EPISODES 



315 



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round many a mountain and at last crossed the highest. 

 The storm had become tremendous, and we were thor- 

 oughly drenched, but, my resolution being fixed, the 

 boy was obliged to continue his driving. Having already 

 travelled about fifteen miles or so, we left the turnpike, 

 and struck up a narrow and bad road, that seemed merely 

 cut out to enable the people of the Swamp to receive the 

 necessary supplies from the village which I had left. 

 Some mistakes were made, and it was almost dark when 

 a post directed us to the habitation of a Mr. Jediah Irish, 

 to whom I had been recommended. We now rattled 

 down a steep declivity, edged on one side by almost per- 

 pendicular rocks, and on the other by a noisy stream, 

 which seemed grumbling at the approach of strangers. 

 The ground was so overgrown by laurels and tall pines of 

 different kinds that the whole presented only a mass of 

 darkness. 



At length we reached the house, the door of which was 

 already opened, the sight of strangers being nothing un- 

 common in our woods, even in the most remote parts. 

 On entering, I was presented with a chair, while my con- 

 ductor was shown the way to the stable, and on express- 

 ing a wish that I should be permitted to remain in the 

 house for some weeks, I was gratified by receiving the 

 sanction of the good woman to my proposal, although her 

 husband was then from home. As I immediately began 

 to talk about the nature of the country, and inquired if 

 birds were numerous in the neighborhood, Mrs. Irish, 

 more mi fait in household affairs than ornithology, sent 

 for a nephew of her husband's, who soon made his appear- 

 ance, and in whose favor I became at once prepossessed. 

 He conversed like an educated person, saw that I was 

 comfortably disposed of, and finally bade me good-night 

 in such a tone as made me quite happy. 



The storm had rolled away before the first beams of the 

 morning sun shone brightly on the wet foliage, displaying 



