Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1825-11-26

were DeWlldered, caused the Who'll
company to make stand. A Consul
tatlon was called, but no two could a
gree upon the route we should take
10 the darkness and late hour Of tn
night, which alone was sufficient te
petrify the stoutest hearts, were addee
the workings Of 2 feyerish mind, JUS
returning from scenes of dissipation
For 1t must be acknowledged, that in
stead ofresting our limbs on the bed
OF ease, we had want My employed
them, the whole evening, in the hew
and unsancti6ed exercises Of a Dancine
School 10 remain where we were, ap.
peared silly, and if we advanced Char
y6cgus stared US full in the face. One
dreacy hour followed another in the
same dubious state between hating
and advancing, when halo! from one
OF the company broke the slumbers Of
a nelghbouring cur. The we'll known
Dark OF Lion was music to our ears,
and as long as he responded to our en-
treaties, his notes proved "a guide to
our feet" and wonderfully accelerated
our approach for the wished for shore
The first land we made proved to be
about three rods from where we started
to cross the pond; the nearest house
was then sought where we were glad
to find shelter for the remainder Of
the night. In the morning we expec-
ted to be able to trace, in the snow,
our various wanderings, but had flock
OF sheep wintered there, the centre Of
the pond would not have exhibited a
more miscellaneous collection of foot
steps.
Similar calamities have been so of.
ten repeated, and under circumstances
so mysterious, as to call forth the inge-
nuity Of the curious and observing, to
assign probable cause for their fire.
quent occurrence.
Some suppose that an Evil Spirit in
tests the atmosphere Of the pond; others
maintain that the Guardian Spirit has.
been provoked to wrath by the unlaw-
ful ravages that have been committed
by the neighbors, upon the blueberries
and wild pears that line the shore, VI
their impious endeavors to exterminate
the silver trout, that innocently inhab-
it the cool and limpid waters. But the
pious peasantry of the neighborhood
attribute all these troubles to the incan-
tations Of the Devil, who has been let
loose upon the waters ever since their
peaceful sIumbers were prufancd, by
the following unhallowed scenes:
From the good old "days of yore,"
it was the fashion for the young peo-
pie, in this part Of the country, annual
iy to celebrate "slcigh-ride." This
was as religiously observed as Fast,
or Thanksgiving, though the rites
were performed in very differrntfr frame
ofmind. The Sunday clothes, to be
sure, were all put in requisition, bu,
the ceremonies consisted in frisking,
dancing and cutting up such irreveren-
tial capers, as in some instances, to
make even the delicate whiteness Of
the snow to blush. One winter the
snow, which had ever been faithful
and constant bramal visiter in that
neighborhood, as if conscious OF her
fundamentally in promoting these
sinful practices, made such a distribu.
ton of her favors as would be likely to
discountenance the prevailing custom
She left the dirty earth perfectly naked
all winter But it was "hard for those
who had been accustomed TO do evil,
to learn TO do we'll" Accordingly,
one Sunday noon, when the upper part
of the Westinghouse was occupied
with only the younger part of the con-
gregation, provoked to the indulgence
of evil propensities, by the Devil, or
the bewitching objects in the opposite
galleries, several young men were so
far led to the proclamation OF holy time,
as to introduce the subject ola "Sleieh-
Ride" And though the bare ground,
seemed an insuperable obstacle to its
consummation, the smooth and CLASSY
surface of the pond, now completely
scaled with an ice, that reflected the
rays of the sun directly in their faces,
presented prospect too inviting for
their perverse inclinations to resist
They came to the resolution to dis
pense with the pleasing accompani-
ment of frozen snowballs in their faces,
and improve the only spot, favourable
to the performance of their fantastic
rerelries. And before another dawned
all the preliminaries and arrangements
for the celebration were settled in due
form.
The sIeighs were engaged, ere the night was
half spent
The girls had due notice and gave their con-
sent.
A company Of thirty sleighs COM
menced their circumgiralion around
rho nond ahouf noOn with an agree