The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1875-08-21

pretty little summer-house. We cit down I'M
der clump of foliage and listen 10 the March.
and directly the Brown Guard, their arlet-
feathered helmets ablaze in the evening sun,
come In even line UP 10 the band house. Ihe
COMMANDER drills them bit, anu meanwhile
| the band leaves the house and "falls il" the
elegant city turnouts gather clos ly TO the
green sward. and all wait for the Drum Major.
Oh, Mighty Drum Major! At last he ap-
pears, there Is breathless silence. deepen
| ing hush reverentlal quietude, as his great
| baton with lis titanic golden head turns sum
mersauts so dextrously IN the air, comes down
| and thumps the unofending white clover blos-
SONS, floats up and DOWN In rhythmical meas
ure and Boom! Boom! boom, boom, boom,
| thunders the big drum obediently anu off goes
the colossal Drum Major followed respectfully
by the Band-the musicians having somehow
turned from goodly sized men into little fat
boys all because OF the presence OF the Mighty
Drum MAJOR, who is seven feet high in his own
right and wears what babies call q "Boomal-
lie' cap Of fur, three feet high. We feel our
"identity shrink and contracp' when viewing
the Mighty Drum Majors excessive "talth."
Over beyond the band house they are trying
to fill mammoth balloon. 1t floats up like a
big lazy bubble and then softly collapses, but
at last science triumphs anu the red, white and
blue fairy ship. bearing upon Its side the ini-
tial letters Of the "National Soldiers Home"
goes floating airily up into blue binding space
Babies want drink, SO we go down to the
little blrd-house, which is filled to distraction
eggs, Matched, unledged, tiedged, full grown
OF all sizes and odd sizes-pass through it and
enter upon scene of enchantment. Flowers
and fountains, fountains and flowers, crimson
and silver, and silver and green; great Egyp-
tan lilies and huge caoti; swans and lakes; 4;
row boats and rustic bridges; sweet honey
| suckle in bloom the live-long summer; roses,
heliotrope, LILIES and pinks raylshing the pure
air with their sweetness. Gladioli, petunias,
verbenas, geranium and what not, dazzling
your eyes in their sockets, anu leaving great
blears OF intense color in your vision as you
turn to the Gagged eagles, winking owls and lit
tie alligators in their nests.
"a drink! A drinkP' cry babies, and we
come at last to a cool grotto, where long vines
of water ivy are festo0ned over and over each
other; where lilies and begonlas and crosses
and mosses and gigantic ferns grow and climb
and trail and bloom in luxurlant abandon all
about the dark, shadowy recess. On, how We
drink Was ever water 80 delicious!
There are some stone steps and a straight
white path that takes us to the little depot,
where the dummy is putting and blowing like
all possessed.
"Ioot! toot! Get In! Hurry-hurry-tootp
and one adipose Old laiy, fearing to be left,
clamners into one Of the little car windows
anu is 8 uck fast. Such yelling! The dummy's
loud whistle is drowned in the noise, and the
old lady Is pulled out breathless and red-faced
and gasping, and jammed into the now moving
car, leaving q host of lookers-on conyulsed
with merrlDent. On the platform one sees
Young maiden, attred in very bright fiodnced
dress, with very bright founced parasol in
hand, very bright muchly e-fowered hat on
The back Of her very bright colorcd mead, laces
at throat and wrists-but, woe is me, not a
shoe, not o shred on her wide plebelan feet that
peep in aud out as If they felt themselves per-
fectly at home in their ma ural dress
"Come," says Autre Mere to Babies--,
tIce cream |" $50 do Ip' yell they at highest
pitch. as we follow Autre Mere into the depot
Restaurant and are treated, both young and
old, to all we can eat-and dear heart, how
they do enjoy it!
Thunder2 No, only the sundown gun, and
the stale joke of the heavy fall VI the sun in
this country is aired once more.
The twilight draws it's sweet curtain Of sill
yer dew between us and tnat wonderful cloud
land above, and one bv one we creep into our
carriage, "gerup'' to Dobbin, and 20 down into
the valley where the city lies WiJh lis long
lines of brilliant gaslights, leaving tue bar
racks, and flagstaff, and chapel, and head
quarters, back in that hign, breezy hill
courEry
"Sattie," SAYS Autre Mere over my shoul-
der. 1--WE forgot, completely forgot, the ceme-
terry"
I'VE will come again." say L; and SO down
the long dusky road we go-Autre Mere,
babies, Dobbln, and