Licking Valley courier. [volume] (West Liberty, Ky.) 19??-current, 1912-10-03

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
its 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 a 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
ut 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 thickets, and he dropped
down a hillside TO the southeast eX-
posure. Here, poised above a big for
ested canyon, and looking out upon
Sonoma Valley, was small farm
house. With its barn and outhouses
it snuggled into a nook in the hill
side, which protected 1t 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 Day.
light disnounted I'D 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.
Nothing could satisfy his holiday spir
II 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 unwonted zestfulness> Of
expression. He felt the Illicit pleas
IRE of a schoolboy playing trSant. 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 he were goinf
through sort Of cleansing bath. NJ
room here for all the sordidness
meanness and viciousness that filled
the dirty pool of city existence. HI
was loath to depart, and it was no
for an hour that he was able to teal
himself away and take the descent o
the mountain. Working out new
route just for the fun OF 1t, late after
noon was upon him when he arrived
back at the wooded knobs.
Daylight cast about for trail, ant
found one leading down the sid
opposite to his ascent. Circling thu
base of the knoll, he picked up witt
his horse and rode on to the farm
house. Smoke was rising from tn,
chimney, and he was quickly in con
versation with a nervous, slende
young man, who, he learned, was onl,
tenant on the ranch. How larg
was 1t? A matter Of one hundred an
eighty acres, though 1t seemed mucl
larger This was because 1t was s.
lrregularly shaped. Yes, 1t include,
the clay-pit and all the knolls, and 1t
boundary that ran along the big car
yon was over a mile long. oh, yes
he and his wife managed to scratcl