The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1890-06-26

'oa ex-gfaduslea-as IL Usual on
'ueh occasions. Even the sppse-
blossoms In each yard seemed 10 be
blooming In honor Of this glorious
lay. This college had Just ceIe-
brated its 5ist anniversary. 30 full
were the hotels that we were advised
To drive TO the private boarding
house 81 Miss Haliburt0u-distant
from the depot about one mile. We
were glad 90 follow this advice, for
we were accommodated for the
night Ia an ancient inn Of l:D years
Of age, which belonged formerly To
the nephew Of Judge Halliburton
sam Slick. and IL nj present kept
by . grand-neies of the Immortal
''cloekmsker." Ia this Veryshouse
Sam slick wrote many passages Of
his sage wit" A quAinter old
IL seldom seen la this age
OF old building destruction. We
could easily touch the ceilings In
any part Of the chambers. where the
beams projected entire in the center
OF the rooms and al the junction Of
the walls with the ceiling The
room In which Se slept wss furnish
ri with dimiiy curtains nj the
bed curtains reaching to
the hoor. two watersets, aud
furniture which might have been Of
the EIiEabethan era. Fat the
house was everywhere scrupulously
clean and the table fare was ex-
cellent. Hastily taking tea, We
entered our carriage for the Grand
Pre- drive. Our driver Was
curiosity. Not such q heailIOng,
dsshing Jshu have ! seen for many
. day. He drove ~ " the Headless
HoTseman were in pursuit, OF as u
he were Tam O'Shanter aud making
for the brig OF boon" Added To
his recklessness Was his ability ~ q
liar. Aud he made some attempt
very circulating Ai wit. But We
were impressed deeply with the
conclusion once made by Sidney
Smith, that the most brilliant
flashes Of our Cabling Jebu we're
those of silence, and those flashes
were painfully infrequent. The
more noble and impressive the
scenery. the more thunderous was
the drivers seat. Still there was
one advantage in all this break
neck driving. II gave us a chance to
see all the besuIious scenery in day
light or twilight. Our drive soon
after we left the town led along the
highlands, which overlooked for
two or three miles the magnificent
valley Of the Gaspereau. II was
birds-eye glimpse Of Paradise.
The artist who could faithfully
transfer this scene to canvas would
become one OF the immortsls.
Meadow and forest intermingled
rolled all the way up the mountain
Ous heights gu each side Of the
valley. The varied tiHts Of forest
frondage gave an exquisite color
ing. and the lovely vale in its
brilliant livery Of June, illuminrh 10y
the slaniing rays Of the golden sun
in its decline. rniTanced the behold
er. Through this vale rushed the
rapid Gaspereau. Forest glades,
orchard trees Ia bloom, little ham
lets Of white churches aud houses,
picturesque bridges, the lowing Of
kline, the flowers Of meadow patches,
purling brooks, spruce and haw-
thorne hedges, great Ruarled willow
trees, horse chestnuts, and the Hol-
land like dykes erected by tie
French two hundred years ago TO
restrain the eneroachipg tide from
the grass lands-All these were In
teresting accomplishments a. We
BOWED along over the fine road Of
the valley. In passing through the
modern village OF Graud Pre-, We
saw people who looked a. IL they
might have been descendants of the
few Acadians left In the land after
the edict for their Punishment had
been carried out. The first reminder
of the story Of Evangeliue was the
reputed site Of Basil the blacksmith,
"whO was a mighty man i'm the
village, aud hnnOred of all men"
This was just on the southern edge
Of the old Aradiau village Of Grand
Pre- nf which nOught but tradition
remains. Soon before IL appeared
= wide plain, reaching out to the
Basin Of Meinas, aud beyond
"BIomidon owse." \ portion Of
this plain was once water, and two
miles seward Long Island. The
intervening space has now all been
reclaimed and IL grass land, while
the island with its trees aud rocky
points rises cOnspicuOusly from the
plain. 70 the northeast. across the
plain, il pointed out the remnants
of the old Acadian dykes, and in
the same direction what appears
now to be a gully, or depression In
the soil, Was once the Tnadstead
where the English ships, with
their wavering shadows, were rid
ing at anchor" Over TO northwest
ward, amid the old trees nov
standing once stood the chapel. from,
whose belfry softly the Angelus
SOUNDED" and near by, the house Of
the parish priest. An old we'll, also
near the trees, remains, from which
many relics Of Aeadian times, have
OF recent years been reclaimed by
some New England par ties. On our
rnad hOmeward, we saw the cite,
"some what apart from the village
and nearer tia Basin OF MeiBas,''
where Benedict BeIlefounIaiue,
the weslthiest farmer of Grand Pre-,
dwelt ON his goodly acres; and with
him directing his household, gentle
Evangeline lived, his child, and the
pride Of the village" As We turned
our backs upon this historic spot,
BUR thoughts were busy with Long
fellows beautiful tale Of Acadia.
sadly We thought Of that nochs
rists. when the banished peasants,
gathered for embarkation at the