Class L_ Rnok / Copyright N°. -UM ■^ COPyRJGHT DEPOSITS Vq^ Ini. 'lTiAA/lhe old rrLan---onG€- muttered to himself J^n a coldi winter night, when, the stai's ^i^e 'n" >■■ '/'. ^^mt^'i^^^-^'-^^i^z r°5tl|^''"y= ■±=: — were hid, and there was nothinor about him but intense and awful soHtude. There are three very remarkable things about him, which thoughtful peo- le must ha\e observed. No one has been able to ascertam his age. earned men have searched records for ^^'■' it, but all their efforts to find out have ►een in wain. Then aoam, he never '''•allows visitors to see but one side of his face. T))'!saw him thirty years ago, and the same side was turned to me then, that is seen by visitors who go there now. Curious people have wondered why he is so particular about this, and some have gone so far as to suppose that he has warts, or ugly spots on the other side, which he wishes to hide. This may be true, and if it is, no one can blame him, for it is just the way other men would do, especially if they were liable, as he is, to be kodaked at any moment, by idle yisitors. They certainly would hide their defects and try to appear faultless in the picture. Another peculiarity about him is, that he neyer allows any one to see him ex- cept at a distance. A great many people haye climbed the mountain where he liyes, lor a nearer yiew than can be obtained from the yalley below; but when they haye come within a certain distance of him, he has always disappeared and left them only to guess where he had gone. I hciA'c heard a orcat many stones about this old man, and, without vouch- ine for then" truth, I will relate one or two which I am sure will interest the reader. It IS said that years ago, an old In- dian succeeded in getting into his pres- ence. This was such a remarkable event, and so closely connected with one of the })eculiarities of which I have spoken, I am sure all will agree that the particulars of it ought to be recorded. It occurred in this way : Years before, the Indian had made a visit to a tribe m the far south ; (some have said it w^as to that one with which the brave and beautiful In- dian girl was connected, who saved the V life of Captain John Smith,) and while there, had become acquainted with the stranoe and remarkable weed which we now call tobacco. He had learned how ""^"^Gsmoke it, and not only that, but, with true Indian curiosity, had carefully no- ticed the effect produced upon those who used it. He saw that it had power to relax the muscles of a \^ery stern | face, and sometimes to produce warmth and o'eniality where only coldness and reserye were usually seen. Indeed, he had obseryed cases where people, when under its influence, sometimes told se- crets which otherwise they might haye had the good sense to keep to themselyes. When he came home, he brought quite a quantity of this tobacco with him, and one day while smoking his pipe and look- ing upon the mountain, he conceived the idea of winning the good graces of the old man, by means of a pipe and to- bacco. He said to himself, '' If I can only once bring him under the influence of that magic weed, I shall not only be admitted to his presence, but allowed to talk with him on familiar terms, as friend with friend." How many conquests over other strong men have been made in this way, since then, I leave the reader to imagine. So he made a great pipe out of the root of a tree, and, taking that and some of his precious tobacco with him, he started up the mountain. '■^syn. I ^i .*<^s^ FortunatcK % the wind, that day, was blowing \n the dn'ection of the old man, and, when not \ ery far ofi, the In- dian blew from his own pipe, a full puff of smoke, directly into his face. The old fellow, instead of disappearing as the In- dian feared he would do, kept his seat and appeared almost spellbound. Seeing this, the Indian felt sure the time had come for accomplishing his purpose, and summoning all his courage, he walked directly into the old man's presence, and offered him the pipe and tobacco which he had brought. Of course, those who never saw any signs of relenting in that stern and weather-beaten face will sup- pose the gift was indignantly refused. x- On the contrary, it was received with great eagerness, and after many expres- sions of gratitude and delight, and a few instructions imparted by the Indian, the old man sent out upon the clear atmos- phere his first wreath of smoke. Then began a long conversation be- tween the two, in which the " Old Man of the Mountain" told the Indian many wonderful stories. I have made a ercat many inquiries, but could never find out exactly what the stories were. We can readily suppose what the character of them might have been. Perhaps they were about terrific storms which he had seen — storms that uprooted trees and hurled great rocks from the tops of liim.w. i m »i M i -.ii ii ..... i.iummiiM i ii i iiii i 'Wii ''" nMn iiii wmiimmniy i iiMpi i g W it i t the mountains to the valleys below ; of times when the mountains were a ereat deal higher than they now are, and when their peaks were always covered with snow, and avalanches came thundering down their sides ; of wild animals, many of which are now extinct, that used to ^^StSTT)?!!!!!! used 1 iailS" 'wli ; before Liet Kricss ^^n'oM'ji^'vv4hardy Norsemen crossed the stormy Atlantic; of wonders which, from his sublime height, he had seen in the heavens above. Perhaps he said that m his youth he heard the er^nd an- them of the morning stars, spoken of in Sacred Writ. How I wish the old Indian had recorded the stories he told r ;V him, so that I might ^^.(jw^pubhsh them in a book. The rep(^.v4s, that the interview lasted until nightfall, when the old man bade the Indian depart, and then, wrap- pino- himself 4^ '^ cloud, S(M)n fell into a sound slefe^^"^' ^v> ' r' ( ' ' That nio^ht he had a strah'o^e dream which filled him with anxiety and alarm. Like most dreams, it was much confused, but apparently was of serious import. It was about oathermos of excited men, rolls of lettered parchment, devastated forests, frightful explosions, raging fires lighting up the whole heavens, polluted streams of water, rumbling noises, snort- ing monsters darting through the valleys, hasty flights of birds, howhngs of wild beasts; all so terrible, it is difficult to repeat the story without a shudder ! Now the old man always attached great im- portance to dreams. He often had them, and would spend many of his waking hours in trying to make out their mean- ing. This special dream was so unusual and startlino- that for a while it absorbed all his thoughts. Indeed, it affected him so that for many nights he could not sleep. The only meaning which he could make out of it, was — that by-and- by, pale faced men would come into that region and make sad havoc of his old home ; that in the name of what would be called a State, portions of his sublime ■^T'a- inheritance would be seized and without sense, sentifnent or shame, and only for a paltr\' sum,^sojd to selfish men who, to o"ratifv a orreed for oain would cut down the orrand old trees which for ao^es had adorned his mountain home; they would kill the wild animals that were his com- panions and pets; would frighten away the birds of beautiful plumage and song which always awakened him in the morn- ing and cheered his early evening hours; they would defile the brooks and lakes where lived and disported the speckled trout; and in many ways shamefully deface the beauties and m'andeur of his home. Now can the reader wonder that he was frightened when he awoke, and that he fmw^- then made a vow which he has always '^^*" faithfully kept — that no human being should ever again appear in his imme- diate presence. -^ I have heard another very--smgular^ story, which I think will be of interest to children. ^-^ An eagle once built her nest in the the old man's nose. How she ever dared do it, I cannot miagme, for the danger was very great. If she had been found out, the old fellow, with one blast, would have sent her scootino" down the side of the mountain. But I presume she did the work in early morning, while he was asleep. " Now," said the eagle to herself, after the nest was done. / '''/what a fine chance to hatch and brine , up a family of eag-lets ! I am in a place sheltered from the storms, and where no one will think to hunt for my nest." So she laid her eggs and all went on very well, until the first cadet was hatched, when she was so delighted to have become the mother of a little baby eagle, she began to flap her wings with all her might. This, of course, was a very imprudent thing to do, and she ought to have known better, for it tickled the old man's nose, so that he bei^^an to sneeze. Now, ycni know what a great commotion it makes when your mamma sneezes. Perhaps it bursts a few buttons from her dress, and fright- ens the kitt\\ which happens at the time to be sleeping- before the fire; so vou can understand what a sneeze from tlie old man must ha\'e been. It was so violent, all who heard it must have feared the ''crack of doom" had finally come. Rocks and trees were sent flyinir throuoh the air, bears and other wild animals, roaming in the forest, were frightened and scampered away, the eagle screamed, and some Indians who were fishine in a lake near bv thought it thundered. >V'Now, my young friends, the next time you go to the White Mountains I wish you would find the oldest inhabitant of that region and ask him if these stories are probably true. - Je '10 That Old Man AND HIS Dream.