Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1870-11-26


msnt or two Of rleep. 1had precedent for
it, too, for some. Ethiopian nation ! had
heard Of from Herodotus, used to live in
trees. 1879 '' ""4' - N'
There is something supremely delightful
in the FIRST night of country visit. Eve
ry thing is so quiet. One's ignorance of
the place arodses the imagination, and
sends It wandering. Tho sheets, are 80
white, the air 20 pure; you open the lattice
10 smell the honeysuckle, and . moth puts
out the candle. 10 the morning the birds
greet you with pleasant welcome; as you
paddle across the floor with bare feet, and
look out and find the window sorrounded
with white and crimson roses, o breath of
paradise watts in, rendering even early
shaving an exquisite enjoyment. ..--
Brave chanticleer with noisy din
Scatters the rear of darkness thin. ,,
The pompous turkey cock in an adjacent
farm-yard breaks into hysterical laughter
in his pharisaical pride at having got up
earlier than his master. The geese gable
fussily as they betake themselves to their
fashionable watering. place in the nearest
meadow, that pond crusted with green weed
not unlike mint sauce. On the fresh dewy
lawn, all in grey bloom, thrushes are
pulling aud hauling at reluctant worms,
who, refusing to come up out of the hold ),
resist and wriggle like detected stowaways.
Dishwashers, most graceful and coquetish
Of birds, are pacing about, flirting their
tails over the grass just under the big
Portugal laurel; and every now and then
scudding after flies, who, intent on asccr-
tanning if their heads are screwed on firm
ly for the day, do not observe their pursu-
ers till they are swallowed by them. BY
and-by the house begins to awake, some
one shufiles unwillingly down stairs, broom
drops with ostcntatious clatter. The next
thing is the jolting open of window shut
ter; soon after that the kitchen fire begins
to crackle, while some one moves the chairs
about and sings a snatch Of some country
melody. Presently there is clatter of
young voices, a cry and clamor of children;
bell rings sharply and chidingly. The
house is getting up; then there comes a
splash Of q bath being filled, and the next
moment comes a rap at your door, and
rough country voice says in pure Doric
" If you please. EUR, it is past zeven, and
here's some warm water"
Eastern travellers, who have spent any
time in the Desert, say that on their return
to civilization and four.post beds, there is,
for period, feeling of constraint and
oppression at night that renders sleep al.
most impossible. They miss the starry
canopy and the great airy roof Of nights
dark palace. can well believe this. for l
have myself felt similar transition. Some
years ago rode for ten days or so through
part of Greece every days bivouac was
an immortal spot. Thebes or Thermople,
Luectra or Platea, Delphi or Lepanto l
was literally riding through Thucy cydides
and Plutarch. Sometimes I spent the
night at the houses of priests or officers of
the old war Of Independence; oftener l
slept out in the open air, 1 and my soorijee,
who drove the baggage horse (such horse
l wondered he did not come to pieces on
those bride tracks Of white marble round
the roots Of Parnsssus,) shifted as best we
could. A days journey or 50 from Delphi
We were benighted in wood close to the
Gulf of Corinth: it was wood of tama-
rish and myrtle myrtle twelve and four
teen feet high, the leaves green and glossy
We rode on and on through the wood
(within sound Of the melancholy music of
the sea washing upon the deserted shore,)
like travellers in fairy story, until, led by
the faint ray of the first star, we became
aware Of little water-mill, at the dusty
door Of which sat stolid old Greek, white
with age, but still more with -four, Who
received rs with the immovable, wonder
less gravity Of the Turk. He slew grimly
. thin and muscular fowl which he roughly
aroused from his FIRST sleep; he roasted the
bird with gravity; he boiled US water; be
brought US bread, then, with the servile
shyness Of serf, he sat apart under q
myrtle tree getting cur coffee ready, affect
ing 70 take no notice, but watching every.
thing as, l supped on the edge Of my camp
bed. Ameditative pipe followed, and then
l went to bed in the open air, under the
shade Of hospitable sycamore. Then
lay looking up at the sky. The mountains
Of the Morea were to the right of me,
"the sentinel stars kept their watch in the
sky" and gentle influences came to me
from heaven. A cloud was my counter
pane, clouds were my bed curtains, the
roof Of my bed-chamber was star spangled,
the Plediadcs sucked me up. Iconsigned
myself to the projection of God and fell
asleep, with passing thought as to wheth.
er there we're wolves any still left in that
part of Greece. i never slept so soundly,
or awoke so refreshed / was sorry the
next night to exchange that spacious aud
inexpensive bed chamber for dirty room
at fevcrish Missolonghi. e -
See what gigantic business that of
making sewing machines has become!