The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-10-29

A DAYS ADVENTURES.

1t is a great thing to wake up in the
morning with feeling of absolute leis-
IRE and repose; to know that you finished
heavy batch of work last night, and
will not have any more till black Mon
lay; that you wanta holiday, that you
nave deserved it, and that you mean to
AXE il. For the most part it is well to
have a holiday carefully organized, with
:ll the details amply attended to; but at
other times ] myself prefer to wander
iorth at my own sweet will, to study this
nighty> London, which seems to grow
upon us more and more, and its suburb,
which | firmly believe to be the finest
~uburbs in the world. OF course | did
not intend TO turn out into the streets
without the remotest idea of where |
vas to CO. | had distinctly settled ON
yoing westwards. But WAS trammelled
by no engagement, was fixed by no
rains, | had calls which | could make or
not make at my pleasure; if any unex-
Qectcd object of interest turned up, |
'ould modify my programme, or alter
ii altogether had contrived to secure
sense of freedom and liberty, which is a
yery pleasant sensation, and one of the
cry first elements of successful day
nut.
| had settled on several places for
visits in the west, the far west, beyond
where Hammersmith and Shepherds
3nsh $50 called, believe, because Jack
'hcppard used TO have his haunts there)
ade into the country. ! was told that
! should find an old-fashioned little vii
age, that seemed to have been stranded
.ome centuries ago, and, alone of Villages
lear London, not to have modified it,
haracter in the least. And so it was;
nd that ii may preserve the unique dis
melton leave it unnamed. Then had
iso byen told that if proceeded along
certain highway ] should come to a
'relty lane; and that when had gone
dile or two, | should find park-lodge
md gate; that there was right OF way
Trough the p4rk; and that in a corner
i the park | should find the tiny parish
lurch of perhaps the smallest parish in
England. | verified the description to
he letter. The domain was called an
abb, Y; but although an immense place
could not detect anything of an ab-
natlal character about it. The place
vas deserted 1t had not been inhabited
',r some time. | passed through the
nafy cloisters, the natural arches; / took
he secluded path that led TO the tiny
,hurch, hardly 50 large as the breakfast
nom OF the big house that oyershadowed
i. did not meet a single soul. An in
tcn~e oppres i've silence reigncd every
yhere. Il was like stepping out of the
london streets into cathedral. And
MS spot of loneliness, beauty and re-
r5hment is within the London postal
Iistrict, very considerably within those
:n'its. / long d to proclaim my discov-
,ly, to put some friend up to a good
hing in obtaining leave to have a picnic
IA this delicious sward, beneath these
aoble trees. But must leave it un-
ouched; why spoil the poetry and the
oIitude? felt that thus early in the
lay la reaped the full enjoyment of
'ay holiday, and that fate could not
poll it for me.
Passing away from this grove, which
light have been Armida's, I came TO the
>ide Of deep sluggish canal, which
'rifted through wide range of meadows.
lere was still the loneliness; the fish
raped in the stream, and the kingfsher
Hame down, a flash of colored light ON
he fish. | EXCHANGED a few words with
,ome folk on can boat; and save for
moving that these canal boats sometimes
bound with dirt and disease, | would
'iIye been content to have Travelled few
niles in t. Clore by bridge spanning
ne canal was pretty village, and in the
'lIage was little inn, and an arch be-
''do it, WhereOn was inscribed Tea gar
',n4. Now with tea-gHrdens 7 lave
,nty scanty sympathy. I observed that
;ttrr were various carriages and farmers
'na-es close by; and entering the garden,
7 found it most <killfully laid out, end
.he choicest flowers inspected bv an ex-
client company. Might all tea-gardens
g like this. And 50 into the aigh
road.
Now if there is one sort of walking
3hich really taxes and tires one, it is a
org, hot, un9hadowed, unvarying high
'oad. 1t is a depressing kind of work, q
,:"cr waste OF time, patience and boot
ather. There was no railway station
N this road. On some roads railway
La ions are dotted nearly every mile,
nd you @oHder il it is worth the COM
nauy's while to shed them at such fre-
uent intervals. But on this road there
,as no station, no omnibus, no cab.
;fudgel On ke the we ry camel driver.
'resentlya brewers dray, raising cloud
If dust, appeared to diversity the scene.
Horses were big jovial looking horses. As
o"fits dray hor.es; driver to m Itch.
Diver and | stopped simultane-
asIy, as if moved by a hidden
ympathy. He himself was lean
jlg over the edge Of the car; there wa. a
lind of drivers stood to which was well
ONE. ! sariieed my dignity to my
.ese. The dray was proceeding at the
ate OF seven miles an hour; my own
waking pace was about three and a
half; 90, from a locomotive point of
lew, there was here distinct gain
The brewers man and / entered into a