The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1874-05-15
LOCKOUT MOUNTAIN.


in Europe who have heard o.
Lookout Mountain since "the
war" have also been told of the
"battle above the clouds" 1t was
my fortune to scale the remarkable
palisade at a time when the broad
plateau which runs along its sum.
NIT was literally enshrouded in
formidable mists. The rain was
falling in torrents, as, with two
companions, I galloped through
the little town at the foot of the
mountain; but, ere we had scaled
the winding road, the shower was
over, and q brisk wind began to
stir the mists. We could see lit
tie but the lodges along whose
sides the route ran, but as We ar
rived nearly at the summit, the
mist curtain was lifted for an in
slant, and revealed to US q delic-
ious expanse Of valley, with sun
light smiles here and there chas-
ing away the rains tears. Then
we were shrouded in again, and
our horses, apparently inspired by
the gloomy grandeur of the &C.
casion, ratified furiously along the
hard roads, oyer which the boughs
hung uncomfortably near our
heads. The red sandy clay nour-
ishes enormous pines, whose roots
have here and there been disturb
ed by the sandstone powders, and
stretched out there fibers in a des-
perate grasp, along the pathways
great blocks of stone, carved by
the storms and polished by the
winds, are scattered. We gallop.
ed nearly to the massive perpen,
dicular wall which arises directly
out of the valley, and disdainfully
frowns down upon the Tennessee,
spurned from its base fourteen
hundred feet below; and lettering
our horses, approached to the very
edge. There We seemed shut of
from all the world. Now and then
q hum from the valley-the faint
growl of a locomotive or the roll.
ling of wheels-came family up;
we heard the COW bells and the
bleating of the sheep on the hill,
sides behind US; and just as VIC
were trying to imagine how "thG
battle must have been, the wind
came sweeping away the misty cur
tain, and-we beheld the whole =
"Southern Mountain Rambles:'
Scribner's for May.
The WORD "CANARD."-The
origin of the word canard (Frencl
for duck, when employed to sig
Nifty some unfounded' story, is not
generally known. The following
are the terms in which NJ. Quote
let relates, in the Annuare de
rAcademie, the manner in which
the word became used in its new
sense: ''Fo give sky lift at the
ridiculous pieces of intelligence
which the journals are in the hab
it of publishing every morning
Cornelison stated that an interest
ing experiment had just been cal
culated to prove the the extraor
binary yoracity of ducks. TWEEN
ty of these animals had beer
placed together, and one Of then
having been killd and cut up intC
the smallest possible pieces, feath
ers and all, and thrown to the 9th
er nineteen, had been gluttonously
gobbled up in an exceedingl,
short space of time.
Another was taken from nine
teen, and being chopped small lik'
its predecessor, was served up t,
eighteen, and at once devoureC
like the other; and SO on to the
last, who was thus placed in tn
position Of having eaten his nine
teen companions in a wonderful
~ short time. All this, mos
pleasantly narrated, obtained (
success which the writer was f.
from anticipating, for the stor,
ran the rounds of all the journal
] in Europe. It then became al
most forgotten for about q scor
. of years, when it came back fror
America, with amplification whicl
it did not boast of ct the CON
menceElent, and with 4 regula
. certificate of the autopsy Of th
, surviving animil, whose esopha
gus was declared to have bee
: found seriously injured. Ever
, one laughed at the history of th
: canard thus brought up again, bu
) the word retains its novel signif
| canoe"
A Performance of educate
D feas IS at the present time 2
: tracing much attention at Bsrlil
!. At q recent exhibition, one OF Il