the North Pole. II is ex-
pected that there may be a good many
clearings in the forests with perhaps a
crossroads settlement or two, but moth
ing pretentious enough to be styled q city
or q village even. The woods are sup
posed to be natural zoo, full OF bears,
panthers, wolves and other ferocious
beasts, kept at q respectful distance only
because the inhabitants carry guns in
stead OF walking sticks. II is further
imagined that boa constructors and huge
rattlers infest the mountains and, alto
gether, circus poster could hardly pre-
sent a more alluring prospect to the bold
and the curious.
Country people, Of course, are all
clowns, sorrel-topped, barefooted, gro
tesquely CARRIED 10 homespun, always
chewing gum and speaking a back
woods dialect hardly ineligible to the
cultured of the metropolis.
Instead OF strolling nonchantly into
such fanciful stage setting. the city ex-
quisite steps from the New England
States Limited into an attractive village,
which, having seen his like before,
doesn't mistake him for Apollo or Mer-
curry and doesn't have to be persuaded
from Offering sacrifices TO him or burning
incense before him. The natives" as
be calls them in distinction from more
civilized beings, learn that be is from
big place with remarkable composure and
fail TO betray any eager curiosity regard
ing the boss cars or the skyscrapers.
Their costumes are not at all according
to his idea OF country attire; they indulge
in hair of all colors or no hair, according
to age and varying conditions of pate,
and they manage to make him under
stand without much waste OF language
that he ISN'T by any means considered the
greatest thing that ever happened in
town.
He chances into the stores and finds
that the country merchants go down to
Boston and New York occasionally to
buy something besides gold bricks. He
begins 10 suspect after time that the
rest of the natives venture out OF the
woods once in a while to mingle with
the worlds people and do il without ieav-
ing trails of hayseed to mark their routes.
He discovers that spinning wheels and
hand looms are treasured as relics of the
past and preserved as objects OF interest
but are not in active use to provide raj
ment for the family.
He is surprised to hear intelligent con-
versation on the topics Of the day and
gradually gets an inkling that Ayers al
manac is not the only volume perused by
the countryman, and that crops and the
price of butter are not the only subjects,
concerning " hich be il tolerably well in
formed. Ii may not be the custom to
sdress for dinnern more than to pull
down shirt sleeves, and one fork may do
for both meat and pie, tut such matters
fade into insignificanee before cream
gravy, hot soda biscuit and straw berry
shortcake tossed up by a cook who
knows her business.
Country fare works to the physical i'm
provement Of the city visitor, country
views enlarge his horizon and he gets
new idea OF high finance when he sees his
board bill. He returns to brick and
asphalt quite different person and goes
straight to some large park to refresh his
memory of bears and wolves and pan
theirs.