Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1867-02-07

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charms which would have beauti
fed ten times the extent. Th,
orange, with its bright rich foliag'
and smooth symmetrical branches
the fig, with its deep velvet greer
and crooked, though graceful
limbs; the lemon, the China tree
the plantain, the catalpa; every
beautiful, majestic or rich produc
ton of the tropics; fruits never
seen in our northern latitudes, and
flowers not dreamed of there
were thrown into this retreat with
the profusion and elegance of ma
ture. No mathematical figures
and straight lines, no stiff ar.
rangement was there; the trees
stood as they might have been
planted by the winds, and their
profusion Of rich colors and deli
cious fruits fell upon the eye with
a drowsy luxuriance, making one
wish to lie down and be at rest.
Scattered along the paths and up
on the borders of the canals which
wandered among them were thou
sands of roses, magnolias, acacias
and other Southern flowers and
shrubs; while from among them
here and there sprang grape-vines,
entwining their tendrils among the
branches of palms, China trees
and plantains, giving them the ap-
pearance Of being loaded with
white, yellow and purple grapes.
The little shell paths wound hesi-
tating among all, and led now un-
der a glorious orange, now by a
bed of roses, anon beneath the
enormous leaves of the plantain,
or along the Towering edge of a
murmuring rivulet! Now / had
to stoop to pass the foliage of a
catalpa, then to put aside the fes-
toons of grapes, and finally to push
my way among the matted vines
of creeping flowers! a4o2 5' ri
Over all this scene of enchant-
ment hung veil of repose, and
the air was as still as we seeit on
a summer day in the country
The silence was broken only by
the humming Of bees and the muir
muring Of the streamlets as they
laved the vines which hung in the
ripples, swinging lazily up and
down. When l placed my foot
upon a fiat stone, which led across
one of these, l heard the echo
come back from the wall, and the
boy held up his finger to enjoin
caution. 70 1' 1>'3e sin ';la 1000
: / followed him in silence almost
to the end of the garden, when
crossing stream and turning sud
denly to the left, he pointed me to
a rustic summer house, and turned
back. 1t was such an arbor as
Spenser describes in the ''Fairie
Queene:" s'
sAnd in the thickest covert of that shade
There was pleasant arbonr, not by art,
But of the trees owne inclination made"
Two large plantain trees stood
only a few feet apart. and their
foliage mingled overhead; two
orange trees grew at correspon-
ding corners, thus forming square.
Around the four sides grew large
grape-vines and .creepers of many
kinds, trained to the branches
overhead; and within the foliage
was SO entwined as to form a mat
ted roof of evergreen, festooned
by flowers and grapes and oranges
in every stage of growth. Two
vines were SO bent as to form an
opening, and a mass of matted
vines hung swinging over it for a
shutter. .oe
/ drew this aside and found
myself in the presence of Carlota.
She sat half reclining in a ham,
mock of silk cord, swung across
from tree to tree, and was dressed in
the usual afternoon costume of the
country; a loose flowing robe of
white muslin, not confined at the
waist, but left loose alternately to
hide and disclose the sweeping
contour of her form. Her hair
was arranged in heavy Madonna
plaits, only confined at the end
and falling loosely over her spot
less neck. She wore small red
morocco slippers; but when | en-
tered one Of them had fallen off
and was lying on the ground; the
foot from which it had fallen hang