The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1870-07-09

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please number of friends who shared
the immeasurable delights Of our excur-
sion, / proceed to give you an account of
it, which may be lengthy or otherwise
according to my resolution or lack of it
on such withering, scorching day AZ
this fifth Of July, one thousand eight
hundred and seventy.
There is no need OF my telling any Of T
you how hot and vivid and elaring the
sun was; how dusty and rough the road
was how sitting and close the air was;
You could know something about all
this and stay at home, or go TO Salem to
celebrate but you that did either OF
these have but . faint conception of our
Picnic at the Soda Spring ss.s
Most Of 10 left home 1t sin O'clock a.
NJ, or as near that time as possible. In
the early morning the ride was delightful.
Such Diversity of scenery as one enjoys
during the ride from here to our before
mentioned place of rendezvous can be no
where else SO often found as IN this
favored State Of Oregon. To describe it
accurately would be impossible,to attempt
it altogether unnecessary. As we drove
along the merry prattIe Of the delighted
children tuned itself to my meditatioos
as gazed for an hour ut Mary's Peak
on our right, and unused upon the day
just three months previous, when on the
bosom Of the. broad Pacific looked upon
it from the other side, and by its aid was
enabled to mark the dear spot where
home lay nestled. In front of us, q score
of miles away, rose the mouetains that
daily bathe their feet in the classic San
tiam, their sides clothed in green and
their SUBMITS crested with darker shade
of the same rich hue, while what seemed
the last Of the long ridge, opposite which
: has been planted and grown the village of
f Lebanon, rose bare, unsigbtly excres-
cence which, t.y as would, could not
imagine to be anything else but a huge
boil ready any moment for the surgeons
lance. All around us was the horizon
fenced out with mountains, while the
dear vaIlies, clothed in waving folds of
living grass and grain, bejeweled with
farm houses, and focks, and flowers, and
fruits-but am trying to run this thing
into description, which I believe said
awhile ago would be impossible. Think
so STILL
The Soda Spring (or springs; there
are three of them, one only being in cou-
dition to drink from at present). rises
from the hillside, and originally, tor no
one knows bow many ages, trickled
down among rocks and rrshes, appropri
ated principally by pigeons, which still
flock in multitudes around the rude i'm
proyements of recent era, wondering,
no doubt, where white folks and carriages
and Fourth Of July originated.
| Some dozens Of vehicles and as many
saddle horses, with their freight Of life
and strength and dignity and beauty had
congresatcd and discharged the same by
nine or ten o'clock. Then the fun began
Nobody knew anything about the ar
rangements, or whether there were to be
or had been any. Tho majority of US
had taken the prccautioh to provide our
selves with provender Those who had
neglected this were beautifully supplied
by mine host and lady Of the Soda Spring
Hotel, and nobody went hungry, though
all Of us were insufcrably overheated
| A swing SO planted in the valley that
it might draw and concentrate the suns
best hear, also attracted goodly degree
Of patronage. And the people swung
and famed and p rsp red IN led back
up tho hill for '.little more soda," and
met old friends and laughed and gossip-
ped, while the children cried and s.wanted
to 60 home" only to get shaken, and
scolded, and fanned. and fed by tired
parents in search of holiday. We
drank tho spring dry, and were not yet
satisfied. Woo unto the unfortunate
philantI ropist who sought to replcnish
our bright tin dippers Better for him
had been shady nook in some quiet
corner where his patriotism could get
higher than his perspiration
We had no tedious oration, no deafsn-
irg cannon, 10 star spaDgied banners, no
Declaration Of Independence- -nothiag
but swiSging, and sunshine, and scant |
supply Of soda water.
DIrs. Eawtelle favored a. With asswcet
and we'll read poem, sntitled the aCon-
vict's Mother," to which few dosen
Ianguid excurtionists defsrentially listen
cd, but which she almost spoiled By
making few remarks upon after reading
lie. Mon do disliks being told on the
Fourth Of July that ons-half Of the
human r,es ere in legal thT.ll IN thsss
limited States. Ths nastsr strikes them
II L. Mora nnnlAnsanflrz fronn In sAlf Il