The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1874-03-06
mi iSCellaneous.
A Ramble in Hartford.
NO. ".
y
FROM DARLINGTON TO HAvRE DE
GRACE.

WondcJM CAanges-S stafford MtHs-TA,
Bridge-A Bull Story-The Canal-Roc1
Rim as it nas and s-Lapidum-B eauti.
JM Scenery-Port Deposit DE-
Grace, dc.
Monsieur Tonson come again. l i'm.
agine hear you eXclaim, Mr.. Editor, but
please be patient little while longer un.
der these infections, and you shall have q
respite that will be all the more grateful as
your troubles and perplexities may have
been the more intense in urraveling my al
most unintelligible manuscript My last
letter was an epitome of observations and
impressions along the seven miles of road
from Broad Creek to Darlington, and
design this as record of like experiences
along the uneven but more romantic eleven
miles from Darlington to Havre de Grace.
Speaking of changes, there is no part OF
Hartford, presume, that has been so COM
pletely and entirely metamorphosed as the
few miles now come to review. l was
very nearly out of my reckoning from the
time l left Darlington till came out into
the old Bel Air road at Mt Zion, the resi-
dence of Mrs. Dennison when first knew
it. Whether have been mistaken, or hay
ing lived so long among the mountains that
ordinary hills sink into levels don't know,
but my impression is, that short distance
from Darlington there was very steep yell
low hill in the olden time, with school
house perched upon its summit, and the
road worn down to considerable depth be-
tween the banks. | failed to recognize the
place in passing along, but my mind may
have been engrossed with something else.
Most of the road thence to Stafford must
have been removed from its ancient locality,
as / saw nothing that looked familiar, not
even the old homesteads Of William Stump
and Richard Coale. Everything had u
strange appearance, and could not posi-
bly, realize that was passing over road
had travelled every week for successive
years when boy, nor do | believe | was.
A short distance from Stafford the road
crosses a run-it crossed no run in the old
en- time was bewidered and perplexed,
but all came right as we approached Deer
Creek. 1t had familiar look and ia.
miliar sound. The field on the right, as
cending gradually from the top of a stone
fence, recognized as the spot where once
flourshed one of the largest and finest Or
chards in Hartford, but like the then own
er, it has disappeared, and the old stone
fence, that imagined would stand the
storms of thousand years, is now bulged
and dilupidated, and not half as long and
high as it has always been in my magma
ton. | remember it the more distinct
ly, Us it was of convenient height to
step from the saddle to an apple tree
without dismounting and climbing fence.
l have often entered that orchard, but not
without apprehension that Mr.. Stump
would catch and punish me for trespass,
but I was willing to run the risk for the
reason that an apple not exactly honestly
obtained is much sweeter to II boy than
one legitimately obtained. So thought
mother Eve, and the world has acted on
that principle from her day to this.
But must hurry un-nine miles to go
vet, and the hack driver has to make con
nection at half-past 10. By the way, he
drove us along ut lively gait, though |
was very confident that one Of his horses
would be scared into run by the first
bugaboo it sac, but it didn't see u bugaboo
or anything else. l always feel sorry for
blind horses.
The mills at Stafford didn't look as ex-
tensive to me as bad imagined them to
be in other years, and the present bridge
spanning the creek occupies, | presume,
the site of its predecessors, but is honiored
with roof, which they were not. When
u boy, and while warming ut the Stafford
store one winter morning, young man
came in and said that Il big b-bovine,
with board on his face had chased him
all the way from Rock Run, had followed
him on the bridge, and would have caught
him but for the fact that not being able to
see thro' the board on his face he had tun.
bled off the bridge and was believing and
bleeding among the rocks below. don't
know whether the story was true or not, as
nobody went out to see, but thought then,
as do now, that he was great Ounce To
run two miles with an enraged animal at
his heels that he could have lodged any.
where along the road without running
fifty yards. AS he was young then he
may be living now, and if so, and he
should happen to read this record OF his
adventure, he has my opinion of his bull
story.
Crossing Deer Greek, the road to Rock
Run is in the same place it was when l first
knew it, but the canal has very materially
changed the appearance of things, morally
may imagine, as well as physically. Ca
nal transportation being cheap, and thu
tow-path convenient for foot-pads and ad
venturers, fill the countryside with rabble
But let me not digress to moralize, les
| make this letter painfully long, as vel
as painfully prosy. Rock Run, with tn,
bridge gone, and oldiDr. John Archer gone
and James Walker, the onehanded gate
keeper gone, and all the life and cnerg.
and enterprise gone that were there whel
one Of the two great Observation-Disclosures
| Rnltimnrn md Dhilnlalnhin naaaed fha