The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1893-03-02


wild flowers, and on the SPARKLE
blades Of waving grasses, over
which stretches the wide, warm
beauty of a cloudless sky-a sky
that glows with rose and sapphire
as the dawn touches it with a fare
well kiss and leaves it to the splen.
dor of the waking day; where
would be able to linger and dream
to my hearts content, midst the
majesty of its unbroken and print
tive solitude, and as the evening
shades deepen listen undisturbed to
the thousand and other mysterious
voices that come from wood and
stream, all mingling in the wild
harmony of natures nightly forest
hymn.
SO wildly and rapidly did the
"reminiscences of my short stay in
these mountains at the time to
which | have referred come troop
ing around me that the resolution
| had reached before taking my
seat had grown into stubborn
reality. Yes, l would visit this
mountain region again. My second
visit would be marked by additional
and greatly increased objects of in
terest and admiration. True, the
march of civilization for a number
of years, like the waves of the ocean
beating against the shores, had
made many inroads upon its rough
and primitive beauties, still there
was much, very much, left of all
that was grand, poetic, romantic
and untamed to render it attractive
and enchanting beyond the tongue
to syllable, or language to describe.
The glades meadows, the Black
water, the Cheat, the Youghiogheny
and the Upper Potomac rivers had
all become historic since my first
visit. Not alone from the almost
numberless encampments and pleas
ure parties from all portions Of the
country, especially the crowded
cities, who have spent the summer
and the greater part of the fall
months in hunting and fishing and
enjoying the cooling shades which
line their banks, but artists and
poets have Wed with each other in
portraying their charms.
More than this, the late Meshach
Browning, an old Maryland hunter
of more than marked notoriety,
and who left a history of his life
written by himself, A years of
which was devoted to his startling
adventures in this immediate coun-
try, had given to this special locality
a halo of story and romance. This
work of itself, every word of which
l have reason to believe is truthful,
not only from personal knowledge
of the man but because of his
known reputation for strict integ-
rlty, was sufficient to take me a
second time to the widest, grand
est and most picturesque scenery in
America. l had only a few days
previous to this walk re-read this
work, hence the origin of my desire
to repeat the visit, and as fingered
over his description of the more
wild portions of those immense for
ests in which he hunted l could
but feel what vast and indescribable
sohtudes, what magnificent sunsets
bathing the ragged cliffs of the in
Vulnerable chains and spurs of
mountains in a flood of light, the
gloomy grandeur of the deep shad-
ows creeping down the mountains,
the music of the streams as they
went singing along the dark and al
most impenetrable ravines, gather
ing in volume and force all the way
the mighty roar of the winds with
every storm bowling and kissing
through the forest, the low MUIR
murs of the sinking blasts were his,
as he wondered solitary and alone
in the vast temple of nature, whose
/ Architect is God, whose organ tones
| the whispering breeze and the
sounding storm.
Having fully decided to make d
trip to the hunting ground OF
Meshach Browning, as this section
of country is now familiarly known