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Aloiig the road-side are a few fine maples, doubtless the same represented in the view, 

 increased in bulk by their fifty-three years subsequent growth. A few small clumps of 

 cedar and spruce somewhat relieve the dreariness of the stretch of pasture land ; but the 

 farm today is not one that would be chosen either for beauty or fertility. 



Melancholy feelings come over one as he contemplates a ruined homestead, and thinks 

 of the human interests that once centered therein. What aims and hopes actuated the 

 builders of it ! Within its walls what scenes of homely mirth were witnessed, what 

 hours of anxiety were spent, what plans for improvements were made, what disappoint- 

 ments were experienced ! Everything around had its uses and its history ; and now all is 

 gone. The owners ! Their place knows them no more. Their belongings ! They are 

 dispersed or have perished. Their habitation ! Its moss-grown foundations are all that 

 remain of it. 



With such feelings, tempered with the reflection that it was well for science that Grosse 

 should have been disappointed, I looked upon the scene on which he entered full of high 

 expectations. Here he toiled. Here he slowly learned the hard lesson that he had mis- 

 taken his vocation. Hope of acquiring an independence through his farm left him ; and 

 he was at length glad to sell out at any sacrifice. The reasons for his failure are not hard 

 to find from his own statements. Instead of dividing his land into meadow and pasture, 

 and purchasing young stock to raise and sell at a profit, keeping only small portions of 

 land successively under the plow — ^just so much at a time as he could manure thoroughly 

 and work with comfort; he plowed up much unenriched soil, and laid out for himself 

 much unprofitable labour. I have often wondered what he intended to do with his two 

 acres of turnips (Life of P. H. Gosse, p. 92), without storage for the preservation of the 

 produce, or stock to consume it, or any available market — for his neighbours would grow 

 what they wanted of such like crops for themselves. The people immediately around him 

 were generally of an unsatisfactory class, who would ridicule his mistakes, and endeavour 

 to profit by his inexperience. They were "vulgar and sordid, sharp and mean." (Life of P. 

 H. Gosse, p. 96). They were even worse than all this — they were criminal. A notorious 

 band of desperadoes, counterfeiters and thieves, made the Tilden tavern their rendezvous. 

 Dark hints of mysterious disappearances were whispered round. The dispersion of this gang 

 was brought about in this way : Near Compton village resided a miserly old couple named 

 Witcher, who had saved, what for those days was a large sum of money, $3,000. They 

 had this secreted in a trunk, in an upper chamber of their house. The fact in some way 

 became known to the gang ; and by means of a ladder access was gained to the room, and 

 the spoil was secured. The old lady, hearing a noise which she imputed to the mice in 

 the chamber, arose, opened the stair-case door, and thrust in the cat. She then retired 

 contentedly to bed. The robbery caused a great commotion ; and one loose chai-acter, who 

 left the neighbourhood during the stir, was followed up and induced to turn King's evi- 

 dence. Several of the gang, having had timely warning, fled to the States ; but Adolphus 

 B' ker was tried, convicted, and condemned to death. The sentence was commuted to 

 imprisonment for life, and he was confined in the jail at Three Rivers. After his incar- 

 ceration his wife told of his coming home one night on horseback with a dead body in front 

 of him, which he took to the woods and buried ; but as she had become demented (which 

 was not to be wondered at, poor thing !) no great heed was given to her statement. She 

 soon afterwards died. Her story however was enough to cause the neighbours — the 

 young especially — to regard the empty house with dread. One circumstance in regard to 

 it is still narrated : I have said that the house stood back in the field. A person passing 

 along the road one night noticed a pale unearthly light in one of the windows. He 

 hurried away in fear. The light was seen by others on subsequent nights ; and at length 

 a few ol the boldest of the neighbours resolved to investigate it. They came to the gate 

 leading to the house. And certainly, there in the window was the light ! They brought 

 their courage to the sticking point and made a rush to the building; but, as they drew 

 near, the light vanished ! They could hear no sound, nor could they find next day any 

 traces of visitors, earthly or unearthly. It was not till some time afterwards that they 

 discovered that the mysterious light was only seen when a certain room in another house 

 in the distance was lit up — that it was, in fact, a mere reflection. 



