Page:Percival Lowell - an afterglow.djvu/117

An Afterglow

Here we have had it too cold till the other day, just before the Judge appeared from Prescott where his cases fortunately melted away and he came gallumphing on here. Of course, we accompanied him to Oak Creek; and put up at Mrs. Sissons, an immense improvement over the Thomas's. I had in view my new? Juniper and this time was put by Prettyman upon the track of finding another tree whose grandchild turned out to be buried. So now I have what Prof. Sargent wanted. The next day I went on horseback with a new squatter way down the creek to beyond where he was preempting at what is called the Great Falls. A fine ride it was, out of the world and his stories peopled the neighborhood with animals one longs to meet and never sees. The nearest we got to one was the trail of a rattler,—but though we beat the brush no rattler himself appeared. I was, however, able to identify a tree which both he and Prettyman had been anxious to know about, the only specimen in the neighborhood. The stranger turned out to be the Hop-Hornbeam. Frank, my friend, had described it as resembling an elm, which, as you know, is the common apprehension. 89