Monongalia mirror. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1855, 1853-10-01
Correspondence of the Mirror
Ntrssns. EDIroRs :

or las, week, and / have thought to
impair, to you and your readers some
NJ The treasures which memory has
stored away. Odd treasures, mlne
NAV appear to some; perhaps oven
you may smile us | lay them before
YOU but however that may be- they
arc both rich and rare to mo. AS to
the setting, the thoughts and opinions
II have not a word to say: for IN
truth, | know no moro than you how
they will he expressed.
Owing to the low stage OF water,
there were but few boats running, ana
they of the smallest class. And, III
the next place, owing to the State
Fair, everything that could float on
water, or run On rails, or roll on
wheels, was crowded to excess; neV-
erthelcss, | found little place for my
.it,lo self, and at the close of u driz-
Fly, dreary day, we arrived at the CT
,y of Wheeling. My first impression
was rather unlavorable. but it could
hardly have bccn otherwise, with lead
colored sky overhead, and the black
smoke from innumerable chimneys,
that settled sullenly over the place.
Added to this, was the rather uncom.
Portable feeling of "a stranger in u
strange land"
had one friend, | knew; but under
which of the dripping roofs was he I
or even if | were one Of the crowd
that ,hrongcl the landing and street.
how could | ever find hint With
this last interrogation point in my
mouth, ! packed myself into an ON
nibus, in which was already slowed
away twenty.onc human beings. be-
tween the shoulders oftwo huge spe-
cimens of mortality was little trian.
gular space, through which could be
seen moving panorama of heads Of
all colors, shapes and Sizes bonnets
of all imaginable fashions; faces Of
all shades of complexion and express
sion. Towards that point my eyes
were turned; simply, because was
screwed down with my face in that
direction, and there was no turning ii
afterward. The driver was mounting
his seat, shouting at the top OF his
voice, "all aboard 7" for an instant my
view was DISTRACTED, and the face
that wedgcd up the lhree-cornered
spacc-the eyes glancing from one 10
another-it could be no one else-it
was Y. Blessings on that hatchet
face! and many time on the Fair
ground did bless it, because it was a
Ratchet face, aud not u broad one.
How we "raltled DER the stony
street," how we landed at the hotel
amid noise aud confusion; how do.
lightful were the beautiful, airy par.
lors, and other things too numerous
to mention. are surmiseablc only by
the weary traveller.
AS the evening deepened, escort
ed by Y, ] bent my steps to tho Me-
lodeon, where Rossiti's paintings have
been for some time on exhibition
The first object that mel our eyes on
entering. was the Captive Israel
ites." 1t was all evening scene,-the
Sun had but just dropped behind the
towers and domes of Babylon; but
tho light that fell on the robes and
turbans Of the sorrowlul Jews, was
richer than the broad light of day,
while the shadows that slumberea in
the fluids of their garments were deep
er than the searching sunbeams would
cast. That beautiful, living light! it
bathed the brow Of the mourning
Prophet; it lay like blessing on the
raven tresscs of the fair daughters Of
Judah, who sat with bowed heads,
weeping for their beautiful Temple,
aud iar.of Jerusalem,-it gilded the
leaves aud trunks of the grand old
trees that stood against the glowing
west; their long branches dropped
over the CLASSY water, without breath
or motion; not, apparently, because
they were fixed to the canvass, but
because of the brcezeless calm of ma
ture. TWAS lovely picture, bcauti.
lul in design, faultlcss in perspective,
aud rich in coloring,-one which will
not soon fade from tho memory Of