Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1877-11-23
A HOLIDAY DIVERSION.

And SO all Dad TO DO was TO go
into the country and enjoy myself
for six weeks-that is what it came
10.
Why, if any one had struck Inc
with feather at the moment the
doctor uttered his verdict l should
certainly have been knocked down;
fortunately no such atrocity was at
tempted, so | maintained as erect a
posture as my enfeebled health
would allow until the eminent licen-
tiate of the College Physicians,
whom l was consulting, begged me
to resume my seat.
You are utterly smoke-dried, he
said.
London or tobacco? l inquired.
Both, he answered. No physic;
all you want is fresh air-mOuntain
air if possible; perfect rest and qui-
ct; abstemious habits, early hours
and no tobacco
But, l feebly protested, l don't
care about the country; how am to
fill up my time?
Nonsense; you know nothing of
it, from your own showing; and as
to occupation, anything will do, so
that you keep clear of your ledg-
ers. Fish, sketch, idle, read poetry
and light novels; go and steep your
self in greenry, refresh your senses
with rural sights and sounds; go and
look at trees and fields, listen to the
birds the music of the running wa
tiers; follow this out and you will be
a different man in six weeks.
And then? l blankly inquired.
Then? o then, he answered, get
married and settle down.
1t certainly was fortunate l was
not standing up at that moment for
it would not have needed a touch of
the aforesaid feather to have laid
me low. AS 1t was sank back in
nv chair aghast. Get married! |
thought; l who was utterly insensi-
ble to female attractions, and who
had been always taught to have an
eve to the main chance and regard
matrimony as clog, unless associ-
ated with a great heiress. | get
married on salary of 83OQ year?
Whewl
| left Saville row with scarce an
other word, convinced that for real,
downright, impractical men there
were none to compare with doc
tors.
Thus 1 took the plunge and
within FIVE days found myself at a
snug little inn in North Wales, hard
by a celebrated spot known as the
"Devil's Bridge" few miles inland
from tAborystwith.
confess at once to having been
a little astonished and pleased at the
beauty of the scenery, The unex.
pected novelty, felt, would keep
me going for some time.
The change soon refreshed me.
was astonished at feeling neither
dull nor lonely-for the tourist sea
son had hardly set in, and l had the
little inn well-nigh to myself. So
wandered about and gazed wonder
ingIy on all l saw, especially at the
deep, craggy, wooded gorge or
mountain river-bed across which
His Satanic Majesty's engineering
skill was supposed to have been dis
played ~ ~"
AS stood looking down upon it
from the bridge near the iun, it GER
tainly seemed TO me a wondrously
romantic spot. Steep, bound
banks, crowned with trees, hemmed
IN the rushing, foaming river, its
channel becoming irregular narrow
er and more PERCEPTIONS as it
reached the head OF the valley in
the depth of which it lay. Here
there was a waterfall, as | then
thought, of stupendOus magnitude,
and yet little higher up a second,
still larger. As | made my way
down to the river by well-worn
path through wood, the sound OF
the descending waters, as, waited on
the soft summer breeze, it rose and
fell in liquid cadence, fascinated me
from the very first. AT a distance
1t was but a murmur; but rs | drew
nearer l seemed to fancy that melo-
dies innumerable were growing out
of it-wild, unequal melodies, that
touched chords in my nature of the
existence of which l had hitherto
been ignorant, l had cared nc
more for music than for any other
of the refining, softening influences
of life, and now there seemed to be
awakening in me an entirely new
man. | did not know myself, and
the fascination led me on irresisti
bly,.
Now | would stop and tilt my
head from side to side, listening tc
the varieties of sound | thu:
gained. Then, after advancing q
little TO increase the strength ol