Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1877-08-11
THE MEDITERRANEAN OF THE WEST
The NarVels and Beauties of Puget
sound.

The Martels ana Beauties OF Puget
sound.
kate Heath writes from Puget Sound
upon one hand, Mount Rainier upon the
other, while host OF lesser elevations
swing swiftly past the vision. and chains
of lofty mo Intalns cloaked in blue mist
stalk somberly across the horizon. The
nearer hills are ridged with pines that
bristle upon their backbones like spikes, |
and at the base are dense with under |
brush. All day we sit upon the deck !
with scarce word to each other, and |
watch the course of the vessel and listen |
to the sharp commands Of the pilot.
The heavens are blue. forever !
melting INTO deeper blue. and snow !
white clouds resting upon the mountain |
tops reach up and up, as If sr;,sping at
the zenith. The water is SO still and |
smooth. and sea weed drifts and drifts. |
aud whale birds, perched upon fallen |
stem, float away with the tide. 1t doesn't |
seem as If these waves could ever swal- |
low one they look So beautiful, SO strong
i'll their eXpanse, almost it encourages
one to walk upon the waters. In the
ships wake they curl and twist like
guarded knots Of trees, like the faces
that sometimes start out OF clouds or air
or diseased Imagination, and they take
~r1" themselves the form OF things seen
ana shape OI tnInSa III ai.,"-'S
which encompass our changing path are
green, such vivid, lovely green. not the
dull and dusty leatage of the southern
coast, but the bright, emerald shade OF
the north. which no speck OF dust, no
proianing spot of DIRT can reach. wash
ed perpetually as they are by the rest
less arms OF the Pacific What thousand
noOks hide in the hearts OF these islands;
what heavy silence broods under the
boughs of the trees which are in their
centers; what inspiration awaits the
tender wooer here. To me it Is like Il
| wonderful and multiplied Lake George
of loitier mountains and more rugged
beauty, unspoiIed by bands OF music,
undesecrated by the hight laughs, the
ruflles and fashionable etiquette which
hover over the places of resort In the
east. Seward has called this grand
sound the Mediterranean of the West.
| We came INTO Seattle the other
| night about sunaown; a pretty a little
place. built upon the side of Il hill, as
YOU will find hereabout. \ forest OF pine
| trees seems from Il distance, to stand III
| the way of the main street. but Il nearer
view showed that ii WAS but a partition
between the two towns AS We ap-
| preached we could see men and boys
running towar,! the waters edge, and by
the time the Panama scraped against the
wharf Il perfect sea OF faces was upturn-
cd and we. not to be outdone. in our turn
leaned over the rail and stared Ii WIS
to Seattle, YOU will remember, that Capt.
Mercer took his much-talked-oi cargo OF
females upon the steamer Constitution
some eleven years ago In one OF the
prettiest houses to be seen from the
wharf lives one of the ladies' who came
ont with Capt. Mercer. now well and
happily married. But that was ali in the
early DAYS OF Seattle Just in the late
dusk we stroiled away into the town. and
in my memory it is devoted to cake and
Strawberries, shade trees and sawduSt
And we have been to Fort Townsend
too, city under the bluff and another
above it. with flight of one hundred
and thirty-three steps connecting the
two. We took an open wagon and drove
away into the woods, with archine
branches across our way and tall tree:
to the sky. We stopped at a trim-kep
garden where cherry trees no mghe
than my shoulder bent under load u
red fruit. and where beds of straw wber
! rieS upturned to the sun and blushe'
!, beneath the glossy leaves i'll drops O
reddened ripeness. And then we tool
| ship again and steamed away into lazi
, ness and Georgian Bay, past Fraze
/ river. past RosSario Straits. past tn
= Island of San Juan. over which Englan,
and America had such Il dispute, bu
p which King William adjudged to on
D United States.
Mount Baker, still now. CLEANS in tn
I distance like hale and hearty old teI
n low. His head is half the time curtain
| ed in the clouds, and his sides are ri
4 bed and scanned and covered with snow
Rut he reaches out and gathers unit
g himself hundred little hills that nrsll
4 up to him and cling about him and tax
4 upon their crowns the snow he shake
4 from his shoulders. and So he Is like
J., great pearl set around rs III brooc
= with a dozen OF smaller size. Yer
, beautiful he is to see rs the eVenln
- shade falls over him. and it is As thoug
n he We're gathering his mantle OF dream
n around him and all the world were huSl
+ ed in shadow. But Rainier stands lik
y grand old man. a bald king of tn
e north, Lear alone in the wilderness. u
| stay; Cordelia's love Lear never Wa
9 without, and here upon the left OF Ran
e irr steals timidly little mountain
5. trembling and fearful, to his side All
% upward turns its gaze to receive gieal
e OF rejecting light from the snow-whii
d crest oil the King OF the Olympians, VIII
N lifts his head in its pride above TIL
clouds. and in his grandeur dwarts IL
al mountains. Like u frozen tear upon I'll
D.: horizon. he has been with us two day
If now before. now behind. now TO ii
d right, now to the left. and again COZ
,e fronting us as we wind in and out an
o cruise about the shore. In the mornin
~ we see the red light OF the sun crimson
| ing his bare head, and IN the evenin
,e there is blue veil let down between Il
o. and the glowing sun shining through
of to cast over Mount Rainier. grandest
n. mountains. pale and lovely robe
!" orange. We turn and look, and, 10
A Mount akertlushes INTO morning brigi
of ness and all his little hills, and in Il
d. evening he yellows with sun, while Il
I'd flock over which he keeps watch like
shepherd yellows, too, i'll sympathy wi