ley of the Kennebec. At once the
scenery changes from the barren and rocky shores to one of broad and
fertile acres.

This sharp bend of the river has always been known as "Fiddler's Reach."
Tradition says that in early days a band of explorers, who were
searching along the river, passed through the "Reach," and came upon the
broad valley so unexpectedly that their joy and surprise were unbounded.
One of the sailors climbed out upon the bowsprit and began to fiddle a
tune in honor of the discovery. Either by the flapping of a sail or by
his own carelessness he was knocked overboard and drowned. The oldest
inhabitants place implicit confidence in the legend, and the title will
always cling to the spot. Now and then a little neglected graveyard
comes into view, and the moss-covered shafts bear quaint inscriptions.
With considerable difficulty we deciphered the following lines:--

Brothers and sisters, as you pass by:
As you are now so once was I.
As I am now so you will be.
Prepare to die and follow me.

The facts were as cold as the stone on which the words were chiselled,
and startling as well; so we turn to pleasanter scenes.

Several little streams flow into the lower Kennebec, on which are
situated sleepy fishing villages, that once were the scenes of activity
and prosperity. Upon the shores of these winding streams many a noble
vessel was reared, and the light of the forge reflected the hopes and
ambitions of a busy people. When the ship-building industry received its
death-blow, a sudden change took place, and silence has reigned supreme
to this day. The event seemed to blast the energies of the population,
and a Rip Van Winkle stillness settled down upon these once stirring
scenes. Scarred and weather-bronzed sailors idly dream away the passing
hours, waiting in vain for a revival of the once happy days.

The light of the forge has died away,
The anvil's ringing voice is still,
And the bell in the church upon the hill
Mournfully tolls for a by-gone day.

Where once numerous fleets discharged their cargoes from the Indies, now
only an occasional "smack" is seen. Warehouses and piers alike have gone
to decay, and the streets are grass-grown with neglect. As suddenly as
this lamentable event occurred, another change was rapidly wrought, when
the ice business received such a wonderful start, some fifteen years
ago.

Although ice had been shipped abroad to a limited extent