The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1877-11-24

near the villages on the railroad.
Through the splendid grove that sur
rounds it, We can catch glimpse OF the
elegant cottage lin Deer Park OF Henry
&. Davis, United States Senator from
West Virginia, once poor man, but
now through energy, perseverance,
sterling honesty and native aDilltN'
q bank president, millionaire, and
quiet but influential worker In the SEN
ate. This cottage is filled with his guests
during the summer, and such men as
Thurman and Stevenson, OF kentucky,
Bayafd, and host OF others equally
famous spend weeks here in enjoyment
OF the mountain air. Uylssus 5. now
exhibiting in Europe, was brought up
TO tho hotel in this village in '76 by Don
! Hamilton Fish, to get over terrific
spree, and spent week in recovering
| his health from the strain of official du-
| ties.
The faint sound of whistle comes up
from the valley, and the white smoke
from an express train floats over the
trees in long undulating curves like
some gigantic dragon sporting on the
level plain formed by the tree tops. But
we must not linger. We have many miles
OF hllly wood between us and the
house where we expect to spend the
night A spring whose waters ripple
over bed OF white pesrly gravel,
while tall ferns shade it with their grace
full fonds; tempts US to stop and partake
OF the goodly lunch, which was put up
by the experienced hand OF Mrs. Bur
bank and after an hour pretty well &C.
cupied with discussing cold chicken and
other tootbsome visnds, we were in the
saddle again. We cross the North
Branch OF the Potomac at Fort Pendle-
ton, an earthwOrk thrown up in the late
unpleasantness 10 command the bridge,
and which is built in field OF the old
Pendleton farm once the property of the
well known Philip Pendleton, OF Balti-
more. The scenery is lovely here, and
we'll worthy of further mention but space
forbids. About five o'clock we reach |
| Greenland Gap, a tiny village lear where
we intend TO stay until morning. Rid |
ing up to the large, well built house OF
Uncle" Abe Smith. ask HIM if we
can find accommodation there. "Well, L |
guess so, we sin't got nothing to eat but
buckwheat bread, and you'll have to
sleep on shake down" says the old |
man with twinkle in his merry eyes,
but rs | had "been there" l said this |
would answer, and we were soon seated |
a. the upper table. Bass, eels, Caught |
in neighboring streams) beef steak,
chicken fried in cream, delicious hot BIS |
cults, coffee and cold milk, were IN |
abundance, and when we retired we |
found our rooms furnished with elegant |
walnut chamber sets and Brussels car
pets Our host keeps store, and does |
large business with farmers of the |
valley" and he spends most OF his |
profits on his house and farm. After
supper we sat on the broad porch In
front OF the house and smired the "Gap"
in the clear soft moonlight. A lofty |
mountain at some time was split IN hall |
by CONFUSION o! nature, leaving
clearly cut Gap" through which small
stream plays hide and seek among the
pines and birches. The upper part OF
the cliffs on either side are bare, aud the |
rocks are filed with evidence OF the pre-
sence of iron ore in large quantities.
A bout half way down the forest begins
the variegated foliage OF the oaks, pines, |
b ecn and NAPLES, slopes down to the |
broad well kept pike, which runs from
Petersburg to Keyser. The soft moon
beams playing ION the mountains, the
rocks row in the shadow, and now lying |
sharply defined in the food OF mellow
hight, sllvery glimpse of the saucy |
little river, the wind rustling among the |
trees, the occasional bowling OF a far OF |
owl. yes-and the bits OF profound silence |
that we were sometimes conscious OF, |
seemed woven by the melodious hand OF
nature, into "Song without Words"
whose sweet notes thrilled from that |
wonderful instrument, human heart |
keenly alive to the beauty OF the works OF
God.
1T is very quiet here, Mr.. Smith L
said At last as 1 watched the smoke from
my cigar slowly disappear.
Yes, it is now ne answered, "but L !
have seen It pretty lively. l stood here
on this porch one evening during the
war, looking al the corn in that field
across the road. Some Yankees
were lying in a barn and |
farm house about two hundred yards
below here They belonged to the Four
tenth Virginia, and Mulligan's com
mand. They only came that day, and |
hadn't had time to steal much.
There were seven cows standing there |
in the road, and one OF the girls had just |
done milking, and had shut the gate IN
the ward lence and come In, l was real
proud of that fence, for it took long |
time to get out the pickets and build 1t. 1
was Just saying that the Lord had been
good to me so tar, but expected the sold
iers would clean me out when saw
some men on horseback up the road, and
then there was an awful noise worse than
thousand claps OF thunder, and |
couldn't see anything for smoke.
knew It WAS cannon, but | was so scared
| | couldn't think at first. Then l heard
Yelling ard galloping through the lane,
shooting pretty quick down ut the oarn'
and offer a while the smoke cleared away
and | could see. Well, sir, there wasn't
much to see, the corn was mostly tramped
down, sl the cows were gone except
half Of one that laid in a mud puddle,
and the picket fence was made INTO
kindling. Yes, that grape shot like TO
have busted me.
"Who were the attacking parties|
asked Mr.. Burbank.
"Moseby's whole troop on their way to
Ohio. They gobbled up nearly all the
Yankees, but must say that they treat
ed me well, and didn't steal but two
chickens, and hog, and ali the garden
truck. They tore me all up the first shot,
ard then soTter gave q benediction and
dismissed the congregation. They
tell ne Mosby's Republican. Is that
so2'
l acknowledged that such wss the
case.
"Wen," said the old man sadly, shsk-
ing head. Il always thought he'd come
to a bad end, from the way he blew up
them cows-snd that fence
A hearty laugh followed the story,
and as our cigars were out we betook
ourselves to the slumbers OF the just.
Fairly next morning after hot and