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herself at a disadvantage among the literati with whom they associated.

But George liked the intellectual, inspiriting, social atmosphere, and never regretted the sumptuous life of the metropolis as his wife often did. To him the only flaw was that Ethel was in nowise "talented," and possessed no ambition to become so, for he soon came to this frame of mind. Some one has said,-"There is nothing so much annoys a man as to take his wife into society and find her eclipsed." If they had remained in New York, where Ethel had been a belle all her life, all might have been well; but here, to George's great spleen, he felt that she was entirely eclipsed, and he made them both miserable by complaints of her father's theories and notions regarding female education. "If you had been taught to sing, or sculp, or paint, or play, or something of the kind, how much happier we might be now," he would say; or, "If you only cared to improve, and add to what you do know!"

Even her domestic acquirements, that he had once thought more potent than anything else to promote wedded happiness, he now deprecated, and if such exchange had been possible, would very gladly have exchanged them for even one talent, well knowing that in P- there would be small danger of its being hidden in the earth. For her own sake Ethel did not so very much care. At the end of ten years they had three lovely children, two girls and a boy, and in their companionship she was happy, and latterly gave scarcely a thought to her early, girlish pleasures. She had some friends of her own sort, too,

not aspiring, climbing females, but womanly, old-fashioned wives and mothers, like herself.

She began to feel at last, however, that her husband was certainly drifting away from her, and the knowledge brought agony. Her mother's warning words, for almost the first time, came to her memory. She wondered if she had taken a wrong course since her marriage. She could not change her nature; she could not be like the women George admired so much. He had known just what she was at first, and yet he had said she would be his inspiration. "Inspiration!" She knew very well that he considered her anything but that. "I am a hindrance, a drag, an old man of the sea that he cannot get rid of," she thought, bitterly. George had no patience with her, either; he was harsh and dictatory, and so dissatisfied with her, she thought. And was she, after all, less admirable than the ladies for whom her husband professed such esteem? she questioned. She could not believe it. She had always been flattered and followed at home, but how little any one cared for her here!

And I never have any genuine good times as I did in New York, and only tiresome, bookish people, and all kinds of geniuses, to be with. I am beginning to sigh for the fleshpots of Gotham all the time."

And Ethel rebelled, no longer listening patiently to criticism, remonstrance, or persuasion. Vexations and coolness multiplied, and constantly the breach widened between husband and wife.

(TO BE CONTINued.)

LISBON, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

Historic Notes: Soil, Streams, Lakes, and Minerals.

BY SAMUEL EMERY.

Hence as

Lisbon was first granted in the year of the Concord charter. 1763, under the name of Concord, by a single stroke of the pen the which name it retained for the suc- Gunthwaite titles were extinguished, ceeding five years. The grantees not and the poor settler, who with his complying with the conditions of the wife and children during these years charter, the same became forfeited, had shared all the privations of pioas was supposed, and in 1768 it was neer life and had begun to enjoy some regranted to an entirely new company of the comforts so dearly earned, was of proprietors, under the name of at once deprived of his home, with Gunthwaite. Through the influence nothing left but his pittance of perof Capt. Leonard Whiting, who was sonal property. A part of the setinstrumental in procuring the second tlers abandoned their claims and went charter, and Maj. John Young, of to Canada and places further north; Haverhill, Mass., some settlements others endeavored to sell their imwere made. Matters, however, pro- provements,-but no one was willing gressed slowly, and for several years to purchase, so prevalent was a there were but few additions. The feeling of distrust and uncertainty. War of the Revolution came to a Every one knew that the first charter close, and a new impetus was given had actually been forfeited, and that to emigration. points had been carried by the dint of bulldozing and fraud; and yet there was no redress, inasmuch as the courts had decided against them. By far the greater number of citizens remained upon their farms and awaited the issue; and when the claims of the Concord proprietors were fully established and acknowledged, finding they must yield to the inevitable, they purchased their farms over again. At length the excitement and disturbance subsided, and by an act of the legislature the name of Concord was resumed, and retained until 1824, when it was changed to Lisbon.

In the year 1785 there were comfortably ensconced in log cabins forty families, besides a respectable contingent of bachelors. After the first influx subsequent to the war, emigration in some degree abated; yet each year witnessed a sure and steady in crease, and evidently the morning of prosperity began to dawn upon the new colony. The genuine prosperity which had rewarded the efforts of the Gunthwaite proprietors was coveted by the original grantees. They came forward, laid claim to the township, and, as is surmised, made some kind of a compromise with certain influential citizens. The controversy thus raised was followed by litigation, which culminated in the restoration

The first settlers of the town were Samuel Martin, Ebenezer Richardson, William Belknap, and Samuel Sher

man; then followed the Youngs, the most influential family through a considerable period; afterwards came these, being the surnames,-Dexter, Darley, Judd, Parker, Aldrich, Jesseman, Bishop, Harris, Howland, Northey, Hildreth, Jewett, Colby, Quimby, Streeter, Spooner, Oakes, Priest, Noyes, Jameson, Taylor, Haines, Applebee, Morse, Bailey, Ash, Whitcomb, Smith, Page, Wells, Knapp, Kinneston, Burt, Kay, Emery, Cushman, Moris, Kelsea, Gurnsey, McIntire, Cooley, Whiting, Barrett, Clark, Walker, Palmer, Robins, Cole, Eastman, Whipple, Cobleigh, Kimball, Savage, Gould, and Ela,besides individuals and other families, perhaps equally early, but not

so numerous.

Lisbon, as a farming town, may be classed with those of a medium grade. The soil upon the intervals along the Ammonoosuc when first cleared was quite productive, though naturally light, as is generally the case throughout the western part of the township; nevertheless it responds freely to the application of fertilizers. The eastern part was originally covered with a hard-wood growth, and consequently possesses a strong soil; and the farmers have been well rewarded for their labor. The grazing here is excellent, and much attention is given to dairying. Potato raising, for which the soil is wonderfully adapted, for many years was the chief industry. Amid these verdant hills is a spot, sightly and attractive, where the gigantic maples have been superseded by human habitations; here has been built the village of Sugar Hill, a cosy hamlet, noted for the intelligence and morality of its citizens. Lisbon vil

lage, situated in the south-west corner of the town, on the Ammonoosuc river, is a thriving place, and the entrepôt for the surrounding country. Several prosperous manufacturing establishments have been located here, a description of which is given elsewhere. In common with so many other towns in New England, Lisbon has suffered from emigration westward, and the subsidence of the rural population to the business centres. In some back neighborhoods, where thrift and prosperity were once discernible, the school-houses are nearly vacant, buildings are going to decay, and the forest encroaches upon the field.

The supply of water throughout the town is abundant and permanent. Upon almost every farm are springs, which furnish nature's beverage, cold and pure; then meandering streams diversify the landscape, and silver lakes lend beauty and variety to the scenery. Ammonoosuc is the principal stream. Fresh from the mountain gorges of the famous Crawford Notch, its waters, clear as crystal, flow through the town in a southwesterly direction. There are two dams across the river, one at Lisbon village, the other three miles above.

Two miles above the village is the so-called "Salmon hole." The river at this point is very narrow and deep; a huge rock protrudes from the east shore, upon which rests the bridge that spans the stream. In days of yore salmon were caught there weighing from twenty to twenty-five pounds. About this place cluster legends relating to transactions back in a prehistoric period. The largest tributary of the Ammonoosuc is the South

Branch, which rises near Mount Kinsman, flows through Franconia, and traverses the north-central part of the town. Burnham's brook derives its name from a hermit, who built his cabin near its mouth, for some cause seeking entire seclusion. As civilization advanced, he retired to some more remote place in the wilderness. The brook rises in the south-west part of Littleton, flows in a circuitous route through Lyman into Lisbon, and empties into the Ammonoosuc at the bend near "Salmon hole." One of the first mills erected in this town was built by Capt. Whiting upon this brook, on a site ever since occupied. Along its course, or connected with it, are ten ponds, and from time immemorial it has been a favorite resort for hunters and fishermen. The Robins brook, formerly well stocked with trout, drains the Walker hill region, and empties into the river about one mile above the upper dam. The Salmon Hole brook drains considerable territory, and has furnished water power in several places. The fishermen have never been able to exhaust the supply of trout in this brook, as every year large numbers are caught. It has its source in the Sugar Hill section, and flows westerly into the Ammonoosuc, just above the place from which it takes its name.

Henry pond lies upon the border of the interval, three fourths of a mile above Lisbon village. It is the home of pouts and musk-rats, and in spring-time is musical with the song of the frog; only is it noticeable for its historic associations. The first white man's dwelling, the first schoolhouse, and the first church built in town, overlooked its limited area.

Perch pond, named from the species of fish with which it abounds, may be found in the western part of the town, a mile or more back from the river. In extent it does not exceed twenty-five acres. Neither the pond itself nor its surroundings possess any particular attractions.

Streeter pond, so called from the surname of the first settler in its vicinity, lies in the north-east corner of the town, two miles from Franconia village. It is a pretty sheet of water, estimated to contain seventyfive or eighty acres. Guests from the Goodnough and Forest Hill houses frequent this pond, and the fisherman is well rewarded for his pains.

Pearl lake, comprising an area of one hundred acres, is situated near the Landaff line, two miles east of Lisbon village. The water is pure and transparent, being supplied from springs in the neighboring ravines. Unlike many lakes in New Hampshire, it is not surrounded by a barren waste, but lands fertile and clothed with verdure. The scenery from the lake, or shores and hillsides about it, is lovely and picturesque in the extreme. There is a legend that the Great Spirit made a deep cavity by scooping out the earth and heaping it in a mass, then the water from the several streams flowing in completed the formation of a lake. This theory of its creation is worthy of consideration when the topography of the country is brought to notice. On the west side Pond hill rises abruptly several hundred feet, and the adjacent waters are of unknown depth. While floating upon this tiny pool, the immense upheavals, forming hills, seen upon all sides, can but inspire

one with emotions of awe and admiration. By the early settlers this body of water was called Bear pond, because bruin himself "staid here," and his kinfolks were numerous in the outlying forests; neither were they extinct at a much later date. In the year 1841 farmers living in the vicinity found havoc made among their flocks of sheep, and, knowing too well the cause, made known the facts to D. G. Goodall, a well known citizen of the village, and withal a Nimrod of high repute. He took with him Samuel Dailey, and other experienced hunters, all eager for the sport. They proceeded to the neighborhood of the pond, Mr. Goodall taking along with him his dog, Beaver, a powerful mastiff, always a companion in hunting expeditions. After entering the woods, the men separated, agreeing to come together as soon as possible at the report of a gun. But a short time elapsed when Mr. Goodall came upon a female bear and two half grown cubs. Being a fearless man, he fired upon them, killing one of the cubs and wounding the dam. In a moment the enraged animal sprang upon him, and with equal celerity Beaver grappled with the common foe. Mr. Goodall disengaged himself from the bear and leaped upon a stump near at hand, and loaded his gun with all possible haste. The contest between the bear and the dog was of short duration. Quicker than the story is told the latter was rendered helpless, bleeding from fearful wounds, and bruin again went for the master. Just as her head peered above the edge of the stump, the gun was discharged, and the contents were lodged

in her brain. The other hunters soon came up, pursued the other cub, and dispatched it. Thus ended the bear tragedy. The poor dog was six weeks recovering from his wounds, and ever afterwards was a privileged character. After larger game became scarce thereabouts, it was discovered that mink did congregate in these waters, and many people came here to hunt them for their fur; so in course of time Bear pond gave place to a name having a more practical applicationMink pond.

In the summer of 1854 some fishermen here discovered in clam shells substances which the imagination easily manufactured into pearls. Furthermore, it was stated for truth that True Page found a pearl which he sold for $30. The report went abroad, and quickly all the loafer class in Lisbon village, with a retinue of boys and a small percentage of respectable people, rushed pell-mell to Mink pond. For days there might have been seen from fifty to seventyfive people, knee-deep in water, hunting for the hidden treasures. Clam shells accumulated in heaps, the scattered remnants of which are still to be seen. At length, finding no more pockets replenished, the bubble burst: hence the propriety, or the impropriety, of the present name-Pearl lake.

The outlet of the lake is Garnet brook, so called from the garnets found imbedded in rocks along the upper course of the stream. The brook flows in a north-westerly direction, and empties into the river near Henry pond. Four water-privileges have been used on this stream, but the buildings, as well as the dams,

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