Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1859-06-17
AN EvEN1Na IN THE WOODS
Correspondents Of The Intelllgencer.l
BErHANY, Va, june 10, IS

BETHANY. Va, june 10, 1855.
1fy Dear .Nessrs Editors: The thought has
just occurred to me that You, in your ugly old
brick, smoky city, would like to hear tell of
regular elegant epic Mic" know you must
be hungerng and thirsting after the sweets of
rural life, and of course you will be obliged to
smile and look happy when tell you of the
cool shady woods, musical with the sweet songs
of birds, and of clear refreshing brooks, which
laugh at all the old brick towns in the world
and wonder how people can make up their minds
to live in them.
There were only three Of us in the crowd,
that is three girls, but of course we had our.
hcauX and theie was none OF your fuss and gram
dure about it. There was no two dollars and
half to pay in the beginning, and no fiddler TO
pay in the end, but all was fixed up quietly
between ourselves for a regular time. The
clerk OF the weather smiled kindly on US and
promised TO reserve his shower baths for an
other time, and the rich green woods, which
had drank their fill only yesterday, whispered
coaxingly TO us, thus kindly and sweetly in
viting us to come and roll about in the long
soft blue grass.
With such agreeable circumstances surround
ing us, we could not help feeling merry and free
as we sat out, (our beaux Juggling the baskets
OF goodies along, with many's the groaI) to
wend our way along the margin of the roman
tic Buffalo. 1t would have done your old hearts
good to have seen us! We had to stop many'S
the time to "go off" in eXStacieS over the
scenes which surrounded us. On one side was
the dashihg old Buffalo, bubbling and sparkling
and frOlIcking along merry as a cricket, and
on the other, rose the steep, majestic, grand OLD
HILL which surely deserves the title OF noun
tain. Our curiosity in this respect came very
near being the death of one of the young gents,
a real, live Editor by the way, who, in looking
up at one of the lofty crags, in dutiful comp!i.
ance with the request of his fair companion,
missed his foot and went tumbling head over
heels down the bank into the creek, basket and
all, making n fearful crash with his deli. Ut
course all screamed and laughed Mt his mlsfor-
tune. think we all enjoyed it more heartily
because he 1c0S an editor.
The appointed spot was reached without fur
ther incident of interest, and we resigned our
selves to perfect and unreStrained enjoyment
The boys rolled and tumbled, and frisked about
like young calves, until they were tired, then
we made them read poetry to us, until we all
felt like we were having gay time riding on
the tail end Of a moon beam. The brave, in.
dependent, fiery spirit of Burns was with us
making us burn and boil over with enthusiastic
sympathy for "honest poverty" and almost
melt into tears at the contemplation Of the
troubles and trials Of poor '"wee mouSe. y
SAKE also was with us, making us fairly wild
with delight with his keen sparkling wit and
IneVer-to-be.eQuNled punning. The boys, after
the Young American fashion, seemed to take
more stock in Sake than anybody else, because
vice to a bachelor, repeatedly. In fact they
went SO far as to quote and speak long passa-
ges from his story of poor old one-eyed "Cy-
clops, who
"Gavea groan, and out his eye pops"
While they were bringing water from the
old rock spring, we spread out our dainties for
the feast-thcn, after lighting fire and making
some elegant, strong coffee, sat down to
repast which would have done you good to sec.
There were the sandwiches and the pickle-out
of which Alone many body could make good
dinner; the pound cake and the ginger cake
with reaSias in ii; the nice, large fat strawber-
ries and the rich sweet cream, and the pickle
but said that bcforc-but have not mention
ed the pig!-yes, sir, a real pig That is, it
was more than hnlf pig-which was more
than we could eat, you know, and over which
one of the gentlemen delivered funeral grafton
and real pathetic ing 1t was, too.
wish had time, and you the patience, for
some Of the toasts and really eloquent responses,
which had the recommendation of being short,
hearty and enthusiastic, called forth on the spur
of the moment. Bnt you are sufficiently
amused, opinc, and will suppress the wish
to immortalize our gallant escorts.
The moon was shining beautifully long before
we got home, and we left the katydids singing
and dancing about the scene Of our late revelry,
as though they were trying to out do us in fuss
aud hurras, if nothing else.
Very truly, your friend, BETTE.