The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1877-04-06

uoEcH klI!1s Oh mowers IN bloom, Ger
'ain!y not in the profusion of spring;
flowers cannot bloom all the time; they
must have some rest: but any plant
that dropped It's seeds has sprung up
anew, ana Is now in bloom, besides the
fall flowers and perpetual bloomers.
|; is Saturday, aud We will 60 walking
through the enc road of the settlement,
which has been clear. bu, is agaiu
blocked ~ trunks Of fallen trees. We
must te very careful for the woc l.
choppers are very busy to day. and coca
s!oaally we hear crash like 4 young
earthquake. The best houses are in
front, and as we 90 back into the
woods. we pass several lately erected.
built of roug boards. but already com
Portable in this mild weather. Before
the settler erects his cabin. he cuts down
all the trees around it, for one Of thess
giants of the forest would crush it to
atoms. As clearing is a slow process.
his house is surrounded by stumps and
logs in dire confusion, which must be
destroyed by fire. We pass along and
through the we'll cleared wagon road,
stopping by the way to pick delicate
spring flowers, ferns OF every variety.
long, trailing blackberry vines, still
green aud showing occasional blossoms;
but our treasure Of treasures is the
moss, in every shade Of green and yell
low, and Of every imaginable variety.
Any words that can command are so
insdcquste to describe it, and it loses
so much Of its beauty in drying. that
despair of ever giving my friends an
idea of its loneliness and variety. Not
oily its beauty, but its substance is
wonderful Not q bit of earth. nor a
root. nor twig. nor trunk nor br anch is
left uncovered. In the low, swampy
places it fairly runs riot. The long
greenish gray species is suspended in
long fiIaments from every tiny twig;
fes,ooned from branch to branch; sway
ing with the wind in silver streamers
from SIX to ten feet in length Moth
ing that | ever saw of sylvan beauty
excels it. We gather it in apronfuls;
weave it in wreathes to decorate our
rooms; tie it in bunches to loop back
our curtains; make fancy baskets and
other ornaments. for we frontier women
are not so destitute of taste that we
C not enjey the beauties of nature.
But we will never get through the
woods at this rate. We pass on, and
find al unexpected impediment to our
progress in the shape of huge log
which has lately been felled across the
road. The thoughtful woodman has
cut steps, two or three on each side. so
that We pass over as on stile. Talk
of jumping over such logs! We might
as well try TO jump ever two story
house That impediment and q few
more like it surmOunted, our road is
clear, aud we have chance to admire
the primitive forest, which is more
sublime than beautiful The trees are
all spruce, aud all old: scarcely o young
one to he seen; and there is no under
brush except sallal and few other
bushes and ferns; all green as in Sum
mer. Such strange-looking trees never
saw before. Their roots are more than
half out Of the ground. and they look
like giants standing on tip-toe. They
stard SO high that Robinson Crusoe
might use one fol cave. being only
q superficial observer. can family de-
scribe the appearance Of things, but
can only guess at the reason WHY.
Certainly it is the s.rangest woods
ever saw. The choppers are often
obliged to stand on u board fastened
in the tree. from ten to twenty fee,
from the ground. These trees grow up
straight until they get tired. then throw
on. a great limb. then grow on few
more years. aud throw out = great
sprawling limb in another direction.
and so on. helter-skelter. hap hazard,
until they reach, perhaps. two hundred
feet; and then Mother Nature looks
upon her overgrown, misshapen. pro-
ductions, grows ashamed or pitiful for
them. AID clothes them ia garment Of
velvet moss golden and green, which
with its exquisite form and coloring
amply compensatcs for all the uglness
Oh. but they are weird looking things !,
and We walk among them as in an en-
chanted forest
In a spot where the trees are . ::..ttle
smsiles or more regular. the ground
has been cleared and leveled. a preach
er's stand erected, and few subtantial
seats, with comfortable backs to them,
and circling round the outside dozen
rough but comfortable board cabins.
Here for few days in every Summer.
gather the people of all parts Of the
hay. 10 worship God in their own sim
pie and earnest way. Ths scene sug-
gests to our minds BryAnt's grand For
est Hymn. commencing with
The groves were Gods first temples"
The place is now lonely enough, and
SO We pass on toward the shore Of the
hay. stopping by the way to measure
the trunk Of one Of thcse gigantic
trees. take of my scarf. and. reach
ing as high as eau. find that it takes
FIVE times the length 10 reach round il.
AMI. according Ia my arithmetic. the
diameter il about fifteen feet;
Another short walk and We reach
the cliff that gives US view Of the
southern aud western part of the bay
Ovsterville. the county seA'. lies Ia the
southwest and 4 little nearer the out
side world To the west l. that low.
sandy peninsula. Yoke Point. with its
lonely lopkIrg g-light house The wind
! high and the tide is up. and the
wave, are washing the besch below
l,oklng fierce AMI white on the numer-
oa> sand d-~p,s, and Oh the bar that
leads ou, - the ocean- The vast woods
=, oar hack >nsi the mighty ocean be-
fore 81. are both solemn and sublime,
4 al - 3 -.