The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1876-05-25
RANDOM THOUGHTS.
BY THE EDITOR.


why have had nothing to say this year,
under the above, old familiar title. The
reason assigned was, that this year re-
quired earnest work, and nothing should
be done at random; but the Cincinnati
twins declare that the Republican con-
vention will nominate one Bristow. q
Kentucky Bell g. Everettite, for Presi-
dent. If that be SO, then | will be like
Bret Harte's fellow; the subsequent pro-
ceedings will interest me no more, and
will turn my attention to something else
than politics.
Last Thursday morning had three
conveyances engaged, one at Delays, and
two at Burts, and at seven o'clock start
ed to the woods. ] had with me all the
regular hands in the Standard Office,
with their families, and Mrs. James,
wife of c. C. James, OF the Clerks Office,
and her little boy Curry. The party con-
sisted of five men, besides the driver. six
women and eight children, the children
ranging in age from two to ten years.
This made, including the driver, Mr..
Dennison Burt, twenty persons.
We drove out on the Chillicothe road.
and found it very rough, with chuck
holes" and in several places very stony.
We drove five miles down Salt Creek,
and stopped by the road side, in nice
shady place, near the creek. We were
onI,y an lo,r onI n ouaraar ,,alr;r1 tha
FIVE miles, or fifteen minutes to the mile.
Mr.. Burt took charge of the teams,
and the men and women scattered along
the creek, and engaged in fishing The
children commenced gathering wild flow
ers, and it was wonderful how many
flowers a child can hold in its hands.
These little folks exhibited considerable
taste in the arrangement of their bou-
quets.
Seeing that all the party were enjoy
ing themselves, / turned to the right up
q hollow, and in less than quarter of
mile reached the head of the hollow.
where we went May Is, 1873. and which
place then described There / built
fire, and then came back to the road and
took the baskets of provisions up TO the
cliffs. Gathering the women and chill
dren together, we all went up between
ten and eleven, and the women filed the
coffee boilers with pure water from the
little lakes, and my fire having burned
down to bed of Goals, the water was
soon boiling, and coffee was made, and
between twelve and one the men came
up, and we had dinner:
/ believe that God might have made
more beautiful place than this, but do
not believe he ever did, or thought it
necessary TO try to do so. All around
the head OF this hollow is series of
cliffs. On the right as you go up the
hollow, is projecting ledge, which three
years ago / estimated at 20 feet high.
On close inspection, am satisfied that it
is 100 feet, at least. Over this rock a
Vulnerable little streams. 1t falls into a
little blue lake, the bottom of which is a
mass Of beautiful clean pebbles. This
little lake is some twelve feet across, and
foot deep. This ledge of rock extends
to the left around the head Of the hol-
low, and some twenty rods from the wa
terfall first mentioned is another, which
pours down in much larger quantity, but
strikes the rocks in two or three places
before it reaches the bottom Where it
strikes the rocks it has cut out caves, the
most beautiful and romantic. By the
aid of a fallen beech tree, we took the
cave. Some of the men scaled the
smooth rocks up to the next cave, which
they described as being most beautiful.
Around on the west side Of the head of
the hollow the water comes down the
smooth rock, but as the rock is not cut
out like the east side, the water pours
down the face of the rock fully one hun
dred feet. The twenty feet next the top
of the rock is worn in broad channel
by the water, and in the middle of this
channel is a smooth curved ridge, and on
the top of this ridge is a small groove all
the way down, and in this groove runs a
small stream of pure water, that is some
way broken in its descent, and looks like
q string Of transparent beads being slow
ly drawn down the groove. 1t is grand
and beautiful thing.
At the foot of these cliffs grow huge
spruce and cedar trees, hundred feet
high, straight and beautiful, the tops
touching the top OF the cliff On the top
of the rock are the most beautiful ever
green trees and shrubs, many of them
rooted apparently in the solid rock, and
then projecting over the edge OF the cliff
Near the little lake first described, is a
low elevation or ridge, where we had our
dinner spread. The towering trees made
dense shade, and these trees were the
resort Of numerous birds, the songs OF
which added much to the enjoyment. /
have seen fine paintings, and heard grand
music; the Oratorio of Creation, as rem
dered at Portsmouth by eighty trained
singers, with eleven instruments was
truly grand; but this scenery, ard the
gentle murmuring of the three water |
falls, the music of the birds, the happy !
and laughter OF the chill /
dren, the talking OF the women in the
as they gathered flowers. moss
ss and lichens, all combined to render Y