Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1871-05-16
To Platteville for Pleasure.


A
Last Thursdsy the half Of four
and twenty Lancaster folks had no.
.tions in their heads, (albeit it is not
at all likely that any body ever had
one anywhere else.) 1t was all in
merry May weather, you see, and all
sweet things being sweetly blossom
ing, they wanted to do what the sa-
gaciously Saxon J. r. Lowell believes
in, mix their blood with sunshine and
take the wind into their pulses. Also,
see the country. Li4ewise, inhale
some bloom-scented oxygen. More
over, 60 to Plattoviile there to attend
a dramatic entertainment in the eve
ming. SO they went to Mr. Powers
livery stable and hired rigs,
horse top buggies, the barouche, (not
taken, however), and that fine, new,
three,seated wagon, just out of Mr.,
Budd's shop, and redolont of fresh
paint.
Then they started. Geo. Mills by
himself, Joe Nathan in conveyance
that had been sent for him from the
place of their destination Prof. Joe
Barnett, leader of the Lancaster
string band, in buggy with two la
dies, Mrs. NJ. Farrar and Miss Mag
gle Fletcher Geo. Sprague, j. Hough
and Fred Durand in the new wagon;
Capt. A. R. Bushnell and Mr.. Thode
Burr journeyed together, while Ell
bert and your most humble servant,
precious pair of HERALD Office at
taches, brought up the rear in very
comfortable top buggy drawn by
span of prancing and high-mettled
horses. The delegation was mot>
ley mixture, the ingredients of which
wero respectively musical, dramatic,
pedagogical, jurisprudentiaI, mercan-
tile, 'stageical', and Interpretations.
The boys would have taken the girls,
but the girls didn't care about going,
you know did they, now To be
sure they didn't, -never thought of
such thing. Oh, no.
Very pleasant was the weather, and
verv agreeable the ride. There was
a superfuity Of sunlight with period
ical puffs of cooling, odor- laden zeph-
yr.
Quite soft were the skies;
which, (you must not infer) that our
set was likewise. We heard ''the
tender dove in distant woodlands
making moan" saw blooming plum
trees at the wayside, and blossom
clouded orchards near many a thrift
ty homestead. Young and glossy
leaves were on the trees, the fields
were green with growing grain, and
a fair carpet of luxuriant grass beau
titled the dank meadows along the
Drawing water-courses. There was,
too, kind of ethereal haze in the
air, which looked, to us at least, like
such stuff as leaves and flowers are
made of, and about which your Sci.
ence may be able to give you some
accurate and statistical information.
In this field a man and maid were
planting potatoes in that, a number
of girls were dropping corn, close
| ly followed by several stalwart rus
tics with shining hoes which they
knew right we'll how to handle. We
met, also, blushing and bare-footed
lassie, who, with her slight form and
flowing black hair, passed US, like
Shakespeare's "imperial vot'ress" =
In maiden meditation, fancy free.
She looked about twice as old as the
poet's 1--WE are seven" lunatic.
Passed through ELLENBoRo, a qui-
ct, doing sort Of place, situated on
the west bank of Platte river, and
neighbored by some quantity attract
i've scenery. There is saloon, in
front of which some real good-natur-
ed pigs were summing their abdomin-
al surfaces, gruntiDg very dreamily,
and winking lazily at the staring sun.
A pretty p. 0. building is there, too,
a large old mill down where the pine
trees grow, and number Of pictur-
esque private houses. Looking SOU
westward from the bridge, very
fine prospect is presented to the eye,
q prospect at once enchanting and de-
licions, like the moral garden of Mr..
Pecksniff. A green valley lying be-
tween wooded hills, rocks that will
be hidden from view by the foliage
of Summer, and here and there a
glimpse of the Platte, flowing crink-
ling sunniness.
Reached Platteville near the close
of day, and drove straight to the
Gates House, where mine host took
us in charge at once and made us feel
that we bad fallen into good hands.
After nourishing supper, composed
of ever so many good things, and
served up in the very best manner,
some of us went walking. With
"Phil' as our guide the perambula.
ton proved fattering success. OBJ
served that Platteville continues to
grow. New buildings are drawing
toward completion in different parts
Of the town, sidewalks are "length-
ening out" the merchants have their
stores well filled, the mechanics are
busy, and the people generally look
pleased and happy.
In the evening we made for Thorn
as Hall, wherein the well known
"Paul Pry" comedy was to be per-
formed for the benefit of the Platte
vile Young Mems Library Associa-
ton. There was good full house
and an orderly, both gallery and par
quet being quite densely crowded
The piece was well played, drawing
forth much applause, and setting the
audience in a roar from beginning to
end. But given the following fac.
tors, and it is easy to imagine what
sort of performance would be the
result: a we'll managed stage, APP
propriate scenery, intelligent actors,
and the best music that the Lancas-