The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-09-03

~ tba ceiling, rows ek sItg M b .
Wsfia kIftisfsd atI10B sspn
s.sfss into other parts 81 tss cave s.IssS J,
IN nut In aft direction y o ~ ~
whicf, NE could zee sbs snow TIT va !. ~ i
Cinderella as she hastily teft the Dan; AIa
then the bright and happ faces q WY W.
riris calling back merry answers y sa ,I.a
escorts, the comeiy Datron WIN ~ losa'
the erect and stasely form % nun !. WIZ ..s,
tho Same Tar agpn OF chivalry sud kntgbtiy
1 o.ra as on yores The swelling music, now
e. fhe hand. now OF single female voice,
md now of q mighty chosus-all con.
mined 10 make &c q scene never to pc iore0t-
ten by any who witnessed v.
J,rst outside the ball.room Is the CasxeG
sprisr. It is formed Just IKE the Ctys.a1
snrinS, with an additional element OF peau-
Nv. Around the central spring Is ctoster
Of others on the same pattern, out On
iosaer level, to catch the overflow, auo
aras1nd and below these another SET, aaa 80
ON for six or seven tiers. The Imperial
Snrinc Ia the largest In the cave, anu pas
rUhat looks like bank o1 snow on one sue
shortly after this We see the exquIsne hui-
oress Column. OF the anost graceful shape
and rnosf spotless whiseuess, until the mag
!, csi,,m light is thrown on it. when the ere
r;ces nil take q delicate salmon tint. On
nmr return we go into Skeleton Gulcn,
where lie the bones OF an Indian boy, four
teen or fifteen years cid, embedded In the
rock. The rock is still forming around
them, but it probably took seYerai nundrea
wears to bury them rs much as tney are:
Not a great distance of IS the pefiees
nriut of an INDIAN moccasin, the nno
nushed up around it In The most n2cu-
raj manner. The fact TINT there are
no more is no argument against lts
oepuineness, for It would require pecunas
eonditioas both to make and preserve the
track. The mud bad to be soft at the time.
and then thin sta1actic formation bad to
encrust it. The size OF the prins anu y.
rho skeleton correspond. What food for
the imagination is furnished BY this foot
nrint and skeleton. We can picture to our
selves the young Indian, fond OF danger
and adventure, fading the mouth OF the
cave keeping it secret that be alone might
exnlore its recesses, stealing OF with MS
pine torch, entering cautiously NJ nrst' I'LL,
drawn on step by step as new beauties meet
his eve. he becomes Dewildered, loses his
way. wanders around aimlessly, becomes
more bopeIessly lost every step, until hls
torch expires, and then the blackness OF
darkness settles down over his soul. lie
sits down in dumb despair, until, thinking
ANYTHING better than that he starts up once
more. gropes his way wildly around, his
foot slips. and with'one wild cry OF despair
he fails over the preciplee, at the 1901 OF
which be lies. The mother never knows
the fate OF her SOD; she only knows that
her spirited, dark-eyed boy comes no more
to her wigw:m, and still she watches ana
homes till hope grows cold. And all the
while the relentless stone Is forming, drop,
drop, drop, around the bones OF her son,
perhaps her only one.
One large and beautiful pillar knew to
be unnamed, and so I whispered to the
guide. and he Immediately announced IFS
name to be Beauregard's Column. And
now, as draw my letter TO close, begin
TO think of numberless things that l have
said nothing about. have not mentioned
Chapman's Lake. Goliath's Staff, Sultana
Column, the Indian Squaw, or numberlesS
other things which would themselves nave
been great attractions II there had not been
greater. These things / must leave the
reader Of the Dispatch to see for himself,
which I trust every one will endeayor to 40.
Persons returning east from the virginia
springs will find it very convenient to leave
the Chesapeake and Ohio at Staunton, taxing
the faIteV TalITOau W 1Sc" UAai hSo' - tooi
that point daily line Of stages runs to Lu-
ray.
The Luray cave is new world OF beauty.
Everything is as different from what we ha-
bitualIy see around US as St. Peters at Rome
would lie to arude barbarian who suddenly
found himself there.
Now the eys is bewildered by some May
labyrinth, now delighted by delicate piece
OF tracery; now We wander over smooth
floors. beneath graceful arches draped with
curtains banging IN rich damask-iike folds !;
now we shrink back from some yawning
abyss that opens its greedy mouth to de-
your the unwary; now it is grand, now
picturesque, now gloomy, now gay, now
awful, now beautiful; but always new,
always weird, always wonderful. Stopping
only few moments outside the cave to bid
our friends goodbye and have few pleas
ant words with General Beauregard, we
sailed out OF the misunderstanding Tor q
moonlight walk to Luray. And soon inc
rumbling of wheels and the music OF the
band told us that the others were following
And so we all retired-every one else to
sleep, to write this letter.
Yours truly, EGO.