Year: 1875

and stunted pines rising ont Of tanges of sumac bay
berry, birch, maple wild-roses and vines. Scarlet
lilies CLEAN by the wayside white, starry blossoms
float the pools Of black water the crests Of the
hills gnawed by the Winds show faces Of hot sand
for half dozen miles there is sign Of human life
nor much apparent possibility of it. and then We sad
denly rush into Provincetown. at the northern ex-
tremity of the Cape.


describe the country from Orleans to the end OF
the road as saw it next day, on my return 1t was
the last train by which arrived and the tOwn-clock
Of Provinsetown struck nine. hack carried me
through the dark silent streets, to a neat little hotel
called the Clifford House. where found Unexpectedly
comfortable quarters. Mr.. Clifford, moreover, kindly
gave me his guidance the following morning so thai
the few hours / spent there were employed to the
best advantage.


The town. in the first place, was great surprise TO
me. From the end of the Cape long sandy spit
around TO the west and south, the natural
breakwater Of the safe and spacious harbor. Prov
ncetown, built close along the shore in crescent
curve, two miles ard a half in length, faces the
south. At each end of the place there is but single
street in the middle there three parallel Streets
the inmOst of which has been opened along the top
of the sandy hills rising directly behind the shore
Owing TO this sheltered and warm situation, the gar
dens attached to almost every house in the place are
delightfully."- iuxurant, and the quaint. ever-winding
main street is shaded with fine old poplar, elm,
willow, and cottonwood trees. Nearly all tine garden
SOIL however is an importation: the tradngvessels
of the place brought many thousand tons OF earth,
as ballast, from Plymouth, Boston, New-Orleans-
possibly even from Spain and the Azores In this
cosmopolitan earth flowers and vegetables grow
apace, and the grape hourshes as hardly elsewhere
in New England. There is scarcely house, without
it's lat-rOofed vine arbOr as in the smaller seaports
Of the Mediterranean. did not notice a single
shabby dlapdated dwelling; every feature OF the
place is bright, cheerful, coy, and comfortable
Sometimes it is true, strong Whit OF salt fish over
powers the woodbine odors. but il is not pervading
atmosphere-at least, at this season.


ECONOMY EXTRAORDINARY


The population is a little over 1000, of whom
| 200 are Portuguese from the Azores Tho latter
left in consequence of the terrible famine, some
years ago. and the most OF them are already accli-
mated, Industrious thrifty, and rapidly lettering
their condition. The men are good sailors and
readily find employment, while the women in their
fruqality are surprise if not something OF horror
Tn Yankee housewives. In the neighbOrhOOd of Mat
taposett, one Of these Portuguese emigrants had
attained to the ownership of a snail farm, out OF
which he draws profits impossible to the native race
Not long SINCE lie brought home piano. as an agree
able surprise to his wife, But the poor woman,
startled out of her by such an amazing luxury
rushed from the house and hid herself in the WOODS


Proyincetown is nearly two months Older than
Plymouth if we count the landing OF the Pilgrims
here and Capt. Standish's pursuit of the Indians
down the Cape to Truro, as possession OF the land
Away from the town ard harbor, the country re-
mains very much Us in that day. Except two or
three cranberry patches in the nearer hollows, there
is no cultivation, not even detached farmhouse,


ia bay Ila
here. The Town-hal stands on the highest bit Of
ground Just hundred feet above the sea-level, and
from that point we overlooked the rounded extrcm-
tv of the Capc and the shOreson both sides far
Highland Light. 1t was a hazy morning sea and air
the same color and the horizon, over waste of sand
and Jungle was dotted with mysterious ships which
seemed to be hanging in empty space.


took horse and light vehicle, and drove across
to the Atlantic in company with my host We first
entered miniature Wilderness sleeps of loose sand
alternating with damp bOllows but all covered alike
with perfect tange of vegetation. A few of the
borigina pinetrees are still standng-hari, stub
born ragged FORMS with the life nearly battered ont
of them vet still resisting death, like the old age Of
hard-working men. There are three or four kinds OF
oak. of sturdy growth but low stature; birch and
maple; two varieties of wild plum, whortleberries
in profuson e. hurts and such trash" Capt John
Smith called them in 1910, the service-berry or
shad-bush, aud handsome species Of sunac. The
fragrant white azalca and the spicy leaves OF The
bayberry gave pleasant favor to the air. Up and
down these rchly-mantled ridges-which run in
parallel lines north and south-we drove for mile
and half, and then came suddenly upon an equal
breadth of burning, dazzling sand


SAND BURIFD SKELETON.


Save for the beach-gra which covered the west
ern slopes in thin tufts, it would have been repro
dnction of that other desert shore which faced to
the southeast across 1000 miles of No sign Of
life was visible-but single sign of death A stake
driven into the sand marked the spot where, not
long since the gales carried away Is OF 70 feet OF
ridge and uncovered skeleton, with watch ard
number of coins of the last century. Ii was prob
ably the sole survivor Of a wreck. who had crawled
thus far inland, laid down exhausted and been
buried by the same wind which dug him up, eighty
years afterwaId.


From the last low bluff we looked down upon the
Atlantic. Southwark ran the white beach, straight
as if measured by a Surveyors line, for more than
twenty miles, without break Out to the fog
slowly thickened; the water seemed peaceful in its
CLASSY calm but the shore one long swell after
another lifted itself with lazy movement, as if
half unwilling, gathered and fell with rafting,
sullen reverbera0A. The sea was rs stern and hos
tile AZ the shore No gulls wheeled in the mir,
twinkle on the water showed the movement of fish,
and the piping of quail in the hollow behind us
sounded like the cry Of some lost creature.


The undertow along this coast is 80 strong that
the most powerful swimmer is lost if he ventures TO
bathe when the swell is moderately heavy. The
only advantage il possesses, to countcrbalance 80
many repelant features is that one may stand on
the shore and catch bass with a long line. Outside
there is a double row of sand-bars, which increase
ys<c Ia n. rlo
the force of the breakers during the storm. The
action Of the upon the Cape, however, is
uncertain and irregular it makes mroads Ia some
ILoroa %