Middletown transcript., 1870-12-10

Sinile uiu tHe suopindil chcidiii, MS 10
brass, sir; hardly worth mending!' In
one poor little quarter of an hour that
smiling little Canadicnne had sold numer-
Gus sets of jewels-aud me.
Such is the way they manage matters
at the great Falls of Niagara; as to the
sxaggerations of some writer's, let us not
give too much credit to them. 1t is not
true, to my own knowledge at least, that
at Niagara you pay ten dollars for the
privilege of smoking your cigar or for
catching the eye of waiter. The latter
costs you but two dollars. But few priv
ileges are so low. With triAing excep-
tions you pay, and pay high for every
thing. You pay for going over the Suspen-
sion Bridge, or the ferry. You pay for
going under the Falls and getting drench-
ed to the skin. You pay for bcholding
the Rapids from the summit ia shaky plat
form, You pay for hearing the guide re-
late in terrible sing the details of
Lundy's Dane. You pay for going to see
the Falls from Terrapin Tower. You pay
for descending to the Cave of the Winds.
You pay for your meals at the hotels, and
then pay the walters to bring them to
you. You pay for food, lodging, water
air; for looking, for breathing for lying
down, for getting up; you pay above all
for going into shops. Don't go into them,
friend You will pay for it! Some day
they will build wall thousand feet high
around the Falls, and you will have to
pay before you even hear " the roar of
Niagara" !"
One class of persons only at Niagara
seem behind the age-the Indian women
selling bead-work. Poor, busy, sadlook-
ing creaturcs They are mot hers and
daughters working honestly to make some
thing to support them and their dear ones
during the long cold Canadian winters.
Their little trinkets are not dear; you
would willingly give them thrice what
they demand. They sit here on Goat Is
land under the trees busily stringing
beads When you speak to them they look
up shyly and mutter few words in Tus-
carora. or Canadian French. And they
are not acting II part there is no rsistak-
ing the Indian physiognomy-the high
cheek comes, copper complexion, and
long, straight black hair. Glib rascals
have been chatteriug and imposing on you
ever since your arrival; it is refreshing to
meet with these poor women who say
nothing, scarce look at you; or, if they
look, seem to say only, with their sad
eyes, :" Please to buy; this is only a small
pincushion studded with beads: the price
is few cents" Immense contrast
You perceive, worthy reader, that I am
not giving you the least bit of 9 descrip-
ton of my emotions on behoding the great
Falls of Niagara" l have the oldest, alb
surdest, most eccentric habit of looking at
men rather than Sights when travel, and
cannot rid myself of it. Why is it that
| have described that. little Ctmadiennc
who sold me the glass and brass, and
have said not single word of the splen-
did scene from the door of her shop? :?
There was another type there that recall
more distinctly than the great cataract
1t was the gentleman who offered the pho
topraph, and had evidently registered an
oath to victimise me. How his intent
shone forth from those eyes glittering
with greed He was as sharp as a razor,
as voluble as a magpie seemed about to
collar and arrest the insulting person who
would not purchase He, too, belonged
plainly to the great and respectable family
Of the Leeches: he made me a passionate
address, and | felt my greenbacks shiver;
but | was obdurate, and babe him depart
from me, and removed him from my path
with inexorable resolve He made moth
ing of me, and l have made this paragraph
of him
One of the very few human beings
saw apparently unmoved by greed, was
the guide who made his speech on the
Observatory" above the Lundy's Lane
battle field. He was old, shabby phil
osopher, and drawled; or rather his voice
was a prolonged sing song: he seemed
asleep while he was speaking. He him
self, he said, was subject of the
Queen" and our regiments was yon-
der-hum hum hum hum where you
see that clump of trees jest yonder on the
far horizon, they was drawed up and
waited the order; soon it come-much
obliged to you, sir-hum-hum, hum-hum. -
We had departed; another party had ar
aived, and the guides sing-song went on.
He had inserted the small donation which
we had bestowed into his waistcoat pocket
without looking at us or pausing. He
was content; he did not beg, or bully,
or cheat D wonder! o man at Niaga-
ra that was not in the remotest degree
connected with the Leech family! Old
subject of the Queen, in your old coat,
} with your sleepy old sing song, the writer
} of this page salutes you'll
1t is pity that this mesquine and ig-
noble traffic should SO flourish at a place
like Niagara-that the small should insult
the grand the meanness of human ma.
ture stand out in such truly disgusting
contrast with the grandeur of inanimatt
nature. Here, every prospect pleases
: and only man is vile. But you soon for
get him the great waterfall draws you
Not to indulge In hyperbole and inconsid
crate rapture, let me simply say, that tC
me NIAGARA was not only very grand bu