Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1880-08-21
For the Chronicle.
mOONLIGHT ON THE HUDSON.
scenes on Ocean steamers, and th.
Cnnfnfn,a Ro1sannce.

soon as fresh breeze sprang up,
faint music was heard from belov
and Immediately scores Of dances
fiocked on deck and took the
places. BY this time there was
golden glo.y over the boat and rive
The suns rays had faded into pul
pie mist, and following close upo
its footsteps had risen the fair, pal
children of the moon. A rush an
rustic as of q warning forest suddenl
filled the quiet evening, and tn
dance had commenced. Girls i
elfin costumes of white and gree
and red fitted here and there in tn
strange, fantastic waltz which i
now all the rage, and which tn
mischievous Puck certainly intro
duced into the court of his queer
that he might hereafter lay it as
burden upon mortals to romance in
clined. Looking dewn upon thes
merry people whirling and bowini
round and round, could compar
them to nothing save human drom
edaries, for upon the backs of youth
and maidens there was a most un
graceful hump as they bent to re
ceive each other in a warm embrace
After this was successfully accomp
lished, they took a running leap
then hop skip and jump, ther
another embrace, followed by {
most emphatic pause. To one who
has never seen it, it might seem in
credible, but in time it will become
general, suppose, and, as it is
called ''the society,"" must of course
be fashionable. "Deliver us from ii
(let us prayl, oh, Puck!''
1.-THE laughing little fellow played
at games on board, or bounded
lightly over the rippling waters, he
must surely have sung in glee,
''What fools we nortals be-" A
wise saying that. We all at times
have felt the magic of music, moon
light and water.
An exquisite pathway is this river
to the realms of night'saqueen. On
either side are the marble palaces of
her majesty's subjects, surrounded
by grounds lit up by different col
ored lamps. Fountains and flowers
give to the air countless perfumes,
and on the waters numberless pleas
ure boats float with low-lying sails.
Anon will come, with a full COM
motion, a steamer with smoke and
fiery sparks, and then, as a scurry-
ing flock of doves seek each other
for safety, the tiny boats rush in a
crowd shoreward, amid laughter
and feminine shrieks.
We sailed and sailed; the dance
went on below. Up in the pilot
house, with Capt. Emmons and his
lovely young wife, I watched the
track of the moon upon the water.
These kind people had invited me
to pay a visit to this magic land
with them, you understand, and
Mrs. Emerson and / were looking
to see if any water nymphs were
going to rise in front of our boat and
bid us beware how we entered the
portals of their earthly kingdom.
Turning to speak to my companion,
/ am stricken dumb by the picture
she makes, for leaning forward to
look at a fairy garden we pass, the
fall lightly upon her
face, lighting up the dark, soft eyes
and exquisite mouth with a tender
beauty. I said very little, but
thought tive need not search for a
fairy queen when we have on board
an earthly beauty whose charms
might vie with any. And still that
blessed camel dance continued. The
'twee sma' hours" proved their
sweetness by fitting swiftly away.
The moon rose in mid d-heaven, and
then a broad mantle over land
and river. Mystical vapors rose
along the shore and took on quaint,
grotesque figures. A cool, nipping
wind blew fresh and free down the
river. Faint musical sounds came
from shoreward. A new day was
Just awakening and rubbing his
sleepy eyes-and still that dance
went on. "Oh, Puck" l prayed.
throw your spell upon them," and
at last the little sprite condescended
to hear. 'tI will,' whispered he in
the voice of a zepher, and all at once
4 great silence fell upon US. The
girls and their beaux sought seclud-
sd spots; the blast of the band was
hushed; the deck was left to Puck
and the moons children, and quiet
ness reigned. Now, thought /, will
we enter the land of the queen. We
will entreat her to bestow immor-
.ality upon us, to give us love
charms and perpetual youth, beauty
md happiness. As am naturally
.imid in making such modest re-
quests, / was casting about in my
mind for the most fitting words in
which to couch these requests, when
Ill at once there was clatter OF
ipoons, rattle of dishes and a rush
ng to and fro upon the decks.
Cream, ice-cream and cake" was
yeIied on all sides. eyes, yes, I'll |
lave some,n and scores of busy lips |
we're soon put in action which here
Ofore were seemingly made for
miles and kisses alone. The sud- !
len transition on my part was blast
ng. All my fairy dreams were
lashed to fragments, and I slowly |
woke to the vulgar fact that / too |
vas insanely hungry for some Of |
hat same cream which was disap- |
so rapidly. The captains |
wife and l were soon supplied, and |
We forgot Titannia at once. BY the |
~, there was not a single Tanner
"a hand. Puck (fhe dear fellow y |