The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-08-25

those breakfasts with which Landlord
Hoover is wont to console the appre-
ciative inner man. Up through the
wild and rocky gorge OF the Tygarts
Valley river, through scenery such as
Americans go abroad to rave over. The
traveller who does not know the country
looks incredulous when you tell him
that back Of these hills are good farm.
ing and pasture lands, and that pres.
emily the train will 90 with the river
through gap that opens as the gate Of
an earthly paradise.
This is not too strong prose use Of
poetic license. The rural beauty, the
enveloping mountain grandeur, the
restful peace of this Tygarfs Valley
country are conditions so different from
the hustle and rattle and smoke OF the
busy town that one seems to have lett
the earth behind. This is ideal noun
tain scenery, which requires the plain
and the mountains in sharp contrast.
Deer Park and the resorts about it are
higher than Elkins, but they do not
satisfy as Elkins does the soul that
longs for mountain scenery. They are
shut in and the mountain scenery is
shut out, and there is no coming to-
gether. People from the lowlands want
to see the mountains when they 60 to
the mountains. When they don't see
what they want they think somebody
has robbed them OF their moneys
worth. Perhaps sea forever placid,
however deep and broad, would be too
dull to be sea. We look for the roar
ing, tumbling, high-running waves, the
shrieking and the moaning and the
bowling OF the storm, and when these
raw materials are in evidence we are
convinced that We are on real ocean.
There is visible mountain enough in
this Tygarts Valley country; to the
west Laurel and Rich, to the east the
ranges of Cheat and the Alleghenies
beyond. This lovely landscape has
only to be well known to draw hither
an increasing number OF summer So
journers, not by any means the least
valuable crop that can be produced.
What would Florida be without the
crop of fat-pursed Yankees she raises
every winter?. or the barren sand
reaches OF New Jersey without the
hordes who come because there is an
ocean there2 Tygart's Valley is rich in
coal and timber and pasture lands, but
scenery and bracing mountain air and
the purest of pure water are in these
days marketable commodities in this
country, and TygarFs Valley has them.
The far-seeing man who is now the
secretary OF war chose this beautiful
valley for his home, selected one Of the
twenty.one hills which surround
Elkins. set up his domestic altar there
and called it Halliehurst, in which his
wife is to be found If you are good at
guessing riddles. 1t isavision OF gray
stone, old shingles, turrets and
dormers-banked against the green OF
the virgin forest. Taste and labor are
making the forest park. 1t has often
been asked, "what in the world does
Mr.. Elkins expect to do with all that
house?" You have not been in it
many minutes before the question has
answered itself. The little Deer Park
cottage sufticed for his family. Hallie-
hurst makes room for his friends. 1t
is constructed on the lines OF broad
hospitality, and every nook speaks
welcome. Guests are made to feel that
the house was built for them, and they
are expected to enjoy as much ofit as
they can. Many of the people round
about have dropped in 'just to see the
house" and they are as welcome as any
body else. Not many of US have seen
many such homes, and to see one is
good deal OF an education.
Ex-senator Henry G. Davis, father-in-
law of Secretary Elkins, is building an
other on the next hill to the east; and
next to him Mr.. R. @. Kerens, of St.
Louis, who was a delegate in the Minne-
apolis convention and succeeded Chaun-
cey I. Fiiley as Missouri's member OF
the national committee, is building on
the next hill. These two homes will be
entirely OF stone. Their owners expect
to occupy them next summer. Presi-
dent Harrison hopes to have a summer
home here, would probably have begun
to build it this season If the Mime
apolis convention had not renewed for
him the lease on the White House.
Unless Senator Davis comes up with re-
Inducements, his Castle Democracy
will be in danger of being stormed and
carried by the enemy.
Sitting with Mr.. Elkins in hislibrary,
an ideal apartment with books on a
wide range of subjects and which l
fain would have brought away with me,
asked him if he had noticed that the
Register had charged that in his speech
in the Huntington convention he had
assailed viciously the mining laws
passed at the late session OF the legisla-
ture.
Mr.. Elkins replied: "Isaw the state
ment in the ReJiaer, made three days
after the convention, and l was some.
what surprised because it miastated
what I said entirely. | said nothing OF
the kind; indeed, I did not know that
there had been any mining legislation
passed at the session OF the legislature,
and did not know until / saw one OF
our attorneys, Mr.. Wood Daley, about
the matter, when he explained to me
that two acts had passed the legislature,
both OF which wero now before the
court. Inasmuch as these acts did not
affect the mining laws of the northern
portion of the state, my attention had
not been drawn to them. l could not
have said what the RegiSter stated,
knew nothing about the acts, as
they did not affect the mining laws of
the region of the state with which am