Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1860-05-25
HOW I TOLD MY LoVE


the Ginning bells, make for the broad bound
less country. The fir forests are elasped in
shadowy, ghostly sluml-er Far away on on
right are thoughtless funeral groves where th
| wolves congregate in hundreds. To the lef
lies ridge of hills eloping down to the river
which is looked up in the iron rnanacles of tn
Winter King. Ahead, and right before us
| whittier we are bound-over waste, and plain
and clearing-lies a snugly sheltered village
the headquarters of the 'lumberer' and th
royngeur Our destination is net quite s.
far
This said destination is a broady-spread
low-lying farmstead. with its almost number
less out-houses, consisting of cattle-sheds ant
daries, corn stores, rOofngs for winter fodder
wood stacks, and other concomitants surround
ing the dwelling, all palisaded by zigzag fence
as so many out-works to protect the comforta
! BILE citadel. Within it, warm fires blaze ant
sparkle from the huge aud odorous logs crack
| ling on the broad bounteous hearth. In tn,
great common chamber, RATED and pictures
qued as an antique gothic hall, are warm heart
and flashing eyes. Bearded men laughing
maidens and strapping young hunters, wh'
has Just shaken the snow off their furs at the
portals. Despite the stern, yet musical bari
tone of the singing wind as it goes by, sing
| ing checks, biting noses into purple, and max
| ing the blood tingle, shouts of mirth and laugh
| ter rise above the boreal blasts; and our leap
ing sleigh, gliding-hying along, rather-tc
the music of the soft musical bells, is fast ap
! preaching its terminus.
| "In the meantime" asks the reader, "who
occupy this sleigh ?" hasten to answer
| First, there was yonr humble servant, the
narrator, Dick Harding, by name, but u
few months back from the banks of the Isis
with the bar in prospect. Ra' a'her cookbook
! ing; fair shot; can hit with wonderful vigor
straight out from the shoulder; am FIVE feet
ten and-growing; can play the fiddle a game
of an angle. l have been one of the party of
adventurous sportsmen, "going in for some
| thing worthy of Alexander, and, with fishing
tackle, spears and shooting irons" had done no
inconsderable execution among the cenizens
of the Canadian woods and sounding 'rapids. =
and hunted the bear in his own bold and pict-
uresque fastness.
Enough of myself. Now for my eompan-
IONS
Place aur dunes, therefore-for Nesting by
my side, wrapped up in rugs ard warm furs, is
Lota dArvile-a bright-eyed, rosy-lipped.
laughing Canadian, as glance of man ever
rested complacontly upon. The Canadian
mother and the French father were expressed
in her name. Her playful lambent eyes had
exercised their sorcery upon me ere this; and
the modulations Of a voice unequaled for its
low, soft sweetness, completed the young sy-
ren's triumph, This by the way for we had
exchanged no confidence as yet On subject
very near my heart.
We are bound to a merry sleighing party
at Windygap Farm-ostensibly to a hunt up
on a vast scale, which accounts for my two RI
fes and ammunition lying in the sleigh. and
for the noble decr-hound, the third individual,
who had curled up his great body at our feet,
and added to keep theaeWarm. 1 had known
her brother in the Canadian Rifes-had killed
bar at the 'Salt-licks with him; had met
Lota and her family on board St. Lawrence
steamer, and was guest at their house,
enjoying their frank and bounteous hospitai-
ty.
"Hurrah" Through the keen sonorous
air, sleigh and horses bound along ICrick
crack = goes the ong-thonged whip. with a
sharp, CHEEKY significance. My 'Madawasda
Cariole,' a Sleigh which is the perfection OF
locomotion, is not less perfection than the
frey steeds, with their sinews of elastic steel,
which drive.
Driving sleigh-tandcm is the easiest thing
in the world, ,chen you are used to it. l was
q member of the tandem Club and reckoned
crack hand. Of course. l exulted in my
skill now. as l bore my rosy companion
through the air, and the whip went 'cr;ck-
crack !! ike double-barreI going of, and the
sweet bells sang and chirned 'Oh sweet
echoes of far-distant weddng-bellsp = thought
and the crisp snow was split and shattered
into diamonds under the grinding of the hoofs
and the attrition of the runners and with
an exhilaration could repress, gave Wig
orous 'hurrah = which conveyed itself to Lota,
wrapped up in moose and bear-skins, and
warm as a toast. A sweet, girlsh laugh
echoed my exultihg shout
'You appear to enjoy this, Mr.. Harding p
she said.
"If don't" "Crick-crack !',,flletl up
the hiatus What pair of beauties! Phe-
bus Appolo never drove their like down the
sleeps of heaven. TIE willy Ithaean never
raised such cattle when he cleared the sta
bles of Rhesus of his horses. 'Crick-crack 7
and the horses neigh and toss their arching
necks, and the bells are Ginning and tinklng.
and the mad. exulting rush uplifts one like
wine
remark, to myself, that the sky has deep
ened into an intense, still darkening blue
darkening with a strange, unearthly, tenebri-
Gus inkiness, betokening coming siiow-storm.
No matter--Windy-gap' is right ahead, and
the welcome lights will blaze out of the case
ments soon. for the afternoon is wearing.
On we go-but do not see them yet and
yet-but no-it's all right!
care you warm--quite snug, dear Lota
said I, half turning to look at the rosy, exqui-
site face peeping forth with so much furtive
codnetry from its en- 'adrement of white cozy
fufe:
"Oh, so comfortable p she answered. with a
nesting movement, and smile which made
my heart leap joyously upward.
But my nttehtion was called away to the
creeping, crer5dscular inkiness of the sky. 1t
was light, yet daylight; Eut bluelight-to coin
word tlrat wintry hue of livid darkening
Steel always the precursor to fierce change OF
weather. This only made the long level plains
of snow CLEAN with lustre the more dazzling
and intense. 1 remarked this, but with mo-
mentarilv divided and wavering sense.
| had never (frnriliat rs we had grown, and
1 was honest as the skin between your brows,
as she was in fact)--I had never said dear
Lota' before, and the words were yet in mine
ears like sweet old burthen. / loved her
with all my heart and soul, but l had never
told it. l yearn to tell her so now but
Thought it scarcely fair-not up to the mark
of my manhood--to take what seemed an un-
fair advantage of the protection was suppos-
| ed to extend over her l magnanimousi3 re-
solved to wait-chokiDg down the words
/ but not tor long.
] Mnn1ttirc1. .Cr:cl.-craclc . went the Iono