Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1891-09-07
LETTER FROM SARATOGA.

Editor Monitor, Knowing that an
occasional letter from one of your
Gown number" is more welcome than
it otherwise would be, venture a de-
scription of my very pleasant visit to
Saratoga:
This is, indeed, a lovely place, with
it's stately trees lining the streets and
making the promenades most invit-
ing; its fine hotels, which are at pres
ent full to the brim; it's elegant pri-
vate residences, parks, and crowds of
gayly dressed people, all combine to
make it just the place for a joyous hol-
iday, and everybody looks as if they
we're carrying out the spirit of the
place to the letter.
Congress Hall, which is one of the
three largest hotels here, is directly
opposite the Grand Union, thus max
ing it very lively at each hotel. Ithas
a good orchestra in attendance which
gives morning and evening concerts
which [ have been in just the mood to
enjoy after my summers deprivation.
my pupils must not feel sensitive. [
|
I am speaking or orchestral music.)
But some of these people are enough
to drive one wild. You would think
to see them swallow their breakfast in
breathless haste and rush for seat on
the piazza near the music, that they
were preparing to enjoy the concert to
the utmost. Well, they do, I guess,
for they sit looking dreamily about
them until the first notes are given,
when suddenly they discover that their
chairs are not properly located and
drag them a little way and form
themselves into groups of a dozen or
more and talk. Talk is too mild a
word to use, but fail to think of an
other Just now. They crescendO with
the music and forget to follow in the
dimuendo. At the close of the piece
they stop enchanted, and rest up
until time for the next number.
At the park few evenings ago
there was to be a vocal selection
''Inf1amatus'', by Ressini-and a lady
behind US rendered us helpless by re
marking, II wonder what this Infiam
nation piece is!''
Then a fit companion for the talking
fiend is the one who keeps time, or
tries to, with his cane or umbrella, or
better still, taps the back of your
! chair with his patent No. elevens. The
''why'' of all this, will, I trust, be ex
planned hereafter, but no mortal can
do it on this side.
In the afternoon comes the driving.
To Saratoga Lake the most popular
route is to go to WoodlaWn Park, Oy
Judge Hilton's elegant residence, and
back through the town to the lake. !
There are great many stylish private
turnouts, but for those less favored,
the most delightful way is to go on the |
E'TalIy Ho'' coach.
The racing is unusually good this |
year, so the gentlemen say, and the |
betting is heavy. A great many must |
come here especially for the races, as
they attend constantly.
[ suppose you know that we are
honOred with President HarrisOn's |
presence. He came from Bennington
returned to Saratoga at 4 p. m. on
Friday. The streets, piaZZas and win
dows, as far as could be seen, were
filed with people. He delivered a
short address when he alighted at the
Grand Union and held an informal re-
ception. He will remain here until
Tuesday. Yesterday he took drive,
and last evening he sat few seats in
front of us at an entertainment given
by Marshall P. Wilder, the wonderful
humorist, who kept the audience in
perfect uproar. His stock of witty
anecdotes is apparently unlimited,
while his facial expressions are so per-
feet that story gains a good deal
when he reproduces it. Two of them
struck me as being particularly funny.
One was as follows: GA man asked
doctor which lived the longer, the
married man or the bachelor, and the
doctor answered, ''There is no differ
ence whatever, except that the life of
the married man seems longer" The
other was of physician who told his
servant that if he did not stop drink
ing he would turn him into a rat. Not
long after the man went home par
TALLY intoxicated and said to his wife,
MARY, eff yer see little pointed ears
comm up on ache side of me head and
little bristles on me mouth, for Hiv-
ems sake kape yer eye on the cat!"
We went to Lake George one day
last week. 1t is about 80 miles from
here. We took the steamer at the
Fort VIM. Henry Hotel landing and
went up to the Fourteen Mile Island,
stopping there two hours. All along
the shores of the lake and on many of
the numerous islands are elegant pri-
vate residences and hotels.
We also spent a day on Mt. McGreg-
or, made famous by Gen. Grants res
idence and death. The Mt. is 1900 it,
high and the cars run to the summit
From the quiet Hotel Balmoral
the view is enchanting. A vast plain
is before you of cultivated and appar-
emily level land, dotted with cleaning
lakes, houses and trees with shining
rivers curving in and out among them,
extending for many miles. The Nc
Gregor cottage is now owned by the
G. A. r. and is kept open for visitors
1t is interesting to know that the fur
niture is the same, and in nearly the
same position as at the time of the
Generals death. In the dining room,
part of the table service has been re- I
moved; otherwise everything is the
same. In the sick room are the two
large chairs in which he passed the :
greater part of his time, the fans he {
used, his candle and lamp, the shears
with which he trimmed his lamp, the .
tumbler from which he drank, pencils !
and pads, and the pen with which he {
did his last writing, etc. On the day
before his death he was removed from
his chairs to the bed, which still re- {
mains in the reception room where he {