The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1879-08-22
A Trip to the Mountains.
OAKLAND, GARRETT Co. Mn


r,oc. August Tth 1879
sTet.; MOI being quite ready TO join lIennett's
North Pole expedition, resolved to try Oakland
as the next best place for summer resort Reach
ing baltimore mt midday and being obliged to re-
main til next morning, with the mercury keepinr
out at the basement story of the ninetics If slnm
ed as though had jumped out of the Hartford
Iir St upon brick and mortar gridlron-as
iht would say. With the view of breaking the
back -bone $50 TO speak, of the nineteen hours
nroll before me, adopted n friends suggestion
down the bay. We started about & O'clock on the
neat little steamer Pentz. So far as Keeping cool
II c c4thcerned the trip was such complete success
mat commend the same course to nil such i'm
fortunate tourists have to lie on their oars in
inc city during midsummer. From the moment
we got fairly under way seated most of tho time
on the upper deck, all thought of heat vanished -
Al we thought about was to enjoy the delicious
air. Ihere was light southerly wind, and us we
Melo SCANNING right in its teeth, at ever so many
Knots, was equivalent to stiff breezo The boat
was Just comfortably full of passengers no crowd
myselfitwas buta "peopled solitude: . for knew
no one aboard. So far however, as appearances
ullu zen. aGineanor are Indications it was very re-
spectacle crowd. There was not an untoward oc-
Gurrencc to mar the enjoyment Nobody was
drunk, or rude. or snarsh. All went merry asa
marriage bell. | forgot to say that even the ter
rlble Basin withheld its sitting horrors despite the
tnorouEn SURFING up that we gaveit AS the ladies
We're mostly Baltlmoreans, it would be quite super
and SO will not say it. We had band on board
ana OF course there was dancing. And now must
vogue. The favorite waltz of this particular 90
casion caused decided revusion of nv first favor
anlo impression; and began to think we had got
INTO q pretty hard crowd. Indeed if the waltz in
question were not "the fashion," don't think il
would m be tolerated in first-class "dance-house"
what then was my establishment when NV friend
informed me that it was "all the rage i'm the best
circles oil Baltimore; and of course in other GEN.
Ires OF ronnement-so called. ] know not what
may be IT'S namc-most probably some German
law-brcakcr. | could give it very appropriate
llLtc q anglo-Saxon nane-but refrain for this is
one OF the absurdly strange cases where the name
may stick by its very fitness while the thing itself
Is , neid 10 be an accomplishment! How any mans
WIZ, sister, ,, sweet-hGart daughter aunt, grand
HoIhcr, coulu SO exhibit herself before his eyes,
ana not forfeit some portion of his esteem, am
Wholly at loss to conceive But sudh it seems, is
-, Next morning, about o'cock, took passage on
tne IT, %. railroad; Nothing of moment occur
r.. on ihe route The day, towards noon became
ana ine earth gave every particle of dust free wing
ana i was Whirod in every direction by the rapid
charge from the engine, streamed constantly
through the car-windows necessarily kept open9
and illustrated in full force Keats smile
" Love in cot, with water and crust
Is Qoyo forgive us cndcrs, ashes, dustr
T.. During the day, question of etiquettearose, in
Itself so trivial that mention 1t only because of
its very frequent occurrence and of the difficulty
OF gGttng IN the heads Of many otherwise sensible
PgR to for wha WRSdy
q certain station rose from my seat leaving INV
faithful umbrella on guard, and went to the door
point was very striking. Though not absent more
than one minute when returned found enscon-
ecu IN my seat nice looking young comple-lady
ana gentleman. Casting my eye around could see
no vacant seat. While willing that the lady should
remain where she was if she chose to do so-ai-
though she was next the window where had been
sitting-l informed the gentleman that was sorry
TO disturb him, but that had occupied that seat
for the lust five six hours with the exception of
the one minute just expired, and considered it
mime Upon this the couple exchanged chances
winch said us plainly as words could have done,
lnl f,,.tr
~ put me on my mettle, SO far as the gentleman
was concerned Without saying a word (what in
deed could be sadD he seemed To demlr; hut
presently drew himself out of the seat somewhat
after the manner of II snail when il h,s no urgent
business on hand, and quietly slid into possession
Of my own. 1t was a back seat, and he took
his station behind it, chatted with the lady for
few minutes, and then left could see, all the
time, by the disdanful manner with an occasional
toss of the head, and IL certain II know not what"
atshc thought me very unnannery. managed
to remain serene, though could hardly refrain
from little ripple of mirh ut the absurdiIy of his
Indignation. After while her friend returned
they took up their satches, and, with sort of in
dignant flout--tlihicult 10 interpret, hut which /
thought stood for "cuss-wor,ls''- TO another
car. Now 1t was no business of mine to go poking
round crowded car look up seat, when had
nor to inform him that if he would get one forme
he could have mine which was the case. Nor was
II for mo to apprse him of the fact that | had Il
humping headache, and was in no condition on
humor for trotting round gratis on his orrands-
As said before mention this only because il il
an hourly occurring nuisance and ought TO be
abated. Let the Delta Narrow G auge set n better
example. The melancholy fact IL, that I'm this
century, too many gentlemen, when they enter
car with lady leave their manners df they happen
to have any ut the door, and act ms though the
mere company of Il lady made them "monarchs
of all they survey" But after all, what wonder
When so-caled President of a great republic
takes n scat which he knows belongs to another
man. and pcrsistently holds 1t for four years. why
may not a poor devil of passenger now and then
steal and hold seat for many hours? Irepeat-
whyr and echo does the same
"A Potomac i'm
many places shrunk almost to a span. One could
have leapcd across from rock to rock without
wetting the soles of his feet. Along the entire
route in most of the fields, the tasses of the corn
were dropping, and its blades withered while tho
grass was scared blythe excessive drouth
As we approached n certain wild rayine on the
railroad almost directly across the Potomac from
Hancock looked eagerly out with the hone of
recognising the spot where barely escaped cap
ture while making my way to Dixie In that wear
of hubbub and blood-1S8l l had to ferry the
river on couple of rough boards crossed by three
sticks, the whole being dashed together with grape
vines. Just rs landed in thicket on the Virginia
bank, asquad of the enemy appeared on the OPP
posito shore, on my track, and proceeded tn wade
across In pursuit, when dived into the wild and
wooded mountain before me and succeeded In
Guiding them. BEING entirely ignorant of the
country, wandered about nearly all day at was
on Sunday, 10y the by.) completely bewildered.
until, towards night had tho good luck 10 strike
road which led me to the friendly town of Bath,
where felt comparatively at case. g. W. A.