The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1886-02-20

| Many years ago MIS-. mary Jarrett
kept hotel ON the ground now oc-
cupied by the Wallace House. She
was most excellent cateress and
always entertained her guests in a
very satisfactory manner. She was
possessed of weakness, common to
some extent to her sex, she was fond
of being hattered. She was espe-
cially fond of having praise bestowed
upon her table-fa When she
thought her coffee or tea was about
as good as it could be made she had
habit of fishing for compliment
by speaking disparagingly of it. A
guest was once seated at Mrs. Jar
ret's table who was not just com
mon mortal, but Of the hoi dristoi
and the good hostess was doing her
best. A cup of coffee was passed to
this guest which she knew was "a
No. IT, and thereupon she began
apologizing for its quality. The
guest took her at her word. He said
sit is not as good as it might be"
The disappointment was visible upon
the countenance of the good woman
as she replied, mo, but it is not so
bad either
LOVERS LEAP, AND THE SPIRIT OF ONE
HUNDRED YEARS AGO.
The town of Morgantown is bound
ed on the southeast by Decker
creek. On the side of the creek
next the town, and short distance
from its junction with the river, is a
high precipice known as Lovers
Leap" The declivity for consid-
cradle distance is abrupt, but at the
point called Lovers Leap" the
shelving rocks project to such an ex
tent as to require steady head to
approach near enough the edge to
catch glimpse of the water below.
The perpendicular height here is
about so feet A narrow passage, as
if hewn out of the rock, enables the
adventurous explorer to pass under
meath the promontory at a height of
about half way up from the waters
edge. Here is favorite resort for
the loiterer and pleasure seeker.
Here also the school boy orator of
West Virginia's Athens has often
Numbered his eloquence, sending it
reverberating from the rock out into
space. 1t is pleasure to dream of
tales of romance in connection with
such spot, whether such tales have
any foundation or not.
The name of the place suggests
lovers and dreadful leap. A thrill
ing tale of love must have suggested
the name. Everybody in or about
Morgantown has heard tell of Mrs.
Clause. Away back at the very
commencement of the century just
closed, Michael Clause and his charm
ing frau came and settled here.
They were Dutch people and they
came across the "briny deep" it is
said, in the same ship in which
came Michael Kern and - Shack
ley, who were among the very oldest
settlers in the place. Mr.. Kern had
his residence at the Beech Spring
near Kern's Fort, Mr. Shackley at
the property now owned by Mrs
Cobun and Mein Herr Clause and
his lovely frau had their domicil
hard by the Lovers Leap" on the
property now owned by Dr. Joseph
A. McLane. Ordinarily the heroine
of romantic story is introduced
with flourish of trumpets and with
a pen picture of her charms, etc. 1t
is only necessary here to state that
the proprietress of the "Lover's
Leap" was a women of spirit at
least she dealt in spirits" All
great reformers of the present day
have their barrels and our "star-
eyed goddess" had hers. Incredible
as it may seem to thirsty souls of
the present day, Mrs. Clause sold
pure whisky at five penny bit" a
pint. She is said to have been a
picture well pleasing to the sight of
her customers as she stood holding
the beverage rearward with one hand
and extending the other, palm up
wards demanding in teutonic accent,
''feep." The ''feep' was prereq-
uisite to the delivery of the liquor.
While Mrs. Clause did business
there her premises at the top of the
cliff were, in warm weather, sort of
summer resort, where her guests and
customers enjoyed the cool shade,
the bracing atmosphere and the life
| ri -Iyrrr ri hAr
pecked husbands and such like,
where peace abounded and the bet
ter emotions of love and friendship
asserted their sway. An inspiration
took hold of the affection and there
one loved in spite of himself.
Two of Morgantown's prominent
citizens sat in Mrs. Clauses rustic
beer garden, nearly an hundred
years ago.. Mr.. c. and Mrs. +,
drinking the inspiration Of the place
and Mrs. Clauses liquor at ''feep"
pint and Damon and Pytheas did
not love one another with so ardent
an affection as did these twain.
The love of Saul and Jonathan was
not "a circumstance to theirs.
They drank and embraced then en-
braced and drank Each expressed
his kindly feeling for the other, and
then they pledged their love in an
other bumper AS Mrs. Clause's
spirits went down, their "spirits"
went up. In their mellow mood
each observed that the other was in
danger of going over the precipice
and the heart of each yearned for
the safety of the other. Each rush
ed to the rescue of the other and two
heroic lovers grappled with each
other, but despite their efforts they
both went reeling over the hill, pell-
nell into the creek. OF course they
did not go over at the highest point
or they would have been dashed to
pieces. AS it was broken limb, a
dislocated collar bone some scratches
and bruises were the result Their
delirious love and unsuple leap it is
said, gave a name to the place that
is destined to remain forever, and it
is but right that the memory of Mrs.
Clause should be perpetuated along
with it.
But there is another reason why