Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1911-11-15

or understanding of them, and certain
~ independent of them, he found lit
tie in common with those to be en-
countered, say at the Alta-Pacif1c. In
point of fact, when the battle with the
steamship companies was at its height
and his raid was inf1icting incalcula-
bic damage on all business interests.
he had been asked to resign from the
Alta-Pacific. The idea had been rath-
er to his liking, and he had found new
quarters in clubs like the Riverside,
organized and practically maintained
by the city Bosses
One weekend, feeling heavy and de-
pressed and tired of the city and It's
ways, he obeyed the impulse of
whim that was later to play an impor-
tant part in his life. The desire to
get out of the city for a Whit Of coun-
try air and for change of scene was
the cause. Yet, to himself, he made
the excuse of going to Glen Ellen for
the purpose of inspecting a brickyard
which Holdsworthy had sold him He
spent the night in the little country
hotel, and on Sunday morning, astride
saddle horse rented from the Glen
Ellen butcher, rode out of the village.
The brickyard was close at hand on
the fiat beside the Sonoma Creek.
Resolving to have his fun first, and
to look over the brickyard afterward,
he rode up the hill, prospecting for
way cross country to get. to the
knobs. He left the country road at
the first gate he came to and cantered
through bayfield,. The grain was
waist-high on either side the wagon
road, and he shifted the warm aroma
of it with delighted nostrils. At the
base of the knobs he encountered
tumble-down stake-and-rider fence.
He tethered the horse and wan
dered on foot among the knobs. Their
tops were crowned with century-old
spruce trees, and their sides clothed
with oaks and madrOnos and native
holly. But to the perfect redwoods be-
lOnged the small but deep canyon that
threaded its way among the knobs.
Here he found no passage out for
his horse, and leading the animal, he
forced his way up the hillside. On
the crest he came through an amazing
thicket Of velvet-trunked young ma
dronos, and emerged on an open hill
side that led down into tiny valley.
The sunshine was at first dazzling in
It's brightness, and he paused and
rested. for he was painting from the
exertiOn. Not of old had he known
shortness of breath such as this. and
muscles that so easily tired at stiff
climb. A tiny stream ran down the
tiny valley through tiny meadow
that was carpeted knee-high with
grass and blue and white nemophila.
Crossing the stream, Daylight fol-
lowed faint cattle trail over a low,
rocky hill and through a wine-wooded
forest of manZanita, and emerged
upon another tiny valley, down which
filtered another springfield, meadow
bordered streamlet
1T sure beats country places and
bungalows at Menlo Park" he COM
muned aloud; land if ever / get the
laundering for country life, it's me for
this every time
An old wood-road led him to clear
ing, where dozen acres of grapes
grew on wine-red soil. A cow-path, more
trees and thlckets, and he dropped
down a hillside to the southeast ex-
posture. Here, poised above a big for
ested canyon, and looking out upon
SOnOma Valley, was small farm
house. With it's barn and outhouses
oil int in hn
side, which protected it from the west
and north. 1t was the erosion from
this hillside, he judged, that had
formed the little level stretch of vege-
table garden. The soil was fat and
black, and there was water in plenty,
for he saw several faucets running
wide open. Forgotten was the brick
yard. Nobody was at home, but Ie4y-
light dismounted and ranged the Vege-
table garden, eating strawberries and
green peas, inspecting the old adobe
barn and rusty pillow and harrow, and
rolling and smoking cigarettes while
he watched the antics of several
broods of young chicks and the moth
er hens
NOIuluS CUulu Satisfy Ills uOlIUdy spur
it now but the ascent of Sonoma Noun
tain. And here on the crest, three
hours afterward, he emerged, tired and
sweaty, garments torn and face and
hands scratched, but with sparkling
eyes and an unwohted usefulness oil
expression. He felt the illici pleas
ure of a schoolboy playing truant. The
big gaming table of San Francisco
seemed very far away But there was
more than illicit pleasure in his mood
1t was as though be were going
through a sort of cleansing bath. No
room here for ell TIE sordidness,
meanness and viciousness that filled
the dirty pool Of city existence. He
was loath to depart, and it was not
for an hour that he was able o tear
himself away and take the descent of
the mountain Working out new
route just for the fun OF it, late after
noon was upon him when he arrived
back at the wooded knobs.
Daylight cast about for a trail, and