Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1917-07-27
CHAPTER III.
The High Hills.

The Nevada through freight was two
hours late issuing from the western
portal of TimanyOni canon. Through
the early Notwithstanding hours Of
the night and the later flight across the
Red desert, the dusty, travel-grimed
young fellow in the empty box car mid
way Of the train had slept soundly,
with the hard car floor for a bed and
his folded coat for a pillow. But the
sudden cessation of the crash and roar
of the shut-in mountain passage awoke
him and he got up to open the door and
look out.
1t was still no later than lazy mans
breakfast time, and the May morning
was perfect. Over the top of the east
ern range the sun was looking, level
rayed, into a parked valley bounded
on all sides by high spurs and distant
snow peaks. In its nearer reaches the
valley was dotted with round hills,
some of them bare, Otf ers dark with
mountain pine and fir.
From the outer looplngs of the
curves, the young tramp at the car
door had momentary glimpses Of the
Timanyoni, q mountain torrent in its
canon, and the swiftest of upland riv-
ers even here where it had the valley
in which to expand. A COpah switch
man had told him that the railroad di.
vision town of Brewster lay at the end
of the nights run, in river valley be.
yond the eastern Timanyonis, and that
the situation of the irrigation project
which was advertising for laborers In
the Denver newspapers was a few
miles up the river from Brewster
AS the train swept along on its way
down the grades the valley became
more open and the prospect broadened
At one of the promontory roundingS
the box-car passenger had a glimpse
Of shack-built construction camp or
the rivers margin some distance or
ahead. A concrete dam was rising ir
sections out Of the river, and dominat
ing the dam and the shacks two stee
towers, with carrying cable stretched
between them, formed the piers Of the
aerial spout cOnveyer for the placing
of the material in the forms.
The train made no stop at the con
structlon siding, but mile farther
along the brakes began to grind an(
the speed was slackened. Sliding the
car door another foot or two, the young
tramp with the week-old stubble bear(
on his face leaned out to look ahead
His opportunity was at hand. A blocl
SemaphOre was turned against thu
freight and the train was slowing II
obedience to the signal. Waiting unit
the brakes shrilled again, the TRAMP
put his shoulder to the sliding door
sat for a moment in the wider opening
and then swung off.
His alighting was upon one Of thu
prOmontory embankments. To thu
westward, where the curving railroad
track was lost in the farther winding
Of the river, lay the little intermoun
tain city of Brewster, few of 1T
higher buildings showing clear-cut IL
the distance. Paralleling the railroad
on lower level and nearer the river
dusty wagon road pointed in one dl
rection toward the town, and in tn
other toward the construction camp.
The young man who had crossed fou
states and the better part of a fifth a
a fugitive and vagrant turned his bacl
upon the distant town as a place to b.
avoided. Scrambling down the rail
road embankment, he made his way t
the wagon road, crossed it, and KEEP
on until he came to the fringe of aspen
on the rivers edge, where he broke al
the trampish traditions by stripping OF
the travel-worn clothes and plungin
in to take soapless bath. The water
being melted snow from the range, wa
Icy cold and 1t stabbed like knives
Nevertheless, 1t was wet, and som
part of the travel dust, at least, wa
soluble in it. He came out glowing
but thorn from his well-groomed pas
came upland pricked him when he ha,
to put the soiled clothes on again