The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-01-29
CAUGHT on THE FLY;

For the Free Trader. I

For the Free Trader
The long summer days have come and gone
The bright autumn, with its golden tints anC
richest hues, has, in its turn given place to the
bleak days and long, dreamy nights OF winter
The leaves, SO proudly dcckcd in gorgeous col.
ors, have been killed by the frost and are seat.
tered by the winds over The snow clad earth Tn.
sky is dark and suen, the wind bowls and moans
In turn, The bitter cold nips with eager keenness
anu The fearful storm drives the timd, the weak.
the brave, alike to the Preside. Let us consider
ourselves rs one Of those, and Ms we sit before
the cheering blaze, listening to the music of the
wind as it plays around the chimney top, recall
the days gone by and rambe again through sum
mer lands. We may be of those that ycntur,d
over The bounding pillows and spent the season
anna those great cities and countries that our
neighbors know Of only from books. And Will.
there On we are to be crediled) dined with kings.
drank with princes and lunchcd with qnccnsN )
OF course saw Venice. but did not die-according
30 the proyerb, See Venice and dic"-for then
years have seen the world, perfection! Took in
she Kline? Yes; aud INDUCED in tina, fragrant
pastime OF drinking beer aud eating Limberger
cheese, after which
You may wash, you may scrub out
Your mouth If You will
But the scent Of old Limbcrger
VIII hang round it still!
Perhap. you may have been among the limo
cence" that went to Rome and at the Chair of
reter kissed the Popts toe--followng the old
sdage, when YOU 20 10 Rome do as the Romans
do"-and 1t is said "thc Romans all dot" Ram.
bled amid the lofty Alps? Oh certainly and al.
though not to be compared TO the Rockies" in |
size, nor the Sierra Nevada in grandeur, vet it's
quite boast to say, 81 have climbed the Alpsl"
And then there are so many other places but too
numerous to mention here, most Of which YOU
knew great deal more about before starting |
than when yoa returned. But let us hope that
no one did as the tourist who brought back 365
pebbles, each taken from different town, and |
representing the gains of years travel abroad
With these few remarks as a starter, and con.
hueht thst all who have seen both continents
Will agree as the poet expresses it, that "the
nrst best country ever is home" and that AZ
"home" We have grander aud more beautiful
scenery than any other country beneath the sun
That our rivers hills and mountains are far moro
majestic and grand than any to be found bevopd
the blue our skies as lovely and our brecze,
just as sweet and bamy. Bat / will not tarrv
longer over this subject, but begin at once the
object Of my sketch
There was a battle between the elements "a .
entered the train Of the Northwestern railroad In
Chicago one afternoon in October. Itwasamst
ter OF doubt whether 1t was raining. snowIny or
mailing, and which had the best of IT, In the midi,
Oh The battle the train pulled out and was soon
skirtlng the suburbs. The church spires q nd ,.I,
buildings begin to grow dim through the s,orm
And smoke, aud soon the more refreshing br.ezes
VI tue open country began to play around orr
CHECKS Inc line suburban towns along the lin.
appeared 0nd disappeared Ia quick succes.jo,.
their white, brown and other colored hu,,5;,o. |,
scattered mere and there among the trees pre-.
'e"'ine pieaeihg picture. Gliding on we pss,
Rose hiii and Calvary Cemeteries. There |, n,
ways gloomy appearance, no matter und,,
what circumstances We see them, 10 those cite.
OF the dead. Those marble shafts and vs,;o,.
shaped toombstones hold sorrow and sadness f.,
their very looks, and the eye catches their 60,
hneiiike shapes, We pause in contemplation and
wonder how long before we, too. will he ,.,d
beneath like one.
Our train 10 bounding on over The leve, n,.,,,.
towards the north; more pleasant little towns
fit Into sight and as quickly disappear, and the
young forests wear their autumn welcome rs We /,
glide by their thousand countless colors. now AZ
charming TO behold. We have been out for ne.r
ly an hour; the storm has passed and in ia stesa
. large, beautiful rainbow spans the Heaven,
and lends brilliant charm 10 the scene. mo,