Mexico weekly ledger., 1892-06-16

A JOURNEY TO THE LOFTY SUM.
NIT THROUGH A DRIVING
SNOW STORM.
Through Dead Timber Over the Noun.
tain Carriage Way Bfrd's.Eye
View of ManitOu, Garden OF
the Gods, Pueblo, Denver
and Colorado Springs.

James NEWTON DdSktbb, meXlcO, mo- III 0dHt
Chaperone.
1t is a balmy August morn at Man.
itou. Come, get your lunch and
heavy wraps and go with me a day
upon the bald peaks top by carriage
way. The Midland train blinks in
and out of eight dark tunnels in six
short miles and drops us down at
Cascade, where wagons strongly built
on well poised springs await us.
Westward lies the graceful sweep Of
the mountain carriage road and now
in long and may curves with tight
ened tugs and prancing leaders our
ascent begins. Slow and toilsome is
the way up; but every turn is a rev.
elation, every new and extending
view from the higher points an as
piration. There above is the stony
bluff, picturesque with over-hanging
rocks; here is the ripping brook
brawling, boulder glutted at your
feet; and every draught of mountain
air is stimulant. Again the lonely
ranch looms up-perhaps deserted
the dreary skeleton of homs-edging
the high sand-swept mesa all strewn
with jack-straw masses of dead and
twisted trees. The very roadway is
cut through drifts of tangled roots
and trunks. Anon, the halfway
house-the refreshing lunch - the
cooling draught from wayside spring,
the grateful stretch of limb, the sweet
exchange of social pleasantly, and
the half hour is gone and with fresh
teams and wraps a little closer drawn
and hearts at little quicker beat we
are off again.
Back and forth, like 81 shuttled
thread, the climbing road ascends,
looping the brushy foothills and
spiny crags, festooning the frowning
bluffs, till the timber fringes out in
to the bare, bleak snow patch upon
the rocks, and vegetation struggles,
frail. modest, moss-like. High up
on the frayed ranges edge there are
dim lizard stripes on the solid brown
and films of streamy mist roll over
them. "Driver, what are those zig
gag streaks among the clouds there?"
"We call that our W." "Our w?
Do We go there?" "Ump-hoo!"
"Ugh-oo-ool'' And another button
on the outer wrap is slipped into its
hole and the heavy lap rug is drawn
a little further up. The leaders have
stopped their silly prancing now and
with neck marched and futtering
TANKS are hard at work. A trail of
mist sweeps like a gossamer across
your face, your chest is heaving just
a triie quicker, your heart bounds
with a slightly feverish leap, and the
hat band on your head is just little
The mountain air, thin and
bracing, is wine and ferment to the
blood and every nerve is wide awake
and clamoring to every muscle,
"Move!" The whole system is inn
.pressible. Youfeel that extra senses,
you know not how, sweep into your
consciousness and take their part.
you know not what. Now ride with
eyes well opened: for any animal
can sit still and fear and shiver!
To the backward glance, there is
the low wrinkle of the distant foot
hills projected on the earth, the tow
ering sealiop OF the higher ranges
clear cut against the sky, and the
billowy swell of park, broken
the rift of stream-vivifed by the
smoke Of railway trains. Beyond,
are piled on mounds OF
mountains, till the vast vie,s sweeps
up into heaps Of silvery culnuli that
the northern vista. Gray's
Peak and sister crags are mirage
Lifted into the very heavens, and the
great snowy banks on. their hither
sides seem very sky-born glaciers in
the frightening haze. Away of
there are gently streaming down
broad stripes Of rain, and small aocu-
lent masses OF grayish cloud begin
TO curd the nearer sky. Down
through the nimbus riffs and clearer
spaces shines the tinted sunlight till
point is gilt and TINT Ill purple,
dark Aassks0 vnxsn-. La.aasw