Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1917-08-24

for berries or partrldges, to mend a
fence or Inspect wood lot; but think
that they go TO loose themselves In the
wilderness, They tread very softly
through the woods, and come back with
thoughtful faces, That which has de-
termined and moulded their lives has
laid its enduring spell upon them 1t
has made them aloof and self-reliant,
as whimsical as the weather, as way
ward and resourcefu as the brooks
but 1t has also made them holy with Il
touch of loyeliness
Not long ago my husband and came
back from motor trip into New Hamp-
shire, We had had very good time,
and had been so well cared for that we
were sometimes uneasy in our minds
The roads had been smooth and broad
under our wheels, and the trim villages
and cities had ministered efficiently to
us, They certainly do things well
over here we had grudgingly admit
ted But there had always been some
thing lacking, we had been hOmesick;
and when, returning, we approached
the Connecticut river we opened the
throttle in sudden burst of speed
That was fortunate for us; for once
~across the line, Vermont hill
sprang and took u by the throat, The
tar road deserted us, many stones has
tened TO place themselves in our path,
and our low speed clutch which had
had a long rest was soon grinding Wig
orously. Did we protest? Were we
ashamed? Not the least in the world.
We eXulted, and the harder our pro-
gress became, the better we liked il,
For several miles the resourceful road,
being itself native of Vermont, and
having had much experience, lodged the
hills successfully, darting at them when
they least expected it and cleaying its
way between them, But at last there
came a moment when there was no
evading the inevitable issue. Cup and
over is the only way into my heart
said Vermont. IAN right, agreed the
road THAT is quite as it should be, "
So up we went, very steeply, our radi-
ator boiling as il had not boiled since we
left home; but when, after many delays
and false promises, we finally arrived at
the SUBMITS final surrender, our re-
ward and our welcome called forth from
us broken ordinations of gratitude,
There it lay before us, our dear state =
heart fair beyond any telling, alluring,
gentle and wild, and mystical, Crest
beyond crest, and peak beyond peak,
the hills held the distance; they dreamed
and were still; shadows slept upon them.
On their lower slopes and about their
feet, white houses and villages clustered;
and the valleys which lay between them
were threaded with white roads The
pastures were dotted with rocks and
pointed spruces. 1t was all as familiar
to US as our own daily thoughts and
prayers; but our recent absence had
sharpened our vision to preceive it. We
loved it exceedingly, and gave ourselves
back to it with a renewed vow Of al
legiance.
As we face the future, and as we re-
fleet on the probable truth of the poem
which mentioned at the beginning Of
this paper, it seems to US likely that our
ultimate service will consist in helping
to eXtort permission to establish a
Branch Heaven in Vermont. 1t will
be difficult business. We shall have
to enlist the services of the best and
cleverest angels. Even then there will
be nothing amenable about it. Crowns
and harps will be borrowed and left Out
in the woodshed; robes will be loaned
and lost; Gabriel will be told that he
breaches entirely too long. But it will
be an interesting ranch-full of color
and flavor and zest, and | should not
wonder if good many saints wanted
to visit it.