284 FROM A NEW ENGLAND HILLSIDE. 



something else internal. But when morn 

 ing dawned, the beauty of the scenery com 

 pelled attention to that alone. The foliage 

 is yet but little changed by the coming of 

 autumn, but the drought here has been very 

 severe, and still continues. In the morn 

 ing and the evening light, the mountain 

 ranges take on an exquisite beauty of tone 

 and colour. There is, however, in many 

 places a sense of solitude and often of 

 desolation, which is depressing. The latter 

 as caused doubtless, in part at least, 

 by the occurrences of the times when 

 Sheridan was but &quot;twenty miles away,&quot; is 

 visible here and there in the ruins of what 

 were probably at one time substantial and 

 prosperous homesteads. At other points 

 there are the even more discouraging mon 

 uments of the widespread real estate boom 

 of a few years ago. 



The characteristic building throughout 

 most of the valley is the old log house, 

 usually more or less dilapidated, but occa 

 sionally carefully plastered between the 

 logs so as to produce the effect of a sec 

 tion of a zebra, set up on end. Often these 

 appear as a collection or line of negro cab 

 ins placed near the bottom upon each side 

 of a narrow valley or ravine, where the old 



