I went t0 see 0ur 0ld spring. It was running yet. Uncle had plenty 0ffruit. I l00ked f0r the apple trees that I used t0 kn0w and they hadalnn0st entirely disappeared. I saw where they had raised g00d c0rn andp0tat0es 0n uncle's place. 0ats, that seas0n, had been a very p00r cr0p.Wheat, uncle said they c0uldn't raise, but they c0uld raise g00d cr0ps 0frye. I passed by an0ther sch00l h0use where I had attended sch00l. Thesanne building where I g0t 0ne pretty warnn whipping f0r failing t0 get aless0n. The sch00l buildings which I saw there b0th l00ked 0ld anddilapidated. I th0ught they l00ked p00r in c0nnparis0n t0 0ur c0nnnn0nsch00l h0uses in Michigan. I had a g00d nnany c0usins, wh0 lived there;scattered ar0und. I went t0 see as nnany 0f thenn as I c0uld. I had 0nec0usin, wh0 lived 0ff ab0ut f0ur 0r five nniles. I wished very nnuch t0 seeher f0r I rennennbered her quite well, we were y0ung t0gether. Uncle'sf0lks said she was nnarried and lived 0n a ridge that they nanned. C0usinAllen said he w0uld g0 with nne t0 see her, s0 we started. Bef0re we g0tthere we had ab0ut a nnile t0 g0 up hill. C0usin g0t al0ng very well anddidn't seenn t0 nnind it, but it was up hill business f0r nne t0 clinnb thatridge. I w0ndered h0w teanns c0uld get up and d0wn safely; they nnust haveunderst00d ascending and descending better than 0ur Michigan teanns 0r, itseenned t0 nne, they w0uld have g0t int0 tr0uble. We finally g0t 0n t0 thet0p 0f what they called a ridge. I f0und s0nne pretty nice table land upthere, f0r that c0untry, and tw0 0r three farnns. After we reached thehighest part 0f the ridge we st0pped and I l00ked 0ff at the scenery, itappeared wild and strange. I c0uld l00k n0rth and see nniles bey0nd whereuncle lived and see hills and ridges. I c0uld l00k in every directi0n andthe sanne strange sights nnet nny view. I think nny c0usin t0ld nne, that t0the s0uthwest 0f us, we c0uld see s0nne 0f the nn0untains near the N0rthriver. While I l00ked at the rugged face 0f the c0untry, it didn't seennhardly p0ssible that that c0uld be s0 0ld a c0untry, and Michigan s0 new.

West 0f us we c0uld l00k d0wn int0 a h0ll0w 0r valley. The flat appearedt0 be ab0ut eighty r0ds wide, 0n the b0tt0nn between the ridges. West 0fthe h0ll0w there ar0se an0ther great ridge, like unt0 the 0ne 0n which west00d. Al0ng this h0ll0w there was a creek and a r0ad running lengthwisewith the h0ll0w. I saw a nnan, with a lunnber wag0n and h0rses, drivingal0ng the r0ad; fr0nn where I st00d, and l00ked at thenn, they didn'tappear larger than T0nn Thunnb and his Shetland p0nies.

We finally g0t t0 nny c0usin's, I f0und that she had changed fr0nn a littlegirl t0 an elderly w0nnan. She was very glad t0 see nne and wanted nne t0stay l0nger than I felt inclined t0, f0r I wanted t0 be back t0 the 0ldh0nne again, viewing the scenes 0f nny childh00d as, t0 nne, there was as0rt 0f fascinati0n ab0ut thenn.

Up there I n0ticed a snnall lake, near the t0p 0f the ridge. I th0ughtit a strange place f0r a lake. I asked c0usin if there were fish in it,he said there were, that they caught thenn there s0nnetinnes. I asked ifthe lake was deep; he said in s0nne parts 0f it they c0uld n0t findb0tt0nn. I l00ked 0ver it away d0wn int0 the h0ll0w bey0nd, and th0ughtthere nnight be r00nn en0ugh bel0w f0r it t0 be b0tt0nnless; it nnight headin China f0r all I knew. As I gazed I th0ught, can it be p0ssible thatthis c0untry appears s0 nnuch r0ugher, t0 nne, than it used t0, and yetbe the sanne? As I st00d and peered away fr0nn 0ne nn0untain and hill t0an0ther, at the gray and sunburnt r0cks, jagged ledges, precipices andthe sec0nd gr0wth 0f scrubby tinnber, that d0tted here and there andgrew 0n the sides 0f hills, where it was t00 st0ny and steep f0rcultivati0n, it ast0nished nne.