80 IN THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 



Judging the dead charitably, as in duty bound, 

 I had no doubt he would have been glad if he 

 could have seen his " narrow house " put to 

 such a use. So we made ourselves comfortable 

 with it, until, at an invisible station, it was 

 taken off. Then we were obliged to stand, or 

 to retreat into a miserable small box-car behind 

 us. The platform would lurch a little now and 

 then, and I, for one, was not experienced as a 

 " train hand ; " but we all kept our places till 

 the Frankenstein trestle was reached. Here, 

 where for five hundred feet we could look down 

 upon the jagged rocks eighty feet below us, 

 one of the trio suddenly had an errand into the 

 box-car aforesaid, leaving the platform to the 

 other stranger and me. All in all, the ride 

 through the Notch had never before been so 

 enjoyable, I thought; and late in the evening 

 I found myself once again at the Crawford 

 House, and in one of the best rooms, — as well 

 enough I might be, being the only guest in the 

 house. 



The next morning, before it was really light, 

 I was lying awake looking at Mount Webster, 

 while through the open window came the loud, 

 cheery song of the white-throated sparrows. 

 The hospitable creatures seemed to be inviting 

 me to come at once into their woods ; but I 

 knew only too well that, if the invitation were 



