The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-07-17
WAKEMAN'SW ANDERINGS
ovErCHEs OF SOME OLD CATEE-
ORAL TOWNSHIP.

.sr-Its Glorious Environment, Dummy
AsDect and Noble Cathedral.
CCopyrighD
rvrryR. ENGLAND, July 2.-Nature
ears other aspects than those of sunshine
I'D cIadpess in these tight little" British
Islands.
The rain falls as though tumbled upon
uo, nv mischievous elves who have watched
;or YOUR unwary coming, and the fogs and
-nIsts flap about the hills and mountains
and slap the faces of the glens and valleys
pko a ships unstaid sails. pounding its deck
In storm.
Rus YOU find a sovereignty of elation and
emulation in wandering alone among the
historic and scenic glories of any land. A
,ood s,aR or stick, a stout pair of legs, q
Taceptive mind and above all cherry and
svmpathetic heart. whatever your luck, are
the regal companions for such loiterings.
And nature never fails to appear to single
devotees at her myriad doors and windows
with radiant welcomiugs. How witching
is even this foggy morning, half disclosing
the wondrous charms Of valley, mead and
stresml At times scarcely can your hand
me seen before you for the strange eddies,
cuttings and fantastic convolutions of the
fog There is your road, hard as british
oonserVatisn," beneath your feet-one Of
the best and surest and most beautiful ways
IN all the world, bringing to the heart Of the
American wanderer upon it the keen and
patriotic paug that those Of his grander
land are shamed by honest comparison.
Even in the drizzle and fog you cannot
mistake both of these hard facts. What
may be to the right or left or before, your
fancy quiokened by the mornings awak-
ening life, intensified by near and far
mysterious sounds, can also locate or
divine. Tramp, tramp, tramp. bravely as
you may, these grow into consciousness
50 imperative OF recognition that, despite
yourself, ever and again you stop to listen.
Drip, drip, drip from tue leaves OF the
hedges into the basins of rock. the great
drops striking like silver pellets upon swing
ing glass, until the chimes Of the fairies are
rung in your ears beside the road. Not a
rod away, but invisible, rivulets OF the
nights making wimple from rocks TO pools,
in all manner OF melodic runs, from the
staccRto Of tenor trills to the barytone
minors OF stately psalms.
Just at your side perhaps q goose will
suddenly hiss as if reaching its long neck
from fog hidden door puddle to snap at you
from behind the curtaining mist. Beyond
or behind some chained dog, making dis
NAL hewgag of kennel door and chain, leaps
in and out, baying to his peasant master OF
untimely footsteps Over your head the
restless abrasion OF boughs whisper that the
leaves, from their weight of fog cups, sigh
and moan as if impatient of their sunless
prisoning. Hedge branches crackle from
the water weight, as in the frost battles OF
approaching winter.
Here and there as the heavy breezes move
a trIfle come the hesitant pipe of stirring
bird, the platter of wild hares' feet upon the
slippery leaves, the shutting scamper of
some skulking peasant, the complaining
chatter of rocks and davis, the half caught,
hoaEse resonance of hidden waterfall, while
faint and far and strangely muffled, from
little hamlets in the distance, the notes OF
school bells steal family along the folds of
the clinging mist.
Making your way is sometimes like push
ing through impalpsbls banks of snow. But
in the CHEEKY old English inn, in the pres
ence of mullins white as snow, an omlet as
yellow as frost painted beech leaf, a Jug
Of "clotted" cream as sweet as a nut kernel
and fragrant brewing of tea in the delft
pot under the ''cosey - you have reason to
rejoice in the blood tingle that comes from
doing half dozen miles before breakfast
over a perfect road through a genuine
British fog.
1t was on such a morning that / came
over the east Devonshire hills and halted at
awayslde inn, still high up among their
wooded nights as | neared the old cathe-
dral town Of Exeter. As the fog lifted !
could see from my inn window cart after
cart jogging comfortably on to the Satur-
day market day sales in Exeter. From the
busting good wife of the inn l inquired the
distance they had come.
From round about Bow, Copplestone
and North Tawton," she answered.
And how far Is the farthest of these
placesl" l asked.
North Tawton may be likes ten or
twelve mile, sir, at least from Exeter"
l told her l thought that a good distance
ior a heavily laden cart drawn by only one
horse.
"Contrsrywise," she retorted cheerily,
many comes from far beyond Eggestord
and Chumleigh, twenty five mile, sir, by hill
ana dip; and many carts, sir, do be loaded
as neaVy as ton and half and two tons
SIR American beasties 'aven't the might OF
Devon cattle, am told, sir" she concluded
halt quizzically.
quite right she was told her. And ]
clipped the wings of her Devonshire pride
W aiso relating, may the saints forgive me
NV we uld not require that sort of cattle
IN America; as we had railways between all
S1lsges, all over our farms Il could have
Tuthrully said, railway mortgages), did
cnoIes on roller skates, and went TO the
linking and visited neiRhbors on tram cars
propelled by electricity; for all Of which
ing. ~ '1' '00--O--
=, mat morning. all the way 20 Exeter
otioAgslde those huge carts which bowled
o,ous under their great loads as easily al
oser cathedral floor, and in a thousand
T.nel places on the highways of England
Island and Scotland, have inexpressibly
t ~ Tor the power TO bodily transfer some
~ tuese grand old roads to our country; tc
LaAe American millionares, who may still
love American pride left in them, see their
tTSoauVy, maRnificance and utility beyond
oa Csc VI all things money and patriotism
give 10 communities and to compe
~ can farmers to know what might be
40 inatchless independence of their lives
So HVlng with these perfect detenses for
NJ 'o!i and homes and granaries against
w.. % u the monopolistic and corner abom
nations Of our land.
all f seV out to write about Exeter: but this
1ooyect OF better American roads will not
o I'm In five years. time I have tramped
tre o,VVO miles of British roads Each
o,t.le step my feet upon their broad Arm
in NJ ei lace every drop Of American blood
the ls,'l ugies with shame at the thought oil
~ o u,uu pixies and bottomless road sloughi
and u. own splendid country-rich, great
Fnros 9aong enough TO match the roads OF
vot i1pe without a weeks delay. And
a losi. i've mouths of every year, and il
ba1 s90set degree for the other seven
inc VI the people of our farm