The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-06-11
LEAFY JUNE.
From the Ocean to the Lakes--In the Old En-
pire State.

ION so much admired by all who love to look
on nature. Now Is the time when one feels
refreshed by a brief VISIT TO the woods, after
his long duration in the brick filled cities.
The season has come when the lover OF nature
seeks the secluded retreats to indulge his fan
cies, away from the busy haunts OF men,
where nature revels in her widest moods, and
the only sounds that reach HIM are the songs
of the birds mingllng IN joyous rcvclry with
the purling brook as 1t chafes and irets against
the rocks that obstruct its course.
What JOY In day OF June spent beneath
the spreading oaks, the grand old elms and
the leafy chestnut, with here and there span
gled locust with its straw.tintcd colors and
odorous blossoms, which fill the air with their
delightful fragrance. Then the many other
poisoning trees-glant bouquets, as We may
call thcm-the daisy with Its golden center
and mik,white petals, the violets and the blue.
bells the scarlet leaflets, and the hosts Of other
odor-making flowers, form picture-and one
that every man and woman of sentiment has
enjoyed scores of tmes-the sight of which
Man made the towns,
But God made the country.
1t was delightful morning as, grip" in
hand, found myself at the Lackawanna de-
pot, foot of Barclay street, New York, bound
for days journey over that region of the
Empire State traversed by this road. The
breeze from the bay was simply delicious as
we crossed on the ferry, and the various ship
ping with their forest Of masts and waving
pennanis the long sweep Of harbor, the un.
galnly ferries and great floating palaces, the
lovely Hudson just alive with swiftly gliding
crafts and thousand other sights, all forming
a picture that nowhere else on earth can be
seen its equal. At the depot there was the
usual hustle and hurry of passengers, all anx-
lous To- have their wants first attended to, and
OF course the last passenger who came just in
time to he too late, or to see the hind end Of
the train glide out of the old wooden depot,
which ia soon lost TO view as the train enters
the Bergen tunnel and at least five minutes is
spent in total darkness, after which we emerge
upon the green cXpanse of the IIaCkensack
Meadows, where the wild rice waves its broad
blades of green swards, and clumps of eglan-
tines Of every color. A run of few miles
over thus prairle-llke region and we begin to
climb the uplands of Jersey, from which we
catch glimpse of the surrounding country.
A more picturesque spot than this could not
be desired, and without gong into dctails--as
in former letter | included this region in my
rambcs over Manhattan lsland-we gain the
summit, where few moments are gwen for OBJ.
scryatiOn.
Below us lie Paterson, which has been dub
bed the Custodian of Passaic Falls and reiolc-
ing IN the anttheses of manufactures, silk and
ocomctivcs-strcngth and harmony. Above
this we are IN the region of hills and wales,
famous woods and mountains. The forest
trees all wave their welcome as we shoot thro'
their shades. Here is Roundtop, amid its
chains of high rounded hills, the haze,wrap.
ped knobs of the declining easternmost range
OF the great Appalachian system, Dover, with
It's old legends, comes next, and lake Pohat
cong comes into the foreground. Jackets
town, in its gems of surrounding landscapes
and adorned with the towers of its many
lofty church spires, then Stanhope and other
little towns fly by in swift succession. And
thus we fly on from village to village. and
finally plunge INTO a long dark tunnel in the
side of mountain, and emerge al Mauch
Chunk, where, seemingly at our feet, glisten
the clear waters Of the Delaware river.
VI h.,
more within the Union (s) in the grand old
Keystone State of Pennsylvania High above
our heads stand two frowning crags, and
seemingly ready to drop without a moments
warning and go crashing down the rugged
Incline OF the river bank, hundred feet be.
low. Now on the airy bridge we cross the
bright blue river, when we follow the bank
up stream for some distance, and then plunge
straight ahead against the long, lofty, haze.
enyeloped wall of the Blue Mountains AS
we dart onward the rocky rampant seems to
break ssunder and rugged pass receives US.
Mount hisl frowns above our heads, and Mt.
Tammany's vast cliff forces us across the riv.
CT. As finished this last sentence the break
man opens the door and shouts, Delaware
Water Gapw
Gladly would climb that mountainous path
again, and drink and bath my dusty face
where that gem of beauty, the Hunters
Spring, bursts out of a cleft in the rock. But
hea. the conductors stentorian voice shout
ing, "All aboardW and we move on.
Il devoted an entire letter to the TRADRr
depicting the beauties Of this region last year
'Stroudsburg" sounds through the car, ant
with the patter OF rain drops on the windows
but that soon passes away, and then brillian