The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1874-02-20

the Bay, the fields and woodlands look like
q gorgeous carpet, with the blue smoke
curling upwards from hundreds of cottage
chimneys, or laying in tlsecy folds amongthe
tree tops on the higher grounds. On the
left, receding away to the end oft the vision,
and beyond the eastern shore of the Sus-
quehanna, we have spread out before us
the fertile farms and beautiful white home
steads of Lancaster county, Pa, and imme-
diately in front, gently ascending from the
margin of the river, the no less fertile
fields and handsome residences of Cecil
county. Those are scenes for O painter to
study, and my friend Clark, who is of that
profession, was wild with enthusiasm, and
tried to express his admiration in such
language as the lover of the sublime would
use, but was SO unfortunate as to have
them all iumbled up by our young friend
McNabb, who iolted us over unpoetical
boulders and nigger-heads at something
less than $40 speed.
The sun was about an hour high when
we arrived at Darlington, which gave me
little time to look round and wonder
at the changes time had wrought. Rip
Van Wrinkle, | am sure, was not more as
founded to find himself u stranger at his
own hearthstone, than WAS at Darlington,
whose old familiar scenes had vanished,
and the faces | met seemed to belong to
another race than that l left there half
century ago. The old Friends meeting
house is all that is left of the eminent land
marks, and even the stones in this looked
gayer and more variegated than was their
wont when Quaker simplicity and quiet
IoI ifu
oaks that have been spared in the march
of innovation, seemed to nod their all tops
of innovation, seemed to nod their tall tops
to the breeze with an air OF pride engen-
dered by the creeds and ideas that have
usurped the peaceful reign of brotherly
love.
Feeling that it would be sort of melan-
choly pleasure 10 commune withe the splr-
its of the departed few moments, l wan
dered off into the modest place OF graves,
where not a monument had been erected,
and where but few headstones bore the
names of the great multitude OF sleepers
beneath them. Here were buried my
foreathers, where the ashes of some had
been reposing for at least century and
half, and felt that it would have been a
sad consolation to stand over their dust
and moisten it with tear, but their graves
could not be designated from hundreds OF
others, and | strolled about the enclosure
with Imagination busy at work and sadly
disappointed. The thought occurred to
me that the Friends of the past had car
ried their simplicity and aversion to show
little too far in this matter, and was glad
to see that the surviving relatives of those
who have more recently departed have
honored their memory with modest white
marble head-stones, with the names OF the
sleepers inscribed upon them. Among
those noticed the name of Ephraim Hop
kins, an instance of whose kindness to my
self in my early boyhood, recorded in
one of my letters of the former series.
During our short sojourn at Darlington,
which was but for night, we were COM
fortably and pleasantly entertained by Mrs.
Sweet, almost within the shadow of the
old meeting house. felt as if | had found
an acquaintance when she informed ME
that she was the daughter of my good old
friend McJilton, whose house was the home
of Methodist ministers, when the followers
| of John Wesley were few and far between
in that part of Hartford, and the sister of
John F. McJilton, gentleman of distin-
guished literary attainments, and with
whom had the pleasure of meeting few
days after in Baltimore. All that part of
the village where Mrs. Sweet resides, and
the fourth of mile eastward, was forest
not many years ago, and buildings have
sprung up for an equal distance along the
road at the other end. Darlington is sur
rounded by beautiful and fertile country,
many of the best farms in the county lying
along the creek within two or three miles
of it. The rich river hills slope down to
within few hundred yards Of it, and the
music of the Susquehanna, as it dashes
over its rocky bed, lulls the weary hus-
bandman TO rest.
Altho' could scarcely recognize build
ing in the town, still the amphitheatre of
hills surrounding it looked familiar. There
are but few more healthy localities or bet
terrified farms adjacent, and there is no
reason in the world, it seems to me. why
Darlington should not be n most desirable
summer resort for the painting and swell
tering people of the crowded city only a
few miles off. Those in search of health
could not find more refreshing and in
MIGRATING climate, and the lovers of sport
presume could find any amount or variety
of hunting and fishing.
find, Mr. Baker, that this letter is al
ready too long, and yet have but partially
mapped out but seven miles of the way,
leaving eleven still to Havre de Grace,
which | hold in reserve for another letter.
Respectfully,
ABINGDON, VA. Feb. 3, 1874. c. B. G.
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