154
��llic White and Franconia Mountains.
��two years later opened the first foot- path to the summit of this mountain, where he soon after built a stone cabin. There, I give all that information to you gratis.
"Very kind of you, I am sure," said Molly, " but who will vouch for its au- thenticity?" you used to be a terrible story-teller."
" Clio does not lie ; this is history."
" You would have us believe the staid muse very mod- est," said Molly. " But I remember some one has said history is a great liar."
"A libel, a posi- tive libel ! Shall we believe nothing? "
" Only absolute truth. Do you be- lieve in the Trojan war? Do you be- lieve that Marshal Ney said at AVat- erloo, ' Up guards and at them?' "
" Do you be- lieve there is a Mt. Washington ? Your iconoclasts
would destroy everything. There are White Mountain legends, of course, but there is also White Mountain his- tory, and the time is not so remote but that the data can be relied upon."
" No one can argue with you. Fritz," answered Molly. I accept your data in this case. You are welcome to wear the wreath of victory."
A night spent at the White Mountain House, one of the old-fashioned hostel- ries, cheery, hospitable, and with an ex- cellent cuisine, cool, airy chambers, where one is made to feel at home by the urbane landlord, Mr. R. D. Roun-
��send, and wc turned from this section. The Crawford House, four miles be- low Fabyan's, is one of the finest in its plans of the mountain houses, its wide piazzas extending the entire length of the buildings. It is magnificently sit- uated upon a little plateau, just north of the gate of the White Mountain, or Crawford Notch. The Saco River has its source not far from the house, its birthplace being a picturesque little
���LEDGES ON MOUNT HAYES, IN GOR'-iAM.
lake. At the right hand Mount Willard rears its shapely mass, from whose sum- mit a glorious view can be obtained. The ascent is easily accomplished by * carriage, and the prospect, though not so grand and wild as that from Mount Wash- ington, exceeds it in picturesque beauty. The whole valley of the Saco, river of the oak and elm, lies spread before the vision. The grand outlines of the gorge, the winding road through the whole ex- tent, the leaping cascades flashing in the sunshine, all appear before the eye as in a picture. One feels like exclaiming with Cowper :
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