The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1895-08-13

Y mountain ranges or isolated hills, al,
sparkling with homesteads upo
: which the sun falls, flashing them int
! Jewels set in the vast sweep of greer
One looks down upon mountains tina
are high and steep enough to discouI
: age any ordinary climber, aud looks u
at sky so faultlessly blue that moth
ing can be seen but God. To lie upol
the bare rock alone, in the uuspeaka
BILE silence, and look down upon
world whose hum of industry and wall
OF sorrow cannot reach the alertes
ear, is the emphasis of solitude. One
never feels the littleness of man s,
much as thus, when with nothing but
green calm below, blue quietness
above" and is SO far away that the ia
miliar earth loses its distinctivenest
and becomes as much q wonder as the
unfathomable depths that are above
The cliff with its head wrought In
the gneiss is not the only object OF in.
terest. 1t Is upon the great rocky
wall that forms the famous escarpment.
TO the westward the earth is tumbled
into all sorts of shapes, the mountains
are tumultOusly thrown together, pre-
senting steep sides, interlaced with a
mighty tangle of monstrous growths,
and garnished with numberless
streamlets that cast themselves in rap
turous abandon down into invisible
glades. There are wonderful vistas
through which the blue Of distant
| peaks and ranges intrude themselves
like monitors of the divine. Cataracts
leaping from elevations of o thousand
feet are not rare, and lesser ais,
more beautiful in their attenuated
spray, abound, Over all whispers a
cool and gentle air that is never felt
in the plains. beneath for there it be-
comes that mysterious upper stratum
in which the white fleece of the sum
mer clouds float in their laugourous
case. The scent of the balsam, the
faint signing of the spruce trees, the
dead silence of human voice and move
ment entice to drowsiness even while
1.-THE morning pouring everywhere
Its golden glory on the air."
wakens men below to the active in
dustries of life.
There is one pecul arity among
mountains | doubt if [ have ever
roamed through them without finding
dozens of places known as Lovers
Leap" The WORKOUT legend of the
Indian brave carrying away his will
ing captive and ruthlessly pursued un-
til he comes across tremendous pre-
clplce over which he casts hims elf
with his dusky Mary Jane, is well
Known In these parts. That reckless,
jumping Indian must have lived every
where, and always had relay of
maldens to jump with him. He went
over Caesars Head, SO they saw. He
has gone over every cliff | ever saw. |
wonder, too, how many Bridal-vcil
Falls there are-thin diaphanous
sheets that tumble over convenient
rocks with an uncomforta bic dampness.
We need revised mountain nomen-
clature, and some fresh legends.
Dr.. Miics, who is II model inn-keeper,
and who controls the hotel on the cliff
at Cnsar's Head, told me new le-
gend. He has II comfortable old ho-
tel, after the hospitable primitive
sort, perched high up in the sweet air
OF the mountain SUBMITS. He well
comes the guests himself with grave
pose that gives assurance OF the sinceri-
ty of his greeting. Ho looks after the
comfort of his guests himself, answer
ing the same questions, and aforoing
the same Information rs to distances,
as If he had not been doing it five
hundred times day for twenty years
No one rutlles his calm serenity, and
he goes over the same ground, an
swering the same questions that the
questioner put the day before. He
keeps plain wholesome table, and
provides beds that are couches of lux
ury in this sleep-provoking a5mos-
phrre. But to his legend.
When the great imperial Ca sar,
now dead and turned to clay, was alive,
nc had a failingout with u man who
threatened to meet him at Ohillipi, or
Ohillipera or Ohiladephia, or some
such slow town but whatever his fate
should be, there should be raised for
him an eternal monument in an un-
discovered land. Over this monument
the spirit of one Brutus should keep
watch and ward until u stranger might
discover it, when he in turn should re-
lieve the patient Brutus and permit
him TO lie down in his grave and go to
sleep. After the lapse Of years, three
brothers came to America by the name
of Vasscellines--deniZe of Spain.
One, more daring than the others,
Gousaloo de Vassellines, penetrated
into the glades, where OF course he
fell into the hands of the aboriginees.
The usual dusky maiden, heiress of the
great chiefs collection of panther
claws and malodorous skins, loved the
fair stranger. Appointed to die the
death, the muscular maiden burst his
bonds asunder ard led him to the con-
venient copse, hard by, where two
SISeuS dWdlUlDR Utlclr
coming. They fled. They were pur-
sued. They reached the mountains.
They scaled tie impossible rocks, fly
ing like the wind where now the hack
mule pauses every dozen yards to blow
GOnsalvo de Vasselines suddenly
started. He beheid the monument
guarded BY the spirit OF Brutus-he
gave one hollow groun--he screamed,
Great Caesars Ghost and casping
the maiden in his arms, he sprang far
over and landed in the Dismal, two
| thousand feet below, all broken up.
| The brothers, who were prudent, went
| to Chicago and became the progenitors
| Of The exclusive family Of which the
aristocratic Dyme Potter Vasselline is
now the head. The daring GOnsalvO
is now the guardian spirit of Caesars
head, and Brntus is quiet.
In the olden times, this was more
| irequentcd spot thar now. Almost CO.
eval with the establishment Of the
pleasant town of Greenvillc, the pc
cuiar charms Of Caesars Head at
tracted visitors. The pioneer settler
was Col. Hugood, of Greenville; who
| constructed a. cabin for his own sum.
mer residence. He had SO many friends
to visit him that he was compelled tC
put up other cottages 10 acco nOdatC
them. Out Of this grew the idea OF a
hotel whore the visitors might pay
their way-a staunch, heavy built
house Of the old pattern, with hearths
made for log Part Of the origi
nal building yet remains, woven into
4. Il s...l. 4.