New-York tribune., 1875-08-21
JOHN PAUL'S VACATION.
MINOR MORALS OF SARATOGA.

RINGS IN HEAvES-CHoIcE BRANDS OF QUOTATION
wOMEN's HAIR-FAsHIoNs-FINANCIE TURTLE
AND wAITER--BErTER ZEE THE WAITER THAN
sTARvE.
lFRoM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNE !
SARATOGA, Aug. 3.
"Last night saw the old moon. mother,
With the new moon in her arms"
Not that exactly, but last Sunday we did see
something which quite as certainly pcrtended
foul weather. A great luminous ring glowing
with al the opaline lights and tinted fires of
a rainbow, surrounded the And not
far distant from the first, but totally distinct, a
second and third ring hOoped great disks Of heaven
in.
The sight was strange 10 me, and the oldest in
habitant with whom a special interview has been
had apropos Of the phenomenon, answers all who ask
that never before has he seen anything of the
kind He thinks it harbinger of the discovery of
another mineral spring. Various explanations OF
the phenomenon have been had on all sides. One
gentleman who had Just taken an unusually large
draught OF Hathorn water, thought that we but saw
the iridescent ghost Of Andy johnson swinging
round shining center in infinite space. Ii has been
very universally remarked that tits little Use to
break up rings here earth if they are to be in
angurated above, and that it Is hard lines indeed
one cannot get to heaven without the intervention
that the phenomenon was wholly due TO an aggrega
ton of watery particles in the atmosphere aggre-
CATION which, conglomerating around the sun, ab-
serbs its scntillations, and by n very simple and
well known law of reiraction, causes disintegra-
tion Of-Of-
do MT remember exactly what, but if there's any
virtue in polysyllables it must have been something
nlce aud everybody has to be satisfied Ii is
not quite clear to ME, however, that caught the
idea exactly.
l'ut to-day all know what was meant Ii is
dark cold rainy. The piazZas are deserted and folks
sit indoors, listening to music in the paror where
cheerful fires are liz. The race down for to-day
is postponed, and on all sides yOu hear the remark,
What dreadful dayp' Not to my thinking.
The darkened sky gives grateful relief from the glar
ina snn which for days and days has hung over
head and to see the streets empty for is pleas
ant Then, on a day like this, can go TO his
room and indulge in moral reflections write con-
fIsing article on finance
I've been morally rejecting all the morning, my
own shortcomings the theme. It seems to me that
my most bcst,ing sin is the habit lately acquired of
beginning all serious essays with line TWO of
poetry from some high o!d bard whose distant foot
steps echo down the cuI lenders of Time. Quoting is
like chewing fancy-the habit once acquired is in
duged in unconsciousiy. So confirmed has il become
upon me that really am not happy unless have
qud Of a quotation in my mouth. IL matters
little what the brand. II the Soace of
Scott be not handy, Tennyson's Fine Cut
will serve; failing that, Bryant's Century, Longfe-
lows smooth Cavendisl, or Stedman's Honey Leaf
come to be rolled like sweet morses between my
lips in default of other choose choice even essay
10 sriaw upon the plain plug of Walt Whitman. This
habit must he amended-and have made note of
il accordingly